Labor Day 2022 Vacation - Day 11 - Magothy River (Wild Ride on the Bay)

 

The debate started mid-morning.... 

We had one more day of anchoring possible (empty tanks were getting full and full tanks were getting empty), and a few options.  I was keen on Annapolis but Vicky (correctly) said you're just going to eat a lot there.  (I pointed out that we can drink a lot in Annapolis also, but that didn't seem to help my argument.)  We briefly discussed heading back to Rock Hall for a quick turn around before heading north on the bay.  Then Vicky suggested that we just stay put for the day.  (It turns out that might have been the smarter move.) 

In the end we decided to take a quick and easy hop past Annapolis and anchor somewhere on the Magothy River.  We're trying to do something a little different each day this vacation (than places we have been before), so we were heading for an anchorage behind Dobbins Island.

So we weighed anchor... I tried to argue against all the wash down with buckets... pointing out that there is clearly a shoal right in the center of this part of the Rhode River (there's a boat clearly aground in the middle), but I lost that battle (and I didn't fight too hard on this one).

Sailing Vessel aground on the Rhode River
(seems to be anchored in place on the shoal)

Is a wash down pump a suitable present for a December birthday?

We departed the Rhode River and made our way out into the bay going towards the Thomas Point Lighthouse.  Clouds remained from the earlier rains, but the weather report was for 1 ft. waves and modest (10 to 12 kt) winds.  I briefly entertained the thought that we might actually raise the sails and fool around a bit after we went under the bridge, before heading to the Magothy.

It was clear shortly after we reached the bay that the winds were a touch more than we were expecting based on the Windy Pro app.  It was also a bit rough at the mouth of the West River... nothing that we haven't seen before, but more rough than expected based on the forecast.

I turned and looked back toward where we came from yesterday and saw this lone sailboat out among some ominous clouds.

We departed late, so Vicky went below and fried some of her dumplings for lunch.  It was rough enough that they were simply served in a bowl rather than being nicely plated.

We passed the Thomas Point Light and it was difficult taking photos.  I did manage to get a selfie to add to the collection.

As we headed north, I noticed that six large ships were anchored south of the bridge.  This is more than usual... I just assumed it was due to pilots being off for Labor Day.

We slowly motored north past the vessels and also passing Annapolis.  The sea outside of Annapolis always seems rougher than the other areas of the bay so when things got rougher outside of Annapolis, I didn't pay much attention.  Winds were still as expected... just the waves a bit bigger (maybe 2 to 2.5 feet).

Passing Annapolis

The other place where we normally see rougher water is just south of the Bay Bridge.  I always assume this is from current coming south and the winds getting stopped by the bridge and churning up the water.  Today was no exception and we started impersonating a hobby horse bouncing into the 3 ft. waves.

It was AFTER we got under the bridge, that the sh!t hit the fan.  There was a brief calm between the bridges and then as we approached the marker buoys north of the bridge, the winds picked up a lot (17 to 20 kts) coming down from the north.  (The bridge had been blocking the winds ahead of us.)

Vicky stayed nestled up under the dodger while I was being hit was sea spray.  She did manage to capture a video showing the motion.

Video 1

Wave height had increased to maybe 4 feet or a little more.  (I can only base that on Seas The Day's five feet of freeboard... waves were coming very close to the deck.)  The waves were also pushing me right towards the Broad Neck, MD shoreline as we traveled to the north west along that shore.  When I realized I had to steer 20 degrees away from the shoreline to travel parallel to the shore, I decided to increase to full throttle to make this as short a trip as possible.   

There aren't many photos between the Sandy Point Shoal light (above) and the entrance to the Magothy.  I was using my phone for backup navigation and hanging on to keep from being thrown off my perch.

To the north, this wall of visibility (fog, rain, both??) seemed to be descending down the bay.  There was one lone sailboat under full sail - either thrilled or terrified (perhaps both).  I don't have a photo, but I realized I was loosing visibility on the Baltimore Light which was only 1 nm away.

Vicky took a couple of videos of the area after the Sandy Point Shoal Light.

Video 2

Video 3

Yea... you can see the look on my face on the third video.  I was never afraid (worried, yes, but never afraid).  Seas The Day was handling things fine, but you can tell that all cylinders in my head are firing trying to make sure I'm thinking of everything I need to be thinking about.  I realized that a wrong move here might not be easily forgiven.

Finally things started to calm down as we approached the inlet for the Magothy.  I took a brief moment to look back at where we had come from.

Once we made it through the inlet for the Magothy, things calmed down considerably.  We proceeded up past Gibson Island and after a glance over at the anchorage near Dobbins Island, I decided to proceed to the Horse Farm cove we visited last year.  With more winds from the north... I wanted more protection from the hill the horses graze on.

We arrived picked a spot and set the anchor.

After some decompression time, Vicky picked up her fishing and I took a shower and a nap.  

Later, I made my pulled pork Mac N Cheese, which we enjoyed with a couple of beers.

Vicky admires the houses on Gibson Island

The Dobbins Island anchorage... I decided to pass.

Checking the anchor and snubber

The horse farm

There were too many clouds for a decent sunset.  Still, we stayed out and enjoyed the peaceful scene until the mosquitos told us it was time to go below for the night.

Tomorrow will be another short hop into Baltimore's Inner Harbor.  Let's hope that Ft. McHenry is flying the Garrison Flag (the big one... it means the winds are light).

Summary of Costs

Nothing again... we're anchoring... that will change tomorrow.