M/V MAERIN

We arrived at Solomon’s MD Wednesday at about 1440 hrs, thanks to an early start from Spa Creek. We rolled out of the rack shortly before daybreak, and decided we’d shoot for the 0730 opening of the Spa Creek bridge. So an early dink ride to the end of Market St. for a good 20 minute walk, and back to the boat at about 0705, just in time to retrieve the dinghy and get underway in time for the bridge. The opening is restricted between 0730 and 0900, so a few minutes can make a big difference in the day’s cruise!

Our weather was overcast, it had rained hard the night before, and we encountered some fairly heavy fog around 0900, thick enough to sound fog signals, but it didn’t last for much more than an hour, and the rest of the trip was relatively smooth, with the skies clearing to the point that we had beautiful weather on our arrival at Oyster Point. The Wrights had made arrangements for us to use their neighbor’s slip overnight. Some of the neighbors thought they were seeing double. What a great spot! We enjoyed comparing notes, boats and sharing some cocktails before Bill & Jeannie treated us to a barbeque dinner. A wonderful time sharing stories and catching up on the previous years’ cruising activities. They plan to head south this year as well, but won’t be leaving until December. A late start, so they’re in the process of beginning their provisioning and taking care of some maintenance details in preparation for their departure. We’re hoping we can connect with them when they get south.

After a visit Thursday morning and a visit to the grocery store compliments of our hosts, we slipped the lines shortly before noon, headed for St. Marys River, just off the Potomac. We’ll spend the night on the hook, Bill has recommended a visit to Horseshoe Bend and St. Mary’s College, so we’ll arrive right after 1700, in plenty of time for a visit and what promises to be a quiet first night on the hook in over four months!!