Dream Cruise of 2015

[rickalan35]

Thanks for sharing those photos and the trip log. Looks like you had a great time.

Our boats here are all wrapped up for winter although the weather really warmed up this week and I got in 18 holes twice this week so far.

I've heard a lot of reports from my friends about slogging down the Chesapeake, fighting wave action on their way down the ICW. Looks like you lucked out on the trip home.

From looking at my Waterway Guide it would appear you had a 20 nautical mile trip one way and something like ten miles across the bay proper. Would that be about right?

Rick

[WayWeGo]

Rick, the trip across the Bay on the way over there was not all that comfortable, though the seas were not particularly high. They were 2-3' high slightly off our beam and just about the right period to generate an uncomfortable motion. I think it was because the tide was opposing the wind that caused them to be worse than usual. There was a small craft advisory at the time, though it was lifted about the time we got to the Miles River.

According to the trip function on the chartplotter, it was about 21 miles each way, and took a little over 3 hours at displacement speed. You are correct that the trip across the Bay is about 10 miles, though it sure seemed shorter on the way back with flat seas! I could get the boat balanced and take my hands off the wheel for minutes at a time and remain on course without an autopilot. Compared to that, on the way over, I was constantly making adjustments to the wheel and having difficulty following the desired track.

We will probably get pulled by the marina in a few weeks, and I have told them any time is fine with me now that our trip is over. If we get some nice weather on a weekend, we will most likely use the boat some more, though we have started removing our gear for the winter.