Amenity at cruising speed with a relaxed captain at the tiller

Since I try to get in a solo two week cruise each year, I got the idea of launching out a week early....meeting up (by sea)  with the SWS at the Miles River Yacht Club ramp Friday April 25th just north of Saint Michael on the Eastern Bay.  Then after a nice weekend with the SWS, continue on alone for another week , cruise up to the top of the Chester River, and visit some friends at the Heron Point Retirement community in Chestertown, MD.          One of my life’s ambitions has been to transit Kent Narrows; some folks have strange ambitions! Launching, for the third year in a row, from the Triton marina at the very top of the Elk River near Elkton, Maryland, I started down the Bay.  All went well until NOAA started issuing Small Craft Advisories for 30 knot winds.  I did have to hide out for about 24 hours in a somewhat calm creek before proceeding on towards Saint Michael.          The Miles River Yacht Club ramp left a lot to be desired by the trailerers – but of course I came by sea, so I was available to help get the boats launched. As I’m sure others might report ‘twas a wee bit damp for the SWS outing...but I think we all had a great time.          After our  Sunday luncheon at the Yacht Club I then took off to transit the Kent Narrows the other way and go up the rather long Chester River.  The Heron Point Retirement Community is quite plush.  You start out in individual cottages and then as you delaminate further, you move up to full nursing care and then on to, who knows?  I’m known at Heron Point as “Mr. Bill” as I come there once a month by car and do some musical entertainment for some of the nursing care residents.  Bottom line is that after taking a slip at the Chestertown marina (about ½ normal costs since my vessel is so independent of shore utilities), my friends who live at Heron Point picked me up, took me to dinner, loaned me their car, and had arranged for a gratis guest room (like a four star Hilton) for the night.  What a pleasant change from my damp sleeping bag!          The next day it was off for home in just a bit of a hurry (hurry with 6 HP?) since NOAA was sending out messages about bad weather coming up the Bay.  It took two days of  hurrying (6 knots), and took out at the top of the Elk River Friday morning, being sure to notify my wife that I was coming home early !!!          It was a great two weeks with the high (but a wee damp) point being the SWS outing. Great to see everybody.  I’m glad I didn’t dump over in my pump up rubber raft when I was taking photos with others’ cameras of our great one-anchor-raft-up-happy hour Saturday night, after the dampness stopped !

Bill paddles his auxiliary craft to takes shots of the raft-up