70 degrees, Clear
NW @ 10 - 20 knots
W swell 2 meter with 2 - 3 foot wind waves
I left
Blackney Beach while the NW wind was at 10 knots with the knowledge that it
would build. The forecast called for
moderate seas with NW winds at 15 – 20 knots, a westerly swell to 2 meter with
wind waves to 3 feet. I wanted to make
as many miles as possible before it gained in strength. The bad news was that
it built more quickly than I anticipated. The good news was that it was mostly at my
back.
Shortly
after leaving the beach Herbert Point gained my full attention and was a
harbinger of what south Calvert’s finest features had to offer. Progress became a "Game of Points" with
each point contested and earned. By the
time I rounded Stafford Point I was a bit battle weary and ready for something
else. With no particular plan I tucked
into the lee of Stafford and mindlessly toured calm Chic Chic Bay. That was a bit of a trap, though, as the
deeper I went into the bay the more I was committing to paddling
cross-conditions to get back out. Coming
to my senses I looked ahead, got back on track and gained Charley and then
O'Neil Islands. Both were real pleasures
to meet and gave me a taste of what they could produce if they seriously had a
mind to be contentious. Like a couple of
rough drunks in their home bar they needed to be studied and navigated with
caution.
