Our plan today was to go for Solomon Island for one day but since the weather forecast was vague for today and tomorrow with tomorrow being the worse of the two, we decided to book Solomon marina for 2 nights (freebies).
We left Oxford at 7AM, hoping to get to Solomon before the forecasted 3PM thunderstorms arrive. The weatherman, again, screwed up the forecast. The predicted SW 10 knot wind turned out to be 20 knots, gusting to 28. Seas were also choppy with 3-5 ft heights against us. We shorten the sails and started tacking towards our destination. There were shallow spots everywhere forcing us to tack frequently. Our GPS track must looked like a sawtooth going back and fourth. We do this because the wind was in our face and using the engine under this condition isn’t safe. The prudent thing is to use the sail and zig zag your way through. Boats under sail have steady motions and it’s hard for the waves to knock the boat around. Motor boats with enough power can plow through these waves head on.
As we turned right towards Solomon island at the mouth of the Patuxent river where it meets Chesapeake bay, we saw many military aircrafts performing acrobatic maneuvers at low altitudes. Turns out the U.S. Naval Air Station Patuxent River is right across the river 3 miles away.
We pulled into the marina 15 minutes later, had a kind of an ugly docking experience, just in time before the thunderstorms rolled in. We took a deep breath and gave each other a high five.
Beautiful sunset after a challenging sail! I’m sure that makes it all worth it! Sounds like you re having a great week!
Thanks Sally! Happy Friday!!!
Also, congrats on your 8th straight win .. sounds like some awesome coaching👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
We are so happy you’re safe and sound. We Had a large storm here as well with thunder and lightning. Wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour. Hunker down and learn a new ukulele song. Shay will love it!
Hi Trish, Thanks it does feel good to be all snug in the harbor .. Teddy went surfing today, he said the waves were 7ft .. yikes I’m glad we stayed in 😘.
Wow! That must have been a nail biter! Thank God for experience. You two are amazing. 😘
Thanks Nancy!! You’ll also get to experience the sea first hand on West Island.. Congrats💕💕💕
Hahaha. Looking forward to island life. I’ve been schooled in FL so no worries.