Home port to Mill Creek, Solomons, MD

We weren't daunted by the driving rain and chilly temps as we headed out of our slip at Lippincott Marina this morning...we have an enclosure!  Eight AM was the departure time and we made it right on schedule.  Not a lot of traffic on our way out to the Bay proper, and not much out there either.  True to form, tho, we did run into some military vessels as we headed south.(Sorry Betty, no submarines!) The first was a military ops vessel (a very strange looking catamaran) that was hovering at the southern end of Poplar Island.  Aptly named Stilletto.  it wasn't concerned with innocent sailboats, I'm not sure what it was waiting for!  We were also passed by another military vessel called BrasilNE and we couldn't determine if she was US or Brazillian.  The grayness of the day seemed appropriate for the sighting.

The cold front advertised didn't fully materialize until mid afternoon, so we dealt with East winds instead of the forecasted NW.  There wasn't enough to keep us moving very fast, so we motor-sailed until after lunch.  We did cut the engine and get a nice sail in before turning up the Patuxent River to drop the hook in Mill Creek.

Even when the sun came out, we were very happy with our new cockpit enclosure.  I can't say it was actually warm, but it was really quite pleasant.

As we rounded Cove Point heading into the Pax River, Dan couldn't resist getting a picture of the lighthouse.  It's one of his favorites.  (When I enlarged this picture it somehow ended up looking like a painting...don't know why.)

The sun was low in the sky and the breeze almost non-existent as we headed up Mill Creek to join several other "snowbirds" who were already anchored there.  I don't remember seeing these tugs hanging out the last time we were in Mill Creek.

We miss our newest crew member...Dory, a very cute vivacious cockapoo puppy.  We had intended to bring her along, but a last minute check with SW Airlines alerted us to the fact that it would be almost impossible to fly her home with us for the holidays.   So she is happily forgetting any training we have been working on while she spends a month with Julie, Mike and the girls!   She'll join us after the holidays when we drive down to pick up the boat in St. Augustine.

Dory with Clare, Grace and Alice

Early start tomorrow... ~~~_/)~~~M&D