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Moorings in Annapolis
In front of Ego Alley in the midst of everything-- but rough in the wrong wind! June 1, 2009
Once we crossed the Potomac River there was no going back! Plans to return to Reedville and Tangier Island were scuttled as there was WAY too much to see and do in the Maryland waters. We found ourselves sliding ever so slowly into the "old think" that we will "catch that on the return trip." We know that some things never come by again and it is a shame to pass up things you would like to do and places you want to see. Then again my grandmother always said that you "have to leave something to see on the next trip" though I believe she said that to assuage my juvenile disappointment at not getting to see Disneyland when I was 10!
After Solomon's we used the Annapolis area as a base for side trips. We anchored in Spa Creek, took a mooring in front of Ego Alley and another in Weems Creek off the Severn and still another in Church Creek off the South River. One reason to explore all of these options is that the City has now placed moorings in most of the anchoring spots and hands out literature indicating that you cannot
Naval Academy
You can still anchor in front of the Academy but it can be rough. anchor within 75 feet of a private dock (this is not new) OR within 200 feet of a municipal mooring. Back and Spa Creeks are not wide enough to allow those distances thus effectively eliminating anchoring, though we anchored past Truxant Park on Spa Creek without problem. A nice thing in Annapolis is that the pump out boat will come to your dock, mooring or anchorage throughout the City, including Weems Creek (where the City also has moorings now). They also provide water taxi access and dinghy tie ups at every street that abuts the water. You can go most anywhere that way.
We were especially excited about being close enough to Baltimore to attend my great niece's graduation from John's Hopkins. She has earned her MS and is now a pediatric nurse practitioner heading to New Mexico for her first "real job". Seeing my sister's family who flew in from Texas and Iowa was a real treat AND seeing my sister and her husband checking out the steamed crab piled high in front of them on brown paper with looks on their faces that said "You have GOT to be kidding!" was worth the trip. Troopers to the
Blue Angels
They roared over the sailboats to celebrate Academy graduation. core they took the instructions on how to open the crabs, hammer them with the wooden mallets and pick out the meat and gave it a try. I heard comments on the order of "This explains why crab cakes are so expensive!"
When in Annapolis we try and do our favorite things and see as many folks as we can but we can never do it all. This trip we included TWO cruiser breakfasts at Chick & Ruth's as well as two trips to Trader Joe's and to the new Whole Foods that has opened in the Town Center development that has gone into the more or less vacant spot on Parole. For those of you not familiar with Annapolis you can't walk there! There is a trolley that runs from Navy Stadium downtown so if you are on Weems Creek it is a short walk to the trolley and there is a good grocery and laundromat close by too. Laundry facilities are disappearing along the waterway and it is always nice to find one close to the anchorage or dinghy dock.
The long Memorial Day weekend is a time for cruisers to hunker down and get out
Up and Down
Look closely and you will see these two flying in formation over the Severn River -- one is upside down! of the way of the "weekend warriors". We headed for Gibson Island off the Magothy and were all alone in a snug cove... for the first night. Then the Chesapeake Sailing Club showed up which presented no problem at all since they included us in all of their gatherings! Helps to know the commodore (Tom on Taj Muha). It turns out we know quite a few members and we had a good time catching up and meeting new folks. The Magothy is lovely and we did shore walks near by. There was a nice horse farm near Gibson Island and the geese outnumbered the horses grazing in the pasture.
Christian had never been to St. Michaels. I was there 16 years ago on a Womanship sail and was pleased for the chance to see it again. We anchored inside as it was early in the day and not a weekend... but by evening there were far more than should fit and two boats had just "dropped" anchor without attempting to set. Always a pleasure. Since no "weather" was expected we didn't move and all was fine. St. Michaels is a charming little town with a very nice maritime museum.
Phyllis and the Crabs
Phyllis and Ralph were not at all sure about eating steamed crabs. You can learn a lot about an area by seeing the boats they build to work the water. Here in the Chesapeake they are amazingly wide beamed and have shallow drafts, suited to the waters here. The light houses too are unique-- like houses built over the water. The more charming (and disappearing) style is the wooden house on stilts. You will also find brick ones, short and functional.
This time of year you need to keep track of the weather as thunder storms can pop up quickly in the afternoon, or come through with a cold front passage. We are early risers so try and get to our next stop by noon so we can pick a good spot and be ready for "weather". Such was the case in the Rhode River. We saw that a flotilla of Beneteaus were in the inner anchorage, several rafted up. It was probably a rendez-vous and we chose a spot well away from the crowd. The brunt of the storm went north of us so we didn't get the strongest winds or hail, but it did blow enough to generate an "anchor dance" that we viewed from a comfortable distance, and
Sandy Point Light
Near the entrance to the Magothy River it poured rain. By morning is was lovely again and we sailed out of the Rhode and ghosted past the Thomas Point light which is, I believe, the last of the "stilt" lighthouses still functioning on the Bay outside the maritime museums.
Today we ventured up the Chester River nearly alone, though we crossed one of those odd boats that we think are built to take paying guests on "pirate ship" rides. We chose the Corsica River for our anchorage, not too far from the Russian Embassy camp. This is a much less developed area and it was pleasant to see horse pastures and corn fields instead of just the huge houses we see in so many areas that will be our generation's equivalent of the Victorian beauty: the white elephant that no one can afford to heat and cool. Tomorrow we will return to the Sassafrass River where the water is nearly fresh-- the only spot like that we have found heading north. We will wait there for the right weather window to leave the Chesapeake via the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal into the Delaware Bay.
More soon... Mary & Christian with Bisous on I Wanda
Lighthouse and Bridge
The Sandy Point light is near the Bay Bridge
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Rob & Andi, 'Akka'
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Eastern Shore in the fall
If you're still up in the northern Chesapeake this fall, take another trip to the same parts of the Eastern Shore you just visited. At that point, there's not just more geese than cows, there's more geese than air -- the flocks can turn the sky dark when they cruise overhead. Of course, it's pretty loud at night; but it's worth it! From Bocas del Toro, Panama