June 2021 Vacation - Days 7 to 10 - Back to Rock Hall (and home for a day)

(Please note that all the photos from my vacation can be found here.)

On Thursday, I woke up early and shoved off right at 8:00 AM.  Storms were predicted for early afternoon and my one radar app suggested the could begin over Baltimore around Noon.  Since it was predicted to be a 3 hour trip, I didn't want to take any chances and wanted to be tied up by 11:00 AM.

It's a pretty easy shot across the bay and under the bridge to Rock Hall.

A quick glance back at the Annapolis Yacht Club

I did take a quick look up Ego Alley, 
but I didn't want to spend the time going there.

A last glance back at Annapolis

There was no wind and the bay was smooth. 
A few other boats were making similar runs.

About mid-way between the bridge and the entrance to Swan Creek, I encountered this weird series of waves.  They were larger than the rest... looked almost like a bow wave (but no ships nearby), and nothing visible on the chart.  Very odd.

Approaching Gratitude Marina and the entrance to Swan Creek
(almost home)

Back and tied up by 10:30 AM
(just as the dark clouds were approaching)

I tied up, got the electrical and other stuff sorted out and removed garbage, laundry and overnight essentials and headed north.  I had promised to meet up with some friends from work at Auburn Road Winery for the evening.

Later, I went home, did laundry, talked for a long time with Vicky and wrote up this blog update.  I may head back down tomorrow morning or wait until Saturday (depending on how unstable the weather is).

Right now 'tain't looking too good....
(Saturday might be better)

I stayed at home on Thursday night, determined to never enter the office room since I'm on vacation.  One interesting thing about being on land after 6 days on the boat is my brain was still in movement mode.  My brain interpreted any motion as "on the water" and the rooms swayed back and forth (no, it was not the wine... having to drive, I was extremely careful).

I was going to head back right after waking up, but decided with bad weather anticipated all day, that I would make some breakfast first (my spam and egg scramble).

I left around 1:00 PM, expecting the rain to dissipate at 3:00 or so, but when I arrived, it was still cold and rainy.  I had intended to clean the boat a bit, but still being in vacation mode, I got lazy and just relaxed.

I did make reservations at Osprey Point for dinner.  (I was going to save this treat for my last night out, but I learned via an email that the restaurant would be closed tomorrow night for an event.)  I had their Wagyu Sirloin Au Poivre and a key lime tart.  Expensive, but worth it.

Wagyu Sirloin Au Poivre

Key Lime Tart

There are no plans for tomorrow... I may go up the Chester River (I'm not going to Baltimore with the violence issues), I may just go anchor out somewhere (less likely... I'm still not confident in my anchor set up as the dealer supplied), or may just go out for a day of sailing/motoring as appropriate.  The last is most likely as I'm aware after a day on land that my body is just physically tired, and the ability to head home early on Sunday and just rest, may help my Monday productivity a lot.

On Saturday, I woke up and realized I was tired.  The heat wave had indeed broken, and temps were back in the low 70s in the morning.  But there was no wind.  I made a hearty breakfast and went about researching my options for improving my anchor system.

My issues with the anchor supplied as part of the dealer's "Safety kit" is two-fold.  First, the anchor is too light.  It's a Delta plow style and I'm sure it's the minimum size for Seas The Day.  Also, the rode (the chain/rope line that holds the anchor) only has 15' of chain (most recommend at least a boat length of chain - 42 feet in this case).  The dealer-supplied is fine for a "lunch hook", and it has held two of the three times I have used it, but it did drag once while out in the bay.

I buttonholed Wade (the service guy at Gratitude Marina) the other day and he used calipers to measure my chain links on the current system (at 5/16") because I couldn't find any stampings on the Chainwheel.  Today of course, I found the stamp confirming his measurement (also confirmed by the details in the manual).

I can just make out a 5/16" stamp on the windlass chainwheel

So with all this, I'm leaning towards a Mantus M1 65 lbs anchor for better setting and holding power.  To save some money, I'll get a length of chain (75 or 100 feet) and get Wade to splice it using the existing nylon rode.  I'll explain more at a later time... I still haven't pulled the trigger.

Right around Noon, I went over to the pool bar for one of their incredible cheeseburgers, then headed out to Gratitude for fuel and a pump-out.

Leaving Gratitude Marina

It was very flat and light winds (6 to 8 kts).  I did see some sails out, so once at the #3 buoy, I pulled out the sails.  It was a relaxing time cruising along at 4kts from an 8 kt wind. 

But then it died.  I got maybe an hour of sailing in... the rest was motoring.

Enjoying the gentle sail.

I sailed out to the east channel and then turned around.  With the wind aft of the beam, it suddenly was hot (mid-80s by now), so I sailed a bit and then pulled them in and motored back.  Once heading north past Rock Hall, I did see Shardana out sailing and grabbed a couple of frames, but I only had my iPhone, so we're really pushing the pixels with these two.

After tying up, I saw Frank out washing down Silver Eagle which motivated me to get out and scrub down Seas The Day.  Later, after a nice long WeChat video chat with Vicky, I headed out to fill the water tanks as the sun set.

Tomorrow looks like a loss... with morning wind lighter than it was today.  So I expect to awake, do breakfast and then pack up the boat and head home.

Which is exactly what I did... woke up, had a simple bagel with cream cheese for breakfast and then I went about cleaning Seas The Day to make her ready for Father's Day weekend.  I was home before Noon... vacation accomplished!

Summary of Osprey Point/Home costs:

Auburn Road Winery - $35

Popeye's - $6

Osprey Point Restaurant - $109

Osprey Point Oasis Pool Bar - $17

Gratitude Marina (Fuel & Pump Out) - $77

Tip for dock boy @ Gratitude - $5

Total - $249 (3.5 days)

Total Costs for the Vacation:

Provisioning - $125 (considering I ate out a lot and brought half back with me)
2 days in Saint Michaels - $638
1 day in Herring Bay - $209
2 days in Annapolis - $395
3.5 days back in Rock Hall - $249

Grand Total - $1,616!