Saturday, July 8, 2007 - Crisfield to Pocomoke, MD

We pulled out of Somers Cove Marina at 0815. We had to go way south of Pocomoke Sound around Watts Island and back north again because of shallow shoals. We arrived at the mouth of the Pocomoke River at 1300. The last portion of the channel in the sound before the mouth of the River was very shallow. For about a quarter mile it was so shallow that the depth sounder was blank. The last depth reading we had before it went blank was 4.9 feet. Seascape draws five feet or maybe slightly more. We must have been sliding over the bottom. Once we entered the River the depth improved and at times exceeded 35 feet.

After a few miles in the river I began to wonder if we had picked up a crab trap or something because we had slowed down considerably. I reduced speed and shifted into reverse thinking that might free anything we might have entangled. As I shifted, we both heard a “clunk” so I shifted back to neutral. I wasn’t sure what it was but as a precaution we anchored and I got in the water and checked the rudder, propeller and shaft for any problems. I didn’t bother with a mask but went under and felt with my hands. They were clear of any lines and the propeller blades were undamaged. I then checked the engine room and found no problem there either.

When I got in the water I realized there was a fairly strong current which was the reason for the slower speed. The transmission shifted into forward and reverse OK so we pulled the anchor and went on our way. I still had some concerns about what caused the sound.

We arrived at the dock in Pocomoke City around 1545. There was no one there and the space we were told to dock didn’t look long enough. Instead, we tied up at the end of the long face dock. After we were docked, we noticed a sign stapled to the piling indicating that the space was reserved for someone else. We walked down to the space we were told to dock and I paced it off. It was about 47 feet between the bow sprit of one boat and the dinghy davits on the other. Since there was no wind and minimal current we decided to give it a try. Probably due to sheer luck, but I managed to get Seascape in the space in one try without touching either boat. I couldn’t have done it without the bow thruster.

There were two 30 amp plugs next to the boat but one didn’t have power and the other was very loose and wasn’t making a good connection. I finally got it to stay connected well enough to power the primary circuit. Once we were secure, we went for a short walk around town, had leftovers for dinner and went to bed.