Sunday, October 3, 2010 – Deltaville, VA

Just before 8 am we had the anchor up and we were motoring away from our anchorage. We knew it was going to be rough with winds out of the northeast from 15-25 knots and 3 to 4 foot seas but we thought that if we could make it to Smith Point when we would have the wind at our back instead of our beam (side), the rest of the trip wouldn’t be so bad. We certainly did not have to leave that day, but we had an invitation for dinner from our friends Brenda and Todd on Life’s 2 Short who had been stuck in Deltaville for a week! We last saw them as we left Tangier Island on Sunday. The weather had been so bad on the southern Chesapeake, they had been unable to leave. They even had to cancel the trip with Todd’s parents down the Dismal Swamp Canal which they’d very much been looking forward to.

We didn’t have any difficulty leaving the Coan River, but as we ventured out into the Potomac, the wind blew hard and the waves were high. After 2-1/2 hours, we neared Smith Point at the mouth of the Potomac where we encountered five to seven foot seas!! Blue Heron rode it out quite well as the waves washed over the bow and, at times, over the entire boat. We were very glad to get off the Potomac and into the Bay where the wind was at our back and the waves down to 3 to 5 footers. We even took turns napping during the last 20 miles!

We arrived at Deltaville around 2 pm; however, it took four tries to get the anchor set properly. Fortunately, we were in calm, protected water. Todd had said he had access to a vehicle if either of us wanted to go to the grocery store, so as soon as we landed, Todd picked Maureen up in the dinghy and they went to town. By the time they returned an hour later, it had begun to rain so there were some soggy packages brought home.
 
Todd picked us up in his dinghy again about 6 pm. Brenda’s dinner was fabulous! She made a Shepherd’s Pie accompanied by some hot vegetables with pound cake and strawberries for dessert. It was great comfort food! We visited for awhile and then Todd took us back to our home for a very welcomed rest. What a day!