Sadly and without any fanfare we left the Capitol Yacht Club in DC at 8:35 am and headed back down the Potomac River. The start was a little chilly but with a light breeze and partly cloudy skies it seemed like a great day to be on the water. For review, we had entered the Potomac River from Chesapeake Bay and travelled about 2.5 days up river to DC. So, strictly speaking, the trip to DC was "just" a side trip. Thus, to rejoin our Great Loop journey, we must first back track down the Potomac River to the Chesapeake Bay.
As the day progressed, the breeze fell and the skies got clearer making for an even better day on the water. Retracing our path could have been boring, but the different orientation of the views and sun angles made for a delightful trip. You never know what to expect, and the first picture is a good example of that. There is an old adage that says "never cut a channel marker too close", and that definitely applies to this one. Usually markers on land are in obvious places, like at the end of a breakwater, but this guy is well hidden by the vegetation...
About 12 miles south, we passed Fort Washington, which was well situated to block the Potomac at a narrow point in the river. It is on the Maryland shore and about 4 miles up river from Mount Vernon. Speaking of Mount Vernon, we had more beautiful views of it on our voyage down river.
A short time later we passed the " S.S. Sophie”, which is a classic wooden 80 foot 1947 Trumpy motor yacht. Many wooden boat enthusiasts believe that Trumpy was the Rolls Royce of 20th century wooden motor yachts. Of the 400 or so that had been built when the yard closed in 1972, less than 100 are thought to be in existence today. It turns out that this beauty belongs to belongs to TV legal guru Greta Van Susteren and her husband.
Even though we were both very tired, today was designed to be a long travel day in order to set up several shorter days. Luckily for me, the Admiral volunteered to take command while I napped in the late morning. This may not sound like a big deal but when there is only one person at the helm, there is a lot to do. Fortunately, I was able to partially repay her later when she took a shower and relaxed some.
After about 61 miles as we were approaching the Gov. Harry W. Nice Bridge (fixed, 135 feet clearance), we got a call on the VHF radio from Range (Patrol) Boat 1. It seems that we were about to enter a stretch of the river where there were live fire (as in canon fire) exercises taking place. They gave us a list of yellow, Navy channel markers to follow that basically took us out of the main channel and put us closer to the Maryland shore. When we reached the end of the zone, Range Boat 3 (picture at right) was there to monitor our progress. Then, and only then, did we hear these fairly loud booms off in the distance behind us... Hopefully that meant that they were not firing while we were along the outside margin of the live fire zone, but by that time it no longer mattered. Like I keep saying, every day is new and "different".
By then our long (73.8 miles, about 9 hours) day was nearing an end. We are staying at Captain John's Crab House and Marina in Cobb Island, MD. The restaurant is really GOOD. I had broiled Tilapia and the Admiral had broiled shrimp, and both of us were smiling a lot during dinner. A great dinner cooked by someone else is a fitting reward after a long (but easy) day on the water.
So, another state (Maryland) has been added to our list. We had been in waters that are part of Maryland while on the Potomac River, but this stop is officially our first time on the ground in Maryland.
Well, it is only 9:20 pm, but the Admiral has already been asleep for 20 minutes. I think that I will leave you with a picture of the sunset over Captain John's Marina and join the Admiral.
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