Chesapeake - On to Mount Vernon

Day 7 – 43 nm (passage total: 223 nm) We were up by 0600, drinking coffee and waiting for enough light to haul anchor and be on our way. Today makes a week since we left the marina in Chesapeake and we've fallen into an easy routine. We were up anchor and cruising towards the Harry W. Nice Bridge by 0650. On our trip from the Baltimore airport to the boat a few weeks ago, we paid a $6 toll to cross this bridge. Luckily, there's no toll for passing under its 105' high span.

It was another grey, hazy morning as we passed by the “Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay”, rotting hulks of WWI military vessels that weren't completed in time to be of use during the war and later abandoned.

The Potomac River is quite circuitous in this area and the channel narrows considerably due to shoals. As we rounded Maryland Point, we noticed a pair of birds perched on a green can. We'd seen lots of gulls and cormorants and figured that's what they were.

It wasn't until we got closer and I took a pic that we were amazed to see two bald eagles. What a treat!

The Potomac is a natural boundary between states …  Maryland to starboard and Virginia to port. We passed by Quantico Marine Base and the FBI training center. The facility doesn't look like much from the water although they do have a nifty marina there reserved for marines. We weren't invited to stop for a tour, so we carried on.

Another change in plans. We were making good time and instead of stopping at our intended anchorage at Mattawoman Creek, we continued another 12 nm and anchored just off George Washington's Mount Vernon. We were all ready for a visit to George Washington's historic homestead in the morning when we heard a Coast Guard broadcast on the VHF radio advising that there would be fireworks at Mount Vernon on this very evening. Really? In honor of our arrival?

We enjoyed a spectacular sunset and expected several boats to join us in the anchorage.

By 1945, when the fireworks barge began shooting off rockets, we remained the only boat in the anchorage and we appreciated the display all by ourselves.

Tomorrow we head in the dinghy to the wharf and plan to spend the entire day exploring George Washington' Mount Vernon.

The Blue View - Our First Coast Guard Visit

Since we were planning to spend a few days moored in Washington D.C., I thought it might be possible to schedule a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary inspection. According to their website, the Coast Guard Auxiliary will do a free, no-strings-attached inspection of a recreational vessel on request. If we pass the inspection, we get a signed form to that effect, as well as a decal to apply to the hull which shows that we not only requested an inspection, but that we passed. If we don’t pass, there is no fine or citation issued, nor are we reported to anyone. Any deficiencies are pointed out and the appropriate corrective measures discussed. It seemed like a no-brainer.

A couple of days prior to our arrival in D.C., I got onto the Coast Guard Website. It has a nifty link to the C.G. Auxiliary website, which put me in touch with the closest inspectors. There were two who lived within a few of miles of our anchorage, and after a couple of emails back and forth with one of them, we figured out a mutually acceptable date and time, and our inspection was scheduled. The process was much faster than I anticipated and quite painless.

At the appointed time, we got a call from Patt Meyer, our inspector, and we hopped into the dinghy and went ashore to pick her up. Patt retired from the U.S. Navy a number of years ago, and has been a volunteer with both the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for several years now. She was pleasant, quite professional and knew her stuff.

Once aboard, she started through her checklist. Patt checked our flares, fire extinguishers, oil discharge and garbage placards, PFDs, documentation, life rings, bilge pumps, and holding tank, as well as a host of other things. She asked dozens of questions.

When all was done, we passed without a hitch. She completed and signed the checklist, and I happily signed as well. She issued our decal, which we stuck to the side of the coach-roof, plainly visible on the port side of Nine of Cups. After handshakes all around, we all climbed back into the dinghy and headed back to the marina.

The whole inspection process took just over an hour, time well spent in my opinion. It was a good confirmation that the time we invested in checking the federal requirements was worthwhile. And while there is no guarantee, our understanding is that the Coast Guard may give us a pass if we are stopped for a routine safety check if we point out our inspection decal. Worth the cost of admission right there!

Chesapeake - Smith Creek to Bank O'Dees

Day 6– 32 nm (passage total: 179 nm) It was still wet and the slate sky was thick and heavy with clouds as we headed out of Smith Creek about 0730. After we raised and washed down the anchor, Paul stood at the bow watching for crab pots, of which there were many. At low tide, it was skinny water crossing the entrance bar.

Though the day was grey, it wasn't raining and there was enough to see to keep us occupied as we motor-sailed along. There was a small, but conspicuous white country church on shore just before Piney Point that caught our attention.

Ragged Point Light was probably efficient to build and functional, but it certainly wasn't attractive.

Then the Piney Point Lighthouse came into view. We learned later that it is the oldest permanent lighthouse on the Potomac River. The 40' white cross next to it commemorates the landing of the first Maryland colonists.

The fishing must have been good because the hungry gulls descended en masse to several spots close to the boat.

Once again, we had a change in plans. We had thought to stop at the tiny community of Cobb Island for a night, but the inclement weather kept us moving along to Bank O'Dees near Cuckold Creek, in sight of the Harry W. Nice Bridge and the billowing stacks of the Morgantown Power Plant. We were off the channel and positioned for an early, easy exit back into the channel.

The guys attacked the leaking head with a vengeance. They could not find the leak in the pump assembly nor the hose connections. They deduced it was probably at the bottom of the head or the basin itself. In the end, they removed the entire aft head which we seldom use and moved it forward and then re-installed the forward head aft. A long procedure, but ultimately successful. The forward head is working perfectly now … it pumps and no leaks. The leaky faucet and hatches will wait till another day.

We ate dinner, played cards, watched a movie, drank a little wine and hoped for better weather tomorrow. Not a spectacular day, but not so bad either. That's how it goes when you're sailing.