Peake04 4 of 7
Reply to carl@adler-software.com
More trips at:http://CarlAdler.org/waterlogged.html

Fri, Jun 25, 2004
10:28:26 AM
Piney Narrows Yacht Haven
Kent Narrows
Chester River
Eastern Shore
Lat 38 58.372
Lon 76 15.180

Approaching the 186 feet high Chesapeake Bay bridge.

We crossed the Bay to Kent Island yesterday to visit a friend, Tom Dove, and see the Island. Our intention was to stop at Castle Harbor Marina near his home. Castle Harbor Marina was full so a change in plans was called for. Not to worry there was another marina with slips available at (or in) Kent *Narrows*. There is that word again, "narrows." I don't like narrows. I am big into wides!

Kent Narrows connects the Eastern Bay with the Chester River and as such is heavily traveled. Consequently they replaced the lift bridge with a high bridge. However, as is the case elsewhere, local politics interfered and now you have a low bridge and high bridge side by side. The low bridge opens every half hour from roughly sunup to sundown during the season. Come after hours and you are out of luck, and I really mean big time out of luck, as the tidal flow is tremendous. I have seen nothing like it except in the Niagara River just above the Falls. It makes the infamous Taylor Creek off Beaufort NC look like a Pond. Right near the bridge there was much turbulence and even whirlpools during maximum tidal flow. Kay said it looked like a scene from a white water rafting movie.

Anyway we skillfully timed our arrival at Piney Narrows Marina (located at the bridge) for maximum tidal flow. (Of course we knew nothing about what that would entail.) To make matters worse there were a half dozen big boats milling around waiting for the next bridge opening, severely limiting our options for maneuvering into the fuel dock. We found ourselves heading right towards the dock at maximum speed with a 3 to 4 knot current behind us!
I thought "Holly Stuff, this is going to be a disaster" (or words to that affect).

Kay made a perfect landing without even a bump. The only problem was the guy securing the bow rope could not get back to the stern fast enough to catch the stern line as the current swept our stern around. Again by using the engine we landed now backwards with nary a bump to the boat but major blows to our egos.
The funny thing is that we were now at the end of the fuel dock and in a much better position to get off after fueling. If someone watching had not seen the aborted throw of the stern rope they would have assumed we had just made the most skillful docking maneuver ever.

Sat, Jun 26, 2004
9:22:05 AM

As soon as we near high tide (and low tidal flow) we will leave for the Magothy River where my cousin, Bill Adler, has a home. After a visit we will rent a car and return home for a couple of days in order to restock our medicines and pick up the mail. On our return to the upper bay we will head further North. Since we are dangerously close to reaching our destination, Baltimore's Inner Harbor, we have decided to officially change our destination. Our new destination is Mystic Conn.

Kent Island is very nice. I am most impressed with the cross island trail. A blacktopped eight foot wide trail that in its five plus miles crosses the Island. It wanders through woods and over waters and is an extremely pleasant to walk. I will miss it.

Sat, Jun 26, 2004
6:07:27 PM
Cypress Creek
Magothy River
Western Shore
Lat 39 04.399
Lon 76 31.698

It all started when Kay forgot to put on her lucky hat. When entering and leaving slips Kay always has her "Sperry Star III" hat on. That is the only time she ever wears a hat and as long as that hat is on her head everything goes magically correct. She forgot. The future boded evil.

We went to depart the slip. Not particularly easy as there was a cross wind and little backing room, but we planed it carefully, released all the lines and started backing. Something went wrong. Where did that extra yellow rope come from? That's no yellow rope that is the power cord!
Why didn't you unplug it? Me? This produced a polite interchange of opinions.

We eventually extricated ourselves from the slip, exited to the narrows, and headed for the Chester River. Leaving the narrows for the Chester we where followed by five power boats whose operators had a collective IQ of 10. (I am being generous here). They all came up on a plane and proceeded to charge by us 10 feet away creating huge wakes. The way to handle huge wakes is to turn into them at an angle. This was not possible with one boat upon the other. I tried hand signals but to no avail (well actually a single hand signal). The only satisfaction we had was the certain knowledge that they where using more fuel in 1 minute than we would use all day.

Coming out the Chester we were headed North and the wind ... prepare your self for a shock ... was from the North. But once we cleared Kent Island we would head West and we could sail. (Remember the hat.) We cleared Kent and put up the sails and the wind immediately died to dead zero. After an hour of sloshing, down came the sails and off we went to the Magothy. Upon reaching the Magothy the wind came up like a banshee.

My cousin Bill and his wife Rebecca passed us heading out to test their newly repaired jib sail on their 105 J-Boat. No problem, the dock I was to use was 1 dock before the first Boston Whaler on a lift on the creek. (Remember the Albatross oops I mean hat). It didn't look right, but in we went (after briefly running aground). I secured the line to the midship cleat and prepared to jump to the dock. (Remember the wind.) Several years ago someone told me that they saw a cleat untie itself. An obvious liar or a drunk. Well I jumped off the boat, turned around and saw the rope untie itself from the cleat. So I am holding a rope tied to nothing and Kay is on a rapidly receding boat. Leap. Made it. Tried again - same result. Finally we are tied up (third try). Guess what, wrong pier. What to do? Not a clue. We sit.

The Silent man: " "

He was just standing there.

I said: "I bet you wonder why we are here?"

The Silent man: Nods yes

Me: "We are lost"

The Silent man: Nods yes

Me: "Do you know where William Adler lives?"

The Silent man: Shakes no

Me: "Can we stay here for awhile?"

The Silent man: Raises arms heaven way and holding that pose walks off the dock.

Fortunately a neighbor saw our distress and directed us to the proper dock.