Chesapeake Chase Day 3: Winyah Bay
A Touch and Smell Learning Experience
Today was a short trip. We were only going to travel as far as Winyah Bay Inlet. The three young ladies decided they would prefer the ocean to the ICW on Wednesday. The Captain checked the weather forecast and agreed tomorrow would be a fine day out in the open water, so the goal today was to position ourselves for an early start tomorrow morning.
We took our time pulling anchor this morning. We had time to enjoy coffee first, breakfast and just chatting. It was lovely and relaxing. At Miriam’s suggestion, we turned on the generator and got the AC going earlier today than yesterday. The heat and humidity really sap your energy! By 11:00 AM we had successfully pulled anchor and were underway. Oh my, it was so peaceful!! There were no other boats, and we were way out in the marshes just floating along. Fred and I actually went up to the flybridge for a short while.
Today was a crockpot dinner day – Hawaiian Chicken Rice Bowls. It took me about 20 minutes to get it all in the crockpot. One of the great features about this appliance is that you get your meal started and then forget about it for several hours. What I didn’t count on was the thunderstorm and the power getting turned off in case of lightening. The crockpot wasn’t on the list of things that were turned back on once the storm passed. It was by chance I noticed the blinking light about an hour and a half later. So much for the slow cooked meal. I had to put it on high [it was still great]. This of course is minor compared to other possible outcomes.
We arrived at our anchor spot somewhere around 1:30 PM. I love the shorter days! While we were in the process of anchoring, Fred smelled something cooking, but not a good smell. I went to check the crockpot and discovered that the convection oven was on at 400 degrees.
What I have discovered over the past three years is that it is very easy to hit something on the microwave/convection oven and not realize that you have done so. At some point while everyone made their lunch, a body part unknowingly turned on the convection oven to 400 degrees. That would have been okay but for the plastic microwave food cover that had been left in the oven which in the process changed shaped dramatically. There is a photo. After it cooled awhile, I was able to lift it off the plate using a metal spatula. Lesson learned. We shut off the breaker to the microwave so if we accidentally hit it – no worries!
The remainder of the afternoon was leisurely. The girls desperately wanted to take a swim to shore, but again the current at the inlet was too swift and the distance to shore appeared closer than it was. Naomi and Phoebe did dangle their feet in the water from the swim platform. It’s amazing to think we were now day three on Betty Lou without touching shore with five people from 15 to 73 years of age and still talking, laughing, and enjoying. Fred spent time preparing for the long day tomorrow which would be offshore as far as the Cape Fear Inlet, about 75 miles at an average of about 7 per hour. Before dinner was ready all five of us played a round of Skip-Bo. Dinner was Hawaiian Chicken Rice Bowls.
Fred and I made it an early to bed night as wake up time was going to be really early!
Captain’s Comments
Two learning experiences in two days. Remember, the Captain is never off the hook.
But we keep at it. Naomi spent time practicing her piloting skills.
The last bridge we passed before entering Winyah Bay was a floating swing bridge. It provides access to the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center on the south bank of Winyah Bay. Not much traffic, so a floating bridge is an economical solution.
Once we entered Winyah Bay, we had to navigate past a dredge and numerous tugs pulling long rafts of piping. I’m glad it was still daylight. I had to refer to my copy of the USCG navigation rules to refresh my memory of day shapes used to signal during daylight in lieu of lights used at night. (Two vertical diamond shapes show the preferred side to pass.) With 4 tows and a dredge all converging on the same channel it was hard enough to figure out in the daylight; I’m glad I didn’t have to figure it out in the dark. We anchored downstream so we wouldn’t need to pass them again.
We had a weak cell signal, so I couldn’t access some of the weather reports I use, but I checked the rest and they still looked good for an early morning departure, so it was early to bed.
