The last week has been interesting; a mix of excitement and lots of frustration. Because it was a half-way point, we stopped in Solomons, MD on our way to Crisfield, MD which was the last on our list of ‘have to see’ towns. It has been the crab capital of MD as long as I can remember. While in Solomons we discovered that we have a holding tank problem. For those of you who don’t know the significance of that, it could mean that we can’t use the heads on the boat…big bummer. We left Solomons Wednesday morning, 10/4, to go to Crisfield thinking we could get it fixed there. But Crisfield is a town that may be bustling in the summertime but I was the only one walking down Main Street! Rick called several marine mechanics but no one was interested in helping us solve the problem.Below seagulls hitching a ride on a passing barge!
The next morning the forecast was for a nor’easter. That means lots of rain and high winds coming down from Canada (which means COLD!). We could stay in Crisfield for at least 3 days waiting out the weather or go somewhere where we might get some help. We looked south on the charts trying to find such a place but Norfolk was the closest and was, at best, two days away. We couldn’t imagine staying in Crisfield for one more day, so it was back to Solomons.
Returning to Solomons was quite a ride! It took us a little over 5 hours and during that time it was freezing with up to 35 knot winds and seas of 2-5 feet. For some of you sailors that may be no big shakes, but for us it was rocking and rolling. We had water on the flybridge which is 13 feet or so above the water!
We finally got some help with our boat problem on Friday. Rick worked with the mechanic and spent most of the day outside in the freezing rain. Joy! Since there was more work to be done on Monday, our friends, Stacey and Geof drove all the way to Solomons to pick us up and take us to their home for the weekend. We had such a good time with them. We came back on Sunday and all went to the ‘Patuxent River Appreciation Days’ festival. The sun finally came out and it was actually, HOT. Ya-hoo.
So, boat problems (well, those we know about) are fixed for the moment so we are getting ready to leave this morning to start our last leg home. We think it will take about a week to get back to Morehead City, so we hope to be there on 10/17th or 18th then back to Cary some time after that. The greatest thing about Solomons was that Rick found a barber and got his hair cut. He says he feels like he lost 2 lbs!
The Patuxent River Naval Air Station is across the river from Solomons. It was interesting to see all the military aircraft overhead as well as watching the helicopter pilots practice take-offs and landings. Here are some of the many antennas they have on the base.
