Oxford, MD on the Trett Avon River

On Memorial Day we arrived in Oxford Maryland which is located on the Trett Avon River off of the Little Choptank River on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake.  At first we thought we would anchor near the mouth of the the harbor leading into the town but we decided to cruise into the narrow harbor to "check the town out" from the water,  We were immediately entranced with its charm.  As we looked at the various marinas, we found one that had remarkably low rates and was located in a perfect spot. It didn't take much arm twisting to go for it and that's how we ended up at Oxford Yacht Agency.

The Oxford Yacht Agency is primarily a broker and marina for Grand Banks yachts and we were the only non-Grand Banks there.  Surrounded by those beautiful trawlers was a real treat and the name of the boat docked next to us reflected our feelings.

This marina was not the typical modern marina. Instead, it looked like a weathered New England village with natural shingles and a homey vibe.  

 John, the owner, was extremely helpful in pointing out the features of the five restaurants and ice cream parlor we had to choose from.  He recommended that we first go to the Oxford Mews (the local food market) to buy sandwiches and eat them in the waterfront park across the street to get a real "feel" for the town. We took his advice and walked the couple of blocks through this incredibly quaint and well maintained town to enjoy a breezy lunch in a beautiful spot.

 Afterwards we walked all around the town with one street looking prettier than the next.

We also chose this marina because Jonny had to do his first oil change by himself on Zendo and he needed to take the head apart and see if he could fix it.  John was willing to be there as a coach for Jonny and help him where necessary.  This was a real advantage in allowing us to see if we (Jonny) could handle the repairs ourselves with a little professional consultation as needed!

The first evening in Oxford we had dinner at the Key West-type restaurant that had very good crab cakes and a great view of the sunset.

Docking here also provided a great and affordable place to leave the boat for a couple of days so we could rent a car and drive the five hours to Connecticut to attend Aunt Pearl's funeral and then spend a day at Stephanie's in Parsippany to help pack up her apartment for her move to the Philadelphia area.

Upon returning from our short trip north, we spent the day doing repairs and trip planning.  Jonny did a great job with the oil change (saving us over $600) and was able to take the head apart and find the source of the problem.  Unfortunately in doing so, we found that the solution required some new parts which we won't be able to get for a couple of weeks.  Lynn wasn't originally convinced that we needed two heads on a 36 foot boat, but she is certainly convinced of it now!

That night we ate at another of the four restaurants in town and enjoyed a delicious meal. We have to leave the next day to continue on our journey but we could happily spend more time in this slow-paced and lovely town and hope to return another time.