Baltimore back to Queenstown July 21, 2011

We boat got up at around 6:00 and collected dirty clothing in preparation for a trip to Janine’s favorite place – the Laundromat.  That facility here is in the same area as the showers so we were able to cover two area of prime importance at once.  With all of the heat we are experiencing, showers are vital.  We usually do sponge baths or on deck showers with a water bag, however, if showers are available, we much prefer that.

The showers went quickly but the clothes cleaning process was a 2 hour ordeal.  I took my computer along so that I could log in the blog stuff.  I sat in front of the marina office and watched the early morning runners puffing and sweating the way around the water front.  Also, I watched the residents of the huge boats that were moored at the docks come and go through the large iron security gates that protects them from us commoners.  I even saw several executive looking folks with their white shirts and brief cases leave and head into the city.  I assume that they are live-aboards.

At about 8:30, Janine came out with her big bag of clean duds and we headed back to the boat.  We threw the laundry onto the bunk and headed for Lenny’s Deli for breakfast.  We were amazed how few tourists were out on the waterfront this morning.  We figured that the many of those who crowded the Inner Harbor area the day before were here from Boston to see the Red Socks play the Orioles.  The ball park is quite close to the Inner Harbor and a lot of the folks we saw had on Boston baseball shirts with the name of their favorite player bannered across the back. (The Orioles won!)

At Lenny’s, I had a waffle and sausage with coffee and Janine had a three egg omelet with bacon and cheese.  We are getting spoiled.  From there, we went back to our old friend, Barnes and Noble, to send forth our daily blob or blog, however you view it.  It was already up near 90 degrees when we got back to the boat.  We were eager to get underway so that we could get some air moving through the boat and across our bodies.  We got rolling at about 11:00 and made a quick circuit around the harbor taking pictures of the various things that adorned our home for the past two nights.

On the way out of the harbor, we pulled up to the marina fuel dock to buy some ice and turn in our keycard.  We all but had a minor crisis there when the poor employee at the Dock Masters Office did not have the authorization or the keys to give back my $25.00 deposit for the keycard.  She said that her boss, who was the keeper of the keys, had left.  I asked when she would be back and she had no idea.  She attempted to contact the boss to no avail and finally went to another office and they loaned her and her office (the Dock Masters Office) the $25.00 to be repaid when the Dock Masters Office boss returned.  I was grateful and we got underway.

Out in the harbor, the wind was beginning to pick up a bit, however, it was on our nose so we motored.  Although it was a bit hazy, we were able to get pictures of points if interest including a number of Navy vessels that were moored here.  We passed under the Key bridge and headed out into the Bay proper as the wind continued to build.  Our course turned a bit and we decided to attempt to sail, however, gave up that plan when we realized that our slow progress would take us into our destination well after dark so we dropped the sails and motored on.  The waves were probably about 2 feet and the chop was continuous.  We saw only a couple of pleasure boats out as we crossed the bay toward the eastern shore.  Our goal was to return to the little cove in the Queenstown River where we found the beach with shade.  As we turned a bit toward the north heading up the Chester River, we picked up a favorable breeze, raised the sails and had a delightful sail for about an hour.  We pulled into our little cove at about 5:30.

We hurriedly put the trolling motor on the dinghy, got into our bathing suits and headed for the beach and cool water.  It turned out that after about three 100 degree days, the water wasn’t all that cool but it was cooler than the air and quite refreshing.

Back in the boat after about an hour or so, we grilled some butterfly pork chops that Tim Cotterman had marinated in Italian dressing, made some mashed potatoes and an apple dessert.  While we waited for the chops to get done, we had a glass of Rex Goliath 47 Pound Rooster Merlot and some Tillamook cheese on crackers.  We were really hungry since we had not eaten lunch.  (Not that we both would have missed a meal.) 

At bed time, it was still oppressively hot in the boat but the time had come for sleep.  We rigged up the fan and the Wind Scoop over the hatch, left the back hatch open and crawled into bed. 

Baltimore July 20, 2011

We awoke at about 5:00 after a really pleasant night’s sleep.  We had set up our little fan to blow into the sleeping cave and it provided a nice breeze to cut through the oppressive heat that we had been experiencing all afternoon and evening,  At about 1:30, I got up and turned off the fan in an attempt to save battery life.  Since we would probably not be motoring today, I felt that I needed to be conservative. 

We tinkered around in the boat; I worked on the blog, and Janine tidied up the boat and read a bit.   We headed for the showers at about 8:30 and were pleasantly surprised to find a very nice shower/laundry facility.  It felt great getting the perspiration residue off of our bodies.  It is one of those treats that you look forward to on a cruise like ours.

We needed to discuss the issue of our electrical hookup with the folks at the Dock Masters Office and it didn’t open until 9:00 so we hung out on the dock until that time.  This is a really exclusive dock.  It is absolutely in the heart of Baltimore; a spot of real prime real estate.  The Dock Master controls a few slips like ours and those of the tour boats while the marina, whose office is next to the Dock Master’s controls a number of exclusive slips.  These folks all share the same bath facilities which are controlled with a key card for entry.  The dock hand that helped us land yesterday commented that we had picked the right marina to stay with because the other one was really expensive. 

When the Dock Master’s Office opened, the young lady although apologetic told us that they did not provide refunds so it was sort of “sorry about your luck.”  I asked to speak to her supervisor and she had never heard of the problem that we had and again told me that she could not refund my $16.00.  We discussed the fairness of their policy and she finally said that if I could provide a receipt to show that I had paid the $16.00, she would refund it.  So I walked the ¼ mile back to the boat, got the receipt, and walked back and received my money.

It was now 9:45 and we had yet to have breakfast.  I placed my computer under my arm and went looking for an ATM (our cash is running low), a place to eat breakfast, and a wireless hot spot to communicate with my world of computer friends.   We hunted around for a good 45 minutes before we finally found both an ATM and Lenny’s Deli of Harbor Place where we found a busy vocal staff preparing meals for throngs of folks.  I ordered pancakes, sausage and home fries and Janine had a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.  It was good and nice not to have to prepare that meal on the boat. 

The temperature was really beginning to rise and we decided that if we were going to do something outside, it had best be soon.  Parked right in front of Lenny’s Deli is the sailing ship the USS Constellation so we decided to take the tour.  It was a really great tour that took you all through the boat using a handheld recorder.  They even fired a cannon as a demonstration.  The staff were all knowledgeable and willing. 

From there we headed to a Barnes and Noble for the air conditioning and a place to send out the blog.  This B&N is a really neat one built inside of an old municipal power plant.  The smoke stacks have been opened up and made part of the stacks for books.  They also have, as I guess many of them do, a Starbucks Coffee place and we both experienced our first frappachino; mine was a white chocolate one and Janine’s was a mocha.  Boy are they good and refreshing on a sweltering day!   We hung around B & N for quite a while I figured out how to use their internet connection and Janine got in some serious reading time in the cool! 

Back at the boat in 102 degree heat index, we cooked and finally decided that we had to get back into air conditioning. So back towards B&N when we ran into a tour guide who provided a map of things to do in the Inner Harbor.  I noticed a Maritime Museum not far from B&N so we decided to check it out.  It turned out to be a retired Coast Guard Ship that was originally built in the middle ’30’s.  During WW11, it was transferred to the Navy and sent to Pearl Harbor.  It is said to be the last ship to still be floating that survived the December 7^th attack.  We took the tour and like the Constellation tour, it was well done and most interesting. It even had a few air conditioned compartments.  Back outside – Back to Barnes and Noble and another frappachino and reading time.  We stayed around in the cool air until about 6:00 and since our meal for the day was at 10:30 we decided to head for the Fells Point area for our evening meal. 

We motored about a mile to the public pier, tied up amongst several boats that were already and headed into the raucous crowd that had assembled in front of several of the pubs that had street side tables.  We stopped at John Steven LTD restaurant, one that Beth had suggested and had a wonderful meal.  Janine had a salmon dinner with twice baked potatoes and I had a wonderful seafood pasta medley. We quenched our thirst with a local beer – something like Resurrection Ale and a Yuengling.  The folks at the table next to us struck up a conversation and it came around to a discussion of the free movie to which they were headed that was held every Wednesday night on the pier where we were moored.  After dinner we wandered back to the boat and were amazed by the monstrous screen at the end of the pier and the throngs of folks that were gathering for the show.  We decided that Ironman II was probably not our sort of movie so we headed out into the dusk for a pleasant ride back to the mooring pier. 

Upon tying up, a gentleman in a 39 foot catamaran came over and invited us to come onto his boat for a visit.  We did and had a truly wonderful evening.  They were from Canada, had sold their home and bought this big beautiful boat and had been living on it for the past two years.  Most of that time had been spent in the Bahamas and points south but they had returned to get away from the hurricanes.  We spent a good 2 hours talking about sailing and the adventures that we had all had.  Finally, at 10:45 we said our goodbyes and headed for bed.  It was still really hot and we again rigged up the little fan to make sleeping in the cave bearable. 

Queenstown to Baltimore July 19, 2011

The day began as a typical cruising day with bacon and eggs with a strawberry blob muffin and V-8 juice.  We had rolled out of bed about 5:30 and noticed that the little cove in which we were staying had absolutely no breeze blowing across it.  We tidied up the boat and got underway by 7:15.  I was concerned about the weather and also the fact that the Baltimore trip would be the longest that we had undertaken on this trip.  We had a soft deadline of 4:00 when our niece, Beth Sherfy, was going to meet us for an evening cruise and dinner. 

As we were motoring out of the Queenstown River, we passed the Morgan yawl that we had seen back in Chestertown a couple days before.  We had talked to the skipper of the boat while in Chestertown as we encountered him on the dinghy dock.  He was most friendly offering to drive us to wherever to get supplies.  He was in the process of replacing his water heater (Can you imagine hot water on demand in a sailboat?).  This morning they were moored in the middle of the channel that we were following on our way out.  It was early and there was no sign of life as we passed within 20 feet or so. 

On out in the channel, we set a course on our GPS for a buoy of Eastern Neck Island around which we would swing before heading fairly straight towards Baltimore.  Earlier, before we left our anchorage, we had noticed that the ice in our coolers was about gone and we still have some perishable food stuffs so we transferred all of the ice that we had into one cooler and put only those items that were subject to spoilage in that one.  As we were headed for our buoy, I realized that we were only two miles from a marina in Kent Narrows and we could get a bit of fuel, buy some ice, and send our blog out.  So we headed for Kent Narrows.

Kent Narrows is a very busy place, especially on weekends.  There are many condos and lots of big mostly power boats.  We tried to call the Mears Point Marina on the radio but received no answer so  we just headed for their fuel dock assuming that they were open.  The time was probably 8:30 by the time we arrived.  The guy at the fuel dock was helpful as we took on about 8 gallons of fuel in our big tank.  That is the only tank we have used on this trip so that is about the amount that we have used in a little over a week.  Not Bad.  We also took on a top-up of water in our freshwater tank.  I inquired about internet service and he said that we had to be moored there or buy 24 hours of time, he wasn’t sure.  He suggested we go to the office and check and that we did.  The office folks confirmed that you had to pay $9.00 for a 24 hour time pass to use their service.  We bought Ice and headed for Baltimore. 

Coming out of the Kent Narrows channel, we passed the Morgan Yawl and I hailed them on the radio and asked if he had gotten his water heater fixed.  He laughingly answered, “Yes, thanks for asking, Ohio.”

Out on the bay, the water was glassy and the wind was absolutely calm.  I figured out how to set up a route on our GPS so that we would have a course to follow all the way to our mooring for the evening.  On our previous GPS, we could slave the course to our auto-pilot and it would actually steer us all the way there.  This one is supposed to do that but so far, I haven’t been able to get it to do it. 

The day was really hot.  They were calling for a heat index of between 100 and 110 in Baltimore and the only reason we were somewhat comfortable on the boat was that we were moving at a bit over 6 mph causing our own wind.  As it was, as we approached the entrance to the Patapsco River, the heat was really beginning to be uncomfortable.  I removed as many of my clothes as was practical; there was no one around and I know, it wasn’t pretty, but it helped. 

The weather channel was not calling for any storms in the Baltimore area but they were continually broadcasting a heat advisory.  The sky was hazy.  We were making good time and it appeared we would make our mooring location by about 2:30.  We passed under the Francis Scott Key bridge and were met with a huge ship heading out of the harbor.  Those things are really big.  This one was over 600 feet long and looked like it was 20 stories high.  Just past the bridge, there is a buoy that’s placed in the water every summer during the boating season in the location where Francis Scott Key was anchored in captivity and where he wrote the Stars Spangled Banner.  We deviated from our course and took pictures of that buoy.  Back on course, the wind had come up, we were well ahead of schedule so we raised the sails and proceeded to sail into the harbor.  It was a nice ride.  Our AIS warning system was going crazy telling us about all of the ships that were surrounding us.  Most of them were moored but sending out their messages. 

The sky to the northwest was looking a bit threatening so I turned on the weather channel and nothing as being said about storms in our area.  I didn’t like what I was seeing so I used the radar app on my Iphone and sure enough, there was a line of storms heading directly for Baltimore.  So down with the sails, on with the motor and we made a run for our mooring site.  The site had been suggested by several folks and our cruising guide gave us a phone number for the dock master of the site.  To make a long story short, the place to which the dock master was taking us was not the free one we were heading for, however, it was a good place to tie up; all the way at the end of the Inner Harbor.  Their fees were the most reasonable that we had encountered so we took it.  The fee was $1.50 per foot plus $8.00 for a power connection.  Since we had been struggling a bit with our batteries, we decided to pay the price and put a full charge in the batteries.  As we were closing the deal it began to rain and Tyrone, the dock hand, headed for the shelter of the office.  We finished tying up the boat and before we could get inside, the storm really hit.  There were tremendous winds that at one time, I was afraid it was going to blow Janine off of the dock.  We were both really soaked.

I put on my “Frog Toggs” rain suit and went up to pay.  As I walked along the waterfront, people looked at me as though I was a freak and the freaks smiled assuming that they had found one of their own.   While I was walking, Beth called stating that she was in the area so we met and she had an opportunity to see what a freak of an uncle she was related to.    

Janine, Beth and I walked around viewing the sights of the Inner Harbor before settling down for a delightful dinner at McCormick and Schmick (M & S) Restaurant.  Janine had a baked tilapia dinner and I had a chicken cordon blu with crab sauce.  Both were very good.  After dinner, the three of us got on the boat and motored to the original place where we were going to stay, a place called Fells Point.  It is a quaint area with many little shops.  We walked around that area for a while finally settling down in an ice cream parlor..  Back in the boat, we motored out to Fort McHenry.  It was fun having Beth point out various landmarks as we traveled.  Out by the Fort, we picked up a bit of wind so we turned the boat around, raised the sails and headed back to the Inner Harbor.  The sunset over Fort McHenry was one that will be remembered.  The wind was light and it became obvious that we would get back to the dock well after dark if we continued to sail, so we dropped the sails and motored on in.  We said our goodbyes to Beth and began getting ready for bed.  I attempted to hook the shore power cord for which we had paid and was frustrated to find that although the prongs on the plug were right, the head of the plug would not let go into the socket far enough make a connection. So no charging of batteries tonight

It was hot!  So we rigged a small fan to blow into our sleeping cave and drifted off to sleep at about 10:00

Langford Creek to Queenstown July 18, 2011

The day started off as usual with a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and blob blueberry muffin with V-8 juice.  I had a since of urgency about getting moving this morning because I had set a time for the rendezvous with Stuart Harshberger at 12:00 in Queenstown and I wasn’t sure just how far it was and how long it would take us.  I busied around and get the boat ready to move and we were on our way by 7:30.  There was a nice breeze, however it was from the southwest and we were heading southwest so we motored all the way to Queenstown.  I was surprised to find that the distance to our destination was a bit more than 10 miles so we arrived well before the appointed time.

The cruising guide had little to say about the town.  There are no marinas there; however, there is a town dock at which one can tie up for up to two hours.  The book does go into great detail concerning the entry into the Queenstown River.  It is evidently heavily shoaled and the passage is quite narrow.  They even comment that grounding during entry is an “oh well” experience because the bottom is soft and easily backed off from.  We followed the directions carefully and had no difficulty getting to the landing.  Once there, we tied up and headed for the heart of town.  We had an hour of wandering time before we were to meet Stuart.

The town of Queenstown is a truly lovely town.  Virtually every home has manicured lawns and beautiful flowers. It is a quiet, sleepy place.  As we walked about, we saw almost no one.  We were looking for a carry-out or grocery to pick up a few things, however, there were none to be found.  In the heart of town, we found the post office, a pizzeria, and a historic courthouse and that was about it. 

We headed back toward the boat, found a nice spot on the landing lawn beneath a shade tree, and sat down to enjoy the stillness until Stuart arrived.  Upon his arrival, we wandered down to the boat and as you can imagine, we talked boats and sailing.  He had recently sold his Balboa 26 and purchased another 26 footer that seems to have several good characteristics that the Balboa lacks.  One of these is the fact that it has a keel design that doesn’t leak.  Our leaking keel is a constant gnawing concern.  I am not concerned that we are going to sink outright, but I am concerned about the batteries running down and the bilge pumps not working.  For us that is not a serious problem because we are with the boat almost all of the time that it is in the water but those who leave their boat anchored or moored for the summer must check on their boat frequently to be sure that it is not full of water.

Going to lunch was fun.  Stuart has an older Porsche which has a small back seat.  Luckily, Janine is small and fit nicely with the front seat moved forward, however, I had to fold my legs just so to get in and out.  We drove to a nice restaurant called  Annie’s.  Janine had a oyster sandwich and I had a lump crab meat melt sandwich which was out of sight.  Over lunch we discussed places to go, things to see and generally got to know each other.  Stuart is an engineer with his own small firm dealing with prosthetic limbs. It was an interesting, most enjoyable meal.

Stuart drove us back to the boat, we said our “so longs” and we motored about ½ mile up the Queenstown River where we found a quiet cove into which we dropped our anchor.  It was really hot and only 2:00 in the afternoon but our plans of heading for Baltimore tomorrow dictated that we start from here in the morning.  Fortunately, our little anchorage came supplied with a nice sandy beach under some shade trees so we pulled on our suits and allowed Damn Dink to carry us to that cool refreshing spot.  We both swam and sat on the beach and read.  It was really nice and relaxing. 

At about 6:00, we decided to head back to the boat and think about supper.  We both considered that the luncheon meal was big enough to be our main meal for the day and I missed having my Spam so we had our typical sailing lunch for supper.

They are calling for severe weather after midnight so I battened down the things on the outside of the boat in preparation for some winds that could reach 60 knots.  I feel that this anchorage is a good one, well protected from wave action and somewhat protected by trees from wind.  I checked the radar on my iphone just before bed and saw no storm activity going on at all.  We shall see.  It is 9:30.

Chestertown to Langley Creek – Phillips Creek July 17, 2011

Ducks taking a break on Damn Dink in Chestertown

As I mentioned yesterday, my day started at about 5:00 watching the crabbers going after their catches.  I had a chance to talk to the group that included the two children and they told me that they were just crabbing for their own food.  They put out 600 feet of rope into which they inserted chicken necks.  They then lay the line on the bottom and the crabs come and grab on while they eat.  As they come up, the people in the boat drag them off of the neck with fishing nets and flip them into a basket.  This group worked the waters around our boat for at least 4 hours.  They would go up in one direction, turn around and go back to the starting buoy and then do it all over again.  Later as we were traveling down the river, I saw a man and woman, the man driving the boat, the woman netting the crabs.  She pulled them off and left them in her net until she was finished with the run.  I couldn’t tell how many crabs she had in her net when she was done but it was a significant pile.

Breakfast this morning was the Sausage Gravy and Biscuit special that we have had for the previous 5 mornings.  This is the last of the sausage so it will be the last of this delicacy.  (I thought I heard an amen and a thank you Jesus from across the table when I announced the ending.)  Tomorrow we will start on the bacon and eggs with blob muffins. 

Custsoms House in Chestertown - Early 1700s

Dingy Dock in Chestertown

After breakfast, we tidied up the boat and I took Damn Dink to the Chestertown Marina to top-off fuel in my portable tank.  The main tank now sits under the floor of the cockpit and I can’t see the gauge or in the filler cap to determine how much fuel I have left so I filled up my 4 gallon portable tank and will allow the main 12 gallon tank to run dry before I refill it.  I can go a long ways on 4 gallons.   I am afraid that if I try to top off the big tank not knowing how much is in it, there is a possibility that I would run it over and I don’t want gasoline in the bilge of the boat. I also picked up a couple of blocks of ice and used their wifi to post yesterday’s blog.

Back at the boat, we got underway at about 11:00.  We basically motored all of the way back to Corsica River where we had stayed the night before last.  The river is actually narrow during most of the way between the Corsica and Chestertown and the wind was blowing in our face so motoring was the best option.  The breeze was cool although the temperature was climbing towards another scorcher.  Being Sunday, there were a lot of boats on the water, both crabbers and pleasure boaters.  The water was constantly churning because of their wakes.  Just past the mouth of the Corsica River, we swung around a point and entered the East Fork of Langford Creek.  The creek flows south and we had a nice southwesterly breeze so we put up the sails and sailed about 6 or 8 miles upstream to Phillips Creek which bears on to the east.  This is a very secluded anchorage with only one other boat and she was located in the mouth of the cove.  We traveled about ½ mile back into the cove unto we reached water that was about 6 feet deep.  Usually we start the motor and drop the sails well in advance of dropping the anchor, however, I decided that since there were no other boaters in the area, I would douse the jib, head into the wind, and drop the main sail.  As the boat was stopping I walked forward and dropped the anchor.  The wind blew us backwards and the anchor held so we were set for the night.

We pulled in to the cove at about 3:00 so timing was exactly right for a nap!  It was really hot so sleeping wasn’t the easiest; however, I made it work.  Janine picked up a new book at the marina in Rock Hall so she spent the remainder of the afternoon reading.  Several years ago, I purchased a gadget called a Wind Scoop that you hang from the mast.  It is sort of a wind collect sack that you place over a hatch and it directs wind down into the cabin of the boat.  I have never used it but decided to try it out today.  I hung it and attached it to our forward hatch and it worked really well.  It even cooled the sleep berth which is usually a hot tomb.  There is no mosquito netting over the hatch so we can’t use it at night but it is great for the day time.  

I realize this is not Merlot and Steak but a typical meal on the deck!

Our evening meal began with Tillamook cheese and crackers with a glass of good Merlot on the aft deck, followed by a couple of grilled fine strip steaks that Tim Cotterman’s meat guys marinated and vacuumed packed prior to freezing them hard.  They were absolutely super.  Janine fried some hash brown potatoes and we rounded out this delightful meal with blob carrot cake slathered with cream cheese icing. 

After cleaning up the dinner dishes, we put on our bathing suits, climbed into Damn Dink and went for a spin around the wonderful cove in which we are anchored.  We were looking for a sandy beach where we could cool off, wash off and generally get refreshed.  The tide was in so the beach areas were all covered with water.  Our little trolling motor on the Dink makes virtually no noise so as we were rounding a small point moving into a smaller little cove, a huge bird flew from above us followed by two more.  The three bald eagles, a juvenile and two adults squawked as they flew across the main cove and landed in trees on the other side.  They sat and watched us explore the remainder of the cove.

I had noticed a sandy looking area not far from where we had dropped anchor and we decided to try stepping off the dinghy there even though all we could see was sea grass.  We were rewarded with a really nice sandy area. The water was just perfect and most cleansing and refreshing.  We probably lollied around in the water for a good half hour before returning back to the boat.

Back at the boat, we received a text/call from Stuart Harshberger, a fellow Balboa 26 owner who lives in the Baltimore area and has been following these blog postings.  We talked of our upcoming travels into Baltimore and also set up a luncheon get together tomorrow in the town of Queenstown.  I look forward to meeting another sailor with a similar boat.  We do have much to talk about.

We had a bit more blob carrot cake before crawling into bed at about 10:00.

Corsica River to Chestertown - July 16, 2011

Corsica River to Chestertown  -  July 16, 2011

We got underway by about 8:00 this morning.  The lake was glassy, and the departure was uneventful.  We were the first ones stirring of the 6 of us that claimed this little spot as our anchorage.  It was a good one.

We motored back out of the Corsica River and entered the Chester River by about 8:30.  The only boats on the water, (and there were a bunch of them) were the local watermen who were crabbing.  We saw everything from pontoon boats with guys sitting on the front throwing their traps and bait to fairly large boats that were designed for the purpose.  One guy had a runabout type boat with a cover on it that he had designed for crabbing.  He must have had a baited line that was close to ¼ mile long.  On the side of the boat, he had an arm that stuck out onto which he placed his longline.  The bait was probably placed on strings about 10 feet apart and as he drove along with the line and bait coming over the bar, he would net crabs hanging on the bait and pop them into the boat before the bar drug them off.  His partner was sitting in an easy chair watching the process.  When they got to the end of the line, the partner got up and drove the boat back to the beginning of the line while the original guy graded the crabs that he had caught.  It was a slick operation.

Entering the Chester River, we began to travel in a northeasterly direction with a wonderful following wind from the southwest.  We were able to ride that wind all the way into Chestertown, a distance of probably 20 miles.  We had to tack one time when the river made a 90 degree bend to the left.  The scenery was really beautiful and I find myself at a loss to come up with words to describe how neat this ride was. 

At one point we passed a skipjack heading down stream.  This was a restored member of a family of boats that used to ply the waters of the Chesapeake.  They had no motor because Maryland law requires that when they are dragging for oysters, they had to do it under sail so in order to get down the river when the weather was unfavorable, they had a motorized push boat snuggled up to their stern for that purpose.  The push boat was really nothing more than a little tiny boat with a big engine.  They would securely tie the push boat to the stern with her bow snuggly fitted into a receptacle, start the motor and used the skipjack’s rudder for steerage.  When they got to their dredging location, they were required to hoist the push boat out of the water and did so with strong davits designed for that purpose.  The vessel that we saw was the Ellsworth which is now owned by a school with an environmental mission.  They use it to take school kids out onto the bay and do various environmental studies.  Later in the day, it came into dock while we were in Chestertown and we were able to view it closely.   While I’m on the subject, parked next to the Ellsworth was another restored vessel called a “buy boat.”  These motorized boats had a stout mast at the bow that was used to load and off load large batches of oysters.  These guys would run up and down the river and bay and buy the oysters off the skipjacks so that the skipjacks could continue to dredge. 

I must interject this.  It is 5:30 in the morning as I type this and it is just turning light.  We are anchored in the middle of the river near a bridge in Chestertown.  Already, there are three crabbers working the waters within 100 feet of where we are anchored.  These are the boats with the arm over the side.  One of the boats has two adults in it; the other has two adults, a teenage boy, and two pre teen kids; a young boy and a young girl.  They are laying out their baited lines and the young boy is standing with his net ready to flip the crabs into the boat.  They laid their line 20 feet from our starboard side.

The Cruising Guide and a fellow traveler that we had met several days ago suggests that you can anchor anywhere in the river in Chestertown and use you dinghy to travel into to town.  Mooring at the town dock is free for dinghies.  The guide book advises that anchor holding is not good here because the tidal currents are fairly strong and reversing.  The book suggests that a Danforth anchor, the kind that we have, is not good here so when we prepared to drop anchor I was a bit uneasy.  However other boats were anchored and there was lots of room for the anchor to drag before one would get into trouble so we anchored.  To be safe I did put out a second Danforth. 

We pulled Damn Dink up alongside and got it ready for the trip into town.  We now tie her gunwale tight to the side of Panache so that when we step aboard, she is stable and unable, although willing, to flip us into the water.  The wind was blowing and the water was choppy, however, the little trolling motor pushed the Dink easily to shore.    

We tied up along the wharf and wandered into town.  It is a neat town what was established in 1698, long before our country as established.  A number of beautiful old brick homes line the waterfront.  According to a gentleman we met on the dock, the houses were made of bricks that were carried over from England.  The ships used the bricks for ballast coming across then carried various cargos back to Europe.  One of the most impressive is the 300 year old “Customs House” that was originally used as a Port of Entry.  The houses have been wonderfully restored and make for an interesting setting.  We walked the streets and enjoyed the old architecture.  Chestertown has been named one of “America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  We were looking for an ice cream parlor but were not successful.  We stopped at a little restaurant that appeared to be of the ice cream parlor variety, but had to settle for a glass of ice tea instead.  As we walked along I noticed a coffee shop, Play It Again Sam, which offered free wifi.  Of course I didn’t have my computer so we headed back to the wharf, I jumped (well carefully stepped) into Damn Dink and headed back to Panache to pick up my computer.

Back in town, we made our way to the coffee shop and found it to be a really interesting place.  It was obviously a local hangout with a number of folks banging on computer keys or enjoying a beer or one of the specialty coffees.  I had an Anchor Steam Beer which, I was told by the waitress, was a local beer.  On close inspection of the label, I found that it was, in fact, brewed in San Francisco.  It was good just the same.  Janine had some kind of ice coffee with a lot of cream and other goodies.  It too was delightful.  I fired up my computer and sent out my yesterday’s blog.  While we were enjoying the atmosphere and air conditioning of the shop, Janine noticed that the brand name of the coffee listed on the cup was “Panache.”  I called the waitress over and asked if I could buy about ½ dozen more of the plastic cups and she told me that they also had Styrofoam cops with the name on them, so I asked for 6 of those also.  She came back with the 12 cups and refused payment. We now can sail in the style of Air Force One with our own monogrammed cups. 

From there we went to the Fish Whistle Restaurant that was highly recommended by a local policeman.  He suggested the fish taco but other items appeared more appealing to both of us.  I ordered a pulled barbeque pork sandwich with cole slaw and potato salad and Janine a chicken enchilada.  For dessert, we ordered a brownie sundae which we shared.  That was really good.  The Fish Whistle sits along side  the wharf and as we were sitting there, a gal driving a big34 foot power boat pulled into the dock, pivoted the boat around a piling and backed it into a slip with skill that I couldn’t believe.  On our way back to Dink, I stopped by the boat and informed the skipperette that the judging committee sitting on the veranda had evaluated her landing and judged it to be the absolute best.  She was flattered.

 Back at the boat, we typed, read, worked on pictures until about dark.  We ended our day sitting in the cockpit enjoying the arrival of the night in the cool air.  It was really pleasant.  (I failed to mention our lunch today included a Spam sandwich, chex-mix, and pudding cup while Janine had her “Uncrustable PBJ.)

Rock Hall to Corsica River July 15, 2011

It’s 5:00am, Janine is still asleep and the coffee pot is just beginning to perk.  The sky is just beginning to show signs of life and I can see about 5 anchor lights on the mastheads of the boats who, like us , have chosen this lovely spot to spend the night. 

Yesterday was a more typical day (if there is such a thing as a typical day on a trip like this).  We arose at about 6:00 after a restful night in the marina.  If the marina in which you are staying is quiet and no reveling partiers sharing their vacation with you throughout the night, the sleep is usually good.  No worrying about dragging anchors and wind and waves concerns to contend with.  You are tied to a dock inside of a breakwater so your worries are few.

I prepared a wonderful Sausage Gravy and blob Biscuits with V-8 for Janine while she showered in the marina bath house.  Places like these all provide showers so when we come in and spend the night we always partake.  As you can imagine that after several days of dips in the water baths, sun shower rinsing on the deck or sponge baths in the salon, we really savor a good hot shower with unlimited water.  I took my shower before I started breakfast.

I spent a significant amount of time compiling the massive missle that I sent forth yesterday while Janine rinsed out some of our shirts and undies in the sink in the bath house.  We didn’t find a laundry facility nearby so this was the next best thing. 

We had planned to visit a couple of museums dealing with the bay and the watermen who make their living here, however, the marina folks wanted us to leave so that they could rent our slip to another boater.  Their checkout time was 11:00 and although my plea was logical and passionate, they would only extend our time to 12:30.  So, at about 10:30, we started for town hoping to get in at least one museum.  Along the way another couple caught up with us and in the ensuing conversation, it turned out that they had just come into the marina where we were staying and were traveling in a HUGE motor sailor.  This thing docked on the other side of our site and dwarfed us.  It was 60 feet long but that is the small part.  It looked like a ship with two masts.  Most sailboats are sleek, low to the water craft but this thing was really big.  The guy bought it several years ago and has spent the last several years restoring it.  It is made of molded mahogany and painted in such a way that I assumed it was a steel hull.  The fellow stated that the master suite is bigger than many apartment bedrooms.  The boat was made in Italy and had spent time voyaging around the Mediterranean before coming to the US.  This boat was so big, he had to plan his entrance into the marina to match the high tides.  They were an interesting couple.  This type of encounter really adds to the fun of the trip.

Once in the heart of town, we found a delightful little coffee shop “Java Rock” where we grabbed a couple of sandwiches and ate them on their outdoor umbrellaed tables in the street side eatery.  I can’t remember the catchy names that they had for their sandwiches but mine was a roast beef, Swiss, kraut horsey sauce combination on Panini bread and Janine’s was a ham and Swiss on Panini.  I can only speak for mine, but I must say that they have come up with a great combination.  They also provided kettle chips and sweet pickles on the side.

Back at the boat, we added some more ice to our coolers and headed out at about 12:00.  There was a fairly stiff breeze blowing up a bit of chop on the water as we headed south for the Chester River.  The wind was again on our nose so we used the motor option for the early part of our journey.  We also needed to charge one of our two batteries.  The extended use of the computer and other things we had running had killed one of our batteries so the charging system on the motor was needed to restore it. 

We motored for about 5 or 6 miles on our southerly course then turned east and were able to set the sails and enjoy the peacefulness of the sail for the next three or four hours.  We swung around a long peninsula called East Neck and headed back north up the Chester River.  During the winter months, I had scoped out potential overnight stopping points using a couple of cruising guides and my chart book for the area.  I felt that the Corsica River looked to be an ideal place.  It is Friday night and many folks will be spilling out of the Annapolis/Baltimore area heading for the seclusion and quaintness of the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake and marinas and popular mooring sites become quite crowded.  As it turned out, the place we chose on the Corsica had only about 5 or 6 other boats already in place when we got there so we decided to carve out our anchor site and drop in.  It was a fairly wide spot in the river that was well protected from both wind and waves.  However, it was also a great spot for a loud powerful ski boat pulling a trio of young hulks around and around.  This made for a bit of rocking but that died down at around dark.

I started the charcoal grill and Janine made hash-browns on the stove.  I grilled the last of our burgers and we polished off the remainder of the Riesling.  After dinner, I prepared a blob carrot cake in our Bake Packer and while it was cooling, Janine and I took a spin around the anchorage in “Damn Dink.”  The Dink was nice to us and her little trolling motor pushed us around the area in grand style.

On the opposite side of the anchorage, we met a gentleman who had rowed his dog in his rubber dinghy over to the shore for some doggie relief.  We spent some time talking to him.

Back on Panache, we slathered some cream cheese icing on the cake and enjoyed a bedtime snack.  The time was 9:00. We were tired so to bed!