Seeking Refuge from Floyd

After making the long trip down the Jersey coast and up the Delaware Bay, one would think that the trip down the bay would be anti-climatic. Well it would be if it weren't for Hurricane Floyd bearing down. In what has to be the worst tropical storm to hit the Chesapeake area since Agnes in 1972, we find ourselves aboard our small boat running for cover.

We left the charming northern Maryland town of Chesapeake City which is located in the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal early afternoon Monday to catch the ebb tide, which runs a considerable 2-3 knots in the canal and nearly that in the Elk River. We broke the 50 mile trip back to Annapolis up by making a stop in Fairlee Creek before heading back to home waters on Tuesday. Two of the boats that had made the trip down the coast were still nearby so we decided to celebrate our successful passage with them in Harness Creek in the South River. Don and Sue, who brought their 40 foot Tashiba, Susannah, all the way through the Great Lakes and down the canals from Minnesota, joined Martin and Tracy and us aboard Oasis for an enjoyable evening.

The effects of Floyd were expected to begin being felt on Wednesday. And sure enough, we awoke on Wednesday morning to a steadily increasing rain. Dire predictions from the local broadcast media did little to alay our anxiety. So, were to go and hide? The high hills surrounding Harness Creek does offer pretty good protection from almost all directions. Further, one small cove is so well protected that you'd think you were in your own little pond. But alas, two others had beaten us to this spot. So off we went in the rain to seek a safe haven closer to our old marina and our car that we had left there (hoping it was still there and it started after not being used for several months).

We anchored about a 1/4 mile from our old marina at the intersection of Whitemarsh and Bear Neck Creeks in the Rhode River. As the rain continued to pour, I took the dingy over to check the status of our car. Low and behold, the car turned right over. Not only that, there was one slip still available in the Holiday Hill Marina; our old slip! Coincidence? A call to the marina owner verified that we could spend a few days riding out the storm in comparative safety and relative comfort in our old slip. Lots of rain, a fair bit of rocking and rolling in the gusty winds and then it was over. Our biggest problem came when the northwest winds blew several feet of water out of the bay leaving us grounded for most of the day on Friday (which was a great opportunity to clean the waterline).

But it wasn't as pleasant for others riding out the storm. We monitored the VHF radio to keep in contact with our friends over in Harness Creek who by the way made out just fine. In other dramatic episodes, the Coast Guard reported the closing of all maritime activities in the entire Chesapeake Bay meaning that no vessels, whether commercial or pleasure could move without the permission of the Coast Guard. We also listened as one of the cargo vessels anchored in the bay dragged down on the other. The tension in the captains voices was evident as the vessels approached to within 2/10 of a mile from each other during the height of the storm.

But now that the storm has passed, we have long "to do" lists before making our way south. Our plan is to work hard for the next two weeks while making time to see our family and friends as much as possible. We have to wonder how soon conditions will improve in the flooded coastal areas of North Carolina which we will pass through on our way south. We also wonder how the Bahamas faired. But they have weathered storms before and so shall we.

Joyce enjoying a rare moment with Atlas. In the few days following the storm we have seen some friends and completed many boat projects (too boring to list), although we still have much more to accomplish. We have gotten together with Jeff & Diane on our boat for an evening of Phase 10 with freshly baked muffins and chocolate. We took our boat and rafted with Skip & Harriet on Moondance in the Rhode River to hear about their recent adventures in New Zealand, and have enjoyed one last happy hour with our new cruising friends Martin & Tracy. We also had a rushed, but productive trip visiting with Ed & Marcy (Joyce's parents) in Salisbury to collect items, store other items and do many loads of laundry. Thanks for your help!