A tale of two cities
It was decidedly chilly in Deltaville, on Chesapeake Bay, when we returned to Quilcene in the spring. We’d hauled her out in a 40°C heatwave, but that seemed like a distant memory now as we donned woolly hats and fleeces to get her ready for launch. We’d been cruising for over a decade in our cutter rig Bowman 40, and covered 19,236 nautical miles since leaving the UK. However, this would be our first time sailing to such huge cities. We hoped to fit in a bit of sightseeing in Washington and New York, before heading north through the canals to Canada.
We said goodbye to Fishing Bay Marina and set sail north in Chesapeake Bay and into the Potomac River. From its 12-mile wide mouth the Potomac gradually narrows until it passes Washington DC, 98 miles later, where the effects of the tide can still be felt.
Several tributaries issue into the Potomac and we found an idyllic spot to anchor for the first night; avoiding numerous crab pot markers we picked our way into The Glebe a pretty creek on the Coan River which meets the Potomac on the south bank.
Next day we continued upriver with the incoming tide, following the buoyed shipping channel. It seemed to be a little hazy but we soon realised that the haze was actually clouds of pollen dust blowing up from the trees and across the river. I’ve never suffered from hay fever but this me sneezing and my eyes watering.
The chart showed we were approaching the Dahlgren military firing range so my partner Kit called them up on VHF to check it was OK to pass. A polite young man told us there would be firing and requested that we keep to the north side of the river. Naturally we complied but were a little sceptical as all seemed peaceful. Just then, sudden deafening booms rang out and we almost jumped out of our skins! Coast
