Taking Advantage of Murphy

Hampton, VA

37 01.16 N 076 20.49 W

Murphy says that things always go wrong ... I'm a firm believer in Murphy's Law, but I've learned to use it to my advantage. We had a choice on Sunday. We could bypass Cape May, shortening the journey by 15 miles, or we could stop in Cape May to top off the fuel tanks.

According to Murphy's Law, if we skipped Cape May, then the wind would have died. We would have been forced to motor all the way to Norfolk, and perhaps run out of fuel before getting there.

After stopping in Cape May for fuel, the wind started blowing immediately. We made it almost all the way to Norfolk without using the motor. The captain gave the order that we had to average 4 knots or better, using the engine if there wasn't enough breeze. Actually, there was little need for the engine; we managed to move at 3.5 to 6 knots almost all the time.

At the end, Miles found a bus leaving Hampton at 2300 so we motor sailed the last 30 miles so that he could catch his bus. He got some beautiful shots of the setting sun perfectly framed in the opening in the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel as we passed through. The sun also silhouetted the two channel marker buoys perfectly. I hope they came out in the picture.

So, another offshore passage completed. The consequences were immediately evident. Last night, the air temperature here dropped to 73 F (23C). Up in Vermont, the evening temperatures are in the 40s this time of year. Actually, we love the New York/Vermont weather in September and October. We would still be up there if we could. However, leaving that late would mean that we'd have to migrate southward in the freezing cold. No thanks.

So, Miles returned to Boston. Today, Libby and I relaxed, did showers, laundry, and groceries. This afternoon, I visited the Virginia Air & Space Center museum. If we had not visited the Smithsonian Air & Space museum at Dulles Field last year, I would have thought it was great. However, compared to the Smithsonian it is unimpressive, dull and poorly managed.

Sunrise at sea