September 4, 2019
Over three days we sailed from Annapolis back to Reedville, VA. We couldn’t find any affordable boatyards or marinas to keep the boat for a month in Maryland, so we’ve returned to familiar stomping grounds in Virginia.
In Reedville, we rocked up to a deli by dinghy for delicious local crabcakes. For the afternoon we learned about Reedville history at the museum. Renown for its fishing industry, Omega Protein still operates a large menhaden processing plant; its products go into everything from fish oil supplements to pet food. When the wind blew in an unfavorable direction, the overwhelming smell reminded us of cat food.
Anxious about Hurricane Dorian, we are constantly watching the weather forecasts. I’m saddened by the tragedy of the Bahamas, for all the people we met and placed we enjoyed there, my heart goes out to them as they experience this onslaught. All I can do is watch as the horror unfolds, first the destruction of the Bahamas, the narrow miss of our friends in Florida, only to slam Carolinas. We prepare ourselves for the storm to come.
September 5, 2019
We are consumed by preparations for the leftover winds from Dorian.
We moved the boat further up the Great Wicomico River since the marina we’d hoped to tie up at was frantically taking boats out of the water in preparation for the storm. Eric conducted thorough research on anchoring for bad weather. We set two anchors for the first time, with our third spare anchor positioned on the front of the boat in case two weren’t enough.
I’m nervous, but I know we’ve positioned ourselves well. This is the reason we came further north after returning from the Bahamas. This is why we’re tucked miles inland up a river, to avoid storms like this. And yet, I’m still worried it might be more than we’re anticipating.
September 6, 2019
We’re waiting out the storm at anchor. I tried to stay calm as we waited, wondering what we would experience. Thankfully with the hills and trees high around us we were very protected from the wind, and the day seemed like any other, calm and overcast. We only occasionally saw gusts up to 27 knots at its worst. We’ve experienced worse weather, and so our preparation seemed more like practice than necessary. I watched the clouds high above us move incredibly fast across the sky – the only indication we saw of the larger storm.
After a week of nervousness, research, and preparing, the shadow of Dorian passed by.
September 8, 2019
It took us an hour to raise both anchors, and then we tied up our boat at the marina. We made it back to Maryland in time for my sister’s birthday, and then we got ourselves ready for our next adventure out West.
Ripples and Leaves 
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