Havre de Grace to Annapolis MD through Sept 27th

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Since the last entry we left Havre de Grace and headed to the east side of the Chesapeake and anchored in Worton Creek. We had a great 4 ½ hour sail - this is what we had been hoping for but hadn’t expected from the weather predictions that we had - a real nice surprise. We had been given some suggested anchorages by Peter, the person docked close to us in Havre de Grace. It was great that he gave us some pointers as we are finding that we are anchoring in much shallower waters than we are used to either on Cayuga Lake or Lake Ontario. Here the water sometimes is only 6-7 feet deep in the channels that we are going down - without Peter’s tips we probably wouldn’t have tried them which would have meant that we would have missed out on some great anchorages. The evening was so pleasant that we were able to sit out back in the cockpit and read for pleasure late into the evening which was great. The next day we moved farther south down the Bay to Mogathy River and anchored off Broad Creek. Again, another suggestion we had been given and was just as nice as the night before. This time we saw lots of jellyfish all around the boat - needless to say these keep you out of the water! Having a chance to anchor out these couple of nights reminded us of how much we enjoy doing that rather than being at a dock.

On Thursday, September 16th we heard that there wasn’t going to be much wind and when it did come it would be out of the south in the afternoon. As that would mean we would be heading directly into it to get to Annapolis we got started in the AM as we figured we’d be motoring quite a bit. We have learned now not to trust the weather reports as the wind picked up in the AM so put the sails up and had quite a ride! We had organized staying at a marina in Back Creek right near Annapolis so we could have a professional rigger looking over everything on Tsamaya. We were glad we did as he came yesterday afternoon and was able to give us a full report on things that needed to be done. It is great to be in an area where there are so many knowledgeable people around. They started the work that we wanted done today and will be finishing up early next week. We are also going to the expense of having davits installed for supporting our dinghy off the stern of the boat. This will definitely make it easier for getting the dinghy off and on the boat. It is quite an expense, but it will make it so much handier for us to use the dinghy. We also need to have our charts updated on our chart plotter so the dealer is taking care of that for us as they said it would be quicker for them to do it than for us to download them. We took it to him by using the “family car - our dinghy” across Back Creek to the dealership. While over there we decided to walk into Annapolis. It was really interesting to see it when the boat show wasn’t in town as there really is a harbor here now - hard to believe it is the same place without the tents and all of the floating docks that are in place for the show. We also used the public transportation to get out to a local mall as we found that there was a Trader Joes in town. It really does help when the bus system is so convenient for transients like ourselves to figure out. It was fun having a day to explore the town without the normal boat show crowds that we are used to. Due to the various work we want done on the boat we have made arrangements to stay here for the full week. It is an extra expense we hadn’t planned on, but it will make it easier to get the work done here as anyone that has anything to do with sailing is located here. This marina is also convenient as we are able to bike to the grocery store and we can take our dinghy across the creek to get into town. They also have a shuttle van into town a few times a day and we can also get around by water taxi. This town definitely does cater to people that visit by water.

We found that there was a street festival on Maryland Street so took that in while here. It reminded us of the Ithaca Festival but on a much smaller scale. They closed down the street and had craft vendors as well as food and live music. Lots of fun and got us to a part of town we never would have seen. This is what cruising is all about.
We are finding that without having the engine on at all we have been able to stay off of shore power for at least 4 days and still use our computers, lights, etc. We are enjoying a balance of anchoring out with staying at marinas. Bob is figuring that our electric toothbrush (one of our treats on the boat that we hope our dentist is also happy about!) is a guideline as when that starts to die, we need to start planning a stay in a marina. How is that for how to decide when to go to shore!

We are definitely getting into the routine of living on a boat and it is feeling more like normal to do our errands by dinghy, doing our laundry at Laundromats (oh, the memories of when we were first married & living in an apartment!) and checking the weather reports and coiling the lines on deck.

As long as we are staying in one location for a few days we are taking advantage of being at a dock to work on some more projects. Bob spent Saturday putting in a wash down pump for the anchor. We have been getting a great hold on the anchor in deep mud, but needless to say it is quite a mess on deck when it is pulled up. It was on the list of things to do, but each time we anchor out, this project moved higher on the list of things to do. Today was the day to get that done. The bright work (woodwork) also needed to be tackled, so Janice spent the day getting that done in the cockpit area. The sanding and first coat was put on by the end of the day, so will continue that project for the next few days to get more coats put on. Thanks JR and Jim for the suggestion of using the heat gun for removing the old finish - that worked like a charm! The marina was full of people today as it was a weekend so met quite a few that have traveled south before so we are constantly picking up tips from them on places to stop along the way south.
It is now September 27th.

This past weekend we moved from Annapolis to Edgewater on the Rhodes River not too far south from Annapolis as we had signed up for a GAM (gathering) made up of others that are either living their dream of living on a boat or are working toward it. They have various speakers at the meetings for 2 days where we also learned plenty of information, but the best part as always was the sharing of ideas and meeting people. Many are headed south after the boat show as well so hopefully we will run into some of them again on our travels. We got a chance to exchange a few of those boat cards so hopefully we can stay in touch with some of them. One couple, Jim and Joanne, offered to provide us suggestions of places to see and to anchor. We planned on doing that on Sunday AM but the weather was turning some, so will get together with them in Annapolis to do that. What is so great is everyone is always willing to share information. We also found out it is a small world as met some people from Norwich NY (Laurie & Jim on Kismet) that actually knew the people that we shared our finger pier (Mary & JR) with at Navy Point in Sackets Harbor. I am sure this will not be the last time we come across the fact that “it is a small world”.

We left Rhodes River on Sunday AM and had quite a sail north again to Annapolis. We thought we would explore some more of the Bay before returning here, but due to the upcoming boat show we knew the place would be getting crowded and it is harder to find a place to “park” a boat than it is a car when it is boat show time! We came back to Back Creek where we had been before - it works out well as there are marine stores and a grocery store close by. It is also not a long walk into town when the boat show starts over Columbus Day weekend. Today we have had quite a bit of rain, but it actually has been nice as we have been treating ourselves to just relaxing in the cockpit, reading and enjoying the breeze. We will definitely be taking time to explore the town in the next week and will give you updates in the next blog entry. Hopefully it won’t be as long a time between entries next time.

Having some technical problems with the blog posting so the photos below that do not have captions are as follows: The one labeled DSC02218 is the William Paca Mansion. Paca was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and built this Georgian style mansion between the years of 1763-1765. The photo labeled DSC02204 is the Maryland State House. It is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use. Construction began 1772 and the first session met here in 1779. It is a definite landmark here in Annapolis.

As always, the best thing about traveling is the people themselves. We have met some wonderful people already and looking forward to that continuing into the future.

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Photos

Havre de Grace
View as we were leaving Havre de Grace

A watermen's boat
These are the types of boats you see all over the Bay as they are setting out crab pots

Anchorage in Worton Creek
The view from our anchorage in Worton Creek - this is what it is all about

Cliffs going into Worton Creek
Just a view of the cliffs as we were heading into Worton Creek

Janice is also wired
We are preparing to anchor so Janice is wired and ready

Brauhaus on Magothy River
An amazing all glass brauhaus that we saw when going into the Magothy River

One of many jellyfish
Just one of many of the jellyfish we saw floating by the boat

A working dredge
One of many working dredges we have seen while sailing on the Bay

From the other side
Here is the bridge going into Annapolis that many of us have crossed - looks different from the water

Navigational Horn
It may look like a lighthouse but it really is a horn used as a navigational aid

Shiplap House
One of the oldest surviving houses in Annapolis, the Shiplap House, circa 1715 was used as a home and tavern

Warehouse
A warehouse with an example of the barrels used that is on the walking tour of Annapolis

Maryland Street Festival
A view of the Maryland Street Festival we attended

A great horned owl
An injured great horned owl that was on display at the festival

a typical view
A typical view of the streets in Annapolis

Using the old structures
A shop making use of the old structures in Annapolis

The Alex Haley Memorial
A memorial commemorating the 1767 arrival of Kunta Kinte is at the harbor. This is a bronze sculpture of Alex Haley reading to children

Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
We of course had to take a photo of this "famous" lighthouse as well.

A car carrier
This doesn't look like it would be good at sea, but it does with lots of cars loaded on board. This one is at anchor

Sunset on Rhodes River
The sun was setting as we were arriving in Rhodes River and we couldn't resist

The full moon
Had to try our night setting on the camera to get this photo of the full moon while at anchor in Rhodes River

The early morning fog
The sun was rising while there was still fog on the water so had to take the shot

Comments

[Kay]

Delightful!
What a delightful entry that I received today. I am so glad that you are finally finding out what it is all about. I would guess you already had a good idea, but am so glad that it is all coming to fruition. The moonlit evenings and the early morning sun shots are exquisite. Thank you.

[Margarete Couture]

The New Season
It is officially fall in New York and with it comes all the new night time TV as new series compete for viewers. It looks like there will be a few shows I will look forward to watching on a regular basis. I say this because that is what your blog has become for me...my favorite series to look forward to and as a nice break from the hectic..yes hectic school day!. I like the map as I find it interesting to see exactly where you are on your journey! SAIL ON!

[Lyle Ecker]

Glad to hear
Janice and Bob I am glad to hear that you are having an enjoyable time on your trip. Looking forward to following your blog and being enviuos and when we start the life aboard possibly seeing you on the water or if you come north. Have a safe and healthy voyage. Fair winds Lyle

[mary]

good to hear from you
I know as you get more and more involved in the travel those of us you left behind will grow dimmer and dimmer. It's good to hear from you and to share a bit in your adventures. Please keep the blog coming.

[John U]

You go!
Sorting books at the Ulysses Library book sale yesterday, sports section- largest number of books by far are about sailing. Where the heck did all these sailing and navigation books come from? .............. oh!