Summit North Marina to 1.5 Miles West of Rock Hall

We left Summit North Marina with the tide at 1000. It was sunny, warm and a slight breeze was against us. We made good time through the C&D Canal and Elk River. It looked as if we would make our goal of reaching the Magothy River before dark until we got tangled in a crab pot at about 1600. The sun was in our eyes reflecting off the water which was quite choppy due to the wind. We caught sight of the float in time to put the engine into neutral; however, as the line ran under the hull, it snagged on the propeller. Dwayne heard the float bouncing against the hull.

Delaware Responder

We let the boat drift for a while hoping the pot would eventually free itself and fall off on its own. However, this did not appear to happen. We next put up sail and tacked a few times hoping this would free the line from the boat. Once again, no success. By this time it was getting close to nightfall and we needed to anchor soon. Unfortunately, there was no protected anchorage close enough for us to reach before dark. We ended up anchoring 1.5 miles due west of Rock Hall in open water with no protection from any direction. To make matters works, a storm front was rapidly approaching.

The wind rapidly increased in speed and so did the waves. The rain lasted about 30 minutes; however, it was more than an hour before the waves settled to a foot or less. The forecast for winds to increase into the twenties before morning would make for a very uncomfortable night on anchor.

Dwayne is not thrilled with the prospect of diving in cold, open water to clear the fouled propeller. We called some friends near Rock Hall to see if they knew of a diver who could clear the propeller and wash our bottom at the same time. We were planning to get the bottom cleaned in Hampton, Virginia. So, getting both jobs done at once would work fine. Hopefully, we will get a diver to do the work tomorrow.