Rhode River - at anchor

What a restful anchorage - after that ride

We thought we were going to get 10 to 15 kts winds with occasional gusts to 20 today. So armed with that forecast we headed south out the Chesapeake Canal at 7:00 am. The canal itself was fine, there wasn't much fetch for the waves to build up but once we exited the protection of nearby shores for the open waters of the bay, did that ever change! The wind had the opportunity to build up wave action the entire length of the bay from the north. The waves hit us broadside and made the boat bob like a cork. We were all braced constantly to keep us from knocking around the cockpit. It was not a good ride. The peak wind gust recorded by us was 37 kts (true wind speed, corrected for boat speed). That was NOT what was predicted!

Hoolie's favorite place at Rhode River

Around noon we thought we'd head for Annapolis instead of Rhode River but then the wind abated to only 17 to 19 kts and the waves decreased due to less fetch off the eastern shore so we proceeded on to Rhode River.

The anchorage here could hold an armada. It's never full (it would take hundreds of boats to do that). Yet, it very protected with all the side creeks and islands to provide shelter from the winds and Hoolie even has his own private beach!

A few minutes later, we were greeted with a great sunset

The forecast for Tuesday is much better, 5 to 10 kts out of the northeast with less than 1 ft waves. If that holds, we'll head for Solomons and the anchorage deep into the river.