Tuesday was a great sailing day. The winds were coming from the South and we tacked our way to the Bay bridge for a couple hours. By then we were getting a bit of sun and heat so as we reached the bridge we turned on the engine and powered the rest of the way into Annapolis, MD. We spent the night downtown at the City Docks. Very nice location.

We walked around downtown and had dinner and some ice cream.

Beth had to leave to get back to PA on Wednesday so we headed back to Rock Hall at about 9:30. The forecast called for some really nasty thunderstorms all day.The nasty kind with damaging winds and hail. Yuck. We didn't see any and there wasn't even enough wind to power sail so we powered up the bay.

We got back to the slip in Rock Hall and decided to stay there for the night at least due to the forecast. Wendy and I tried out the pool after Beth left and went out to dinner.
But the forecast for Thursday (today) and tomorrow is kind of wet. This morning had the best outlook for getting some sail time in, so Wendy and I had some breakfast and pulled out of the slip about 9:30 with no destination planned.

I was very proud that we were able to get the boat under full sail, just the two of us. Wendy does very well doing these things even with only a minimal of actual practice and instruction.

We got out into the bay (which takes about an hour under power) and sailed for about 3 hours and headed back towards the Eastern shore. We thought about heading up the Chester River to anchor for the night, but the boat has to be back at noon tomorrow and if the weather in the morning is bad, we could have a miserable couple of hours, followed by a 2 and a half hour drive home. We decided to declare a chartering victory and anchor near the marina again so we can head back early tomorrow. I think it was a good decision because the rain has been pretty heavy since it was made..

So now we are relaxing and straightening up the boat to get ready to leave.

It's been a very interesting experience for me. It's been over 4 years since I was even on a sailboat and it was in early 2000 that we pretty much stopped cruising altogether. I really expected to struggle more than I have, with remembering how to maneuver, the points of sail, using a chart, the names of things, etc.
But it all came back quickly and I feel like I've really been able to impart a lot of practical knowledge in Wendy's direction. It's been a great time, weather and all. I can remember what I liked about cruising and see myself doing it again.
Nah, I don't want to own a boat again, but this business of renting OPB (other people's boats) is something I see myself doing on a regular basis in the future. Dollar for dollar, it's cheaper for the same amount of sailing and no unexpected expenses in between the pleasure of being out on the water.

Vanya Sulie!

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