Out of the Sassafras and into Baltimore

9.26.14

After spending  two nights anchored in the Sassafras River due to rain, we awoke to clear skies and pulled anchor at 9am.

Fort McHenry.  "Whose broad stripes and bright stars... were so gallantly streaming! over the star-shaped Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore, September 13-14, 1814. The valiant defense of the fort inspired Francis Scott Key to write 'The Star-Spangled Banner'."  Come to find out that this ceremonial "star spangled buoy" is set every June and removed every fall. "This is purely a ceremonial buoy that marks an important spot for American history. It is not used for navigation at all. Franciss Scott Key witnessed the British bombardment of Fort McHenry where the Key Bridge now stands. And the buoy is placed at the approximate spot where Francis Scott Key wrote those words." Wow.  Who knew? Google is a great thing to have at our fingertips!

We had a pleasant sail down the upper portion of the Chesapeake Bay and at 3:30 we were secure in a slip at the Anchorage Marina in the Inner Harbor. It was a nice marina but their WiFi signal was very sketchy. Our friends Bruce and Ellen picked us up and we went to Chipparelli's in Little Italy for dinner.  

It was as good as always and the company even better! After a little work and laundry the next day, we left the marina, motored around the Inner Harbor and headed out to find a quiet anchorage. After passing the White Rocks off Stony Creek, then motoring into Bodkin Creek we had found the perfect place. The weather was absolutely beautiful and actually quite hot, so the next morning we decided to inflate our new paddleboard and give it a try. Once you get the balancing act figured out, it's quite fun! The Sunday recreational boaters came out and made it a little difficult with all the wake, so we called it quits and headed back to Baltimore.

"Old Ironsides", the USS Constitution is docked in Baltimore's Inner Harbor

These tanks are part of the Under Armour Corporate Complex. In addition to Michael Phelps, there is a rendition of Cal Ripken, Jr on the second tank and Ray Lewis on the third, a tribute to Baltimore's star athletes.

Michael Phelps - NOT!

Jeff had business in Atlanta Monday - Wednesday, so I spent lots of time walking around the area (I needed the exercise but not the blisters!).

Bruce and Ellen picked Jeff up from the airport and we took them out for an "hors' d'oeuvres" and cocktail cruise. It's so much fun meeting up with friends and family up and down the coast! We dropped them off at the dock and headed out to Rock Creek, and a very peaceful anchorage for the night and another spectacular sunset.

The Pride of Baltimore

Sailing is so freeing!

We made plans to get together with my cousin Gail and her husband Wayne for lunch on Friday. Once again they were kind enough to be our "mail drop", so we had packages and forwarded mail sent to their address in Arnold.  We tied up at the Magothy Marina, only a few miles from their home for the night and used the marina's wonderfully clean laundry room the next morning. Gail and Wayne picked us up at noon (thanks Wayne for having our propane tank filled!) and we went to a great place called The Point for lunch, which is located at the Ferry Point Marina Yacht Club one creek over. We finally had crab cakes and they were fabulous! We enjoyed fun conversation as usual and left the dock at 2:30 to find another cozy anchorage. Gail and Wayne were leaving for PA to visit my Uncle Bob (Gail's dad), who is recovering nicely from a knee replacement.

It was only right that Gail take our picture as well.  We all had a great time together!

A couple of hours later, and after poking around the Magothy River we anchored behind Gibson Island, where there is a horse farm believe it or not. Three more boats decided it was the place to be too.... The weather was overcast and predicted to blow a bit, so we've decided to spend the day and another night just to chill.  The three other boats left at various times during the day and several others came and went.  We'll see what happens tonight.
PS to Anne Welch - the Gibson Island Yacht Club appears to be doing well.

Our home last night and tonight. No bugs, no noise, quite nice!

Tomorrow we plan on heading to Whitehall Creek just north of the Severn River, still in Maryland. We love this leisurely pace!

Port Washington to Chesapeake Bay

9.17.14

We're enjoying a pretty sunset in Port Washington, Manhasset Bay on the North Shore of Long Island.

Our boating friends Jack and Carol (who joined us for a picnic and fun in Maine) are going to sail through NYC with us.  Jack is a retired NYC Harbor Pilot so we know we are in great hands! Sunrise on the morning of our departure was beautiful. That’s their boat on a mooring next to us. Her name is Toucana, a  Lagoon 410. We left Port Washington at 6:50 am to reach the East River at high tide to ride it all the way through NYC. Passed Hell Gate going 11.7 kts!

The weather was much better than it was on the way north in June, so I was able to take some sunny pictures in the city.  The Chrysler Building was glistening in the morning sun.  My great grandfather had a hand in creating the top of that building, a thing of beauty.

We have decided to stick together for a few days and will be following Jack and Carol to the town of Point Pleasant in New Jersey, where they lived for 40 years while raising their family. This requires going in the Manasquan River Inlet and taking the Point Pleasant Canal into the Metedeconk River where we anchored in Mermaid Cove. It was a bit challenging due to strong currents, low bridges and shallow water. They gave us a great tour of their old hometown and we had the fortune of meeting their son Ken and his fiancé Katie at a dinner hosted by Jack and Carol’s longtime friends, Bob and Nancy, whose home and dock we anchored close to. Many thanks for that! It was great meeting everyone.  Ken and Katie are getting married in a few weeks!

The next morning (Saturday) we decided it best to head out, as the weather was going to turn a bit windy and we had to traverse the Jersey shore, all 140 sandy miles of it... So, we left Manasquan River and headed offshore. We had 3-5’ seas and when we arrived in Atlantic City we were glad to have one available face dock to tie up to in front of the Aquarium (same as on the trip north!). We arrived after the dockhand left and departed before he arrived the next morning.  It’s very unusual to have to call to pay for the slip a day AFTER you’ve spent the night and departed. They are very trusting and we are very honest.

From there, we fully expected another day of high surf, but were pleasantly surprised to find an easier roll than the day before. The winds were to pick up the next day, so we made reservations for two nights at the So. Jersey Marina in Cape May, a well protected and quaint marina with a great and much needed laundromat. We had many loads to do so we spent the afternoon getting “cleaned up”. The next day we explored the town of Cape May.  It was a 1.5 mile walk down Washington Street graced with stunning old Victorian homes which led to a pedestrian “mall” with lots of inviting shops.  That area reminded me of St. Augustine’s St. George St.  After having returned to the boat, we sat in the cockpit making plans for our next day’s passage.  While enjoying a glass of wine, we heard a familiar voice!  Rick Gardner and his new bride from St. Augustine! We've known Rick for years and now we were meeting his wife Sarah for the first time in Cape May.  They were delivering a catamaran for a new owner from RI to GA and joined us for a while to share boating stories.  What a neat happenstance!

The next day brought a little rain.... but not bad.

We left Cape May around 7:30 the next morning with our sights set on getting though the C&D Canal and just into the Chesapeake Bay.  The current had another idea.  Two thirds of the way up the bay our normal boat speed of 7.5 knots was slowed to 5 knots due to the outgoing tide. We anchored in Piney Creek which was the first available anchorage in the Chesapeake Bay. The sunset was especially gorgeous after spending 12 hours steaming. It was great to get the anchor down, pour a glass of wine and fire up the grill. Tomorrow we will sleep in! And we did… 

We had a leisurely sail 10 miles down the bay to the Sassafras River and dropped anchor in a relatively sheltered spot near Turner Creek to ride out the anticipated rainy weather. Some of the boat traffic on the bay is huge. This car carrier was behind us as we turned out of the ship channel.  The catamaran near it is dwarfed by its beastly size!

The rain started during the night and is supposed to continue all day today. This is where I am writing currently, however the internet service is non-existent here so I will have to upload this post as soon as we pick up a signal. This is one of very few days where we have had to stay put due to the weather conditions. Fortunately we aren’t on a tight time schedule!

Until next time...