"2004- Last Trip of the Year - October 7" Deltaville Travelogue by grandmaR

Menhaden boat with little boat on side davits

We hear a lot of chatter on the radio from the rescue boat out of the Little Wicomico/Smith Point. The wind has dropped a bit, but we are still doing 7 knots - I guess the tide is pushing us.

By noon, we've done 25.6 nm (nautical miles). We see lots of menhaden boats when we pass the Great Wicomico, and hear on the radio about a fishing boat that has collided with another boat.

photo of photo on marina wall showing entrance

We get to the Deltaville Marina after 44 nm at an average of 6.4 knots (which took us about 7 hours).

The entrance to Jackson Creek is very interesting. You run almost up onto the shore and then run alongside the shore until you get into the creek. The photo at the top shows another sailboat going out of the creek ahead of us the next morning.

Anchored boats past the dock RosalieAnn is on

There are several anchorages in the creek (heard one cruiser talking to another one and he said that the anchorages were in Skipper Bob's book) and it is much easier to get here than to get into Fishing Bay as it is closer to the Bay.

I went up to pay - 95 cents/ft and $3 for electricity. They have very nice bathrooms, and a cruiser's lounge. I got a key for the lounge with a $10 deposit.

Bob walking around in Deltaville

At 5 pm, the dock master took us up into town, and we walked around a bit before we went to Taylor's to eat. Bob had chicken, and I had crab cakes. Then the old lady that was there (Miss Marie) took us back to the boat. I gathered she wasn't usually a driver (She missed the turn and had to turn around), but one of their waitresses was off with a sick baby and the usual driver was filling in for her. Taylor's is one of four local restaurants that will come and pick you up.

After she dropped us off, we walked around in the dockyard next to the marina and saw ZIG ZAG (another CSY walkover like ours) there again (or still from when we saw her in 1999), and also a new walk-over (to me) called FAITH.

I took the computer up to the lounge, but it was open, so I didn't need a key. I logged on via the phone line and did email, and while I was there a guy came in and said there was a wireless network. So I logged off, and used that for the rest of the night. I found later that I could use it at the boat.

Leaving the creek Oct 7

Bob was impatient to take off this morning. He tried to use the men's bathrooms and the combination wouldn't open it, but the dockmaster told him that the door sticks - it wasn't someone with it locked from the inside. The dockmaster came down to the dock and gave me my $10 back from the key deposit.

All the lines on the pilings had to be untied as there were no cleats on the dock, so Bob got off the boat and untied them while I held onto one of the pilings so he'd be able to get back on. That was pretty easy as there was no wind or current. We cast off about 0830.

Sailboat leaving ahead of us

I stood on the deck and took photos of the entrance channel. We followed another sailboat out. (this photo and top photo) By 0925 we'd been 6 nm.

There isn't much wind, but the anemometer at the top of the mast seems to be stuck. Bob gets out of the cockpit to go look at it, and it immediately unsticks itself and starts to go. We do have some wind, so we motorsail.

Picture through new side curtains

The new side curtains that Bob made are really nice and clear (the old ones had gotten cracked and moldy and scrarched).

We have last night's dinner (crab cake and fried chicken) for lunch. It's still mostly a north wind, so we are still going south.

Next: Severn River off Mobjack Bay (Hayes VA)