Sailing the ICW Deltaville, Virginia to New Point Comfort Natural Area Preserve
Merry Christmas from SV But A Dream!
On this festive day, we unfurled our sails and embarked on a journey southward. The waves were rolling, and after a few months away from sailing, I needed to reacquaint myself with my sea legs (and stomach). Just a few hours in, Chris Anderson spotted a crack in our davits—our trusty dinghy hoister! He quickly tied it up with a trucker’s hitch, which held up for the rest of our sail. A temporary fix until we can find a welder.
As we cruised at a brisk 5-7 knots with both jib and main sails, the winds began to soften and the waves settled. To spare our davits further strain, we chose to alter our course towards the New Point Comfort Natural Area Preserve. We furled the main sail and relied on the jib to sail the rest of the way at a slow but steady speed of 3-4 knots. This gave my stomach time to settle and I enjoyed the peacefulness of the moment. Chris joked that we could walk faster—ha!
As we neared the preserve, the New Point Comfort Lighthouse, a beacon commissioned in 1804 by Thomas Jefferson, welcomed us. We anchored between the lighthouse and the shore, taking a moment to pause. Despite our minor setback, it turned out to be a wonderful day of sailing. With our dog needing ashore time, we donned a few extra layers, for December on the bay is not very forgiving.
The three of us hopped into our dinghy, making our way to land just before dusk. The shore was adorned with various shells, and we delighted in the tiny bird prints imprinted in the sand. As we wandered the dunes, we encountered a few American Oystercatchers and were rewarded with a view of our boat silhouetted against the setting sun.
Once back on board, we enjoyed hot canned soup for dinner while catching up with family we missed back home. As we settled into bed, Couillon nestled himself between Chris and me, keeping us warm throughout our first winter night at anchor. Good dog!
