Month: May 2018

My last post left us in Annapolis, since then we returned to St. Michaels to show Billy the sites there.  Then back to Baltimore and saying “Adios” to Billy.      Now Tim, Maggie and I prepare for a long road trip to get the truck and deliver it to Brewerton, NY. Continue reading Back to Baltimore 5/29/2018

Tim and I finally had a rain free day to head out and explore Baltimore.  We took full advantage of the sunshine and got out early.  Everyone else in town had the same idea and the walkways were packed with dog walkers, bike riders, baby strollers and people like us just happy to be out on a beautiful day.   Continue reading Baltimore, Billy and the Blue Angels 5/24/2016

The title says just about everything. From the time we arrived in Annapolis until sometime last night, we have had almost continuous rain.  Sometimes it was just a drizzle and at other times it was a downpour. Continue reading Rain, Rain and RAIN- Annapolis and Baltimore 5/20/2018

After a rainy night in Oxford, we awoke to an overcast, chilly morning.  So here’s where the first decision of the day must be made.  What am I going to wear?  It’s always a gamble.  Will the clouds burn off and leave us with a brilliant blue sky, or are they going to hang around all day leaving a lingering chill.  Tim is usually optimistic and throws all caution to the wind.  He’s a shorts and t- shirt guy and it’s going to take more than grey skies to put pants on his legs.  I, on the other hand, tend to be more cautious.  While I don’t want to have 2 sets of clothes going in one day, I also want to be warm, but not hot.  So here I am weighing my options.  Our day in Oxford had been chilly.  It certainly was a pants and 2 layer shirt day for me.  After the overnight rain, the chill remained.  I opted for the pants and 2 layer effect.  Tim even went for snuggly pants.  Heading out into the bay to jog north around Tilghman Island, we had whooping seas of 4, that’s maybe 4 inches.  Winds may have been blowing 1 mph.  Great for cruising.  And it wasn’t long before the transformation began.  The haze lifted and the blue sky blazed.  And our layers were stripped off; long pants and long sleeves gave way to shorts and t-shirts.  Mother Nature fooled us once again.

We chose Higgins Boat Yard for our docking.  First, they are much less expensive than the other marina resorts near by, we weren’t going to be wanting access to a pool, and I have come to enjoy watching the activity that comes with a boat yard.  We were not disappointed.  I’d happily choose Higgins again.

 

After getting settled, we leashed Maggie and headed for town.  St. Micheals’ main street is lined with shops and is very dog friendly.  With temps now in the high 80’s, it was time for a stop at a local brew pub.  Maggie was greeted by another thirsty pooch and the bartender’s dog that was visiting for the day.

Friends, Rick and Mary, Exhale, a 49 North Pacific, were at a neighboring marina, so we stopped by to visit.  With them were Nancy and Tom also on a 49 North Pacific, Meander.  Since there are only three 49 North Pacifics on the east coast, they declared a Rendezvous.  Nancy and Tom also are the proud owners of a DeFever 44, Terrapin, so a sort of DeFever rendezvous was held as well.  Docktails and dinner were in order.  Have another round!  Callie and Frank aboard their Ranger Tug, Jubilee, joined the celebrants for a finger licking good crab dinner.

Crews of Exhale and Meander joined us for a tour of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.  The entry fee allows access for two days and you really need at least that to see all they have.  Maddie Sue, crew dog of Exhale, heard about Maggie’s jaunt to Eastern Shore Brewing, and convinced her captain that she too needed to belly up to the bar.  We also found the winery and distillery.  Ah well, it was a busy afternoon.

 

I’m so glad we’re coming back to St.Michael’s.  Our good buddy, Billy, is flying in to see us and we hope to return for more fun with him.

We stayed at Zahniser’s Marina in Solomon’s three nights. We’ve heard so much about the area that we thought it deserved the extra time. Continue reading Solomon’s, Cambridge and Oxford. 5/13/2018

I don’t use the term “lovely” much; it sounds too much like my granny, but it just seems like the right word to describe Onancock, Va. Onancock is a small, basically 2 street town on the Eastern Shore that is picture post card perfect. Laid out in 1681, it still has an old town feel. Unfortunately for us, most of the historic sites were closed. We’re finding that many shops, museums and restaurants don’t open until after Mother’s Day or even Memorial Day.

 

 

It was only about a 3 hour ride from Onancock to Tangiers Island, so were arrived around 11am and had plenty of time to see this unique waterman community. This shrinking island is currently about 3 miles long and 3 miles wide, but erosion is talking it’s toll. According to the Waterway Guide, “In the winter of 2013 nearly 40 feet of land was lost on the north side..”. As you enter the east channel and head to the heart of the island, you see the old crab shanties many of which are falling into the bay. The shanties are where the crabbers sort their catch. They may also have pens where the crabs are held until they molt. Tangiers is a dry island- no alcohol is sold here. The Methodist church has a strong influence in the community. Todd, a local crabber, told us about the small school of about 65 kids that his 14 year old daughter attends. She has 10 kids in her class. Most of the young people leave the island as soon as they can to seek a life on the mainland. There’s little future for them on Tangiers. According to Todd, crabbing is no longer the small family business it once was. Crabbers must be licensed and there is a limit to the number of licenses issued. It isn’t feasible for a father and son to share a license because the meager income crabbing provides isn’t enough to support two families.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were surprised to see many houses with family graveyards set in the corner or even the front yards.  This was to protect them from grave robbers and to allow families to be closer to their departed loved ones and to take better care of the grave site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just up the Eastern Shore is Crisfield. While the town has an amazing marina facility with pool, bar and new floating docks, the town has little to offer. Again, many of the shops and restaurants were closed until “the season” begins. This is a great place if you just need a place to stop and get some maintenance done, it isn’t the place to charm at the quaint homes and waterside.

 

 

From Crisfield, we are crossing the Bay to Solomon’s. We’ll be staying at Zahniser’s Marina. More on that in the next post.

Happy Cinco de Mayo, Kentucky Derby, and cruising day. It feels so great to be back cruising after about a month on the boat. As I write this post, we are traveling north along the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake from Cape Charles. In about 5 hours we’ll pull into the town of Onancock, Va.

We spent a few weeks on the boat at Atlantic Yacht Basin taking care of our maintenance chores, visiting with other cruisers and waiting for the American Great Loop Cruising Association (AGLCA) Rendezvous to begin. AYB is a perfect location for cruisers going north from the Dismal Swamp or the AICW. either way, you’ll pass AYB just before getting to the Great Bridge Bridge and the Lock just beyond. So, with so many boaters passing through, it was perfect timing for AYB and The Waterway Guide owner, Ed Tillett to join with the city of Chesapeake for a Saturday afternoon party. Ed opened his beautiful wooden boat, Adonia, for tours.

The following morning there was a mass exodus as  loopers  began the 12 mile jaunt to Waterside Marina for the Rendezvous.

 

Waterside is a relatively small marina for a city the size of Norfolk. It’s a short walk to the revitalized Waterside District with its variety of restaurants. Just a bit further, a walk up Granby St. will take you past several neat pubs and more upscale restaurants. It’s a great area for walking. The US Wisconsin is moored a short distance away.

The rendezvous was fantastic. Kim Russo and crew organized the event for about 350 participants. It seemed like half were in the planning stage and the other half were like us- enroute. We got great info about the legs ahead of us and met some wonderful people.

I was apprehensive about leaving Maggie alone on the boat all day for 4 days and hoped to find a doggie day care for her. Instead, I was told about Rover.com. An app that matches pups with an individual who can help with walks, day care, etc. Through Rover, I found Jessica who lives in downtown Norfolk. Jessica works from her home and has a small dog herself. For $25/day, Maggie got to play with another dog, take a walk, snuggle on a couch, and be well cared for. What a deal!

While many loopers chose to head north to Deltaville for more partying, we opted to go to the eastern shore and Cape Charles for a more peaceful atmosphere. We were stuffed and pooped after all the eating and drinking of the previous few nights.
The weather reports made us a bit apprehensive about heading across the bay; we’d heard warnings about how the Chesapeake can blow up on you and conditions weren’t ideal. Wind forecasts ranged from 15- 19mph with seas in the 2′ range. Chesapeake can blow up on you. Since the waves would be hitting us on the stern and not on the beam, we felt the motion of the boat would not be too bad. I’m curious to hear how the ride was for those who chose to go north. For them, the waves would have been almost dead abeam. That may have made for a pretty rolly ride especially if they don’t have stabilizers. As it was, Tim and I estimated the waves ranged from 2-4′. We watched a couple work boats plowing north with spray flying off their bow and port sides and were happy to keep the waves on our stern.

Cape Charles was just what we needed- quiet with nice walks through town, old residential area, and a beautiful beach. We had great help docking in 20 mph winds pushing us away from the dock. The marina has new floating docks, nice restrooms, but was practically empty. One complaint I have read is that it is bouncy in N to NW winds. Despite having N NW winds that day and night, it really wasn’t that bad. I liked the gentle rolling. Lunch at The Shanty was OK except for the oysters. They were yum. Instead of horseradish, they were served with a sweet vinegary dip. Hmmm, different, but good.

After a night in Cape Charles, it is on to Onancock.