Here we are at Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Under roof in an very old "boat barn" in the fresh water of the ICW. This is where Virginia Yacht Brokers store their "inventory" and where I first saw Grand Day Out.
After completing the Condition Survey and the Purchase, I scheduled the "repositioning" trip to Port Deposit, MD for Friday, May 22, 2020. A bit of a concern was the first tropical storm of the season, but the forecast was that it would veer off to the northeast before our trip. Turned out that the major weather effects was from a powerful low pressure system just southwest of Norfolk, producing strong gusty winds from the Southeast--pushing waves in from the ocean thru the mouth of the Bay and producing fetch all the way to Baltimore.
I arrived, the day before to provision and ready the boat for the trip. Two concerns from the survey were that the flares were out of date and the fire extinguishers were old and dry chemical type. So that night I installed a new 5BC FireBoy Halatron extinguisher by the entrance. In order to be sure I was solidly mounted and that no screws would penetrate wiring, I removed the panel cover. Installation into the thick sides of the channel turned out solid and satisfactory.
I also installed a 5BC Halon (from H3R) unit under the sink. Because Halon is more effective than Halatron, this unit becomes the "First Line of Defense". (I also carry a mini disposable Halon unit for kitchen fires.) In addition, I placed new Orion flare kit along with HD SOLAS parachute flares and smoke aboard. Boat is now equipped far above USCG requirements. (I will add a third "clean agent" 5BC fire extinguisher (Halatron) soon, bringing the total count of extinquishers to five including the two dry chem units.)
The next morning, on schedule, we filled up with diesel adding about 250 gallons at $1.45 per gallon. Captain Dustin Daniels was the official delivery captain. I was going along as "crew" and as a "student". In no hurry because of high winds in the Bay, we departed around 9 AM. First encounter was the Great Bridge Bridge and Lock. We then proceeded up the Elizabeth River (ICW) past the Gilmerton Railroad Bridge and others on our way to Norfolk.
Once in the Norfolk/Hampton Harbor, we passed some impressive US Navy ships.
None too soon, we turned toward Deltaville, our destination for the first night and stayed at the very nice Dozier Marina. Order a Pizza delivered and hit the sack early.
Next morning we pulled out at dawn (5:30AM). The seas had calmed. Like sailing on a lake! Beautiful morning. We saw a large school of more than 200 dolphins. Passing the Smith Point lighthouse, we began the crossing of the mouth of the Potomac River. Very happy that seas were calm as this stretch can be the most hazardous and uncomfortable with high winds, heavy seas and strong tides--about 10-15 miles of "open" water.
A very long 14+ hour day. Finally reaching Annapolis where we stayed overnight. (Very happy that the Raymarine Auto Pilot system worked well--just set the heading and keep an eye on it. The Garmin ChartPlotters are also excellent. My INAVX on an IPad4 Mini using Bad Elf GPS was also excellent. Always know where you are and what the depths and hazards are!) Memorial Day Weekend and recent ending of Maryland's "stay at home" brought out big crowds. The water became quite rough and choppy on our approach caused by many speedboats running at top speed making big wakes! Bordering on chaos considering the mix of stationary fishing boats, commerical traffic, sailboats, trawlers and 30 mph 900 HP express cruisers all seeming to be going in different directions.
Grand Day Out still running very well. Captain Daniels plotted a course that was the most direct, so we missed a bit of scenery. I tend want to "hug the coast" a bit more.
Again, we departed at dawn. Cloudy and rainy day as we approached the Bay Bridge. North winds on our bow and a strong tide on our stern made for rough seas, but since they hit us on our nose, there was little rolling and the ride was comfortable--sort of like riding (posting) a horse. Quite a bit of commerical traffic, but not may pleasure boats. The Chart Plotter showed about 9 mph, a gain of about 1 mph from the favorable tide. (Hull speed is about 8 mph at 1800 RPM) Gauges on the flybridge reading a little different from the Pilothouse--RPM about 100-200 RPM lower on the flybridge--water temp about 5 degrees F higher. Water temp ran 180 to 185 F.
We ran in most of the trip in the 1700 to 2000 RPM range on the Pilothouse Tachometer.
Concluded that the boat handles heavy seas pretty well. Choppy seas in the Chesapeake come from opposing wind and tides--not a problem unless waves are coming at an angle toward your stern--particularly as you pass perpendicular to the mouth of a large river. (e.g. York or Potomac) Even then, the boat does not mind, but the the ride is not the best for the crew over an extended time.
One important fact: Tides in the Chesapeake are complicated and important. They affect boat speed and wave action. And, in the Chesapeake, it is not just the height of the waves--the "duration" or "period" and direction is even more important. Short choppy three second duration, two foot waves at an angle on the stern are worse than three foot, long 10 second duration waves on the bow. Winds in the present are less an issue than their direction in relation to tide currents and residual wave action (direction) from past winds.
Here is a quote from an article about tides and currents in the Bay:
"The primary force causing tides in the Chesapeake Bay is the progression of the tide through the southern entrance from the Atlantic Ocean. A secondary source in the upper Bay is through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal from ocean tides which have progressed through Delaware Bay. The modification of the characteristics of the ocean tide that take place in the Bay are dependent on the width, depth, and configuration of the estuarine basins and tributaries.
The Chesapeake Bay is fairly unique because it is long enough to contain one complete wave length of the dominant semidiurnal tide: i.e., when one high tide is reaching the head of the Bay near Havre de Grace, the next high tide is just entering the Bay near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The mean range of tide (the elevation difference between high water and low water) in the Bay varies from 2.8 feet at the Atlantic Ocean entrance, slowly decreasing to 1.0 foot near Annapolis, and then increasing to nearly 2.0 feet near Town Point, Maryland.
An interesting feature of the tide in mid-Bay is that the range of the tide is generally higher on the Eastern Shore than the Western Shore. For example, the range of the tide at Smith Point (mother of the Potomac River) is around 1.0 foot while the range across the Bay in Tangier Sound is around 1.2 feet. The ranges of tide in the tributaries on the western and eastern sides of the Bay show significant increases proceeding up the rivers. For instance, in the Potomac River, the range of tide near the entrance is just about 1.0 foot, while the range of tide at Washington, D.C. is just over 2.6 feet.
The average speeds of maximum flood and maximum ebb currents show similar distribution with the highest average speeds of less than 0.5 knots in the mid-Bay from Windmill Point up to Bloody Point Light. The average speeds are then between 0.5 and 1.0 knots up to the head of the Bay.
There are two kinds of tidal cycles in the Bay. In the southern Bay and in Tangier Sound, the tides and tidal currents are semidiurnal, while in the central and northern Bay, they are classified as mixed. Semidiurnal tides generally have two high and two low waters each day. Diurnal tides generally have one high and one low per day.
Mixed tides are a combination of semidiurnal and diurnal tide types. A characteristic of mixed tides is that on days when two high waters and two low waters occur, the two high tides and the two low tides will be of unequal height. The tides and tidal currents in the Bay described above can be significantly modified by the effects of local and large scale meteorological patterns. These effects include strength and duration of wind speed and direction, barometric pressure changes, and river runoff.
The tides in the Bay are highly susceptible to modification because the Bay is generally shallow and the tides and the tidal current are very weak. The effect on the tides is highly dependent on the direction of the winds relative to the orientation of the basin, and the scale of the meteorological event. For instance, a local squall line might have dramatic local effects on the tide for a short duration, while a large scale East coast storm affects the entire Bay for several days, especially with added effects of river runoff from the tributaries. However, the characteristics of the Bay are such that even relatively frequent meteorological patterns and associated changes can significantly affect the tides. "
Here is some video from the trip.
Finally arrived on the third day at "home port" Port Deposit on the Susquehanna River, just north of Havre de Grace Harbor. Best estimate is that we burned around 60 gallons of diesel in about 32 hours of running. Grand Day Out fit into the 40ft by 14ft slip perfectly.
A great "3 days at sea" adventure and very good learning experience. Very happy with the boat. She is old and requires a lot of regular maintenance but is in excellent condition. She is not particularly fast at 8 mph, but fast enough and very economical. Perfect boat for an retired old man!
One interesting note. Almost exactly 75 years ago, my Father, Donald Kenneth Strout, then 17 years old, entered the US Navy at Port Deposit with his basic training at the Bainbridge Naval Training Center in the summer of 1945. His only experience on a naval vessel was his training in large rowboats, probably not far from where Grand Day Out is now located. He later was assigned to a B24 flying out of Newfoundland, searching the Atlantic for German submarines--flying low altitude missions from Newfoundland to the Azores and back.
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