We snuck out of Cambridge under the cover of fog on 6/15 and traveled across 44 miles to the western shore and Annapolis, only to be greeted by afternoon T-storms. A local charter boat captain told me that his boat was hit by lightning last week while he was at anchor and it knocked out his entire electrical system and electronics to the tune of $50,000 +. We are on a mooring ball ($25 per day) in Spa Creek in sailboat country so we are very protected by their tall masts around us. Like the Inuit having innumerable words for snow, the Chesapeake locals have an entire lexicon for rain: misting, pouring, drenching, pounding, buckets, flooding and Noah’s Ark time. They grow them hardy here in the Bay and the junior racers used our mooring field for a race when the Bay had a small craft advisory.
Annapolis is the state capitol of Maryland, but unlike the sprawling MN State government complex, Maryland’s is compact and historical and fits seamlessly into the narrow streets and byways. You can tour the Maryland State House and see where General Washington resigned his commission in the Continental Army supposedly to retire. The Naval Academy is situated on a 338 acre site which hosts 1 million visitors annually and is home to 4,400 midshipmen (21% women). Classes are out now and 1st year plebes are off campus doing swab work on ships and upperclassmen are doing specialty classes so the campus is quiet, but you can walk around the beautiful campus and get a panoramic view of the Severn River.
A statue of Alex Haley, Pulitzer-prize author of Roots, looks out over Ego Alley where boats of all descriptions parade down the narrow channel and U-turn in front of a crowd. Alex Haley’s Kunta Kinte’s story ,as well as the history of slavery and the accomplishments of African Americans, is told in the Banneker-Douglass Museum. You can also see the Journey to the White House quilt and get more information about this at http://www.obamacommunityquilt.blogspot.com/
Annapolis is a boating town from its array of beautiful boats, to the homes overlooking the water, and the dinghy docks at the end of streets on Spa Creek. You can take the free Navy Blue bus out to Grauls Grocery store to reprovision and find all your nautical doodads at Bacon, Fawcett Boat Supply, Sailrite, West Marine etc. You can find all your medications at Rite-Aid Pharmacy, including a good selection of alcohol. We heard from Lee on s/v Evangeline from Minneapolis that there is a cruisers morning get-together at 9am at Chick and Ruth’s Delly. We commiserated with Lee about the temperamental nature of his and our dinghy outboards as we all worked at draining water from the whole fuel system, and with much effort and stinky fumes, it worked finally for both of us.
The highlight of our visit here was having dinner at Pusser’s with my cousins, Mary and her son, Michael. I was last in this area of the Chesapeake at age 12, had my very first boat ride here on the Severn aboard their beautiful wooden boat and that memory has always stayed with me. It was wonderful to be together again and to toast family we love and boats we have known.
Annapolis is the state capitol of Maryland, but unlike the sprawling MN State government complex, Maryland’s is compact and historical and fits seamlessly into the narrow streets and byways. You can tour the Maryland State House and see where General Washington resigned his commission in the Continental Army supposedly to retire. The Naval Academy is situated on a 338 acre site which hosts 1 million visitors annually and is home to 4,400 midshipmen (21% women). Classes are out now and 1st year plebes are off campus doing swab work on ships and upperclassmen are doing specialty classes so the campus is quiet, but you can walk around the beautiful campus and get a panoramic view of the Severn River.
A statue of Alex Haley, Pulitzer-prize author of Roots, looks out over Ego Alley where boats of all descriptions parade down the narrow channel and U-turn in front of a crowd. Alex Haley’s Kunta Kinte’s story ,as well as the history of slavery and the accomplishments of African Americans, is told in the Banneker-Douglass Museum. You can also see the Journey to the White House quilt and get more information about this at http://www.obamacommunityquilt.blogspot.com/
Annapolis is a boating town from its array of beautiful boats, to the homes overlooking the water, and the dinghy docks at the end of streets on Spa Creek. You can take the free Navy Blue bus out to Grauls Grocery store to reprovision and find all your nautical doodads at Bacon, Fawcett Boat Supply, Sailrite, West Marine etc. You can find all your medications at Rite-Aid Pharmacy, including a good selection of alcohol. We heard from Lee on s/v Evangeline from Minneapolis that there is a cruisers morning get-together at 9am at Chick and Ruth’s Delly. We commiserated with Lee about the temperamental nature of his and our dinghy outboards as we all worked at draining water from the whole fuel system, and with much effort and stinky fumes, it worked finally for both of us.
The highlight of our visit here was having dinner at Pusser’s with my cousins, Mary and her son, Michael. I was last in this area of the Chesapeake at age 12, had my very first boat ride here on the Severn aboard their beautiful wooden boat and that memory has always stayed with me. It was wonderful to be together again and to toast family we love and boats we have known.
