Journal Entry 11 — Rounding the Peninsula
Date: July 11, 2007
Time: 6:00 AM
Weather: Hazy
Wind: South / Southwest 10 to 15 knots
Tide: Ebb
The early morning mist hung over the salt marsh. Today the temperature was to break 90 degrees, but the light southwest breeze made the morning air feel cool.
To the east, above the marshes, the red glow of the sky was an indicator of the hot day to come. Looking west, I could just see the north span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay.
We launched the boat on a very narrow tidal creek. The 9 foot oars barely cleared the banks as I rowed down the creek with the out going tide. Rounding a bend the creek I entered the Cape Charles Canal. The tide through the canal pushed me Southwest toward the bridge. The low salt marsh islands along the canal were filled with waterfowl and shore birds chasing food in the early morning. A commercial fishing boat tended its crab pots, just out of the main channel. The two fishermen waved a greeting as I rowed passed.
At the south end of the Cape Charles Canal, the marsh islands fall away, leaving an open expanse of water to the east known as Fishermans Inlet. Fisherman Island and the Fisherman Island Wildlife Refuge extend to the south. The canal ends, under the high bridge between Fisherman Island and the southern tip of the peninsula. On the out going tide, water flowing from the canal meets the waters of the Chesapeake Bay under the bridge. The water mixes and creates considerable turbulence. Under the bridge the water is fast and unstable. Small boats need to be cautious.
Passing under the bridge I pulled hard to move through the rough water as quickly as possible. Although I had talked with several people about the shallows in the south east part of the Chesapeake, just to the north of the bridge, I was not prepared for the waves that greeted me as I cleared the bridge.
The Chesapeake Bay - After weeks of rowing and set backs from weather and logistical support, I was finally entering the Chesapeake. I turned to look at the water in front of me.
The wind was blowing steadily at 10 to 12 knots from the Southwest. At its entrance, the Chesapeake is about 15 miles wide. As the wind blew across this expanse of open water it created large swells. The swells rolled across the Bay to the shallow area at the Bridge. Acting like a beach, the shallows pushed the swells up creating waves which crested as they rolled toward the shoreline. The water in front of the boat was full of very large waves. I would need to row through the waves, beyond the shallows, and then continue north along the coast. I pulled harder.
The boat handled very well as it plowed through the waves. The bow rose smartly above each wave then, like an ice breaker, dropped into the trough behind. I continued to pull hard on the oars trying to time my strokes to match the waves. With each stroke I moved further out into Bay toward the calmer water beyond the shoals.
After several minutes of intense rowing, I cleared the shoals and cresting waves. The boat had done its job well. It had pulled through the heavy swells and waves without shipping any water. I turned to head north along the coast of the lower Chesapeake Bay.
The coastline on the southeast shore of the Chesapeake consists of a series of low bluffs. Small ribbons of sand beaches extend along the shore in front of the bluffs. The area has been developed. Stately homes are perched on the bluffs, with walkways that extend down to the beaches. Sunset Beach Inn, a large resort is located just north of the bridge. Its beach and bluff includes a popular night spot, bar and lounge with an extensive deck overlooking the Bay.
To my west, in the middle of the Bay, two large fishing boats were setting their nets around a school of menhaden. Menhaden are small, flat oily fish. They are a schooling fish. Often, they can be found in large schools that can cover an acre of area. Fishing operations often include an airplane to spot the schooling fish from the air. The fishing boat heads to the school, drops one end of a large seine net, and surrounds the fish. Once the school is surrounded the net is closed at the bottom, the fish are captured, and then pumped from the water into the ship for processing as fish oil, feed, and fertilizer. Even passing several miles to the east of the ships, I noticed a smell of fish.
The southwest wind continued to build as I headed north toward the breakwater at Kiptopeke. As always, the increased wind caused the waves to build. Inshore the shallow water along the southeast corner of the Bay caused the waves to build and crest. I stayed far enough offshore to minimize the action of the waves on the boat.
A long row of old concrete ships have been scuttled just off the beach at Kiptopeke. The ships provide a very secure breakwater for the beach and state boat launch area at Kiptopeke State Park. As I neared the ships, the southwest wind was blocked. The Bay became much calmer. The sun was warm, the water was flat. I skimmed across the water behind the concrete ships and turned into the beach at Kiptopeke.
I had rounded the peninsula and was finally heading north.