Baltimore, MD (return trip)

On the morning of Saturday, October 5 while I was having my Spanish lesson, Jonny walked Archie and brought back breakfast pastries from a little bakery that he found. We had delicious crispy croissants and a cherry pastry for our breakfast, a nice treat!

We left Annapolis by 10:30 bound for Baltimore. It was a sunny day but a bit cool. We passed an array of kids racing their little sailboats which is always fun to watch.

It was also pretty windy which made for a somewhat uncomfortable passage.  The bay settled down some once we got to the Patapsco River.

This time instead of staying at Anchorage Marina where we usually stay, we stayed at Lighthouse Point Marina just down the waterfront a bit. We chose to stay here because it is an Oasis Marina and we had won a large gift certificate for Oasis Marinas at the last MTOA Rendezvous and we wanted to take advantage of the free dockage before our cruising season ends.

Upon arriving after our four hour cruise, we were surprised to see how few boats were in the marina. We were quite pleased, though, to see a sign welcoming us at our designated slip. That was a first for us!

It turned out the marina had recently been totally refurbished and that and the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge resulted in less business for them this season. The dockmaster was very friendly and helpful and the marina had fine services and accommodations.  Our plan was to stay here for four or five nights nights because Jonny had scheduled a team to detail Zendo and we find it very comfortable staying along Baltimore’s attractive waterfront. 

The cleaning crew arrived bright and early on Monday morning and spent four plus hours with five workers cleaning and polishing every nook and cranny on the outside of Zendo.  It has never looked so clean in the ten years that we’ve had her! The team was friendly and professional and the price was less than what we we had ever paid in the past. Needless to say, we were very happy! 

That night we returned to Ne Ha for another excellent Chinese dinner. This is the restaurant that Stephanie and Ryan had found when they visited us a couple of weeks ago. 

On Tuesday, the museum we had wanted to visit was closed so we walked to Fell’s Point to have lunch at Bunny’s Buckets & Bubbles.  But upon our arrival we discovered that it wasn’t open for lunch on Tuesdays.  So instead we went to nearby Cooper’s Tavern which turned out to be quite good. We sat outside at this historic tavern which was creatively decorated for Halloween.  Jonny had a terrific burger and I had my first soft shell crab of this trip.

We had a relaxing rest of the day and skipped dinner as we often do when we have a big lunch.

On Wednesday we took an Uber to go to the Baltimore Museum of Art where we spent a couple of hours wandering through their very large collection. They had a particularly extensive collection of Matisse’s works along with many other Impressionists.  In addition, they had a fascinating Native American collection, a large African collection and some very interesting modern art installations. It was a lot to take in and it was well worth our visit.  

That evening we finally got to Bunny’s, Buckets &Bubbles for dinner. Stephanie and I had been here for lunch a few years ago and really enjoyed it. It’s very kitschy and it features excellent fried chicken and other goodies and emphasizes pairing them with a large selection of champagnes.  It sounds like an odd combination but it works. We shared a smoked trout appetizer, a fried chicken dinner and delicious shrimp and grits and of course, a bottle of champagne. It was a lot of fun!

After dinner we walked back to Zendo along the waterfront with a beautiful sunset lighting the way. The next day we will be heading up the Bay to the Sassafras River where we were given another gift certificate for two nights to a marina there. Lucky us! 

Annapolis,MD

We left Anchorage Marina in Baltimore on Tuesday, October 1 at 9:15 for the four hour cruise to Annapolis passing by these ever-present Navy ships.

The first part of the trip was pretty uncomfortable due to rain and a northeast wind which made the bay somewhat choppy.  We spent time in the saloon until we crossed under the Bay Bridge.  And as often happens, the waters calmed down considerably and we were able to go up on the fly bridge for the remainder of the trip.

We arrived at the harbor in Annapolis and headed for the drawbridge to get into Spa Creek in search of a mooring.  Not surprising due to the Annapolis Boat Show, we found that all the moorings were taken but it was not a problem as this is an easy place to drop a hook. By 1:15, under Archie’s watchful eye, we were comfortably situated in a spot very close to shore where we had anchored before.

We love staying in Annapolis because it’s such a pretty and historic town. Staying here is very affordable and very easy with Archie. Here in Spa Creek the surrounding neighborhoods have attractive homes and the streets lead down to the water with many of them having small docks where we can tie up the dinghy. The landing closest to us also has a lovely little pocket park that is used by locals to walk their dogs and just sit by the water.  We get a kick out of the bronze duck statues scattered throughout the park.

Once we settled in we called the harbormaster who provides a very helpful pump-out service that we were glad to take advantage of.

We had a relaxing afternoon and evening on board as we knew we would be busy the next day. On Wednesday, Jonny met one of his fellow MTOA officers who was bringing him many boxes of MTOA Rendezvous materials that she had stored in the home that she and her husband were selling.  After Jonny found a place to store these items on our boat (!) we dinghied to the Eastport part of town to meet our friends Greg and Lynda Gallagher who had driven up from Alexandria for our annual lunch at Boatyard Grill.  We had a fun afternoon eating crab cakes and catching up on each other’s lives.

After lunch we took them for a ride on the dinghy to look at the ever-increasing gathering of boats in the harbor due to the upcoming boat show.  We headed over to our favorite ice cream parlor where we topped off our ample lunch with delicious ice cream cones.

After dropping them back at their car, we headed back to Zendo where we were able to skip dinner and have another relaxing evening onboard.

On Thursday we got tickets to go to the boat show’s preview day which was perfect because it wasn’t as crowded as it would be on subsequent days. It was also nice to be attendees instead of having to work the show as we do at Trawler Fest.  We spent the day looking at the exhibits and touring many of the boats for sale. Jonny is especially enamored with the Back Cove 37 which is a lobster style boat. We have been seriously considering selling Zendo because it is getting older and Jonny, especially, would like to get something that is newer, with fewer levels and one that can “get up and go” if needed. Going to boat shows reminds me of the guilty pleasure that Stephanie and I share which is visiting open houses that are for sale.

We decided to stay an extra day in Annapolis because we are nearing the end of this season’s cruise and are ready to slow down a bit, plus we really like Annapolis.  So on Friday we visited the Banneker-Douglass Museum which is dedicated to preserving Maryland’s African American heritage.  It’s a very small museum right in the center of town.  It is housed in the former Mt. Moriah AME Church which was originally built in 1874 by a congregation of free African Americans whose roots date back to 1799.  It was an interesting museum with an array of tableaus  illustrating the various aspects of the history and lives of African Americans.

Afterwards we strolled through town stopping at a popular book store where we browsed and drank coffee.

Did I say that we  really enjoy Annapolis?  It’s a beautiful town with lots of history and charm and we never tire of walking its cobblestone streets with its lovely homes and stately buildings.

From here we will return to Baltimore where we’ll stay for a few days. We have some much needed detail work scheduled to be done on Zendo while we are there.  

Baltimore, MD

We left our anchorage on the Bohemia River at 8:50 on Tuesday, September 24 bound for Baltimore where we would be staying for several days. It was a cloudy, overcast day with cool temperatures. It is definitely beginning to feel like autumn. We had an uneventful six hour cruise making our way from  down the Chesapeake Bay. As we arrived in Baltimore we encountered the sad sight of the collapsed Frances Scott Key Bridge. This is the bridge that was struck by the collision of the cargo ship Dali in March of this year. 

We arrived at Anchorage Marina by 2:50 and settled into our comfortable slip. We like staying here because the surroundings are so attractive and we have access to grocery stores, West Marine, and lots of restaurants.  In addition, the entire waterfront for miles is paved with wide brick walkways and lined with attractive townhouses.  We are here because we will be staffing an MTOA booth at the Trawler Fest for three days as we have done for several years. Also, we are excited because Stephanie and Ryan will be joining us for dinner and an overnight stay for the weekend.

We had dinner onboard the first night because the next day was my birthday and we had dinner reservations at a restaurant named Ammoora that was just written up in the New York Times as one of the best 50 restaurants in the U.S.

On Wednesday (my birthday) we did lots of boat chores and all the while I was receiving scores of lovely birthday messages and phone calls. That evening we Ubered over to the restaurant that was in the Ritz Carlton on the other side of the harbor. If it hadn’t been raining we could have taken a water taxi and gotten there much quicker! We had a fabulous dinner at this beautiful Middle Eastern restaurant. It was definitely a special birthday meal!

Thursday was the first day of the boat show and the three of us (including Archie) went over to the marina early to set up the booth. We had several great volunteers come and help staff the booth. 

Unfortunately,  It was another drizzly day and traffic was light so Jonny sent me back to Zendo with Archie in the afternoon. I was able to get an appointment for a much needed haircut that afternoon and afterwards started to get the boat ready for our weekend guests. The walk back and forth to the boat show is very pleasant through old neighborhoods lined with row homes, cobblestone streets and pretty Halloween decorations.

That evening I walked halfway back to meet Jonny and three of our volunteers for dinner at Choptank Restaurant in Fell’s Point. 

On Friday, Jonny again gave me the day off, since he had plenty of volunteers to staff the booth and traffic continued to be light. That afternoon Stephanie, Ryan and their dog, Eloise arrived. It was the first time Eloise had been on a boat and she did very well. 

When Jonny returned we walked over to the nearby Lighthouse Pub that Jonny had been wanting to show Ryan. It is filled with thousands of different types of liquor and beer, an array unlike any place we’ve ever been. They struggled deciding what they were going to buy to bring home. In the meantime, we ordered beers and a nibble to tide us over until our dinner reservations.

After we dropped the dogs off at Zendo, we walked to an excellent Chinese restaurant that the “kids” found called NiHao. This unassuming spot on a busy street was bustling with activity and lots of Asian clientele, which is always a good sign. We had an amazing dinner with a large array of dishes that we shared. It was a real treat to have such excellent Chinese food!

On Sunday morning Jonny had an MTOA board meeting so he had to leave early. The rest of us took our time getting ready.

Then Stephanie, Ryan and I, along with the dogs, took a long walk through Fell’s Point and had breakfast at a very cool restaurant called Pitango. Jonny and I had eaten there in the past and enjoyed its savory selection of breakfast foods and sandwiches.

Jonny met us back at Zendo and after hanging out for awhile we walked the kids to their car and bid them farewell.  Fortunately for us we’ll see them again in a few weeks when we go back to Philly. 

Jonny and I returned to our empty nest where we decided to hunker down for another day or two before resuming our travels. We had leftovers for dinner on Sunday night and watched a little TV before going to bed early.

On Monday we had a vey relaxing day, which Jonny definitely deserved after his four days of volunteer work. Because he hadn’t been to Pitango this trip we walked over there for lunch and spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing whatever odds and ends needed to get done. We’ll be heading down to Annapolis the next day where we plan to meet our friends Greg and Lynda for lunch mid-week. The weather is cool and a little wet and we are no longer in a rush to get anywhere since our journey is winding down in a few weeks.  I made a coconut chicken curry for dinner and we enjoyed another quiet night aboard Zendo.