Annapolis, MD

It was a sunny but brisk day on Tuesday, September 21 when we cruised from Baltimore to Annapolis. After a four hour trip we picked up a mooring ball in the outer harbor of Annapolis.  We debated staying in the outer harbor vs. Spa Creek which is further in and more protected from the rolling nature of the outer harbor. But we decided to stay put as the dinghy ride into town is much shorter in the outer harbor and we aren’t too bothered by the rolling seas.

Annapolis and Baltimore are our two major ports to rendezvous with visitors. Both are easy journeys from the Baltimore airport.  This time my cousin Kathy and her husband Mark were meeting us as they traveled with their two dogs up the east coast for an extended vacation.

Kathy and Mark arrived at their Air B&B at about the same time as we arrived at our mooring ball. We decided to meet them for dinner at our favorite Annapolis restaurant, the Boatyard Grill.  They brought their two dogs but we left Archie onboard Zendo as we figured that showing up with three dogs at that restaurant might be a bit much.  We had a very good dinner - we especially love their crab cakes - the best we’ve had at any restaurant.

We made our plans to meet in town the next day.  Kathy and Mark had never been to Annapolis.  It is such a pretty and historic town and we were happy to show them around.  Because we had the three dogs with us we were pretty much restricted to walking around outside which is exactly what we did.

We showed them the grounds around the Maryland State House, strolled by the Naval Academy and through St. John’s College and Ego Alley, and admired the many historic houses with plaques designating the periods in which they were built.

 

We found a new (to us) outdoor restaurant called Iron Rooster where we had a very nice lunch.  Afterwards we strolled a little more (our recent historic Annapolis tour proved helpful) and then split up to our respective “homes.”  Our plan was to meet later that evening for dinner.

Upon returning to Zendo, we learned more about the impending storm.  The waters were kicking up considerably and Zendo was rocking and rolling. We called the harbor master to see if there were any available moorings in Spa Creek but she didn’t know for sure. So Jonny set out on the dinghy to scout out the situation.  When he returned he reported two available mooring balls.  We  had just enough time to make the 6:00 bridge opening before the weather deteriorated.  We took off and arrived quickly -  just in time for the skies to open and pour buckets.  Jonny quickly donned his rain gear and got us safely tied up at the new mooring ball.  Spa Creek was exceedingly calm and we were relieved to be able to spend the night there.

But because the weather was so bad we called Kathy and Mark and we all agreed to forego our dinner plans for the evening. Instead, we hunkered down for a cozy evening on board in our lovely Spa Creek anchorage.