Days 258-263: Rainy Days

Piney Narrows Yacht Harbor, Chester, MD (docked)

October 1-7, 2022

The remnants of Hurricane Ian got stalled off the coast of Maryland for (too many) days which led to seemingly endless nasty weather for us. We have been wearing shorts and flipflops since February, so having to wear pants, shoes, and jackets feels like the start of something negative…We also both seem to be primarily solar-powered, so we lose a lot of energy when it’s rainy.

Our friends Casey and Andy took pity on us and picked us up on Saturday night so we could spend a night in their apartment where we didn’t have to listen to the wind howl continuously.

The wind just never let up – it was blowing steadily in the mid-20 mph range with gusts up to 40 mph. The marina is pretty protected from waves so we only rocked a little but the sound of the wind was just a terrible background howl. It’s always worse at night when I am trying to sleep.

Finally, the sun just started breaking through the yuck near sunset on the 5th, even though it was still windy.

By the evening of the 5th, we were back to pleasant weather (it still feels like it took FOREVER to get to sunshine).

Sunshine and warmth means that we can get some boat stuff done, so we put a foil (whale tail) on the dinghy outboard. This will help stablize the dinghy and get it on a plane faster (it reduces drag). To install it, John hoisted the motor to the stern transom to secure it. Then I climbed into the dinghy to hold the foil in place while John leaned over the stern rail to drill the holes.

Nicer weather also means that we can leave Lailia and get gas station tacos with our boat neighbors. We stopped along the trail to watch night fall and soak up some calm.

We’re taking Laila out for the weekend so we can join our friends Kim and Rick in Rock Hall. Between weather, work, and wellness, we haven’t been away from the dock much, so the adventure is calling.