Deale, Maryland - Day 9

Another enjoyable day on the Chesapeake.  We wanted to get some window screens made for when we are in Canada and the Bahamas.  Problem is every place had at least a three week wait to get them made.  So, Charlie spent $79 for materials and handcrafted our screens himself!  Only took about 5 hours and save us at least $600!

We saw a Cownose Ray swimming near our boat. I thought it was two sharks! I wasn't able to take a photo but here's a stock photo:

Who knew?!

Cownose Rays swim near the surface of the water flapping their ‘wings’ like a bird. As they swim, the tips of their fins break the surface and can look like shark fins.

They can weigh as much as 50 pounds.

Its squared, indented snout resembles a cow’s nose.

They live in schools near the surface of shallow waters and visit the Chesapeake Bay from May to October.

They eat mollusks such as oysters, hard clams and soft-shelled clams.

They are sometimes called a “doublehead” because of the indentation around its snout.

Captain John Smith, in 1608, was stung so severely by one that he and his crew thought he was going to die.  That site is still known today as “Stingray Point” in Deltaville, MD where we were at port prior.

I spent the day smoking some beef for chopped beef sandwiches along with beef sausage and andouille sausage for future meals.

Storm rolled in and was quickly gone.

Garmin pulling nightwatch duty.