Downrigging

We took down the headsail this weekend, and brought our dinghy home for the winter. Next weekend we will get the mainsail flaked away, and begin pushing anti-freeze through all of the freshwater systems.

End of the Season

We had our last sail of the season last weekend, and it was a beauty.
15+ knots of breeze and warm, with our friends Eveleen and Eric
onboard. Now we begin the process of putting the boat away for the
winter.

After the Storm

All is fine here, Silence and the house are all OK. We had power
throughout the storm, with only some flickering of the lights. We were lucky. Several of our friends had trees down on their houses and cars.
One of our friend's boat was hit by a falling tree... We saw damage in
Spa Creek to a boat on a mooring that was raked by another boat
dragging anchor during the night. It's hard to believe that someone
would just throw a single anchor and abandon their boat to the
elements.

Our preparation was good, but honestly, we were lucky. The track of
the hurricane caused us to only see north winds, which prevented any
tidal surge and flooding. We didn't have to even adjust a line during
the storm.

Silence is Fine

Silence made it through the storm unscathed. There were no boats
damaged in our marina. We are very grateful!

Winds are decreasing

Winds are down to just under 30knots, some gusts. More rain coming.
House is OK, going to check on Silence this morning.

Fifties

Winds are in the fifties now, with gusts to 62 on the Bay Bridge. All
OK at the house, hope all is well with Silence.

Over 40 knots

It's blowing over 40 knots at Thomas Point now. We just made a visit to the boat and it is riding just fine. The wind instrument at the masthead indicated 24 knots. No problems so far. We just took a ride in the Jeep around Tolly Point. Waves are breaking across the Bay, crashing ashore, spray across the road there. Kids are surfing!

Now it begins...

The winds have crept up into the mid-thirties, from the NNE. It's starting to blow!

Rainy Saturday

20 knots from the NE, raining harder, but not too heavy yet. The water level is only 6 inches above normal in Annapolis for now.

Wind Shift

The winds have shifted to the east, still blowing about 20 knots, and it has just begun to rain. This is the leading edge of Irene.

Current Conditions

We have about 20 knots from the NE at Thomas Point now. Just warming up.

Preparations Complete

All of our storm preparations are complete. The storm has been downgraded slightly, coming ashore in NC with 85 knot winds. Last night we doubled our lines, wrapped a halyard around our headsail furler, stripped off the dodger canvas, put out some fenders between our boat and our neighbor, and stowed loose items below. At home we sandbagged our basement window, which tends to flood in strong rains, and brought in our patio furniture. Now we wait.

Saturday Night's Weather

SAT NIGHT
TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED. N WINDS 40 TO
50 KT. WAVES 6 FT. A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE EVENING. SHOWERS. VSBY
1 NM OR LESS.

Hurricane Irene

Tonight we will be battening down the hatches, and hoping that Irene
goes easy on us this weekend.

Eggemoggin Reach

Sailing fast on Eggemoggin Reach yesterday, aboard Mainiak. Fifteen
knots and flat water makes for fast sailing!

Annapolis

We arrived about 10:30 this morning at Len's house in Annapolis. Our
spouses are here to greet us, and we aren enjoying a nice long lunch
and a drink or two. This has been an excellent adventure! Thanks to
all of you who have followed our voyage. Ask us for a sea story the
next time you see us.

Chesapeake Beach

Indian Summer presently has Chesapeake Beach abeam, and is sailing at 5 knots. It is a pleasant morning on the Bay. Your author just enjoyed his first hot shower since Bermuda, making this a doubly pleasant day. We look forward to sighting Thomas Point, and making our approach to Annapolis, later this morning.

Patuxent

We are motoring through the night, just off the Patuxent River now.
There are a lot of sailboats heading south, probably the Annapolis to
Bermuda race fleet. All is quiet now that they are past.

Heading North

We have finished refueling and we have repaired our jib halyard. We
are now heading north, motorsailing our way to Annapolis.

Little Creek

We just entered the Bay through the Bridge-Tunnel. We are going to
Little Creek for fuel, and to retrieve our jib halyard from the top of
the mast. On our approach we were passed by a submarine and a
helicopter carrier. Indian Summer is pleased to be back in her home
waters.