Priority, the continued adventure: To the end of the Chesapeake Bay

Awoke to a beautiful day..no clouds,gentle breeze, ready to keep going south.

Up anchor at 7am, just before sunrinse and the flotilla headed back out to the Bay.

The view from the cockpit as I headed out of Little Bay

A few minutes later, as the sun came out. In both of these, if you look hard, you can see the other two boats of the flotilla leading me out

The wind piped up to 10-14 knots from the west and all salls were raised. After a bit the engine was turned off and I actually sailing, doing ~6.5 knots in12-14 knot winds...not bad!

After a few hours, as we passed the Wolf Trap ligh (see below)

The Jib was furled and the engine came on, and I motor sailed with the main, staysail and the engine doing 2700 rrpm. We had a favorable current and was moving at 7.5 knots over the ground

At 12:20 as I was finishing lunch IAmys Low Sodium Split Pea soup...delicious) as I was passing th e mouth of the York River, I looked up and saw a pod of Dolphins (about 20) doing leaps out of the water long ide my boat in graceful rainbows...by the time I got my iPhone out to catch a picture they were gone...but an amazing sight..take my word for it.

We arrived at Willoughby By in Hampton, just around th bend from the Navy Yard, where they kppe ll the carriers (photos tommorow as I pass by). It's a small protected Bay and should provide protection from the winds expected this evening.

I was greeted by a Pelican on my way in

and anchored next to the two other boats, as seen from a port window in the cabin

This bay is not nearly as pretty as the one last night, but it is about 50 miles closer to Miami!

View to the port side...the flotilla is out the starboard side.

At 5p Hayden and Raydeen hosted a clebration in honor of our aking it to the Bottomm of the Chesapeake. Bob and Nina from Moondance (the third boat in our Flotilla) picked e up on theri dingy and we went over to Island Spirit (Hayden and Raydeen's boat)

The center piece of the clelbaration was chapagne fro New Mexico (who knew they made champagne in New Mexico) and Salmon on crackers, along with crackers and humous and crudites.

We toaasted each other and chatted for a while. Bob and Nina are fro Oklahoma, had sailed on a lake and two years ago retired, bought an Island Packet 38 and are full time Liveaboards. Hayden and Radeen are retired High School Teachers from the suburbs of Philadelphia and while they maintain a house in Pennsylvania, are rarely there, spending most of their time cruising from Maine to the Bahama.

Some Photos of the get together