We've watched storm after storm roll across Chesapeake Bay from a nearby beach this summer.
Even the Oyster man at the Rock Hall Harbor Memorial has had enough rain.
We've been holed up here in Rock Hall completing preparations for our departure the third week of September. During the preparations we started waking up to smoke from the Dismal Swamp fire that started August 4th. Even though the swamp is in Virginia and over 150 miles down the bay the prevailing Southwest winds would occasionally bring the smoke all the way up to our area.
Then one of the few sunny afternoons when we could go to the pool along comes the earthquake. I was standing by the pool when it filled with 1 foot waves. Oddly friends on their boats never felt it.
When Irene came through we tied the boat off with extra lines, took off all the canvas and the jib, then headed to Washington, D.C. for a long weekend. I'd offered to help Micah teach a fly casting class to a lunch and learn at the Discovery Channel that Friday Then we spent the weekend watching the weather channel to see how bad the boat would get hit.
Sunday afternoon we followed the trailing edge of the storm back across the Bay Bridge to find all was well. That evening we were treated to a great sunset.
The following week we sailed up the Chester River to an anchorage in Grays Inn Creek. To our surprise in the morning we were treated to a huge flock of swallows.
After a while I rattled the halyards and finally blew the horn to chase them off, but the next morning they were back again with the sunrise, but didn't stay as long the first day.
It's raining again today and we're off to Baltimore this afternoon to pick up family for the weekend. I hope to get Gus on our crew for a Saturday race on a friends boat.
More pics and notes to come, we're just getting started.
Rick
