Lynn's Note:
Check out the "More Photos" link at the right side of the page.

After a beautiful day on the water yesterday, we are anchored in the north end of Back Creek at Solomons, MD. Not far from the Holiday Inn dinghy dock. Our daughter Becky made the trip with us. How lucky we are.

There was lots of nice scenery along the way which we all enjoyed. Becky works a lot with the Navy at the Pax River base and she was pointing out land marks to us as we neared the Patuxent while oohing and aahing as various aircraft flew over. It was my first time to see the new F35.

Cruising friends told us of the great public pump out dock at Solomons and they were right. The little tourist map of its location is inaccurate and we took a while finding it. Once there, no problem.

Speaking of problems, the dinghy motor now refuses to run. I bought it a new fuel hose, the most common problem we encounter, gave it new gas in case the old gas was bad, and tried all the easy stuff. I now feel pretty sure the carburetor needs a good cleaning and I am not prepared to tackle that with what I have aboard. We will row to and from the dinghy dock for a couple of days and try to find someone to do it Monday.

We are just happy it didn’t crap out while the kids were using it for dinghy rides in Combs Creek.

We missed the joint FHYC, BSC Oympics today. We just can’t be in two places at one time. I’m sure everyone had a great time and wish we could have been there.

We have had a great month here in Breton Bay. It gave us lots of quality time with some our kids and grandkids who live nearby. If you were wondering why we spent so long in one place, now you know the big attraction.

If the weather holds, we will move to Solomon’s Island tomorrow. Hopefully some of the family will go with us, but tonight is our grandson’s high school graduation and there could be some pooped puppies when it comes time to cast off the lines and catch the rising tide.

We made a reconnaissance run to Solomon’s by car yesterday and connected with fellow yacht club members Silver Lining and Late Arrival while there. If their plans hold, they will be gone before we get there so it was nice to hook up when we did.

It's a little windy and choppy out in the big water, but it's a nice day for a dinghy ride in Combs Creek. See Jack and Becky in our little dink.

A nice afternoon at the marina. There is a new chick in the osprey nest near the boat.

Lynn: We had a wild two weeks at home, with lots to do on the house and yard, as well as Yacht Club meetings and a fun day where we joined the Yacht Club on a trip to Washington, NC to see the Pacific Seacraft factory, visit the Estuarium, and have lunch at Backwater Jack’s – a restaurant we will definitely go back to.Finally the yard was mowed and trimmed, the house was (relatively) clean, and with Miss Volvo loaded to the gills, we headed back to Maryland.We are starting the last week of our month long rental at Combs Creek Marina, 0n Breton Bay, off the Potomac.  It’s a rustic but well run little marina and we have a good spot on the outside of the boathouse, with a good view of an Osprey family.  The boathouse provides a higher roof than Sunspot Baby, and we have not been bothered with them trying to build a nest on our roof.  Other boats are gaily decorated with crime scene tape, to keep them away.  Once their nests are established things should be ok, but every now and then, even though ours are clearly enjoying their nest, they drop a stick or two on an unsuspecting boat.Spending most of the day on a cozy boat in rainy weather is always a wonderful way to pass the time. We read, snacked, played Scrabble, napped, and enjoyed the drizzle.  Even though the winds were up on the Potomac, we barely had a ripple on the water. This is a big family weekend here, with grandson Jack graduating from high school on May 28 and granddaughter Georgia arriving the Monday before.  
Our plan is to leave Combs on the 29^th when our slip rental is up cruise down to St. Mary’s River. We will anchor out for a couple of nights and then move the boat around about May 31 to Solomons, MD where we will anchor for three nights, go into Calvert Marina on June 3, and leave head back home after a few days. The next week is yacht club week. After that is over we will drive back to Solomon’s about 6/13 or 14. Shortly after that, we plan to start heading farther north toward Annapolis making a few stops along the way.
Not much cruising involved for this time, but precious family time takes precedence. We do hope to spend some time on the water over this Memorial Day weekend and we are hoping that the winds die down a little to do that. A stop at the Leonardtown Wharf for a night is in the offing, and a visit to St. Clements Island and possibly Colonial Beach on the other side of the Potomac.

6/24/15: I think I have fixed the photo problem but if they are still causing you problems, the following is a work around.

A word about photos: All photos are loaded into a Picasa album. When you click the link, it takes you into a slide show with oldest pictures shown first. You probably already saw those and want to see the most recent first. Here's how to get there.

1. After your into the slide show, hit "escape" to get out of it.
2. Click on the tab at top labeled "george's Gallery".
3. Pick the Chesapeake 2015 album.

Photos are presented with most recent first.

Complicated I know but for now, it is what it is.

My old method of posting updates is clumsy. Now there things called Blogs that are supposed to be much easier. This is my attempt to use one. All the old posts from the Sunspot Baby web site are included below. Of course the automatic dating won't let me show the original date, so I have included it in the text.

This Blog will almost certainly evolve as we learn to use all, or at least many of it's tools. Comments are welcome.

We drove back from Maryland yesterday after attending church with Becky and Chuck. We are already beginning preparations for our return and the continuation of our cruise.

4/29/15: We cooled our heels in and around Deltaville waiting for weather to settle on the bay. The stay at Fishing Bay Harbor Marina was nice. Facilities are good, the staff friendly and the wi-fi reliable. There was a courtesy car we used briefly on two different days to get provisions and ice.

Early today we slipped the lines and headed out. I can't imagine a nicer day in the Chesapeake. It was definitely a motoring day and the sail boats that tried sailing reverted to the iron Genny quickly. There was a 1 to 2' swell, mostly following with a few wind ripples on the surface. For a good part of our trip up the bay, we had a following current. After turning into the Potomac we did meet a current of less than 1/2 a knot. We really felt we were getting close as we rounded Smith Point Light and headed up river.

It seems we rushed the season, leaving when we did. Most boats in this area are still pulled for the winter and slips are empty. We're grateful we don't have to pull and shrink wrap our boat every year.

Becky, Chuck and Jack were at the dock shortly after we arrived for a happy hour welcoming. What a nice way to wrap up a pleasant day on the water.

It's nice to have completed our first objective of this summer's cruise. We will hang out here a couple of days, then take a rental car back to New Bern. That will be our pattern for most of the summer, two or three weeks cruising followed by a week or two at home. Lynn says we covered 325+ nautical miles on this section. More to come.

4/25/15: We took a weather lay day in Norfolk, and cast off this morning about 0645 with low winds in the forecast. However the seas had not settled and were quite lumpy. Add to that an outgoing tidal current of about 1 ½ knots at the mouth of the James River. We had wind and waves against current. Opposing wind and current are always a recipe for rough water. The crew was immediately in deep concern mode and I was expecting a request to turn around at any moment.

We were seeing 4’+ seas as opposed to the 1 to 2' forecast. Lots of spray over the bow but really, Sunspot Baby was taking them in stride.

Just at that time Arne called with his analysis of the GRIBs. Lynn picked up the phone and Arne said “this is your lucky day,” She wasn’t feeling too lucky at the time, but became convinced that better things lay ahead. We proceeded.

The seas did abate somewhat but when we had to take them on or near the beam steering required a lot of work. I am really missing the autohelm from the old boat.

Crab Pots? Oh yes! With the choppy water they were out of sight, and then popped up on the crest, only to go into hiding again. It reminded me of the old carnival game Wack-a-Mole. We missed them all but they do add an exciting extra dimension to a day on the water.

Tonight we are in Fishing Bay off the Piankatank River. It may be Wednesday before we leave; there are strong winds in the forecast. It was wet and cold on the water today and we are really enjoying having heat on the boat.

4/23/15: The good news is that we are in Waterside marina in Norfolk. The bad news is that I really embarrassed myself today.

All our boating friends have encountered boneheads whose radio mikes are stuck in the talk position, creating  noise for everyone else, and rendering the radio useless. Today, I was that bonehead, and worse than just being a nuance I became a hazard to navigation.

The N&S railroad bridge had been down and was opening was we rounded the bend into sight. A couple of other boats were waiting for the opening. As we neared the flashing green came on and I proceeded toward the bridge. The other two boats continued to loiter. As I drew nearer, but still completely clear, we saw the bow of a barge coming through. At this point, it should have been clear to me that there was a reason for a quiet radio and that surely, the barge (barges plural as it happens) would have announced on 13 and probably 16 that they were coming through.

Now, however, I was so busy staying clear that I wasn't messing with the radio. I moved far to the green side, giving the barge a clear path through the channel. He gave five blasts but since I was obviously clear, I assumed they were for the two boats loitering in the middle of the channel. Wrong, as it happens, he wanted to moor at the dolphins on the green side and I was clearly in the way, About now, the tug captain was standing at the rail shouting at me. We cleared the way promptly but I'm sure that somewhere tonight he is expounding to his buddies about the bonehead recreational boater who hadn't a clue. To his credit, I didn't hear any profanity. I'm not sure I would have been that restrained.

The second barge was proceeding down the channel so no problem.

Finally I figured out why the radio was so quiet and fixed the issue. I am self nominating myself for the FHYC Red Marker award for 2015. Mea Culpa! I have related this in a light hearted manner, but rest assured, I did not then nor do I now find this amusing in anyway.

4/22/15:
We moved only a few hundred feet from Atlantic Yacht Basin to the free dock, just the other side of Great Bridge. The belt replacement took two men 1/2 my age and a long pry-bar to do the replacement, one accessing the front of the engine from the cabin and the other laying on top the engine with the engine hatch open. We are very glad we didn't attempt it by ourselves, either position would have been very hard on Lynn.

More good news, since we were waiting for a repair, we weren't charged dockage. The repair total was less than the dockage would have been.

We moved through the bridge on the 1200 opening and tied up immediately. After a relaxing afternoon, we had planned to walk up to a nearby bar for pub grub, but had become so lazy, we called Papa Johns for a medium works pizza. The delivery guy had a little trouble finding us, but made it in the end.

Weather in the Chesapeake is forecast to be windy and lumpy for a couple more days, so we plan to move on to Norfolk and wait for a better window.

4/21/15: There is a new weapon in my arsenal for the dreaded ICW bridge dance. With the cat, our ability to speed up to get to a bridge for the next opening was pretty limited. Today I made it from the North Landing Bridge to the Centerville Turnpike bridge in 1/2 hour to make the opening. 4.8 statute miles, even wide open the cat wouldn't have made it so we would have to take the next opening 1/2 hour later. Even heavily loaded in the stern, full fuel, dinghy, motor and fuel, and a cooler full of ice and drinks, the new Sunspot Baby gave us 13.5 kts over the bottom against a current. Gotta love it.

We have a generator/water pump drive belt that wants to slip a little first thing in the day. If I run up the RPM slowly it does fine and from then on doesn't slip. Still not a situation I want to have heading into the Chesapeake. I looked at it, and if we were desperate I could fix it, maybe with and extra hand from Lynn; the access is so darned limited. A longer extension for my ratchet and a little time no problem. Why I forgot to change it while we were painting the bottom, changing oil, filters and impeller prepping for the new season, I have no idea.

So we are docked at Atlantic Yacht Basin, just south of Great Bridge. Their mechanic probably won't work it until tomorrow morning so they don't have to lay on a hot engine. When we bought this boat, we promised ourselves that we would not try to do all the maintenance or carry every spare part we could fit on board. So we are having the work done. Interestingly, we do have a couple of spare belts on board.

What comes next?. We are looking at Chesapeake weather and sea conditions carefully. While we are anxious to see the Darrahs and won't spend extra time sight seeing right now, we don't plan to get beat up either. Right now the forecast for tomorrow doesn't look favorable but In addition to us we have Arne studying the data.

A note about GRIBs (Gridded Binary) data sets based on a computer generated model weather prediction.  We used them in the Bahamas but have become lazy and have fallen out of practice since we are mostly cruising local waters and not very many open stretches. Our cell phones and VHFs give us the NWS forecast and it normally gets us by fine.

I was reminded of their power when Arne so accurately predicted our weather for a very small part of the area lumped together by NWS. I said, "There ought to be an app." Guess what, there is. I tried a couple of free ones and opted for the $4.00 Pocket GRIB app. Run on my tablet, the graphics are large enough to be useful. Now I just need to get back into practice.

4/20/15: Knowing the Albemarle can be a nasty stretch of water, and having no desire to be uncomfortable, we were reluctant to venture out today. Our good buddy Arne is becoming our own Chris Parker and analyzed the GRIB data for the locations and times we would cross. He said it would be OK, and he was spot on.

Through the night, we had reason to doubt because there we heavy rains and an occasional squall that banged the boat on the dock. Lynn was soaked making a head run in the middle of the night. But at about 0800, just as Arne had predicted the winds died down and the seas became less lumpy. We did have some waves hitting the aft port quarter. They picked the stern up and carried it to starboard, so steering was a constant struggle. I really missed the keels and large rudders of our sailing cat. She was much more bidirectionally stable. Throw in that she had an autohelm system and she had some real advantages.

Steering would probably have been easier, if I had kicked it up, but after recent problems, we didn't want to risk being dead in the water. At least not in the sloppy waves and far from towing and/or mechanic.

Not long after we were across and into the North River the wind shifted and picked up, but we were in relatively sheltered waters and it was not problem.

The current was running at about a knot in Coinjock, so instead of coming in starboard side to, we spun around into the current to dock. It is easier to dock into the current but the down side is that our fuel fill cap and head pump out are on the starboard side, away from the dock. With a little contortion, I can reach the fuel but the head pump out is located about as inconveniently as the engineers could design. The hose was barely long enough to reach but with Lynn coming aft and me moving forward along the gunwale with the hose we were able to do it. Yuck.

A point about pump outs: we have a small tank, only 12 gallons. We need to pump often. We trek up the dock at marinas using the on shore facilities when ever possible to limit head input but that only works at the dock. If we are underway or at anchor, that option doesn't exist. The first two marinas on this trip, Dowry Creek and Alligator River don't have functioning pump outs. For shame. It makes us really appreciate Northwest Creek, if their's goes down, it is fixed promptly and at least once a week, they will come to your boat to pump if you request. Coinjock charged me $5.00 for pumping at their fuel dock. NWC is free. They do charge for coming to the boat but hey, they go the extra mile.

4/19/15: After a stressful day that did little to advance our plans we started another day at Dowry Creek.

Since the weather was not conducive to crossing the Albemarle we opted for a short, easy day only going as far as Alligator River Marina. We chose to spend a leisurely morning with our favorite Sunday breakfast, Lox and Bagels with Bloody Marys. We didn't cast off until almost 1000.

We ran the engine at 3200 rpm for about 1/2 hour to make sure she wouldn't starve for fuel, then slowed down to a lazy 7 knots or so. Lynn always attracts a tug and barge which met us in the narrowest part of the channel rounding the bend to head north on the Alligator River. In the river we had some gusty rain squalls but boat and crew were both fine

We turned into the wind to lower the antenna and then passed under the Alligator River Bridge without an opening. Then we turned into the Alligator River Marina. On a normal day we could have spun the boat around and backed into the dock where they wanted us without a problem. However another squall chose that moment to kick up and keeping the bow into the wind was a real challenge, We made it OK, but I'm sure one of the other boats at the dock was wondering if we had good insurance.

4/18/15: The plan was to make over 70 nm today because the weather was favorable for crossing the Albemarle Sound. That meant we should kick up the speed when conditions were favorable for doing so. After entering the Pungo/Alligator cut we had a long straight stretch with no docks or other boats to be bothered by our wake. We didn't run very long until the engine shut down, much as it had last Sunday when we were setting marks for the FHYC race.

George changed filters again and she started. Another run at speed and she died again. This time we called Towboat US and were back in Bellhaven waiting for a mechanic by around noon. He showed at 1700 (5:00pm) and diagnosed the problem as the small in-line fuel pump I added to bleed the system. He removed it adding a hose barb to splice the line. We took it for a speed run back to Dowry Creek with no problems.

Now the good window for the Albemarle has closed. We have said Que Sera Sera, had a glass of wine and will wait for another window.

4/17/15: We cast off the lines at a little before 0800 and had a nice day motoring to Dowry Creek Marina. It is nice to be away, We have really been stressing with everything on our plate and trying to make a 4/15 target departure. Obviously we didn't make that, but sometimes good enough is perfect.

We didn't run the boat hard, because we had plenty of time to get to Dowry Creek, and running at speed uses at about four times as much fuel per mile as hull speed cruising.

As we were crossing the Pamlico River, we were stopped by the Coast Guard, the first time ever. They were prepared to board and asked us how long it had been since we had been boarded. I replied that we had a safety check about a week ago. They pulled along side to view the sticker, said we were OK and headed off on some other important mission. Thanks to our friend Karl USCGA for doing the check and keeping us legal. It saved us a lot of time.

This Blog is created to report on the M/V Sunspot Baby's 2015 cruise to and through the Chesapeake Bay.