A Mayday close by on our way to Deltaville

We hung out in Mill Creek for two nights due to high winds and the small craft warning in effect. 07:00 the alarm went, the sun is not up yet. There is a mist on the river as we lift anchor and make our way out of Mill

Early morning mist on the water

Creek to the Chesapeake. The sun is now over the horizon blinding us as we head into the glare coming off the water. The early morning departure was due to higher winds expected later in the morning and we only have to go 15 miles down the Chesapeake to Deltaville. We travelled with our main sail out to help stabilize the boat in the waves but the wind was just off our nose and picked up more than was called for. We dropped anchor and weighed our options for departure before dropping the dinghy. The last stretch down the Chesapeake will be about 40 miles total...do we leave tomorrow with sunshine light winds on our nose or Wednesday being overcast, strong winds on our stern quarter? Due to the size and shallowness of the Chesapeake, waves can build up very quickly....we decided to leave tomorrow in the sunshine, but not the crack of dawn as we will work the currents to our favour for the trip down and our approach into the Norfolk area.

While enjoying the day, transiting down the Chesapeake with the scattered pack of boats heading south, we heard those words you don't ever want to use on the VHF....Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! A single handed sailboat was on fire; the man choking on smoke as he tried to speak. I scanned the horizon since we were hearing him loud and clear. The man was unable to provide his proper location before his transmission ended. The US Coast Guard tried several times to reach but no response. Maritime law states you must provide assistance is you can safely...It was 10 minutes later when sailing vessel 'First Love' hailed the USCG as they approached the vessel in distress and were able to provide the proper location. We were just 4.5 miles SW of their position. With binoculars we were able to see two vessels approaching the distress vessel which had white smoke billowing from it. Afterwards, Julie hailed "First Love" to congratulate them on a job well done.They did a great job answering and communicating concisely with the USCG. The man on deck now, jumped in the water to be brought aboard the catamaran "Spray Cat". I'm sure everyone listening in the area breathed a sigh of relief. Shortly after a USCG vessel went speeding by us towards the location which now had black plumes of smoke rising up. The ship finally sank and the USCG marked the spot and declared it a 'Hazard to Navigation'.

Sunset in Deltaville

The entrance to Deltaville, Jackson Creek to be exact, is very narrow and makes a sharp turn just as you think you're going to land on the beach. They recommend to wait if another boat is coming the other way.

We took the dinghy a little further up the creek and walked a mile to West Marine. Extra diesel oil for my next oil change (BTW, its great to have confidence in our engine again), spare prop for the dinghy motor and everything needed to finish the install of the solar panels.