Today was an interesting day on the Bay. We had following seas of 4-6 feet. For most of the day, seas were on the starboard aft quarter, which at first pushed Monarch around and made steering difficult. So, we picked up the speed to around 11 knots which helped smooth the ride, as we were traveling at a pace closer to the wave speed. That was one of the reasons we like Monarch, as she can run at higher speeds than most trawlers when we need to escape weather. Luckily, we had planned a short day and did not have to put up with this too long.
As we got to calmer waters on our way into the East River and Mobjack Bay, we continued to see 'crabbers' working their traps. We have seen and had to dodge a fair number of the bouys marking the traps, but not as many as we would have if we had been traveling here during the summer months.
This is looking off of our stern as we are tied up at Zimmerman Marine. To execute this small inlet, we had to enter at close to high tide. Even then, the yard manager, Steve, came out in a skiff to guide us in.
This made for a very nice view during the evening hours, which we enjoyed over dinner aboard with Marty's cousin Chuck and his wife Cynthia. They live in Williamsburg, less than an hour away by car.
Off the bow of Monarch is the boatyard. The reason we stopped here was to get quotes for the work we want done on the boat. Besides being one of the most respected yards on the Chesapeake for repair work, they also build boats here. They are currently building a down east style powerboat in both 36 & 46 foot lengths. We saw a 36 at the docks, and in one of the buildings we saw a 46 in process. We also saw a 60-70 foot wood sailboat they built about 10 years ago. It was absolutely stunning both inside and outside.
When we awoke this morning, it was 40 degrees out. It made for a beautiful setting but reminded us that we need to get on our way south.
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