14 & 15 May 2016 – Solomons Island to Herrington Harbour South, Maryland
We woke to a calm day with light winds and water that was as flat as a lake.
We enjoyed the quiet day on the water as we headed to Herrington Harbour South, our last stop before our final destination of Rock Hall, Maryland.
There were lots of fishing boats out and we learned the last that those fishing for Rockfish add an additional dimension of hazard. Fishing boats fishing for Rockfish often tow outriggers which extend far out the back and to the sides of the boat, as seen in this photo from another day.
The red circles show how far to the sides the floats of the rigs extend. This particular boat had easy to see orange floats, but many of the boats used dark colored floats that blends in with the color of the water, making it much more difficult to see. So, we had to stay alert and not just look out for boats, but also look out for whatever they may be towing.
Add to that the hazard of a couple of fishing boats that were so busy fishing with their lines off the stern that they didn’t have anyone at the helm watching where they were going. And no, most fishing boats do not monitor the VHF radio.
We watched as one particular fishing boat that crossed our bow from starboard (so they did have the right of way) without anyone at the helm motor across the path of a fast moving oncoming freighter. It would have been easy for that to be a disaster.
We arrived in Herrington Harbor South without incident. The weather for the next day forecast high wind with a Small Craft Advisory, but we were still planning to make the final leap to Rock Hall.
We awoke the next day to find the forecasted wind had been upgraded, and now it was a Gale Warning. No need to go out in that wind – and it was indeed windy. So we enjoyed the hospitality for another day. We watched with some amusement as other boats made an effort to leave the marina, being blown about and ultimately changing their plans, and most struggling to make their way back to their slips.
Even the ducks were friendly as these two swam by and seemed to enjoy Christina’s voice as she talked with them. The female came by first, and when Christina asked if she had a mate, she seemed to understand the question and she swam away to returned a few minutes later with her mate. They stayed right there next to the boat for over a half hour (and not getting fed by us). They came by the next day to say hello again as well.
Tomorrow we will make it back to our summer home marina.