Hey, Man! Where you been?

We been CRUISIN', man! 

Its been a while since we've posted any travel info.  But that does NOT mean we've been treading water. 

Our last update found us in Annapolis.   Our four days there were BUSY.

At Annapolis Landing Marina, we FINALLY found some of the social activities we have been

missing.   D Dock brought us into the middle of a wonderful group of liveaboards who were not afraid to stand 6 feet apart on the dock and share an evening cocktail and some conversation.  There was a young couple sharing their 40 ' sailboat with Hunter, a 90 lb, a 9-month old chocolate lab.  Another couple was living aboard a 34 'Mainship while renovating a 40' Bayliner (yes really) for their new residence.  And then there was Isabell, a 4-year-old who lived with her family on a "project" catamaran and who loved to parade down the dock in her princess dress.  We also fired up the outboard and took the dingy up to Spa Bay and the charming original town center of Annapolis, right next to the United States Naval Academy.  Oh yeah, and we changed the oil in the Irish Lass's engines, but that's a whole other story.  (Ahem).    

From Annapolis, we cruised 20 miles south to Herring Bay and the Herrington Harbor (South) Marina.  It is a lovely place, very "resorty", and by far the largest marina we have encountered.  A first-class operation.  (Tell all your friends.) Our real purpose here was to visit Herrington Harbor (North) some 3 miles (you guessed it) north to discuss winter storage for the Irish Lass.  Herrington (south) even assigned us a nice young man with one of their vans to take us there, (as well as to the grocery store.) These folks have "on the hard" storage down to a science and even have several reputable boat repair firms co-located at their yard.  We figure if we are gonna be 3,000 miles away for the winter, this is an area we should override our ( OK, Wade's) inherent cheapness and hire the best to care for Irish Lass.  As we now stand, we are set to the "hauled and blocked" the week of Sept 14.

But, there is still much cruising to be done. So we left Herring Bay headed back across the Chesapeake to the Chester River on the eastern shore.  

Note:  We should pause here to remind all that the terms "river" and "creek" mean something very different here than in the PNW.  Over THAR, a River flows down from the mountains,  babbling and roaring over ripples and rapids, perhaps pausing to generate hydroelectricity before reaching the sea.  And a Creek is really just a small River.  But over YAR, a River is a narrow, extended, sea-level, tidally influenced extension of the Bay pointing inland.  Mostly saltwater, brackish at best.   The closest it comes to a rapid is maybe a boat wake (probably from a SeaRay).  And a Creek is still just a small River.

At the Kent Island Narrows, we had our experience with a bridge that we needed opened for us. We

spent a quiet night at anchor in Grays Inn Creek, surrounded by a veritable fortress of duck blinds. (Those who have read Michener's Chesapeake understand the important role duck hunting plays in Bay history and culture.  Also gave us a chance to practice taking Admiral Maggie to shore in the dinghy.  As we weighed anchor, we discovered that the mud is Grays Inn Creek should be evaluated by NASA for its adhesive qualities.  You could glue together rockets with this stuff.  Yuck!

30 miles up the scenic Chester River brought us to Chestertown, MD.   Founded in 1702, Chestertown boasts a wonderful historic downtown with numerous homes and buildings from the colonial era.  (It seems George Washington slept here a LOT.  Hmmmmm?)   A great

walking town, a farmers market, and the (eerily quiet) campus of Washington College (founded 1792). And the city operates a recently-renovated marina with sparkling facilities and a wicked tidal current.

After a few days at Chestertown, we headed downriver and turned north for Rockhall, MD.  We intended to take advantage of the free municipal dock there for a couple of nights.  Instead, we found the dock monopolized by several smaller boats, all moored precisely 15 feet apart (Grrrrr......) leaving no space for anyone else.  Commodore Kathleen got on the phone and found us a side-tie slip at a nearby marina.  Crappy fixed docks, but a nice pool and BBQ area.  However, their purported "easy" walk to a grocery store proved to be two miles on a highway with no shoulder.  Sheesh.

Several fellow cruisers had recommended we visit the Sassafrass River on the eastern shore, so that is where we headed next.  In our opinion, the beauty of the Chesapeake Bay shoreline improves dramatically as you move north. And the Sassafrass proved to be our northernmost exploration.  A beautiful journey through lush green farmland and lovely vacation homes. 

In the vicinity of Georgetown, MD near the head of the Sassafras there are four substantial marinas. (All of which are patrolled by a large committee of vultures.  Or buzzards. Or whatever.)    

This area was the site of some intense battles during both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.  Once again we were seduced by Wade's Scottish heritage and we chose the cheapest moorage, less than half of what we paid in St Michaels.  Woo Hoo!  However, the lesson quickly taught to us once gain was:  You get what you pay for.  Very tired fixed docks, a dock boy who couldn't tie an overhand knot, no store, no BBQs, no courtesy car, it's as primitive as can be, so to speak.  (And who puts their only transient moorage customer in the slip the furthest from the bathroom. Sheesh)

After two nights, we topped up on $1.70 diesel 👍 and moved across the river to a better marina (for more money of course.)  And with their courtesy car, we made the 10-mile journey to set foot in Delaware (and go to the tax-free liquor store, of course.).  

Friday found us again underway for the Patapsco River and Baltimore, across the bay.  Arriving just ahead of the weather hangover from the recent Gulg hurricane, we settled into the Anchorage Marina in Canton.  On Saturday WE HAD ACTUAL GUESTS!  We hosted ex-Spokane friends Pat and Kellie Rusnak (now living near Philadelphia) for dinner and a harbor cruise.  (See!  SOMEBODY came to see us.  neener, neener, neener.) Our marina in Baltimore is in a great location with good access to shopping, etc.  Lots of pleasant liveaboards who can offer local intelligence.   A West Marice and Ace Hardware almost next door. And floating docks with finger piers on both sides of our slip. Yeah, Baby!

Baltimore Harbor is another story, however.  Depending on the wind and tide, it can look like a

microcosm of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  Plastic cups, bottles, wrappers, and bags everywhere.  Very sad.  And boaters hate plastic bags in the water because they act like synthetic jellyfish and clog up water intakes.

We'll spend a few days here before heading back to Annapolis for Labor Day Weekend.

Thanks for following.

Wade and Kathleen