May 14, 2005

Southerly Winds and Blessing the Fleet

After exploring Kanes Creek I headed towards Sandy Point on the southern end of Mason Neck. The wind was out of the south, so I hoped to pick up some waves around the point.

Off to my right I could see the fire boats spraying water in the air for the Occoquan Harbor's Blessing of the Fleet. As luck would have it, The wind, waves, the big boats leaving the harbor, and I would converge near the point at nearly the same time.

For about a half hour the boats streamed out of the harbor and past this point. I caught a few good rides but seemed to miss the best ones as I paddled back out through the waves to catch another ride.

From a distance I see John returning back to Mason Neck. We chatted for a few minutes and he told me he caught some good rides just this side of High Point. So as John returns to the launch I paddled about a mile SE. A little more fetch from down the Potomac, the southerly winds have organized the waves a bit more. A few rides later I turned to head back.

In the early morning I started out wearing a paddling jacket, but shed it less than a half hour later. Now I roll or lay on the water every 20 minutes or so to cool off.

Back again at Sandy Point I catch my last ride for the day. The wind has dwindled and the steady stream of boats out of the harbor has slowed to a trickle. The rolling swells carry me back in to the bay and on to the launch.

The water is hovering around 70 degrees and my playing is starting to increase. The waves around the point put a smirk on my face that has been hard to remove...