Yopps Creek

[Kyle]Begonia was dripping with dew as we prepared for departure. As I was unzipping the mainsail cover I noticed Tim and Jill (of LINK) already had their anchor up and were beginning to motor away. Perfect, I thought, our timing should be just right! We would soon be able to pass them and get some great photos of each other’s boats under sail. They disappeared around the corner just as we prepared to depart ourselves.

As we left Mill Creek and entered the Chesapeake Bay proper there were plenty of sail boats streaming out of the various inlets and joining the passage southbound.

We would have lots of opportunities to gauge our progress, watching the other sails in the bay grow bigger or smaller as our relative positions change. The sail itself was relatively and uneventful; It took the form of a backward L with both legs being down wind (the most pleasant of sailing). There was a reasonable amount of wind, and a great point of sail; we had no trouble reeling in boat after boat as we made our way down the boat. Tim and Jill’s boat however, kept being frustratingly the same tiny size; there was a short moment when I perceived we might be gaining on them, but it was not to last – how was that possible? They were smoking and leaving us behind! We’d have to make the turn into the Rappahannock river, long before we could catch up with them, as we made that turn they were just on the horizon, and once we were no longer also headed south they disappeared from view.

Boating on the Rappahannock, and Yopps Creek living!

The Rappahannock is a bustling with boaters at this time of year and they provided an ever-changing, colorful view as we sailed up the river. We anchored on the north side, just inside the bridge in at little Yopps Cove off Carter Creek. Shallower than others in the locale, we were able to gingerly prod into the cove and find ourselves the only ones at anchor there. We were not the only boat in the view though, we are surround by grand homes with amazing docks with some very grand sail and power boats attached. Some include a boat house bigger than most homes (some even have two boat houses of that ilk).