Considering that my life plan setting out on this venture was to never see snow again, I’m having a surprisingly good time. I work up with the sun in Hampton and went out on to the snow covered finger piers to cast off in that piercing, post snow storm morning light that used to be such a normal part of my life.
I had to kick all of the dock lines several times to break them loose enough to get off the cleats. I thought I might have to go back and get a large wrench in order to beat one free but I worked it off. Coiling up the dock lines was sort of like folding up one of those wooden carpenters rules. I finally gave that up as I drifted in the channel and just stuffed the whole mess in the cockpit locker so the heat of the engine would thaw and dry the stiff ropes. I was having humble thoughts about what it must have been like to fish under sail a century or two ago.
It was cold, but calm and tolerable, running down around Point Comfort until I turned out into the bay. ”Under ten knots”, of wind is very different at these temperatures. The cold dense air builds up a bigger seas and it had been blowing from the north for a few days. I bucked and rolled for hours. It was uncomfortable but the spray wasn’t quite reaching the cockpit so I kept on instead of running into Poquson, my bailout plan.
Ah, freezing sleet and rain just began to fall as I write. The radar showed that it was already raining here as it sometimes shows light rain that isn’t reaching the ground. I thought I might slide up around the usually rough corner of the Potomac River mouth before the wind comes up but it looks like I’ll be hoping and waiting for the late morning clearing.
Back to yesterday: the wind did ease and the temperatures start to rise by late morning, just as forecast. Strider settled down to steadily munching her way along through the diminishing waves. After consultation with the GPS, I decided to push on for Ingram Bay outside of Reedville to inaugurate my winter cruising with a 57 nm day.
It was a long but easy run, long straight legs between buoys, no traffic, fairly warm still dressed for the early morning cold. I ran up Ingram Bay in the dying light and gathering cold wondering at the perverse enjoyment I was taking in seeing snow along the shorelines. The anchor went down almost exactly with the sun and I went down minutes later into my very warm cabin alive with the flickering light of the fire.
I had to kick all of the dock lines several times to break them loose enough to get off the cleats. I thought I might have to go back and get a large wrench in order to beat one free but I worked it off. Coiling up the dock lines was sort of like folding up one of those wooden carpenters rules. I finally gave that up as I drifted in the channel and just stuffed the whole mess in the cockpit locker so the heat of the engine would thaw and dry the stiff ropes. I was having humble thoughts about what it must have been like to fish under sail a century or two ago.
It was cold, but calm and tolerable, running down around Point Comfort until I turned out into the bay. ”Under ten knots”, of wind is very different at these temperatures. The cold dense air builds up a bigger seas and it had been blowing from the north for a few days. I bucked and rolled for hours. It was uncomfortable but the spray wasn’t quite reaching the cockpit so I kept on instead of running into Poquson, my bailout plan.
Ah, freezing sleet and rain just began to fall as I write. The radar showed that it was already raining here as it sometimes shows light rain that isn’t reaching the ground. I thought I might slide up around the usually rough corner of the Potomac River mouth before the wind comes up but it looks like I’ll be hoping and waiting for the late morning clearing.
Back to yesterday: the wind did ease and the temperatures start to rise by late morning, just as forecast. Strider settled down to steadily munching her way along through the diminishing waves. After consultation with the GPS, I decided to push on for Ingram Bay outside of Reedville to inaugurate my winter cruising with a 57 nm day.
It was a long but easy run, long straight legs between buoys, no traffic, fairly warm still dressed for the early morning cold. I ran up Ingram Bay in the dying light and gathering cold wondering at the perverse enjoyment I was taking in seeing snow along the shorelines. The anchor went down almost exactly with the sun and I went down minutes later into my very warm cabin alive with the flickering light of the fire.
