Rock Hall at a dock

Nice Rock Hall sunset off the back of the boat

The day broke with a dense fog at Chesapeake City and we were afraid that the canal would once again be closed until the fog cleared. However, the Coast Guard announced shortly thereafter that the canal was open - and it was more foggy than yesterday when the canal was closed! We didn't argue the point as we headed out. We fell into line behind a tug and ahead of another tug with a huge barge carried side-saddle. The canal was a bumper to bumper freeway of tugs with barges. It was also full of debris, more than I had ever seen in the canal. Our strategy was to snug up behind the barge in front and let it sweep the way clear of logs, branches, stumps, etc. It seemed to work pretty well.

Ann is always on the lookout for clouds to use in her pastels

We were concerned about the approach into Rock Hall, MD. We had read reports that the entrance had shoaled to 4 ft or less and since we drew 5 ft, it could be a problem. So I read up on the harbor using Active Captain and mapped out a strategy according to the latest experiences of the captains on the website. As it turned out, the advice was spot on. We followed the recommended route and saw no less than 7 ft which gave us a little more than 2 extra feet of insurance. I would recommend Active Captain to all boaters - it's invaluable.

Relaxing tonight, we were attacked by mosquitoes, there was a bumper crop around here so were huddled in the boat with the A/C on and all windows shut. We'll stay another two days to reprovision, clean the boat and do laundry - even on a  boat on vacation there are things that must be done.