May 9: Solomons

It is wonderful to be back on the boat. We could hear the rain last night giving that gentle rhythm that makes you glad you are snuggled up in a dry warm place. We had a breakfast of strawberries this morning under low hung gray clouds and glazing off across the dappled gray water. You can see sea gulls, classic gray and white, skimming over the water in search of their breakfast. They are laughing to each other because they like the rain. There is a fishing boat docked just beyond us with a seagull riding in the crow’s nest at the top of its net rigging. It is a very peaceful, beautiful scene.

Gallant Tom drove back to Kilmarnock to return the rental car and when he returned we moved the boat to the fuel dock. The diesel fuel price gauge said $4.15 a gallon. At the dock, a fisherman in white rain gear aboard the Janet, small fishing boat behind us, was culling his catch from his nets. The small fish that were culled are eaten by seagulls, crabs and otters. The fuel dock was next to the “processing” building, and we saw several fishing boats pull up. The dock master said that the motor we could hear running was the vacuum system that vacuumed the fish out of the boats! So these men had been out fishing and were delivering the goods by 10:00 AM.

On the NOAA website, the weather looked pretty iffy... thunderstorms in the bay and strong winds; but we had a reservation at the marina in Oxford and decided to proceed leaving about 11:00 AM. We made good progress through the middle of the day but by 3:00 PM we had slowed to a crawl with the waves just pounding us out in the Bay. At that point, we decided to head up the Patuxent River and take shelter at Solomon’s Island. We found the T-head at Zahniser’s Marina and had time for a quick, 3 mile ride around the island waterfront. We saw the University of Maryland Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and the high Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge as a backdrop to a wonderful classic red farm barn by the river. It was a nice ride even though it was overcast and misty. We made it back in time to wash two loads of clothes, take a shower and walk down to the Dry Dock restaurant overlooking the marina. It was interesting to hear all the sailboat wind chimes clinking in the wind. The seafood dinner was delicious overlooking the marina and we are hoping for better weather tomorrow.