We had a beautiful sail out of Washington, DC, down the Potomac river - anchoring again in the Port Tobacco River. We were fortunate to have a break in the clouds in order to watch the Lunar Eclipse. So far from city lights, it was a sight to behold. What a treat! Alas, no pictures that turned out very well.
We were trying to make Norfolk within two days to avoid an inland weather system moving in - a distance only possible with an overnight sail. These require Eric and I to stand watches and take turns sleeping but with two Bahamas overnight sails under our belts, we were ready.
We left the mouth of the Potomac as it was getting dark, with 10-12 knots of wind and 1 -2 ft seas, the wind aft of beam, perfect weather for a 12 hr sail. The full moon rose and stayed with us most of the night. There were quite a few sailboats out as well, not surprising with the first real good weather window in a while. Arriving in Norfolk, we decided to push on and rest for the night about 25 miles south in the Dismal Swamp.
When we awoke on Wednesday morning and checked the weather, there it was. Hurricane Joaquin - a surprise to us and to many other boaters as well. The most recent predicted track put Joaquin over the top of where we were within 3 days. We had to move - but which way? We decided to head south toward a protected marina and where we had our truck stored so we could secure the boat and head to a hotel if necessary.
It was a long two days to get to New Bern, NC. Along the way, the forecasted path of Joaquin changed course several times, including one forecast that showed it hitting right over our destination! We ended up covering nearly 400 miles in 5 days - quite a feat in a sailboat with an average speed of 6-7mph. In the end, Joaquin turned north and east, away from the US coast altogether. We arrived in New Bern tired and ready for a few days of rest. We await word on how badly the Bahamas were impacted by Joaquin and hope the loss of life and property is small.
Thanks for following and enjoy!
We were trying to make Norfolk within two days to avoid an inland weather system moving in - a distance only possible with an overnight sail. These require Eric and I to stand watches and take turns sleeping but with two Bahamas overnight sails under our belts, we were ready.
We left the mouth of the Potomac as it was getting dark, with 10-12 knots of wind and 1 -2 ft seas, the wind aft of beam, perfect weather for a 12 hr sail. The full moon rose and stayed with us most of the night. There were quite a few sailboats out as well, not surprising with the first real good weather window in a while. Arriving in Norfolk, we decided to push on and rest for the night about 25 miles south in the Dismal Swamp.
When we awoke on Wednesday morning and checked the weather, there it was. Hurricane Joaquin - a surprise to us and to many other boaters as well. The most recent predicted track put Joaquin over the top of where we were within 3 days. We had to move - but which way? We decided to head south toward a protected marina and where we had our truck stored so we could secure the boat and head to a hotel if necessary.
It was a long two days to get to New Bern, NC. Along the way, the forecasted path of Joaquin changed course several times, including one forecast that showed it hitting right over our destination! We ended up covering nearly 400 miles in 5 days - quite a feat in a sailboat with an average speed of 6-7mph. In the end, Joaquin turned north and east, away from the US coast altogether. We arrived in New Bern tired and ready for a few days of rest. We await word on how badly the Bahamas were impacted by Joaquin and hope the loss of life and property is small.
Thanks for following and enjoy!