October 4, 2020
We headed across the Chesapeake, with the goal of visiting Solomons Island, but wouldn’t make there before dark.  With all the crab pots, no night sailing for us here.  We thought Taylor’s Island, named after us, obviously, was a good place to stop.  The 15-20 knot winds bounced us around a bit, but with the rope anchor rode, it’s a gentle feeling, and we slept well, in-spite of being somewhat exposed.  The next day brought more great sailing, with 15 knots off the aft quarter, and getting great speed – we see 7-8 knots regularly and can touch nine knots when the wind comes up.  We LOVE our new sails.  Thanks Connie and UK Sails!

Solomons Island is a famous spot for cruisers, because it has a ton of marinas and anchorages, all in a group of 3 sheltered creeks.  In summer time, if the weather is good, they anchor so close you can walk across the river, but in October, with the weather cooling down (highs about 70), we found a little tiny bay to ourselves.

We stayed a whole week at Solomons.  We stayed the first few days because the weather was beautiful.  I was paddle boarding, Jeff and I were biking, and we went to an “after hours” at a nearby sculpture garden with wine, snacks, and live music.  It was a great evening.  We stayed the last 3 days because it was cold and rainy, which in my mind is not suitable for sailing.   I am the original fair weather sailor, while Jeff is made of tougher stuff – a throw back to the age of wooden ships and iron men, I’m sure.  So, he was not hiding from weather, rather he was waiting for our mail to show up at the local post office.  It took 8 days to get there because of COVID related delays, they said.