Bright sunshine and a following breeze made for a lovely passage from Solomons to Reedville where we hope to rendezvous with our new mainsail. The mast and furler rattled less as I had attached the outhaul to the upper furler swivel and hoisted it to the second spreader before tensioning it.
The autumn colours of Cockrell Creek were lit up by the afternoon sun as we slid past the menhaden fleet and the processing place that has industrialised the production of fish oil here for 150 years. The mother ships slip the dories off the stern when they reach the schooling fish guided by light aircraft. The dories then tow a purse net around the doomed school and a giant hoover sucks them live into the mothership’s holding tanks. Once back in Reedville the living fish are then rendered down to extract the oil with the residue going to feed pets.
The food that Port Officers Walter Keith and Mary Frazier served us that evening was definitely not pet food. Maryland crab salad followed by pumpkin pie in their glorious waterside home overlooking our boat at anchor. Thank you Walt and Mary for a great evening.
At 1pm Jerry, from Evolution Sails turned up with our nrand new Hydranet mainsail which we duly fitted at anchor on the creek. The sail looks great.
Walt and Mary
Walt and Mary’s waterfront house from our anchorage
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Approaching Reedville
Menhaden processing plant
Menhaden fleet with dories ready to slip from the stern.
Perfect beam reach in cool northeasterlies
Thank you Walter and Mary