Day 5: Onancock to Mobjack Bay

After a good night’s sleep aboard a rock-steady boat, Dad and I slipped out of Onancock Creek a little before eight o’clock this morning. We found little or no wind once we stood into Chesapeake Bay, so took the opportunity to polish some brightwork around the boat. By no means did we get it all, not even close, but I think that polishing a piece here and there whenever things are slow will eventually get her appearance up. It is nice to have time to worry about cosmetics now that she is mechanically sound.

When the breeze eventually did appear it was from the southwest, not the forecast northwest, preventing us from steering straight for Mobjack Bay. Nevertheless, it was a nice sunny day with very pleasant conditions, even if they were not ideal. We nibbled Goldfish and jerky for tea, then enjoyed a tasty salad for lunch, all the while resolving weighty issues of the day. The serene, not slow, serene pace of today’s sail allowed us to take care of a number of stupid little chores which are difficult or impossible under windier conditions. As previously described, we did some polishing, whipped some lines, repositioned some shackles and removed a stain, all minor tasks, but important nevertheless.

As the sun got lower in the sky we bundled up with a few extra layers, anticipating a crisp, cool evening of smooth sailing under a almost-full moon. Homemade French Onion soup was on the menu for dinner and it felt and tasted mighty good with temperatures in the low 40s.

Unfortunately the winds dropped to virtually zip when we were about 5 miles from our anchorage, and since neither of us had the patience to wait for their inevitable return, we motored the rest of the way.