Yes, it's November 7 and yes, we're still sailing! Just wearing more clothing....

Today was the start of a week-long cruise during which we planned to meet up with friends John and Joan from Norfolk who were taking some vacation time to visit us "up north" . We hadn't been able to see them as often since we left the marina at Willoughby Harbor in Norfolk, spending this past season instead at Cockrell's near Smith Point. Now for the winter we would be taking Pas de Deux to a new marina on November 15 at the tail end of this trip that would be located off the Patuxent River north of Solomons MD on Saint Leonard Creek, called Vera's White Sands Beach Club and Marina. 

In the wee hours of the morning today we dropped a car off at Vera's (about an hour's drive from Arlington) so that it would be there to carry us home when we arrived on Pas de Deux. We then drove a second car to Cockrell's which would remain there for the week until we could come back to fetch it. At Cockrell's we took down and stowed away our portable piling bumpers and arranged to leave for the final time. We weren't sure we would ever return. While the slip was good and the Smith Point location was fabulous for exploring the beautiful middle section of the Chesapeake Bay, the marina itself was seagull poop challenging, and entering and exiting the jetties was often an annoying experience. Local boaters were not always as courteous as they should be for clearing a path for such a large vessel. But weather alone and water depth could sometimes make the jetties quite the challenge--we're not sure if we want to put up with that again.

The day was pleasant with light and variable winds. We left at 1250 hours and tried to sail on main and jib, but the wind died and we ended up motoring most of the distance to Mill Creek, arriving at 1530.