This morning was a repeat of yesterday morning. We left our safe, protected marina in Yorktown to ride the open waters of the Chesapeake Bay until it was time to turn into our protected anchorage. In the morning, the winds and water were relatively calm. We had decided to go for a long mileage day, so we were on the bay a long time…. we both agreed it was so uneventful that it was bordering on “boring”, a word we haven’t used much on this trip.
As it turned to late afternoon, the wind picked up, making the water increasingly rough, and the number of crab-pots seemed to multiply, adding further obstacles to navigation. To access our anchorage, Ellyson Cove, we had to pass through a shallow, narrow canal and then a buoy-marked channel. It was a bit scary at first, because we were still being hit by the waves on the Chesapeake which made it tough to stay on such a narrow course. Gradually, the waves subsided and we entered the cove, which was very protected and very calm compared to the bay.
We anchored, and then waited a bit to make sure we were secure before we ventured ashore in our dinghy. This was actually our first time leaving our boat unattended at anchor. You might remember we intended to do this back on Day 1, but the incoming storm and rough water led us to defer our plans. The sunshine and calm water in the cove convinced us to give it a try. While Captain Mark had tested the dinghy back in Little River, we had not yet tested the power of the small Chinese 3 HP outboard motor (the manual is all in Chinese) with both of us on board. Well, it worked, and got us to shore, but it was loud, and at times seemed to be straining to get us through a current that was not too challenging. We were glad that we didn’t try it out on the rougher waters of Day 1, as we aren’t sure we could have gotten anywhere (or back to the boat). We both agreed that we would need an upgrade at some point in the future and we will only be using the dinghy in very calm water.
We parked the dinghy at a small beachy area near a ferry landing, confident that this was public land, and no one would object. The Sunnybank Ferry is actual very interesting. It is a small ferry that crosses a short span of the Little Wicomico River; it provides a short cut for local residents to avoid a 14-mile drive to get to a neighboring peninsula. It is one of only 3 remaining free ferries in VA. It has been running since 1903 at which point it was hand-pulled using a cable that crosses the river. The cable is still there, but the pulling is now done by a motor. The older ferry, of course, was designed to carry horse and buggy, but the new one can carry up to six cars. We watched the ferry cross a few times before its quitting time of 4:30 before we set out.
On land, we took a good 6-mile walk, mostly on the same winding road, passing by farm land and homes, most of them looking like seasonal camps. At one intersection, we found an interesting utility pole, plastered with creative signs directing visitors to the family camps that were down the cross road. We walked down there, looking at the camps along another inlet from the bay. Once we reached our turn-around point, we walked back, noticing the cute little post office of Ophelia, which was tucked in behind an abandoned gas station. We returned to our dinghy, and as Captain Mark pushed it out into the water, hundreds of little black crabs scattered, having taken up residence under our dinghy during the short time we were gone. At first, Sidekick Sue, thought they were spiders, and her dislike for insects and arachnids caused a quick spike in adrenaline. Realizing they were crabs brought immediate relief (no, there is no logical rationale for the distinction). We climbed back in the dinghy, and after shifting our weight around differently, found a little better configuration for getting the poor little motor to get us back to the Wayward Explorer that was safely circling its anchor.
Captain Mark had planned to jump in the water and do a little boat-bottom cleaning, but the waning sun and the chilly air made him decide to procrastinate that chore to another day. We enjoyed our favorite cauliflower pizza crusts with our favorite toppings, cooked in our generator-powered Ninja Foodi and settled in for the night.
Here is where the channel quickly narrowed as we navigated into Ellyson Cove.
In the dinghy, leaving the Wayward Explorer behind, hoping it would still be there when we returned.
