A Harrowing Ride back to Occoquan Marina, Woodbridge Virginia

We woke up to grey skies again, but we could see it clearing up the Potomac by Woodbridge (our final destination).  We didn't have that far to go (only about 30 miles this day) and we really didn't want to get caught if it decided to storm again.  In fact, the water looked very calm... Huh.

As we rounded the bend in the river, we hit BIG crashing waves. Rob says 4 or 5 feet, I say 3 or 4..but no matter, they were a surprise and a scary one at that.  "What makes waves if there is no wind?" I asked.  I thought about how the author of River Horse sometimes referred to his C-Dory as a teapot in a tempest, and so I began to sing "I'm a little teapot" (I get silly when I'm nervous in a stressful situation)  Unfortunately, my attempts to lighten the mood failed miserably (as they usually do, but I still try).  We hit a big one and Rob hit his head on the cabin roof; meaning his body flew up at least a feet off the seat) and then stuff started flying off shelves.

We had prudently donned our life jackets as we take this large bay very seriously, but apparently we hadn't "battened down the hatches" well enough.  I had a plastic medicine dispenser that holds 30+days of 12 kinds pills and vitamins. It flew and broke, spreading millions of little pills across the cabin floor.  Then, as I was picking them up, the cutting board flew off the sink and hit me on the head.  Fortunately, we both have hard heads and neither of us were hurt.  We considered turning back, but we had once been through even rougher seas (on Lake Powell), and we knew the boat could take it.

So, Rob decided to try the Virginia side of the river.  This meant crossing the river with waves potentially broadsiding us.  But Rob went diagonally and avoided any problems.  We found a cove to "pull off" into and regroup (aka: sort pills).  Then we proceeded north to Occoquan Marina.  By this point the skies were clear and blue, the sun was shining and we had smooth seas.  We could still see white caps across the river on the Maryland side of the Potomac.

Now we are back in our home port on the Occoquan River, here in Woodbridge VA.  Nice marina, great people.  We will pull the boat tomorrow and the boat yard here will give Freedom a "makeover".  New bottom paint (ours is over 3 years old), and a wax job.  I go home to a beauty salon appointment in a few days.  We both need it!  Once home, we plan the next leg of our adventure.

I wonder what's blooming in my garden at home?

Occoquan Harbour Marina, Woodbridge VA