June 20, 2009

Ahoy from Namaste on Mill Creek, Solomon’s Island

We left Deltaville and Jackson Creek June 16, Tuesday morning after fueling and taking on water. We had a great sail up the Chesapeake Bay to Reedsville, Maryland and Cockrell Creek just off the Great Wicomico River. The wind speed most of the day was 25 knots and we averaged 7 knots SOG (speed over ground). At times we were weaving through lines of crab pots strung like beads along the channel, adding challenge to our travels on the Bay.

We enjoyed a brief tour of Reedsville Tuesday evening. Elijah Reed settled Reedsville in the mid 1800’s and began one of many menhaden processing plants that flourished in the 19th and 20th centuries along the Great Wicomico River. The oil from the menhaden was once used for lamp oil and is now an ingredient in cat food and a vehicle for spray chemicals. At present there is only one plant remaining on Smith Creek and the fleet of 100-foot fishing vessels continues to net and transport fish for processing in Reedsville.

On Wednesday morning we left the mouth of the Great Wicomico River and sailed north to the Potomac River. We anchored on Smith Creek off the north shore of the Potomac, near the Saint Mary’s River. The small cove where we anchored is surrounded by farm and wetland. Herons and osprey kept us company in this pleasant anchorage. We awoke each morning to the “eeeew” call of the osprey and the barking of herons as they searched for fish, frogs and snakes. There were crabs and jellyfish swimming along side Namaste. We also discovered the ripples created by schools of shiners that serve as lunch to the local seagulls and larger fish. We were the only boat in the cove.

On Friday we left our peaceful cove and sailed up to Solomon’s Island on the Patuxent River. Solomon’s Island is a destination for cruising boaters and has it’s own large fleet of sailing and motor vessels. We are anchored on Mill Creek just outside of the village. We plan to be here a few days taking in the sights, catching up with friends we met in the Bahamas and waiting for better sailing weather.

Here too, we are entertained with diving osprey, a patient and watchful white egret, territorial great blue herons, two devoted families of Canadian geese, a green heron and 4 male mallards. This morning I observed a school of shiners springing out of the water visibly evading a predator. The green heron saw the shiners leaping and flew over to a log trailing just above the school of shiners. The heron confidently perched on the end of the log, leaned into the water and snapped up three shiners within moments. The shiners virtually leapt into the heron’s mouth in order to escape their underwater nemesis. Three cownose rays were swimming under the surface of the water scaring up the shiners. I find myself becoming more patient, still, watchful, alert and present, tending to simple needs, learning from my observations of nature.

We have entered a panorama of greens and grays. The water reflects the lush surrounding forest and marshland and the hazy summer sky. I have been enjoying the soft and subtle hues of the land and waterscape on the Chesapeake Bay. We are enveloped in gray green, hunter and sap green, slate blue, paynes gray, umber, sepia, ochre, cerulean. These colors do not dazzle and excite the eye, demanding my attention, as did the aquamarines of the Bahamas. These Bay tints and shades patiently wait for one to become still and take notice. They are muted, softened by their compliments, inviting, embracing, peaceful. I am drawn into the serenity that is to be found here on the Chesapeake.

This time we have living on Namaste is such a gift! I am so blessed to be able to spend it with my best friend and lover. We are both, at once, grateful and fulfilled by this experience. Today is our 28th wedding anniversary. Lucky us!

Peace and Love

June 10, 2009

Ahoy from Deltaville Virginia

It is hard to believe we have been here a week! Where did it go? We left Charleston on Sunday, May 31st and sailed up the coast arriving in Deltaville almost exactly 3 days later on Tuesday, June 2nd.

We saw many huge sea turtles off Cape Hatteras. I saw three turtles swimming together in a large swell off the starboard side of Namaste. They were each about 4 feet in diameter. We also saw a nurse shark basking in the sun. And, we were often greeted by dolphins along the way. At one point a boisterous group of 12 dolphins swam over to greet us before merrily making their way westward.

We were glad to enter the Chesapeake Bay and cross into Virginia. It is so green and lush and bountiful in the spring. I could smell the sweetness of honey suckle and fresh rain in the air as we sailed up the Bay and into the Piankatank River.

Isaac arrived this weekend and we sailed over to Gwynn’s Island and anchored for the night in Stutts Creek. It was great to spend some time with Isaac here on Namaste and then again in Charlottesville. We had not seen Isaac since January and we were so happy to have him here on Namaste and all to ourselves. We drove with him back to Altamont to spend two more nights. Chris was able to accomplish some work and I visited with my sister, Susan, and a few friends. It was great to see family and friends and we look forward to spending more time with everyone in the fall.

We are anchored in Jackson Creek where we began our journey last fall. We have come 3000 miles since then and Namaste has carried us with steadfast grace. We rely on her to shelter and carry us safely anywhere we want to go. She has done far more adding comfort to our journey. She is our muse, transporting us to new places and experiences.

We are enjoying the many birds that dwell on Jackson Creek. We wake to the energetic call of the nesting osprey that inhabit the nearby pilings and channel markers. Ospreys are the only members of a class of diurnal birds who have four toes opposing one another in a two by two fashion. Their wingspan reaches 6 feet. They mate for life and live for 30 years. They can reach a meter down into the water with their talons to catch a fish which they then turn head first as they fly back to the nest to share it with their mate and fledglings. They lay 2 to 4 eggs that hatch every 5 days or so. The first-born has a greater chance of living if food is scarce but they may all survive in times of plenty. There are fledglings in numerous nests at present and many of the females continue to sit on eggs. We enjoy observing all the beautiful birds that inhabit Jackson Creek.

Although we are back at the beginning of our journey, it is not over yet! We will be here a couple more days before we head up the Bay and the Delaware River to Cape May where we will go up the coast to New York. We have learned to say, “we are headed north”, rather than give a destination. We are going where the wind takes us for the summer and then plan to head back to Jackson Creek in mid August. We will keep Namaste in the water until later in the fall so that we can continue to spend time sailing even as we move back into our home and our lives in Charlottesville.

Until later, peace and love.