Worton Creek, MD (return trip)

Michael and David stopped by Zendo to say good-bye to us on Saturday, September 20. Afterwards, we left at 9:00 for a long day of cruising.  Once again, we had a beautiful day of travel with calm seas and perfect temperatures.  We cruised past Annapolis and Baltimore and the nearby bridges.

Archie has been a perfect traveler, even taking his turn at the wheel.

The rest of us found time to relax, read, knit, chat and nap. Jonny made us delicious grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.

We wanted to go as far as the Bohemia River but instead decided to stop and anchor in Worton Creek again. It was already 6:20 so it was definitely time to stop. Jonny took Archie on his daily shore walk while the rest of us started to prepare dinner.  

We had wine and nibbles on the aft deck amidst a stunning sunset.

Afterwards we had pork tenderloin, asparagus and boiled potatoes for dinner - clearly a group effort.  It was a relaxing evening with a gorgeous sunset and great friends. What more could anyone ask?

Solomon’s, MD (return trip)

On Saturday, September 19 we got Zendo ready for our guests who will be cruising with us over the next few days. Addie and Lange live in Miami and we’ve been friends with them since before our kids were born. They make it a point to join us aboard Zendo every year around my birthday and this year was no exception.  

We also managed to say good-bye to some of the MTOA-ers, many of whom were going on a cruise to nearby Smith Island which we had to pass on since we needed to get back to Philly.  We brought Zendo to the fuel dock for a pump out. By 11 Addie and Lange had arrived and met us by the red and white striped tent.

We took off at 11:15 on a stellar day. It was sunny and warm and the seas were calm.  We were headed back to the Solomons and Calvert Marina where we stayed on the way south. 

Another set of friends from Miami were going to be nearby so we planned to meet Michael Bracken and David Bannister for dinner that night.  We arrived at Calvert’s by 6:00 and tied up at the same face dock we had stayed at previously.

We Ubered to a local pub called the Ruddy Duck and had a nice dinner with local brews sitting outside on their patio.  It was fun catching up with Michael and David who were planning a drive back to Miami with items from Michael’s parent’s home and David’s sailboat, both of which were located in the general area.

Afterwards we returned to Zendo and after more relaxing chatter we all retired in preparation for an early departure the next day.

Crisfield, MD

We left Calvert Marina at 8:15 on Saturday, September 13 heading for Crisfield, MD for the MTOA Rendezvous. It was a magnificent day with perfect temperatures in the 70’s and calm seas. We saw very few boats along the way and arrived at Somers Cove Marina by 1:45.

After fueling and doing a pump-out we tied up at the dock in a prime location. The next several days were consumed by the Rendezvous which was a success but not without its challenges and a very unfortunate tragedy.

The afternoon we arrived, we cleaned Zendo inside and out knowing that we would have guests aboard.  We had dinner at a local low-key restaurant with some friends and enjoyed our first soft shell crabs of the season. 

The next day was spent helping with setting up for registration and welcoming some of the early arrivals.  The Rendezvous officially began on Monday morning with a board meeting that Jonny chaired, as president.  The opening session began after that and continued for the next three days.  The weather on Monday was very nice but things changed after that.

On Tuesday night, after a day of workshops and a group dinner, one of our members left the festivities to walk back to her boat. When her husband joined her a bit later she was nowhere to be found.  The police were called and an extensive manhunt for her began that included scores of MTOA members, the police, the sheriff’s office, divers, drones and the local mayor.  All to no avail.  After several hours the search was halted and we were left wondering if Theresa had accidentally stepped off the docks and fallen in the water. 

The next day the search resumed though with not as much ferocity except by two of our members.  The weather had deteriorated and it was a very rainy and windy day but these two women refused to accept that Theresa was gone.  They took it upon themselves to search and search until they found her lying by some rocks near the shore but quite a ways from the marina. She was in a fairly remote spot that the previous searches had only superficially explored.  Apparently she had fallen and hit her head and given all the time that had passed, she obviously did not survive. The situation was dreadfully sad. The officials were promptly notified and since it was an unexplained death, her husband was not allowed to accompany her in the ambulance to the morgue and a full investigation had to be done. 

Of course, the MTOA membership was stunned and saddened by this loss and we held a brief ceremony which Jonny facilitated with the help of one of our members, a lay minister who led us in prayer and we lit 140 votive candles in her memory.  The committee in charge of the Rendezvous did a very good job of pivoting and adjusting the schedule to give proper deference to this loss and and still honor their commitments to the members to provide them with a good Rendezvous experience.  Events were delayed some but they did occur and eventually after a couple of days the weather also started to improve. By the last day, the sun shone again.

Some of the fun events were a crab race and a crab dinner including a local woman named Hurricane Hazel, the fastest crab picker in the county!

That evening we witnessed the gathering of a dramatic cloud bank that I had to include here.

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This will be a Rendezvous that shall not be forgotten.  The day after it ended there was a boat trip to Smith Island but we didn’t go because we had to get back to Philly for a doctor’s appointment and the arrival of our first grandchild. 

At the banquet on the last night of the Rendezvous we said our goodbyes to old and new friends and started to plan for the trip home. Our good friends from Miami, Addie and Lange, were due to arrive the next morning to join us for the trip back to Delaware City.

It was an eventful week in good ways and bad. I was incredibly proud of Jonny and his ability to help guide a group of 140 people through a very difficult time and still maintain the spirit of cooperation and good will that are hallmarks of the Marine Trawler Owner’s Association. 

Solomons Island, MD

 We got a fairly early start on Friday, September 12 because we knew we had a long day of cruising as we made our way to Crisfield, MD.  It was a stunning day with temperatures in the 70’s and calm seas. There was very little boat traffic so we had a relaxing journey. 

Here we’re about to cruise under the Bay Bridge just north of Annapolis.

We decided to stay at Calvert’s Marina in Solomons Island to make it easy on ourselves with Archie. We’ve stayed there numerous times in the past and enjoy the location and especially the low price for docking!  We arrived at 4:55 and tied up at the T-dock behind a large catamaran. We took Archie for a walk on the grassy fields nearby where he was able to run off-leash. 

After much discussion we decided to have dinner at the closest little waterside restaurant where we had a surprisingly delicious and affordable dinner (which of course included some crab).

That evening we enjoyed watching a You Tube documentary about the history of the Muscle Shoals sound which was fascinating and featured a large array of singers and bands who were nurtured in that unique environment.  Highly recommended!

Worton Creek, MD

After a very eventful month of moving from Miami to our row house in Philadelphia, we were ready to resume our cruising aboard Zendo. For the next two weeks we’ll be cruising the Chesapeake Bay on our way to Crisfield, MD for another MTOA Rendezvous. Afterwards we will be hightailing it back to Philly for the birth of our first grandchild at the end of the month!

Our marina had just completed some work on Zendo including replacing our fuel injection pump and  tuning up the outboard on our dinghy. Jonny had taken Zendo out for a sea trial two days earlier. Everything had gone well so we are good to go!

We left Delaware City at 11:50 on Thursday, September 11 to catch the current on the C&D Canal. It was a beautiful, sunny day with temperatures in the 70’s. The waters were calm as there was little wind.  It clouded up for part of the afternoon but got sunny again later on. Our goal for the day was the Bohemia River but because we were making good time we decided to go on to an anchorage on Worton Creek.  We arrived there by 5:20 and dropped the hook in a beautifully bucolic setting. We were in a large wooded cove on the river with only one other sailboat anchored in the distance. Perfect!  

With Archie in the dinghy, we headed to a small marina nearby to take him for a walk. As we approached the dock our outboard sputtered and stalled. Uh, oh! We thought all was well but apparently not! I scrambled out of the dinghy with Archie and we headed toward the marina so he could do his business and have a little walk while Jonny worked on the outboard. Although the grounds around the marina were attractive, I was turned off by the numerous No Trespassing and Members Only signs throughout the grounds. 

Since no one was around, we ignored them for the sake of Archie's exercise and then headed back to the dock. Thankfully, my capable husband was able to solve the outboard issue and we were ready to head back to Zendo.  It would have been a problem if we had to row back because we had gone quite a distance to get to the marina.

Back onboard, it was dinner time and we had ravioli with pesto and a salad for dinner.  Dining on the aft deck was lovely and afterwards we enjoyed a particularly beautiful sunset. We went to bed early because we planned to leave by 6:30 the next morning for a long day of cruising so we can reach our destination by Saturday.

Delaware City, DE

We left Cape May at 6 a.m. on Saturday, July 26 in order to catch the tide up the Delaware Bay. We sailed into a beautiful sunrise.

The seas were comfortable enough and we made record time riding the current. 

 Cruising on Delaware Bay can be tricky if the tides and wind are not in your favor, but we had a good voyage. There is very little to see on this bay other than occasional ships and a couple of lighthouses. 

We arrived at our “home port” by 12:20 and were welcomed by Tim, the friendly owner who we are quite fond of.

Our plan is to be here for a week and work on our rental home in Philly to start getting it ready to move in.  We’re cohosting a baby shower for Stephanie and Ryan, along with his parents, on Sunday.  My sister is coming and will stay on our boat.  Also coming are our friends Cathy and Addie and Lange who will stay at Air BnBs. The day after the shower Jonny and I will fly to Miami to finish packing up our condo. By mid-August we’ll drive our other car from Miami to Philly to meet the moving van. They’ll unload all of our belongings and we’ll begin the process of setting up our new home and our new life in Philadelphia!

But there is more cruising in store for us this summer.  We’ll be heading to the MTOA National Rendezvous in the Chesapeake Bay in September so stay tuned for more blog entries for that trip.  And of course we’ll be anxiously awaiting the highlight of our year, the birth of our first grandchild, a baby girl, sometime around October 7!

Cape May, NJ

We went back and forth about whether or not to go on the Atlantic or the ICW to Cape May on Friday, July 25. We finally decided to go on the ocean side because it would take less time, the seas looked calm enough, and we wouldn’t have to leave at the crack of dawn.  

After taking Archie for his morning walk in this pretty town, we left Ocean City at the comfortable hour of 8:30. 

There were 1-2 foot swells and it was a little uncomfortable at first, but not bad.  Halfway through the trip the seas calmed to one foot swells.

We also decided to stay at a marina instead of our usual anchorage primarily because it was so beastly hot. We arrived at Utsch’s Marina by 2 and tied up at the transient dock.  Utsch’s grounds are very utilitarian but they are right next to the Lobster House restaurant and a great seafood market.  We usually load up at the market but this time we resisted because we weren’t going to be on Zendo for a few weeks. 

Instead we had a leisurely lunch at the Lobster House where we both ordered the same thing (unusual for us to do). Our very friendly Russian server encouraged us to order the seafood special which was a melange of lobster, clams and scallops over a bed of linguine with a lemon butter sauce. It was delicious especially accompanied by a glass of rosé for me and a beer for Jonny. Needless to say, we indulged in a nap afterwards.

We were very comfortable holed up in air-conditioned comfort aboard Zendo that evening.