Daily Archives: 1 12 September 14

Friday, 12 September

What became today’s C&D opened in 1829 at a cost of $2.5-million.

The current in the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal didn’t turn ‘til shortly after 1300 hours. Normally aboard Steadfast, that’d create a measure of angst, foot tapping, finger drumming, at least. But after “Doing the Del” the day before, a morning off was just fine.

That meant ample time to plot the day’s course over coffee, to breakfast at “Bohemia Café,” explore the tow path along the south side of the C&D (Kate’s run took her from Maryland all the way into Delaware! Sheeeesh.). There was time even for hair cuts, for cryin’ out loud.

So at 1330, Steadfast motored—carefully, given the shoaling at the entrance—out of the basin at Chesapeake City and into the canal’s two-knot current. There’s a “No Sailing” regulation in the canal but a nifty northerly blew into the basin all morning so, as soon as Steadfast passed by the west end of the canal, sails filled and Little Red took a well-deserved break.

Trigor all but fills the width of the canal by herself.

To describe this as delightful would be understatement. As much as her crew, Steadfast seemed to recognize she was back in “home waters”—the Chesapeake Bay—and she celebrated by heeling slightly and skipping southward on the rippled surface. The wind did it’s usual Chesapeake-thing, i.e., fluked around from north to west and back, and then somewhere in between. But that was just fine. There was the Bay’s beauty to behold, long green lawns that lean down to the water’s edge, red clay banks that rise like revetments against the storm. Sweet.

Thanks to a two-and-a-half knot assist, the miles clicked by at a reasonable rate for awhile. The time came, though, when the current was confirmed, i.e., wind died and drifting was the sole source of progress. That circumstance arose around the mouth of the Sassafras River which made it easy to decide that Steadfast should call this “home” for the night.

This gorgeous property is at the mouth of the Elk River, one of many on the Upper Bay.

So there she lies to anchor, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. With a late start and light wind, mileage was minimal—16.5 nautical—but that was just fine.

It’s good to be back in The Bay.  Our Bay.

Steadfast out.