JACKSON CREEK AT DELTAVILLE, VA TO DELTAVILLE, VA

Wednesday, May 20th to Thursday, May 21st, 2015

Day 289-290
Miles Traveled on Thursday: 17
Total Miles Traveled: 3886


  Wednesday morning there was some wind, but it was predicted to lessen by the afternoon.  The seas on the Chesapeake were predicted to be 1-2 feet in the afternoon.  After a morning meeting with the crews of "Mighty Fine" and "Horizon Chaser", it was decided to head out of Jackson Creek about 12:30 pm.  We all had our lunches, pulled up our anchors, and headed out Jackson Creek to the Chesapeake Bay.  The closer we got to the bay, the waves increased, the wind increased, and the ride become very rocky.  The "fun meter" was quickly moving to zero.  We all decided to do an about face and head back to the well protected anchorage we had just left.  In about one hour we were all anchored again in Jackson Creek.  

  Since our travel day was a bust, we took the opportunity to get a repair done on our canvas.  A couple of days prior, a small section of the flybridge enclosure had some threads break on one of the seams.  We called a local canvas shop, Ullman Sail Loft, and, they were able to restitch that small section.  They were even kind enough to come pick us up at the dinghy dock of a nearby marina and drive us to their facility.

  Later that evening, we went to a nice little Italian restaurant in Urbanna, VA.  Myron & Dena on the sailboat "Hold Fast" where tied up to a private dock owned by Floyd.  They drove us, Craig & Donna ("Mighty Fine") and Dan & Jacque ("Horizon Chaser") to a neat little Italian restaurant in Urbanna, VA.  After dinner, Floyd's nephew, took all of us on a tour of the families tow boat named "Gram Me".  All of Floyd's family have been watermen and he had a lot of interesting waterway stories.  Gram-Me was docked at a private dock right on Jackson Creek.  We anchored just out from this dock. 

"Gram-Me" - (photo take off of internet)

one of "Gram-Me"'s two engines
Luker 800 hp

"Gram-Me"'s helm station      

  Thursday morning we all headed out of Jackson Creek for our second try moving north on the Chesapeake Bay.  The marine forecast was for 1-2 foot seas and 10 knot winds.  After traveling about 8 miles (which took about 1 hour), we decided that the forecast was wrong.  The wind was closer to 15 knots and the waves were 2-3 feet with a few 4-6 footers showing up.  The deck box bounced and moved half way across the flybridge.  After yesterday's travels, we had rigged the cabin for heavy seas by putting away anything that might go flying across the cabin.  We didn't expect the deck box to move given all the weight of its contents.  We were hanging on so as not to fall down.  The "fun meter" was ZERO.  We and "Mighty Fine" did a 180 degree turn and headed back toward Deltaville.  "Horizon Chaser", with its deeper keel, was handling the waves better and decided to continue on with her journey.  We decided to head to a marina up the Rappahannock River instead of going all the way back to our previous anchorage.  We were tied up at the Deltaville Yachting Center just when the rain started.  We traveled 17 miles and ended up one mile from where our anchorage had been on the other side of the town of Deltaville, but, we were happy to be off the bay in its current condition.  

  Deltaville Yachting Center had a courtesy van available, so we and Craig & Donna drove to the Deltaville Maritime Museum.  It was a very small museum in 3 rooms.  There were several old outboards on display.  One by Johnson was called Sea Horse.

1954 5.5 hp Johnson Sea Horse Outboard Motor

  Also on display was a collection of pond boats.  Pond boats are model boats intended to be sailed on ponds or similar bodies of calm water.  There were many different sizes, types, and colors. 

Pond Boat Collection

   

    That evening we went out to dinner with Craig & Donna of "Mighty Fine" and then back to their boat for a dice game called Farkel.  Angie won all three games.