Part-way back on the Chesapeake

Yesterday, we anchored in Deltaville.  Deltaville is sort of like Oriental, NC in that it is a boating capital.  Many marinas, many boats, located here because there are lots of protected rivers and water in a centrally located place on the Chesapeake.  One of the marinas advertises that it is four hours to anywhere from here:  Annapolis, Norfolk and all points in between.  There really isn't much of a town.   But we've found a basin, Jackson Creek where about 8 boats are anchored and a nearby marina where we may get a clamp/brace for the heat exchanger on the engine made.  Tom discovered it was broken a few days ago.

After that great stop at Tangier Island, we motored two hours into the wind up to Crisfield, the southernmost town in Maryland. It's on the eastern side of the bay.  It's after the season and docking rates are so low and the marina so nice (run by Dept. of Natural Resources) that we stayed two nights:  doing our laundry, gathering groceries and looking around.   The people there feel the town is on a decline after Sandy flooded and took out half of it recently.  

We can tell we're getting north by the architecture.

I thought this was going to be truly a simple place where the crab pot workers ate.  Turns out it was close to gourmet as you'll find here.

The narrow channel in.

This is only one of about 13 steaming pots this restaurant has.  In season, it's loaded with people at picnic tables and inside, eating crabs by the 12 and 20.

A very modern marina with all the comforts of home

As our first leg back south, we sailed over to Smith Island, where you follow a channel east through a town and out the other side, where we sailed on over to an anchorage in the Little Wicomico river.  Smith Island is populated by people a lot like those on Tangier, but not so prettily.

The north side is a nature preserve where the public is not allowed. 

Karen, if you're reading this, this would make a great pastel painting, wouldn't it?

As we motored toward the west side of the bay, the wind blew about 15-18 and the waves were hitting us directly on the starboard (right) side of the boat, tossing us back and forth.   We put up a foresail and eased back on the motor.   We used very little fuel on that run.  My friend Jimmy tells me that we should have had both sails up and the ride would have been more comfortable.

We found an anchorage where we were protected from the strong north winds and part of the view was just nature.
We ended up staying  here two  nights.   We started out the first day, got gently grounded and were told by the tow boat driver that the bay was cold and choppy that day.  We went right back to the anchorage and had one of the most  peaceful relaxing days in a while.   

Yesterday, we sailed and motor sailed (when the wind wasn't right) down here to Deltaville. Winds were 7-10 and it was sunny.  A lovely, but long day.