No Sleep on the Chesapeake!

We are awakened out of our REM.  Did the boat hit something?  In unison, we are out of bed and in the salon.  It’s 1:30 am and we hear thunder.  The wind has picked up considerably and a squall is moving through this protected Mill Creek area off the Chesapeake Bay.  We’re still at anchor, although we notice flashlights moving about on sailboats also “on the hook.”  Within seconds, our anchor alarm sounds.  Our depth finder and observation by flashlight indicate we’ve slowly drifted towards shore.  Brenda starts the engine.  Mike gets his life jacket on.  It won’t be easy to reset the anchor in the darkness.

Sleep was not plentiful last night.  Regardless, we pulled anchor and took off this morning at 7:02 to continue our way north up the Chesapeake.  Our destination is Solomons Island, on the west side of the Bay and just north of the Potomac River.  Although the wind is light today (under 10 mph), the waves make cruising through this big body of water a bouncy ride.  Items must be secured throughout the boat to avoid breakage or other messes.  For safety reasons, neither of us can leave the salon to go outdoors without wearing a life jacket.

The good news is that neither one of us gets seasick and we should complete our 55-mile run to Solomons by mid-afternoon. We expect to arrive in Annapolis, MD by tomorrow and in Baltimore on Friday.

This was our anchorage last evening--in a calm, serene creek off the Chesapeake where we shared space with 6 other vessels.  With comfortable temperature and no bugs, we enjoyed dinner on the sundeck.

 More Photos of Norfolk, Portsmouth and Yorktown:

On our last morning at High Street Landing in Portsmouth, Brenda met Melvin Dassnight, a professional piano player.  Before parting ways, Melvin set up his keyboard and played a few tunes.  It was a delightful way to start the day!

As we entered the Chesapeake out of Norfolk and Portsmouth, there were commercial fishing vessels in the process of pulling in their shrimp nets.

This handsome schooner docked at the Yorktown Riverwalk Marina and tourists could purchase tickets to cruise on it.  In the background is the Victory Memorial, which is visible for miles off shore.

Also docked at the Yorktown Riverwalk Marina was this replica of Christopher Columbus's "Santa Maria."  Its crew of 25 brought the ship over from Spain.  It will travel to other ports on the East Coast.

Along the Riverwalk was a beautiful and popular beach.  Between the beach and street was a nice, wide walk of pavers, benches, shade trees, flowers, statues, shops, restaurants and often live music.  Yorktown's waterfront is a welcoming place---probably why it's so busy!!

Historic Yorktown has a trolley bus for visitors to get to the museums, battlefield, Main Street, and Riverwalk areas.

Yorktown has a farmers and artists market on Saturdays. 
We purchased a cilantro plant, a jar of seasoning, and some homemade potato chips!