These American rivers are miracles. Each one is so profoundly beautiful that it’s difficult to fathom the work of the creator. What forces combined to create these beautiful waterways, shores, fauna and other elements? As we are traveling, I am also reading a book by John Sledge, “The Gulf of Mexico: A Maritime History”, and it has my captured my attention and my imagination. He is a wonderful writer and really puts the power of water, tides, currents, ebb and all into perspective.

After leaving Kent Island, MD, we headed up the Chesapeake and under the famous and humongous Bay Bridge that connects to Annapolis. The waterway was filled with ships awaiting pilots to take them down the Bay, likely to Norfolk, or up to Baltimore. We passed under the bridge and by Baltimore and all the rivers and creeks along the way.

The weather was extremely hot and humid and we decided to take advantage of the lack of wind and waves and continued moving. Ultimately, we knew that the remnants of tropical storm Claudette would be headed our way so we opted for a getting diesel and a pump out and a deep bay to anchor in and took a 7 mile detour down the Sassafras River in Georgetown, Maryland. It was beautiful and unlike any other place we’d seen yet. Incredibly green, high, high river banks and beautifully landscaped farmhouses and homes. I’m not sure what a Sassafras Tree looks like, but imagine there were many.

We stayed in a wide creek next to Daffodil Island and in the middle of the night it was completely dark except for the stars and moon. We left at sunrise, 7 miles back out the Sassafras to the Chesapeake and onward to the Chesapeake Delaware Canal. We stopped at the last stopping place at Chesapeake City, Maryland to wait out the inclement weather on a dock. It was LIVELY! The boats that had decided to anchor in the river basin adjacent to the marina were all getting blown so hard they were sailing on their anchors. It was quite a show with all the captains scurrying in 20-40 mile an hour gusts in pouring rain to not bang into one another and to move to safer waters or to just keep moving. One sailboat decided to go to a space on the dock which was brave and crazy and proved to be quite an ordeal for everyone on that dock just trying to lend a hand in a driving rain.

It rained all evening and a good part of the night and today calls for big NNW winds and more rain so here we sit with a plan for an early start a couple of hours before high tide in the morning, readying ourselves for a 10 hour day~~~~~