Back in Cheasapeak Bay

Wednesday, June 12 - Our original plan for the day was to get up early for a 10 hour trip to continue moving toward Annapolis. We decided last night to stay an extra day and check out the town. This would give us a break before a long trip, allow Kevin to take a consulting phone call while being stationary, and give pepper some nice shore time. I could tell she was ready to get off! After a breakfast of pancakes we took Pepper in the dinghy and walked around the pier area of Solomons Island. To the right of the dock as you exit there are a lot of restaurants and shops on one side of the street and a city pier on the other, with historical plaques of information. Fun facts - the Patuxent River was invaded by the British in the war of 1812 and successfully fought off. There is a WW II submarine sunk somewhere around there. To the left of the dock as you exit is the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, along with several labs and other associated buildings. That afternoon Kevin asked if I was using the stove because he smelled propane, and I was not. He had changed the tank that morning, which meant a problem with either the tank installation or the regulator. He determined it was the regulator which meant no cooking until we got a new one. We put his bike in the dinghy and he set out to find one at a local hardware store. I asked if he wanted me to go to help get the bike off and back on the dinghy at the dock but he said no; I would be waiting there for a long time. Yeah, I’ll pass on that! He came back with a part and was able to fix it, then we went to dinner at Island Hideaway, food was good but service was so-so.

Thursday, June 13 - I set my alarm for 6:30 a.m. so we could depart at 7:30 and I would have time to eat breakfast and enjoy a cup of coffee. I hadn’t used the alarm in a while and didn’t think about the volume, it was LOUD! We did leave on time, Kevin pulled up the anchor and I drove the boat out of the anchorage and into the channel. Once in the channel we pulled out the sails with the wind behind us at 7 knots. At 10:30 we made a turn that put the wind on a broad starboard reach, the sails were out fully and winds were around 15 knots. We continued to motor-sail to keep our speed up as we decided to go straight to Annapolis rather than making another one night stop, expecting a 10 hour trip. However, the best laid plans of mice and men don’t always go as planned. We arrived in Annapolis at 2:30 - 3 hours ahead of time! 😂😂 Kevin was anxious to get there so we motor-sailed the entire time even though winds were favorable to sail and the current was in our favor. 🫤 We secured a mooring ball in Annapolis Harbor that was equal distance between downtown and Eastport. That night we met up with Jen and Rich Reilly from “Dude” and their son Zachary at a brewery pub then went to dinner at “The Goat”.

Friday, June 14 - We used our new Honda generator for the first time to make water. It worked great, it was a bit louder than expected but not too bad. Late morning we went over to Jen and Rich’s house as they graciously offered us laundry and errand assistance. Kevin and Rich did the propane/West Marine thing while Jen and I went to a farmer’s market and grocery shopping. We all went to the Chart House back by our boat for appetizers and drinks (fabulous prices!)

Saturday, June 15 - We started the morning with a walk to a pastry shop for breakfast and brought Pepper with us. We went back after lunch to walk around on the Annapolis side. The last 2 days we had been on the Eastport side of the harbor and I wanted to roam around downtown Annapolis. We walked by the capital and the Naval Academy, looked at historic homes, browsed in a few shops and did a small wine tasting at a local wine shop. That evening we got together with Adrienne and Paul on Unteathered. As we were close to Pusser’s rum bar, on a Saturday night, it became quite loud from all the party people well into the night! Fortunately a small fan in the bedroom cabin creates a nice white noise and I was able to block it out.もっと詳しく