Day 50 – N 38° 58.546’ W 76° 29.002’ Annapolis, MD

Right down "Ego Alley"

Annapolis calls itself “America’s Sailing Capital”.  Our day spent on shore certainly confirmed the image.  People with an interest in sailing can find plenty of things to enjoy.  We started the day with Lyn rowing us in our inflatable dinghy right down “Ego Alley”, which is THE place to be seen and display your boat.  Of course Lyn did it on a Monday morning, with no crowds around, and it was the only way to go to the City’s dinghy dock.  The dinghy dock is right in the heart of the town and within an easy walk of the US Naval Academy and most of the shops.

View from the Academy: Kite, alone in the mooring field.

We headed for the Naval Academy and walked around the campus and went inside their museum.  The upper floor of the museum has the world’s largest display of model ships, many of them dating from the 17^th and 18^th century. These are replicas of actual sailing ships of the period. The models are large, with incredible, intricate detail. One placard said it took 3500 hours to complete that particular model.

Model ship. Figures in background are life size.

At lunch time we headed to a creperie we had passed earlier and enjoyed some delicious French crepes made on the spot when we ordered. Then we walked about and looked at the shops.  The most interesting one to us was called Nautical North.  It featured wooden charts and maps with 3-D relief for the water depth.  We particularly liked one of the whole Chesapeake Bay, but such intricate work was quite expensive and we didn’t buy anything.  Of course we have the option to order online if we ever decide to get one.

Much of the historic district is well preserved with brick-paved streets and narrow, two-story houses standing shoulder to shoulder,  or sometimes having a narrow alley passageway between them. It wasn’t hard to imagine what it looked like in the peak days of sailing vessels. We learned that the top sail schooner “Pride of Baltimore” may sail into here tomorrow, and we may go ashore again to see it since the weather forecast is indicating that we will want to stay right here on the city mooring through at least tomorrow.

Men in rigging of Top Sail Schooner Sultana

Day 49 – N 38° 58.546’ W 76° 29.002’ Annapolis, MD

The tidal current tables indicated that Knapps Narrows, a narrow passage through Tilghman Island that would save us 6 nautical miles instead of going around the southern end of the island, would be slack current around 11:00.  The distance from Oxford to Knapps Narrows is about 12 nautical miles, so that meant that we would need 2 to 2.5 hours to get there and, therefore, we should leave Oxford around 09:00 to get there at the time of slack current.  So, around 08:45 we tried pushing off the dock, but a strong wind was setting us back onto the dock and there was a boat behind us that we had to pass while backing out of our slip.  Finally, around 0850, the wind shifted just enough for us to push off and back out without being blown onto the dock or into the boat as we backed out, and we were underway for Annapolis. 

The forecast was for winds 10 to 15 knots from the east and later from the northeast, and as Annapolis is generally northwest of Oxford, we expected to be sailing almost all day.  As soon as we cleared the harbor, the sails went up and the engine turned off.  The wind was as forecast and we were sailing at about 6 knots down the Tred Avon River and across the mouth of the Choptank River.  As we approached the channel to Knapps Narrows, the wind diminished to 5 to 10 knots for the last mile or so, but we had planned to motor through this section anyway, so we just took in the sails and motored through at 11:00, right on schedule.  Of course, slack water also meant that the tide was low, and as we motored through the shoaling parts of the Narrows, we watched with dismay as the depth decreased to 6 feet, then 5 feet, then 4.5 feet.  And although Kite’s keel extends 4.5 feet below the water, we stayed afloat and heaved a sigh of relief as the depth readings finally started to increase to 4.6, 4.8, and 5 feet.

Sailboats everywhere, nearing Annapolis

As soon as we were through the Narrows, we set the sails again and turned off the engine.  The wind in this part of the Bay was not as strong as forecast, more like 5 to 10 knots, but because the direction was favorable for a fast sail, we kept the sails up until after 13:00 when the wind finally became so weak the we could no longer sustain 3 knots of speed under sail.  So we motored the final 1.5 hours to Annapolis harbor, arriving just after 14:30.  It was easy to tell that we were getting near Annapolis, because suddenly we began to see sailboats everywhere.  We passed by 2 sailboat races, each with more than 20 boats, and there were hundreds of individual boats just out for a pleasure sail.   Even though the wind was light, many boats had their sails up and were ghosting along on this Sunday afternoon. 

Schooner sails through mooring field

When we arrived in the harbor, the mooring field was nearly empty of boats, so we had a large selection to choose from, and we chose one close to the City Docks, where we would have to land our dinghy if we had to use it.  It was so empty that one large sailing schooner came through the mooring field as it was taking down its many sails.  We got a close up view of how they do that. 

We planned to use the Water Taxi during our stay here, and were encouraged to see them ferrying people around the harbor.  Lyn called them and asked about their hours, and it turns out that they don’t start operating during the week until next week.  So it looks like we’ll have to re-inflate the dinghy after all. We are looking forward to exploring Annapolis for the next day or two.

Day 48 – N 38° 41.697’ W 76° 10.086’ – Oxford, MD

The plan for today was to get up at daybreak and get underway by 08:00 for Oxford, MD, only 12 nautical miles from our anchorage in San Domingo Creek.  There we would take a slip at a marina, because the holding for anchoring was reported as not good in the area, and we would be a bit rushed.  We wanted to see Oxford today and then tomorrow go to Annapolis, across the Bay while the easterly winds were still blowing at a reasonable speed.

Historic Oxford home.

We had the anchor up by 07:55 and were a bit sad to see such a great, sheltered anchorage with good holding start to slip behind us.  We motored out of the creek and then put out our jib while we motorsailed for half the trip to Oxford.  Entering the Tred Avon river our course was northeast, and the wind was from the east, so we were not able to carry the sail any longer, but Oxford is only a short way up the Tred Avon river, and the waves were small so we moved along well, arriving at our marina in Oxford at 10:08.

Every street has a view of the water.

As soon as we were tied alongside the dock, we broke out our folding bicycles and assembled them.  Then we registered for a night at the marina and set off exploring the little town.  We noticed that the entire town seemed to be a historic district, with well kept homes dating back to the late 1800s.  There were views of the water from almost every street. Peter also noticed that nearly every car was a Mercedes Benz, so this town is apparently well endowed.  It is a quiet little town, and the people seem quite friendly.  Oxford is contained on an “L” shaped peninsula and our marina is at the very end of the “L”.  It is so small that we rode the entire length of both sides of the “L” before lunch, then we realized that there were side streets 3 blocks deep on the main branch of the “L”, so we started exploring them too.  We found Cutts & Case, a wooden boatbuilder.  They have a marina as well as a display building that was open to the public, and they both contained some beautiful wooden boats, both sail and motorboats.  We also found Schooners for lunch, a nice restaurant with outside seating by the water.  Peter enjoyed an Angus cheeseburger (in paradise), while Lyn fell back on the regional favorite, crabcake.  Both were delicious.  And as we were exiting the restaurant we stumbled upon an ice cream shop and couldn’t resist. 

Wooden boat at Cutts & Case

After lunch we completed our bicycle tour of all the side streets of Oxford and then we returned to Kite, satisfied that we had seen all of the tiny village of Oxford, MD.  Because we plan to take a mooring tomorrow in Annapolis and use the water taxi to get around, we decided to deflate the dinghy and stow it on board so it wouldn’t slow us down tomorrow as we cross the Bay.  Peter also decided to rinse the salt water from Kite’s hull and Lyn decided to do the laundry because it was so convenient at the marina, and it was such a good day to dry clothes outside in the sun and wind.  With chores finished, Lyn prepared us a light dinner aboard Kite which we enjoyed inside our heated cabin, as the outside temperature is already in the 50s.

Day 47 – N 38° 46.420’ W 76° 13.844’ - St. Michaels, MD

We hopped into our dinghy this morning ready to go explore the town of St. Michaels. But this day, the dinghy’s outboard motor, which had been performing beautifully just the day before yesterday, totally refused to start.  For almost an hour, Peter tried checking things, tightening things, searching for the problem… but with no success. The only way to get to town from our anchorage would be to row the dinghy.  The breeze was against us, and inflatable boats do not glide smoothly along when rowed, but Lyn actually enjoys rowing, so we stayed close to the shore to lessen the headwind, and made our way to the dock where the working boats tie up right at the end of a street in St. Michaels. The forecast was for the wind to strengthen, but unless the direction changed, that would only help us get back to where Kite was anchored.

A sailing bugeye

St. Michael’s is a pretty town especially in Spring.  The houses were all from the 19^th century and very well kept and landscaped.  It was pleasant just walking around, but there were also some interesting shops along the main street.  Passing a bakery, we simply had to go inside and order croissants and coffee.  After that we walked to the end of the town first to see their maritime museum and planned to see some of the shops in the afternoon on the way back.  The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is really a campus of buildings where different aspects of life on the Bay were displayed.  There was boat restoration in progress so we got a close up look at the construction of a skipjack (the sailing vessels for oyster dredging).  Their in-water fleet included an original sailing bugeye that had never been converted to motor power.  There were also places along the dock where you could try using oyster tongs to bring up oysters from the bottom, or try raising a crab trap.

A fine specimen of seafood from the Bay!

We had lunch at the Crab Claw restaurant where we both ordered crab cakes again, something that is becoming a favorite for us. From the restaurant we could see the main St. Michael’s harbor and anchorage.  The wind was strong as we watched some boaters pound through the waves in their dinghy to get to their anchored boat and we were so glad we had chosen the much more protected San Domingo Creek where we had anchored. Walking back to the shops, Lyn simply had to visit the toy shop, and after exploring the two floors crammed with toys, games and books for children we ended up buying an unusual puzzle for one of our grandchildren.  Then on to what we get in every harbor: ice cream cones! A quick stop at a grocery store for some fresh fruits and vegetables and we were ready to return to our boat.  I can see why this is a popular place for cruisers to stop.  Everything you need is conveniently located on the same street, even a post-office, bank and pharmacy, and all with a lot of charm.

We loaded our treasures into our dinghy and since the wind had not changed direction, it helped us row quickly back to Kite for the night.  As we approached Kite, we noticed that three other boats were now anchored in San Domingo Creek, but this is a wide creek and we are not crowded at all.

Day 46 – N 38° 46.420’ W76° 13.844’ – San Domingo Creek, MD

Yesterday turned out as forecast, breezy but sunny and warm-ish.  Anything over 60°F feels warm to us now, and it was in the high 60s.  And the sun felt so good whenever we could get out of the wind.  The forecast for Thursday still looked OK for motoring over to the eastern shore again, so we started our day by getting our fuel tank topped off.  This was the first time we had bought fuel since we got to the Bay, and we only needed 17 gallons.  While there we also got our waste tank pumped out, and we were good to leave tomorrow as early as we wanted. 

Wm. B. Tennison, 60-foot Bugeye buy boat

Private cruise aboard Wm. B. Tennison

We returned to our mooring and decided we would use the marinas showers in the late afternoon, one last time before leaving.  Since it was a nice day and May 1^st, the Calvert Marine Museum was just starting their 1-hour cruises aboard their 60-foot wooden Bugeye boat originally built in 1899, and in continuous service since then, mostly as an oyster dredger while it was sail powered, and later as an oyster buyboat when it was converted to diesel power.  It started duty as a museum passenger cruise boat in the 1990s.  We decided we would buy tickets for their 2 pm cruise, and around 13:30 we took our dinghy over to the museum’s dinghy dock and bought our tickets.  It turned out we were the only people for the 2 pm cruise, so we got a private guided tour of the Solomons Island area, including the nearby Patuxent River area.  We boarded about 15 minutes before we were scheduled to depart, and talked for a while with Capt. Don.  He told us a little about the history of this Bugeye and also that she has a new Cummins engine since 2000, but that replaced a diesel that was 1940s vintage, and still worked well, but was getting hard to find maintenance parts for.  As we were cruising on the Bugeye out on the open Patuxent River, we noted that the waves were 2 to 3 feet tall, and we were happy that we did not try to motor through that by leaving Wednesday instead of Thursday.

We were up at dawn, and ready to leave before 07:00.  As usual, we checked the weather forecast one more time before departure, and SURPRISE – it had changed.  Instead of northeast 5 to 10 knot winds with 1 foot waves, it was forecasting northeast 10 knot winds with 1 to 2 foot waves.  And instead of being a sunny day, it was completely overcast and felt like rain (although rain was not added to the forecast).  On the other hand, the wind was calm as we looked with disbelief at the new forecast, and we decided to go for it anyway.  We cast off the mooring at 06:52 and motored out into the Patuxent River, and then into the Bay.  It was still very light winds from the northeast when we got to the Bay, and the waves were small.  We had a flooding tide, so as soon as we got into the Bay and turned northward, our speed was being helped by the tidal current.  We tried sailing, but the wind was not consistent enough to make good speed or the right direction, so we soon gave that up and just motored, as we had originally planned. 

By 10:00 we were entering the mouth of the Choptank River, and our GPS was telling us that we would arrive at our anchorage by 13:30.  Once we left the Bay our speed diminished a bit, but we were still making good time against the 5 to 10 knot northeast winds.  By noon, blue sky started peeking through the clouds and patches of sunshine could be seen here and there, and by 13:30, when we anchored in San Domingo Creek, it was a glorious, sunny day and starting to feel warm (over 60°F).  As we settled into our anchorage, we observed that the weather actually was like the forecast of yesterday, and that NOAA should not have changed it this morning.  It was a very pleasant, comfortable crossing in light northeast winds and small waves.

Peter scrubbing at waterline

We are anchored at the very end of San Domingo Creek.  It is the back door of St. Michaels, and we are actually anchored within the town of St. Michaels.  We are surrounded by million-dollar summer homes that mostly appear empty, so it is quiet here, and we are the only boat anchored in the creek.  It was so early when we got here, Peter decided to put on his wetsuit and scrub the bottom of Kite (it has been 6 weeks since the last cleaning, so it was overdue).  He managed to clean the entire bottom and was pleased to note that there were only a few barnacles on the hull.  Lyn rewarded him with a steak dinner, including a special item – pressure cooked sweet potatoes flavored with maple syrup.  After enjoying that delicious meal in the cockpit, we sat back and enjoyed the serenity of our surroundings.  Birds were singing as the sun was going down, ospreys, robins, Canada geese.  We even saw a loon, but did not hear its song.  Fish were breaking the water and leaving ripples in the smooth surface.  This anchorage is the best one we have found on our trip so far, and it will be hard to beat.  We will spend at least one more day here, enjoying the village of St. Michaels, and at least one more night at this peaceful anchorage.

Anchorage in San Domingo Creek