"First Visit August 17-18, 2000" Oxford Travelogue by grandmaR

Oxford anchorage

Cleaned up the boat, pulled the anchor and got underway about 9.

Wind from the north as predicted about 12-13 knots. Sailed a bit after we got well north of the bay, but soon the wind was on the nose so we pulled the sails in an motored. Successfully uploaded and downloaded mail. At noon we were 3 miles off the Lower Choptank after about 10 miles travel, mostly by motor.

Got to the Choptank about 1. Bob fixed the plastic piece in the headsail furler, and we had fried chicken for lunch. Were at Benoni Point at 3:30.

We were meeting another CSY owner (Ernie) in Oxford. Just before we got there, a motor boat buzzed us and we stopped - turned out to be a former CSY owner that I'd corresponded with by e-mail.

Other CSY and owner in dinghy

We also saw a CSY anchored off the town south of Town Creek and north of the ferry dock. We don't have a hailer, so we yelled and Bob blasted with the air horn. Talked to the owner for a bit. Then heard Ernie on the radio as he was coming out of Cambridge. Tried to find the place he usually anchors in Town Creek, but there were 2 boats there already.

Went back out near the ferry dock and anchored. It took Bob two tries to get the anchor set. From anchor to anchor was 29.3 miles in a little less than 7 hours.

Alice getting ready to raft

Ernie came and rafted with us on our anchor (50 lb Max anchor with 125 feet of 5/16ths chain). Ernie called the restaurant he was going to take us to (Latitude 38) and then we each took our own dink and tied to the other side of the ferry dock. The restaurant sent someone to pick us up and take us to dinner.

Coming back after dinner

This is a very fancy restaurant with fancy dishes and fancy prices. I took part of my steak home with me Alice had quail, and Bob had a scallops. Afterwards, we went back to our boats and had a nice chat.

Side curtains around the cockpit 8/19

Bob shut the windmill off last night because he was afraid it would wake Ernie and Alice. I got up about 6:15 and put the side curtains on the bimini down because it was raining and we shut some hatches.

Ernie came over to our boat, and then I went over to his to show him how to use electronic charting software, but it is different from mine. I think he got cold feet and decided to figure it out himself after I said that I found out how to do it myself by "keep on trying until it either worked or broke".

RosalieAnn rafted

Bob was concerned that we were dragging, because we had 2 heavy boats on one anchor. I thought that "Another Day" a motor boat that was anchored near us was dragging. We were in the same relation to the little orange and white buoy near the ferry dock that we had been. Bob and Ernie said he couldn't be dragging toward his anchor. Bob took in 50 feet of chain.

Eventually the guy on Another Day came out and looked at his anchor, but he didn't do anything about it. Bob and Ernie eventually admitted that I was right and he was dragging, but since we wanted to get to the South River that afternoon, and Another Day was getting too close for comfort, we unrafted about 9:50 and Ernie sped off. The anchor was up by 10:15.

Next: Selby Bay and Harness Creek