Rock Hall and Warton Creek

The sail over to Swan Creek was quite sporty but the wind was good and we only needed a headsail out to get about 5 - 6 knots of boat speed.

The entrance to Swan Creek is quite tricky as there are a lot of shoals. Andrew had to follow the track carefully.

We dropped anchor quite near the entrance. The wind howled for the next 24 hours. It was not very pleasant and quite cold.

On Saturday Andrew went ashore to get water. We had filled up 50 liters in Annapolis and were worried we would be quite empty. But we only put in 125 liters, which I think is very good going. 

We were sitting in the cockpit on Saturday afternoon when a guy rode past on a jet ski. He stopped and asked where in Cape Town we come from, he sounded very South African. We chatted a bit and he invited us for drinks at his house at the end of the creek. His name is Miles, and he has been living in USA for 25 years.

We had such a lovely afternoon at his holiday house, meeting his friends and family that we forgot to take any photos! 

The funny thing was, he told us he met other South Africans here last year. As he told us more we worked out he had met Grant and Leanne on Ohana and Bev and Andre on Sea Dancer.

The wind finally died down on Sunday, which turned out to be a beautiful day.

View from the braai

We went for a walk into the town, which entailed a very long straight walk down a busy main road. There were a couple of boat yards, non of which had fences around them.

The little town is lovely with lots of small shops and even a market place. As we rounded a corner we found a coffee shop with people sitting on the grass listening to a woman playing music. We discovered later that it was a business crawl music festival! Such a good way to support businesses and showcase local talent! Sadly we had already been shopping so needed to get back to the boat.

We discovered a brilliant free bus called Rock Hall Rides, that runs a loop around the town. It only takes twelve people and it filled up quickly. The bus driver was on her first trip so had her mentor on the bus with her. They were so friendly and helpful, telling us all about the town and where we could go. The bus is paid for by local businesses for people like us, cruisers and tourists, to use.

On Monday morning, Andrew and I went ashore to catch the bus to the Laundromat. Sadly, we discovered that the bus only runs on the weekend. So we walked 3km to the Laundromat only to be told once we got there that the water was turning people’s clothes brown. Eish

We left, prepared to walk back to the marina where we left the dinghy but we were stopped by a couple who had also wanted to use the machines who asked if we were on a boat. After replying in the positive we mentioned that we had walked to get here. They offered us a lift back, which we gladly accepted.

A guy arrived in his dinghy at the dinghy dock, and said that they have a new washing machine and dryer at the marina. While Andrew went to find out if we could use it even though we are not on a mooring or in a slip, I saw a snake swimming past in the water. After looking it up on the good old Google, we discovered that although they can bite they are not venomous. No swimming for me!

And they said we could use the machines!! Bonus. Wish we had known that earlier before walking 3km with all our washing!

I know we could be doing our washing on the boat, but it uses a lot of water. We are not able to make water as the water here is not clear and blocks up the filters very quickly. So we are relying on marinas to fill our Jerries with water and have to be careful with water usage on the boat.

Skipper needs a refill

After studying all the weather, wind and tide models we decided to head out of Swan Creek a bit earlier than planned. The wind was due to pick up later in the day but the tide was going to turn and be against us. 

We set off hoping for some wind but ended up motoring all the way to Worton Creek where we dropped anchor amongst fish pots. Thank goodness the fishermen put flags on their buoys which makes it easier for us to see them.

The bad weather we were expecting arrived at around 5pm and didn’t stop for the next 24 hours!

What do we do when it is raining? We get under the duvet or blanket and watch movies, catch up on YouTube videos and read.

The boat didn't leak as much as last time, which means all Andrew's hard work paid off!

Finally, on Thursday 29th May, the rain had stopped, so we upped anchor and headed towards Chesapeake City.