I spent a week in the mountains and got out of practice. Forgot to check the weather before going out. It was a wee bit bumpy but Sophie didn't care.
Notable wildlife: a black-backed gull was eating an eel in front of Horn Point Marina's bulkhead. A few minutes later I saw the museum's resident snake so it wasn't her.
It has been months since I've been out before sunrise. Or rather the sunrise is coming back to the time I row.
Calm conditions, I was past the yp basin before the dawn launch departed. No other boats moving.
Back at Horn Point Marina there is a pair a adult black crushed night heron and they have a pair of brown streaked subadults with them.
Shoulder and elbow problems. Skipped the normal course and rowed over to see SULTANA anchored over by the usna seawall.
Top speed this morning, 3.63 mph sog. Navy launch snuck up on me but I heard it in time. Don't know if they would have yielded to me or not.
Regular old row. Over to David Taylor A buoy then zigzag 9, 8, 7, and 6 then back past the Horn Point shoal marker.
Rowing at 6:30 and back paddling with friends at 9:30.
Intervening trips will be added but this one had a good title. We got rained on unexpectedly. Also got to hear on VHF 16 Carnival Pride chastising a sailboat they were about to run over while heading north to Baltimore in a very Boston accent.
Had to dodge to unannounced launches from the YP basin but I got to see the cutter steam off of the naval academy sea wall. Somehow it had less wake than the launches.
Blowing 10 with occasional 2 foot swells. No time to look for fish and birds, though I recall the Horn point marker ospreys were irritated by my presence.
Back at the beach I interrupted a pair of maiting horseshoe crabs. Also so at least one watersnake up to it's usual business on the shoreline.