Chesapeake Bay : Northern part

Aug 31

Street scene from Chesapeake City

So, I can spill the beans now…. Son Stephen is coming to visit for a whole week !   He confirmed his reservations and will be with us from September 26 - Oct 3rd… sort of.  He will be taking classes on part of his visit to further his certification in Diesel Marine Mechanics and they are held very close to where we will be staying about then.  I can hardly wait! 

Now, back to our travels… 

Essington, PA to Chesapeake City, MD 

 

Sunset over Chesapeake City 

Just after 6 am we dropped the mooring ball lines and headed south catching a favorable current.  Although picturesque this is by far the noisiest place we have stayed.  The first 2 days here we were tourist during the day light hours going to Philly.  The 3rd day we stayed more or less aboard or local to do errands and chores.  The planes were constant most of the day.  Timing them, less than 3 minutes apart and deafening to hear.   A reprieve at night between 11 pm  and 4am…  

Nets for ??? 

Next stop, somewhere on the C & D Canal ( Chesapeake and Delaware).  We made the entrance of the canal and needed to anchor for 3 hours to catch the canal tidal current.  Our neighbor, an old Civil War Prison set on a small island to our north.  We had a great nap waiting for the tide to turn then hauled the anchor and off we went.  Several other boats with the same intent either ahead or behind us.  We made a stop for fuel and water then on to Chesapeake City for the afternoon and evening.  The anchorage is the smallest of any we have been in and we had to squeeze in between 3 trawlers.  The little breeze we brought in soon vanished and we were sweltering.  The water and air temps have been rivaling each other for a couple of weeks.  80’s and 90’s.  We ‘chilled’ in the cockpit till dinner.  I tried my hand at making my first ‘real’ crab cakes.  With some advice from the seafood salesperson at the grocer (who doesn't eat seafood ? ! ) we purchased some crab meat.  I used the directions on the package and doctored it up bit and… pretty darn good.  I may end up liking seafood after all.  It was still way hot after dinner so we opted to not go to town.

Sept 1

Fixing things : all this came out of the locker... just to get at one hose and pump 

While waiting for the noon tide to be favorable for departure, we went exploring.  There is only a couple of blocks of town, mostly old victorian type homes still being used as businesses, bed and breakfasts or residences.  After a bit of a walk around, we took the dinghy across the little harbor to the Old Lock Museum run by the Army Core of Engineers (AC of E).  It is in the buildings that still house the original equipment from when the locks were used on the canal. The massive pumps, a boilers for coal, a waterwheel that was fed by the small river to fill the locks.  Like the Erie Canal, the C and D Canal originally used horse or mule drawn barges to pull freight etc. the length go the canal, 16 miles.  The lifts were eliminated when the canal was widen and deepened.   It is now monitored by the AC of E to ensure traffic is moving smoothly and efficiently.  

Family visiting !

Noon, we pulled the anchor and set off for Georgetown Yacht Basin on the Sassafras River, Chesapeake Bay.  We plan to stay a couple of nights.  We have a number of chores / projects to do and the heat is expected to be mid 90’s.  So we splurged and got a slip with electricity = air-conditioning!    

Our slip was conveniently located one boat length from the showers and heads, all air-conditioned, as well as the outdoor laundry facility.   After much needed showers, we ate aboard, watched a movie on Netflix (good internet signal!) and called it a night.

Sept 2

Baltimore Harbor, we are at anchor

The chores begin.  3 weeks of laundry.  Rinse salt off top sides.  Fix this, tighten that.  We kept busy all day, very thankful to have access to ‘refrigerated air’ as it is called in some of the southern states.  A run to the store.  Dinner tonight at the Granary Restaurant via water taxi.  Another movie and we slept in chilled luxury. 

Sept 3

The tide won’t be in our favor again till noon so it was a kind of easy morning.  We made a wish list for boat products and parts with the internet.  Got a jump on dinner, Gumbo… 

Baltimore : Inner Harbor sights

Jim runs through his departure check list on the engine etc.  Water leaking in the bilge, hmmm, very small but, none the less a leak .  Think;  last night the bilge pump went off, odd… hmmm.  Start the search.  On our hands and knees, heads twisted down and over looking in every part of the bilge to locate the source.  Flashlights illuminating nooks and crannies… then it hits us!  The air conditioner!!!  It is venting the condensation into the bilge.  Call off the search.  

more Inner Harbor 

Back to departure, we cast off the lines and say good bye to ‘air’… back to roughing it. We again have to dodge the many, many crab pots that litter a lot of the area.  We head back to the Bay and then south and on to Worton Creek.   It is a pretty little bay.  Quite wooded, a few beach’y areas.  An aluminum forest off to the south (sailboat marina).  We have seen lots of Osprey as well as fish along the route.  The anchor set.  We both hit the water.  Yes, I even went IN the water, my floaty by my side.  Jim did his best to wipe away the feathery algae that is calling the boat hull home.  The water is in the low 80’s.  Dinner is gumbo,  tasty hot as well as stove hot.  Not the best choice on a hot humid night.  It seemed like a good idea from my air conditioned galley this morning though.  

Chesapeake Bay Bridge : just north of Annapolis MD

Lounging in the cockpit, Jim notices TWO blimps to the west.  Very odd.  We are quite close to a Aberdeen Proving Grounds, a military train facility.  Then flashes to the east… Not lightning.  repeatedly for nearly an hour.  No sounds, just lightning like flashes in the same area.  Hoping it’s not aliens.  We finish the evening on the bow.  Much cooler as the temps drop closer to 80.  … I’m NOT shoveling snow.  

Sept 4

What a lovely peaceful morning.  We have no plans to go anywhere so we lounge around.  Then Jim decides to investigate why one of the burners won’t light.  The igniter wire came off.  It takes more than an hour to maneuver the tiny little wire into its receptacle… but it still won’t light.  Guess we’ll use the old fashioned light stick for a while longer.  Next, he decides to work on the fittings and hoses project for the fridge cooling system, it will hopefully work more efficiently if water cooled than air cooled.  2 dinghy trips to the marina parts store and 4 hours later we are closer to implementing but now we need a new water pump…. it’s on the wish list for repairs and supplies.  While at the marina earlier, I asked the clerk about the blimps.  He said they are from the military, Aberdeen Proving Grounds and used to monitor air traffic, ours and ‘theirs’.  I found it interesting that the blimps are tethered t the ground and raised and lowered as needed.  

Storm south of us

The day has slipped by.  We both take a dip in the lake to cool off when we here rumbles in the distance.  This time it is thunder, then lightening.  Time to close the hatches.  The radar shows quit a patch of red on it’s way.  Within minutes, the wind picks up to 20 - 25 knots, the rain pours down, more like across with the strong winds.  Shore disappears.  The storm is short lived  and is followed by cool temps and a gentle breeze.  Dinner then some reading and it’s time to head to bed.  

Sept 5

We decide to head to a different anchorage for the rest of the Labor Day weekend hoping to find some music or festivities.  About 15 miles away is a good review for a small community that has a few restaurants, weekend music and friendly atmosphere.  We get underway by 9am.  We are still pretty amazed at all the crab pots there are in the Bay.  The only place void of them is the official channel for shipping traffic.  We make our way through and around them with no trouble just a bit of a nuisance.  

Middle Creek.  We found the harbor to be quite nice and the anchorage was great.  In a NO Wake zone, only a couple of boats and close to entertainment.  As we are about to set the anchor, we get a call from Jim’s cousins who live in then area.  We make arrangements to meet them later and have dinner aboard.  Mike, Kathleen and daughter Cayley come aboard and we spend the afternoon chatting.  It’s a real treat to welcome them to our home and share a snippet of our new lifestyle with them.  Cayley is quite the lovely young lady, very thoughtful, funny and all around good company.  It’s well after dark when we finally have to say good bye but we have plans to meet up again as we make our way farther south along the Bay. 

Sept 6

We found ourselves amongst another beautiful day here in the Chesapeake.  Sunny and warm, gentle breeze.  There are several boats now anchored near us. Our only task of the day was to get a few fresh produce items.  We asked around for directions.  Typical response is, ‘Yeah, there’s a good market over on XX street.  Turn right on the main road, go to the light, then left about five minutes.’  Us, ‘we’re on foot, how far it is?’ .   Them, “Oh, pretty far.  Several miles.”

Distance takes on a new meaning when you have to walk pretty much everywhere… And in turn carry your purchases on your back.  

But we are living the dream and it’s part of the deal, so, off we went.  In reality, the Lion’s Market grocery store was only about 2+ miles.  Doable with our smallish purchase.  

We returned with our bounty and then headed back to shore for some entertainment.  We chose the Crazy Tuna.  Fun atmosphere, outside with an acoustic guitar playing oldies. Several Jim Prine tunes.  Even the ‘Dirty Little War’ song. Maybe not too patriotic for Labor Day weekend but the musician was entertaining.   We decided to spread the wealth and went next door, live music as well.  MUCH bigger crowd.  But the smells from the Crazy Tuna  ‘beef pit’ (bbq) behind us got the better of us and we returned for a bite to eat.  Back aboard we were lulled to sleep with the sounds of the battling bands drifting across the harbor.  

Sept 7

Happy Labor Day !

We decided to head for Baltimore today after a bit of discussion.  There are mixed reviews about it in our literature.  Nice down town (inner harbor), lots of good restaurants, a decent aquarium.  But… the city has an element of crime.  Nevertheless we threw caution to the wind and we head there, about 25 miles by water, 10 in a straight line.  Beings it was Labor Day, there was a considerable amount of boat traffic.  Mostly not a problem, however, we did encounter one B I G power boat going exceptionally fast and really close that sent his wake over and in the boat.  The galley ports open again ( no I didn't learn the first time and probably will continue my bad habit)… we took a small amount below, but the funny thing is, the burner that’s been on the fritz, started working after that. Go figure.  We crossed under the Francis Scott Key Bridge and then to the starboard saw the historical buoy (red, white and blue) marking the spot where he was a prisoner aboard a British ship during the attack of Fort McHenry.  This is where he wrote the Star Spangled Banner.   

Historic neighborhoods

We used Active Captain (an electronic program used by boaters to share information about anchorages and local amenities) to locate this anchorage.  We would NEVER have anchored where we did otherwise but is had 43 decent reviews and saved us a hundred bucks a day slip fees!  We are nestled in between 2 big marines and a condo complex.  Active Captain also warned about the waters here.  It is quite polluted, smells faintly sour and supposedly has a lot of garbage on the bottom.  No swimming.  We got in late and decided to stay aboard and head to the Inner Harbor (city hot spot) tomorrow.   While looking over our surroundings, we notice someone ‘camped’ at the dinghy dock… all afternoon and into night.  Here’s hopping they are good guys.  

Sept 8

Kind of a momentous day  for me.  It’s the first day in over 26 years I have not welcomed a new group of kids through my doors.  I trust Robin while have a great year and fill my shoes just fine.  

We tried a few marinas and asked to keep the dinghy at their docks.  No go unless we pay for a slip.   So, we decided to leave the motor on the boat to discourage anyone from messing with it and Jim rowed us to the dock.  We woke the ‘camper’ as we passed by.  He quick as a whip jumped on his bike and was off.  Hope he’s not going for reinforcements…Putting our trust in humanity, we headed off for a day of adventure.  We hoped to catch the water taxi but it wasn't running till 11 am.  So we Uber’d.  I know there is controversy about the business but we have had great luck and all the drivers have been friendly, the cars clean and it is really efficient.  The app shows where the car/driver is and how long you have to wait.  It has also been very reasonable in fees. 

So, we Uber’d to the Inner Harbor.   The area is absolutely beautiful.  Clean, lots of eateries, mostly new buildings.  Plenty of ways to spent your money.  After walking the water front and enjoying a taro bubble tea !!!!  we decided to do the Aquarium.  Expensive but nicely done.  It has a section in which you ride an escalator to the top of 5 floors.  then slowly meander your way down the center of a HUGE aquarium which encompasses 2 distinct sections.  One with large sharks, nurse, saw tooth and sand sharks.  The other with smaller, numerous fishes of all sorts.  Rays, Jacks, one Green Sea Turtle that was rescued and had to have a flipper amputated … and too many others to  remember.  A dolphin exhibit with too many dolphins of the pools (in my opinion). A nice way for us to spend the afternoon.  

We Uber’d back and planned to eat at a local ‘famous’ Mediterranean place but walked in as they we're closing… grrr.

So we found an Italian place and got our fill.  A quick check to see that the dinghy was just fine (whew) and then to the grocery store, just across the street from the dinghy dock.  Wish we had known that before our long, hot walk a could days ago… we got a few more fruits and some shrimp for dinner.  Upon pulling the dinghy close we discovered there was quite a bit water (clean) in the bottom … after puzzling about a bit, we decided it was from the hose nearby which is used to clean the poo from the ducks off the dock.  A few pulls on the super soak bailer and we were good to go. 

The breeze was quite nice in the cockpit for dinner.  Although one of ‘Jan’s spiders’ dropped onto my hand as the sun was setting… made quite a mess with his remains all over me.   Jan was a great crew member but pretty lousy at spider evictions.  

Sept 9

On to Annapolis

Bancroft Hall, Naval Academy : Noon Formation

We got a good start to the day, destination Annapolis, MD.  The anchor came up without any trouble.  No litter to speak of.  All in all it was a good stop.  Our worries about crime having been for nought.   Only a few beggars, but all cities seem to have them.   

We were treated to a couple of drive byes from the Coast Guard as we left.  En-route Jim spotted a sailboat that looked very familiar.  It turned out to be another couple ( Carolyn and Larry / SV Whisper) aboard a Passport sailboat, same vintage as ours.  They have owed it 15 years now and plan to do extended cruising next year. 

John Paul Jones final resting place

Annapolis.  We had been here years ago on our friend Larry’s boat, SV Bluestar.  It has quite a bit of charm for boaters and tourist alike.  We took a mooring ball in the harbor, grabbed some clean clothes and headed to shore for shores and a look about.   Every water alley here has a dinghy dock at the end.  No worries about leaving it or your things for extended periods of time, crime being nonexistent.  We even saw 4 school children boarding their dinghy for ‘home’ having left is all day while they were at school.  We found a few goodies to buy before deciding on a watering hole.  Shortly after our beverages arrived our barkeep mentioned there was storm on the way… Really?  We of course broke our rule of shutting the hatches before heading to shore so we didn't linger.  The clouds were building to the south west but far from threatening so we detoured over to the Passport sailboat to meet our boat neighbors.  Introductions made, we had a nice time comparing notes about our nearly identical boats but with the impending storm we headed home to secure things and make dinner.  Then for tonights featured event:  Harbor Drama brought to you by: Mother Nature … and what a show she produced.  I have never really watch too many storms for too long before moving aboard.  Other things to do.  Get ready for work, watch a movie, clean something, try to sleep… but when you live on a boat, the weather is a big deal.  We sat in the cockpit tonight after dinner and watch the approaching storm.  It was quite fascinating.  The clouds building.  The lightening flashing.  The rumbles and grumbles from the thunder telling us the brunt of the storm was quite a ways off.  Boats coming in from the Bay to take refuge.  The show was amazing.  Lightening illuminating the sky, winds surpassing 25 knots at times.  We swung around a bit on the mooring ball thankful not to have to worry about dragging anchor.  The harbor was all choppy, waves bouncing off the surrounding break walls of Annapolis.  We managed to dodge the bullet in terms of rain but more is expected the next few days for brief periods.   

awesome book store

Sept 10

Todays agenda: Visit Passport Yachts, tour the Naval Academy.  

We hoped for an audience with Thom Wagner, Passport yacht broker, but he was out of the office this morning.  Thom Was the listing agent for our boat when we bought it and has been helpful directing us as we needed advice and parts over the years.  

So on to the Naval Academy.  We meandered our way around one of the historic district on our way to The Academy.  One stop told about a number of slaves roll in the War of 1812. A number of black slaves ran away and swam out to the British ships that were in the area trying to take Fort McHenry.  The British allowed them to join their forces.  They did have to pay the slave owners for their ‘loss of property’.   The now former slaves then traveled the world with the British war ships, eventually returning to the States as free men.  They settled in the north, got jobs and had families. So, who were the ‘bad guys’? your perspective can be quite different given your situation.

statue honoring Alex Haley 

We took the 11am guided tour, a bargain at $10.50 each, though you can tour independently.  All guides are volunteers and very knowledgeable.  We toured the sports complex and the Chapel where John Paul Jones is entombed.  We watched Noon Formation where the cadets line up in companies before going to lunch, the band playing a few patriotic tunes.  There are about 4,800 Midshipmen here.  About 87% graduate, guaranteed employment (military).  They receive about 4 weeks total leave over the course of a year. The other times are spent in classes,  participating in mandatory physical activities and training as well as their military studies.  Bancroft Hall is the dormitory in the world and the largest stone building in the U.S. housing all the Midshipmen.  We also spent a couple hours in the museum.  One floor dedicated to model ships… they were built along side the actual ship to scale, sections being completed prior to the construction of the full size versions, presumably to assure that things would line up or work as intended on the actual ship.  Several of the models represented were built by the British prisoners.  They were made mostly from bones (from their meals) with whatever they could use for tools.  The results were amazing and the prisoners were allowed to sell them to earn a bit of money.  

Maryland State Capital

Our emergences from the museum brought a bit of a surprise.  It was an absolute deluge outside. We had been a couple hours in the museum and had no idea it was raining.  We tried to wait it out with numerous other museum goes but after a goo 30 minutes Jim decided we should give it a go.  Within minutes of being outside, Jim was soaked to the core and my umbrella was showing signs of not being as much of a water protection as I assumed.  The streets were absolutely flooded.  The area has no real green space.  Buildings, pavement or bricks take up nearly every vertical and horizontal surface, so there is no where for the runoff to go… except down hill to the waterfront.  We slogged through the ankle deep rivers running everywhere.  The downtown area about 6 blocks away.  A check of the dinghy, immediate bailing was in store, the water nearly surpassing the transom.  Jim began right away with the super soaker sucking up and squirting water overboard in the already flooded waterway / dock area.  I went in search of another bailer and found one in the local pub in the form of a beer pitcher, the bar tender graciously looking after our valuables which I had luckily put in a dry bag before leaving the boat this morning.  It took a good long time to get the water bailed out but we were in good company.  The other 6 or 8 dinghies having taken on similar amounts of water.  The streets were shut down at the water front due to the flooding, a regular occurrence here especially this time of year, their rainy season.  I must say at this point, how much we love our investment is quick dry clothes.  They don’t absorb nearly as much water as other fabrics and dry so much faster.  But Jim was literally dripping every where.  We returned the pitcher and to show our appreciation, stayed for a beverage.  The skies cleared some and we decided to make a break for home.  

Gen. George Washington resigns post

After a bit of drying out aboard we headed over to ‘Whisper’, having been invited to drinks this afternoon.  Their boat is very similar to ours being the next one built, each boat has a number associated with its hull production.  We enjoyed the company of Carolyn and Larry as well as their 3 dogs.  We compared boat features and they offered information about nearby bays and anchorages.  We are hoping to meet up back here for the Annapolis Sailboat show early October.  By then we’ll be at the south end of the Chesapeake Bay and will need to rent a car if we want to return.   The Annapolis Boat show the THE BOAT SHOW for sailors.  They will have hundreds of vendors selling cool stuff and lots of boats to ogle at.  

Sept 11

We spent the morning in the company of Thom Wagner.  He was a wealth of information on Passport Yachts, giving insight and information on upgrades we plan to do in the near future.  We learned that the teak interior of our boat (all Passports of this series) was made from ONE tree, 3 sections each 25 feet long, were hand picked by the company buyer.  Dried on site in Tiawan for 6 months, planed and made into boards, each numbered, so when placed in the boat the grains would line up.  Amazing craftsmanship and dedication by both builder and company.  After chewing his ear for quite some time, we headed off to explore some more of this lovely city.  We walked around the State Capital and toured inside.  It is the oldest capital building in use in the U.S.  There is a statue of George Washington in the room on the approximate location he addressed the Continental Congress to resign his commission as Commander and Chief of the Continental Army.  By most accounts, it was an emotional affair for all in attendance.  

We then continued our walk through streets and alley encompassing many historic homes and businesses ending the afternoon with a nap aboard the boat.  (Traveling with your home is great!)   Dinner plans: a night on the town and sample soon local flavors.