Leave the Light On For Us

If anyone were going to get seasick on Chesapeake Bay, it could very well be in these conditions: sails full, heeling the boat on its side, while plowing through chop at a different angle, sending the bow up and down, up and down, so that the boat gives a liitle "twist" coming down off each wave. A roly-poly motion we experienced crossing stretches of ocean between islands in tbe Bahamas.

No problem for us here. We are in familiar waters, in our own bay, having plied them many times in the old Pearson, its outboard lifting out of the water on big waves, prop spinning futilely (a good way to burn out an engine). 

Now we motor-sail with an inboard Universal diesel, the kind long-distance truckers run for 30 or 40 hours hauling tons of freight. Ours in 16 horsepower--slow, but plenty of power for our 30-foot boat.

View from the helm, spinnaker and main sails up with engine assist due to low wind

After a winter of discontent--well, at least tribulations and uncertainty--my spirit lifts to be close to home, all systems working properly, in waters Pope knows like the back of his hand (though who really studies the back of their hand???). In addition to excursions on the Pearson, for years Pope  has raced schooners, sloops, and trimarans up and down the bay.

In our current boat, Echo II, we compromised narrow hull and sleek shape built for speed for a broader beam, less heeling, and more comfortable living conditions. We putter confidently past Cove Point, Chesapeake Beach, Herring Bay--en route to the mooring ball reserved at Holiday Hill Marina in Edgewater, MD, which we departed last October.

Natural gas offloading plant at Cove Point

Home stretch. I am grinning from ear to ear.