Washington, D.C. – Baltimore, MD: May 29-June 12 May 29 - 30 - Washington, D.C. to Solomons Island, Maryland ~ We left Washington, D.C. at 6:45am Tuesday. The Potomac was very calm. Our trip was uneventful until Phil heard three whistles, coming from somewhere. I was mopping the flybridge, Laurie was asleep on the back deck and our captain was at the helm. He was trying to decide what the whistles meant when there was a huge explosion which shook the boat! We were, of course, close to the upper danger zone, but it is “generally unused”, right? I sprang up off the floor, yelling “Stop the boat, stop the boat!” Laurie thought the engines had exploded under her. Our captain, Phil, was the only relatively calm person on board. Then we saw the smoke on the shore and knew that they had bombed or exploded something on shore and not very close to us. We definitely felt the vibration of the explosion, but we were safe. About 2:30 we arrived at Shymansky’s Marina which turned out to be awful with an even worse restaurant across the road. Wednesday we left about 7:30am. The water was once again as smooth as glass. We saw lots of fish traps, tall wire contraptions that the birds just love. We saw one large fish trap, composed of many traps with herons all over it, just waiting for their dinner. We saw several Coast Guard Cutters, either carrying or dragging targets to their bombing target zone. We did not see any maneuvers and we were glad. We arrived at Solomons Island, Maryland, about 2:30. We stayed at Calvert Marina for two nights. Russ and Duffy on Work of Art were there and we enjoyed being with them. We did the usual, worked on the boat, went grocery shopping, went to West Marine, etc. It was very peaceful. There was also a pair of white swans with a baby that swam by the boat each evening. They were not very nice to the Canadian geese around them. I think they were protecting their little one and the geese certainly got out of their area! Friday, June 1 – Tuesday, June 5 ~ Annapolis, MD We left Solomon’s Island about 7:15 am. The Chesapeake Bay was fairly calm, only occasionally rocky and rolly. After we turned into the Severn River, we saw many, many sailboats. They were apparently having a huge race with a lot of different classes and types of sailboats. It was difficult to stay out of their way and stay in the channel where we were supposed to travel! We arrived at the Yacht Basin Marina in Annapolis at about 1:00 pm. One of our favorite places was the Inner Harbor where there is a group of statues of Alex Haley reading to a group of 3 children. The three of us had a fine dinner at the Treaty of Paris restaurant located in the Maryland Inn. The Inn was once host to Presidents, Governers, and statesman. The Maryland Inn has played a prominent role in the history of the US. Eleven delegates of the 1783-84 US Congress stayed at the Inn to hear George Washington resign as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army and to ratify the Treaty of Paris. It is rumored that the likes of Benjamin Franklin and John Adams enjoyed their fair share of libations at the Inn tavern. Woody and Ellen from Double SS were docked at the city dock and we went by for a visit. Ellen gave us the card game, Quidler, which we had played with them in Fernandina Beach, FL. I had not been able to find the game, so I was thrilled! The five of us then went to Phillips Restaurant and had a great meal on the balcony overlooking the Annapolis inner harbor. Saturday, Laurie, Phil and I toured the Naval Academy. It is a very impressive place. There are 4000 midshipmen, both men and women, who attend college there. They all live in one huge dormitory with NO air-conditioning. The requirements and the discipline are very stringent. The campus is beautiful. So much tradition and dedication. . . id="Blog1_blog-pager-newer-link" border=0 v:shapes="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097775338008409730"> We saw the chapel, a huge sanctuary which is lovely. One long pew is never sat in because it represents those missing in action and being held as prisoners of war. There is a beautiful candle and wreath which marks that pew. A scripture passage pertaining to the sea could be found underneatheach of the stained glass windows in the Academy Chapel. id="Blog1_blog-pager-newer-link" border=0 v:shapes="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097779890673743538"> id="Blog1_blog-pager-older-link" border=0 v:shapes="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097775346598344338"> The crypt of John Paul Jones is in the basement of the chapel. The crypt is so interesting. It is carved marble with dolphins at each corner. His tomb is guarded by two midshipmen. After we left the Naval Academy, we took the trolley historic tour, which was really informative. Phil and I went to dinner and the summer theater to see “Godspell” with Woody and Ellen. Unfortunately, “Godspell” was not exactly a Broadway production, but it was fun to be with Woody and Ellen again. Sunday, we awakened to clouds and rain. Phil and I went to church at the Naval Academy chapel with Ellen. It rained and stormed all day. Ellen and Woody were at a mooring ball in the harbor and came in for dinner and a game of Quidler. Laurie cooked and it was great. Tuesday – June 5 ~ Annapolis - Baltimore id="Blog1_blog-pager-older-link" border=0 v:shapes="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097783073244509970"> Tuesday, there was a break in the weather and we left at 8:00 for Baltimore. We went back down the Severn River into Chesapeake Bay. The water was smooth to light chop, with the winds supposed to pick up by 11:00. We turned into the Patapsco River and arrived at Anchor Bay Marina about 11:00 a.m. We were glad to be getting there because, as predicted, the water was beginning to whitecap from the increasing wind. We were seven miles from Baltimore at Anchor Bay East Marina, a family-owned marina with great people to work on our boat. In case you are thinking that our boat is always being worked on, the average boater uses his boat about 100 engine hours each year and we have already put more than 300 hours on our engines. So we have the equivalent of three years use in a relatively short time and there is maintenance and repair work which has to be done. One day, when we got back to the boat after sightseeing, we were greeted by the sight of our port engine hanging in our salon. They used an A-frame type thing (scientific term) after first bracing the floor and pulled it up out of the engine room. It was v:shapes="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097792560827266946">quite a sight! By Tuesday, the shaft had been pulled and straightened, the props polished, we had run all those errands that everyone has to run and the boat was back in the water. We cleaned the boat inside and out and declared ourselves ready to take to the seas again!At Anchor Bay Marina, we had the transmission checked and they found that we had a lot of vibration (which we knew!) because we had a bent shaft on the port engine. Wednesday, while the boat was being worked on, we borrowed the marina owner’s car and did our usual trip – Wal- Mart and lunch. Then we got our dinghy down off the boat and went for a ride. It was cool that day and we all three got sprayed with water. Phil would like to have this kind of service available anytime the dingy had to be removed from the forward deck. Nice customer service at no extra cost from the great people at Anchor Bay EAst Marina. We loved the Hard Yacht Cafe located on the premises of the marina. We tried our best to find a sign like the one at the bar (pictured here) to no avail. Their food was yummy and the staff was great. They also had live music in the evenings. Check out their website and try their webcam to explore the entire marina and the boat located there. http://anchorbayeastmarina.com/ Thursday, the marina owner’s daughter took Laurie to the airport. Phil and I rented a car and drove around in the area. On Friday, we went to downtown Baltimore, visited with Russ and Duffy on Work of Art and went to the Aquarium. We especially liked the dolphin show. Saturday, Dan, the engine mechanic, worked in the engine room all day. That was the day he aligned the engine and transmission and discovered the bent shaft. Our boat was hauled out of the water three times at Anchor Bay Marina. The young men who work there moved our boat by hand long distances without ever cranking the engine. They were amazing. There were also four of the nicest dogs at the marina, Trevor, the night dog; Little Dog, the day dog; Buddy, the owner’s shadow; and Pepper, an incredibly darling little dog who belongs the owner’s daughter. If you make a gun sign at Pepper and say “Bang”, Pepper flops over on his side like he has been shot! GETTYSBURG Sunday, we went to Gettysburg. I had never been there and was amazed at the size of the battlefield. It is such a reverent place. For more information about this site check out this website, http://www.gettysburg.com/ The size of the battlefield was way beyond what we expected. Phil thinks the area was something in the neighborhood of 30 square miles. This picture was taken from the highest ridge overlooking what was described as the Valley of Death. We were in awe of the magnitude of that battle. We took a bus tour of the battle field with a great guide who narrated the three days of battle as we saw the sites. Then we went to the electronic map demonstration which gives an overview of where the soldiers were each day. This statue is of General Warren, who held an administrative post, but happened to take his field glasses to the top of the ridge for a look at the battle. While there he spotted the Confederate soldiers moving into position to take the ridge and gain a strategic position from which they could defeat the Union army at Gettysburg. His report led to a change in the strategy and deployment of Union troops and likely saved the victory for the Union. We had a late lunch at Dobbin House Tavern which was wonderful. We sat at the bar which was built in 1818 for a tavern in Pennsylvania by George Dick, an ancestor of the present owner of Dobbin House Tavern. Dobbin House Restaurant and Tavern is in a stone farm house which stood in its present location during the Civil War. After lunch we went to the museum and then to the National Cemetery at Gettysburg. We went on part of a tour with a guide who was very interesting, but we decided to leave and return to the boat. |
Our Travel Log
Travel Log