Waiting in the Atlantic Yacht Basin

It has been an interesting few days, and now I am finally getting to update the blog. We are sitting in the Atlantic Yacht Basin with a busted prop, but more on that later.

I arrived in Deale on Saturday evening, and made it to the Annapolis Sailboat Show. There was a lot to see, but my favorite was meeting Andy Schell and his wife Mia, of 59 North Sailing (http://59-north.com) and seeing their beautiful Swan 48 named Isbjorn. They are very nice people and were very patient with me as I gushed about my favorite podcast episodes. A great experience for me. And I encourage all to check out the On The Wind podcast.

Picked up Bill E. at the airport and then we waited for Bob at first the airport Marriott, and then at the Brewers Art in Baltimore. The coffee porter was awesome, and they serve a good bratwurst as well. After multiple delays, Bob finally arrived in Baltimore,

We had a few items to deal with before we left Deale (get it?) so we didn't get underway until around two. Bob had me dock for him at the fuel dock which was good practice for me. I am happy to report that there were no crashes followed by firery explosion.

We sailed through the night, and it was a good night for it. The moon was bright and there were stars forever. We shared the Bay with a great deal of other vessels, but thanks to AIS and proper watch standing, we all got along just fine. Around 3 AM, the winds died down, and it was time to fire up the diesel.

Morning saw is by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and for me it was a bit of a homecoming as we passed by Naval Station Norfolk, as I had not been there on the water since my final Navy cruise in 1989.

We enjoyed viewing all the Naval ships and other sites on the intracoastal waterway. On this section, there are quite a few bridges that require waiting for the bridge to open to allow passage. Disaster struck when we were waiting for the Great Bridge Lock to open to let us through. The Autoprop H5 threw a blade, and we limped in to the Atlantic Yacht Basin with with two blades. Special thanks to Captain Ed from Sea Tow for helping us find a berth in a very packed marina. We have a spare prop on board, and we are hoping to get this resolved tomorrow and be able to continue on.