Chesapeake Bay - Deltaville to Annapolis

Hi everyone,

With our refit complete we were on the lookout for a good weather window to start our voyage north.  The refit was concluded with new mainsail battens and boombag modifications done by Evolution Sails, plus filling water and new propane tanks.

Sunset off Solomons

Yesterday morning we departed at 1030.  It was a bright sunny day with a light E wind.  The wind was forecast to go around to the south and increase.  Our initial plan was to stop at Little Bay or Reedville, but as the wind filled in and all systems were 'go' we decided to head direct towards Annapolis.

Here are the usual plots...

Overall Track

Waiting for Daylight Track

Arrival Track

Overall Graphs

Here are the vital statistics...

• Distances/Speeds
• Route Distance = 90nm
• Log Distance = 82nm (under-reading, uncalibrated new log)
• Track Distance = 100nm
• Duration = 21 hours
• Average boat speed = 3.9kt (under-reading)
• Average ground speed = 4.8kt
• Minimum boat speed = 6.2 kt
• Maximum boat speed = 6.9 kt
• Weather
• Minimum wind speed = 5kt
• Average wind speed = 18kt
• Maximum wind speed = 24kt (gusts to 32kt)
• Apparent wind angle range = 90 to 180
• Seas up to 2m
• Sunny during the day, light overcast overnight
• Engine
• Total = 2 hours (10%)
• Failures
• None
• Stars
• New Tasker mainsail and Tides Marine sailtrack
• New Pelagic autopilot, Vesper Cortex VHF/AIS handsets & Maretron DSM410 display)
• New wet weather gear and thermals

Overall it was a great passage, mainly because nothing broke.  It was cold so we also tested our thermals and new wet weather gear.

We were seen off by Brett & Amanda of Aussie sv Leventeia and Bob of US sv Kaimi.  Having "surveyed the mud" (with our keel) last year this time we got out without incident.  We had a 1.2m high tide.  We motored for about an hour until able to turn north and set sail.

Ready for departure at DYC

Au revoir DYC

The new Tides Marine sailtrack helped the new Tasker mainsail hoist very easily.  As the day progressed the wind went around to the SSE and increased.  We reefed the main (and yankee) step by step until we were under bare poles.  This was a good test and bare poles became necessary to slow Zen Again down to avoid arriving at midnight.  She was flying!

New main

First Reef

Second Reef (trisail size)

We found ourselves in fields of crab pots several times during the day, mainly off headlands.  And there was commercial traffic to avoid too.  Happily both pots and traffic reduced substantially at night - the pots because we stayed in the commercial channel.

One of the attractions of pushing on and doing an overnight sail was the full moon.  We saw it rise but it gradually faded as the sky became overcast.  The increasing wind and varying tidal flow produced a constantly changing sea state.  Seas got up to 2m during 'wind over tide', particularly at the mouth of the Potomac River, but Zen Again didn't take any water aboard.

Moonrise

It's fun sailing under bare poles.  Zen Again can almost beam reach with the boom bag acting like a sail.  As we approached Annapolis we zigzagged from reach to reach but the tide was driving us north.  At 0545 the sky was lightening and we were only a mile from the Bay Bridge.  It was time to motor in to Annapolis as we could now spot the pots.

Approaching Annapolis

Unlike last year, when we had to wait an hour for the Spar Creek Bridge to open, this year we called them up and they invited us through immediately.  From there it was only 100m to the small craft moorings.

Through the Spar Creek Bridge

On the mooring

Breakfast!

We both really enjoyed the passage.  It was great to have a proper shakedown and have nothing break.  Zen Again and crew had a good workout.  Gotta get used to cold-weather sailing!