Rock & Roll with Jesus!

Sunset at Fairview Beach 5/14/17 - flat water, no wind, some clouds

WOW! WOW! WOW!  We can say without hesitation that Sunday night’s anchorage at Fairview Beach was THE MOST uncomfortable we’ve experienced so far! After sunset “normally” the wind dies down & the water becomes smooth…but “normal” wasn’t on the agenda!

Same night - 1 hour later...pre-high winds

The clouds rolled in, the wind increased & by dark:30 The Lower Place looked like a bucking bronco – YIKES!!  We were anchored in 12' of water with 50' of chain and 100' of line (rode) all tied to a 66 pound Claw anchor. So I did what any seasoned boater would do – I took a bath, put on fresh PJ’s…and went to bed!  Ta-Daaa!!! Soon I was counting the seconds between the waves bucking the bow and the slam of the swim platform…it was F A S T!  The wave segments came in 3 or 5 slams with almost 5 seconds between sessions – whew!  So I started counting my blessings with each slam, then I started singing “Count Your Blessings” quietly of course then I just had an audible conversation with the Lord about all my blessings…then I woke up, it was 7:00 Monday morning & the sun was shining! 

Charlie? Oh, he was in bed, out of bed, checking the anchor line, reviewing the chart plotter to make sure the anchor was holding, reading a book in his chair, reading a book in bed and finally fell asleep around 1:30 or so.  He seemed a bit more attentive to the situation - he's a phenomenal captain!!  I guess that's why I didn't worry...Jesus on the main line and Charlie on the anchor line - what could possibly go wrong?!

Mt. Vernon view from The Lower Place on the Potomac River

We have had wind & waves – LOTS of sunshine - today and after 30 miles we arrived at Mt. Vernon!! George Washington’s estate – an experience of a lifetime!! A MUST-SEE for anyone who can appreciate the necessity of invention.  I never knew our first president was credited with such a long list of modern day farming implements…you have to see this place!! Make your plans now, buy discounted tickets online, load up the car, boat, bike and come on!  It was a fantastic way to spend the day.

Quantico VA viewed from the Potomac River

We didn’t stop at Quantico – they are “closed” on Monday. I don’t understand how you “close” a military base, but OK.  And the boat slips were full as we passed by – we can put it on our return-from-Washington trip list, fingers crossed.

This little guy welcomed us at the anchor-perched on the trash can on our aft deck

The Lower Place as seen from the bluff at Mt. Vernon

One of the many gardens at Mt. Vernon - buy your tickets today!!

Tuesday is supposed to be “the best weather day of the week” and I’m not sure what we will do.  I’d like to stay at anchored at Mt. Vernon and explore some of the area by dinghy but I’m not sure that would require the whole day.  Of course we are making our way to DC with a 4-5 day sight-seeing agenda so stay tuned – who know where we will drop the hook!

Enjoy your journey – wherever it may lead…

God Bless!