Our plan was to head across the bay to Kent Narrows where we would leave Zendo to spend the weekend with Michael and Christina Bracken, friends from Miami. The day was overcast but the seas were calm and we had a pleasant cruise across the bay arriving at Piney Narrows Yacht Haven by 4:15. Several MTOA members keep their boats here and one of them has extra slips that he rents out. We tied up at a large covered slip. This is a very well maintained marina, really another dockominium.
Michael picked us up the next day to drive us to Bethany Beach. He was very generous to do so because it is a two hour drive for him both ways! Michael’s parents have a beach house in Bethany Beach and the Brackens are staying there for a few weeks. We were celebrating their 33rd wedding anniversary and my 69th(!) birthday. After settling into our weekend “digs”, we took the first of many lovely walks on the beach. Afterwards, we headed out to dinner. We ended up eating at one of their favorite restaurants called Matt’s Fish Camp where we had an array of delicious seafood.
For the next two days we spent delightful hours walking the beach, talking, catching up with each other and of course, eating and drinking. The Brackens have a dog named Kaiser who was quite tolerant of having Archie join him romping on the beach just as long as he didn’t come near his food!
Watching the dogs run and run and run, chasing balls, and splashing through the waves was a source of great joy for us. Archie made friends with every dog and beachgoer he saw - he thinks absolutely everyone loves him! Kaiser, being the more mature of the two, was better behaved!
On Saturday, Jonny enjoyed a long bike ride while Michael recuperated from what he thought were bad mussels. Christina and I walked into town and I attempted to helped her prepare the picnic dinner we would have that night on the beach. They had a portable fire pit that we carried out to the beach that evening along with a hamper of food and several bottles of champagne!
What a beautiful evening it was! Truly memorable, with a gorgeous sunset, crashing surf and lots of stars. The food and drink were delicious and Christina surprised me with a birthday tart!
We spent a few hours star-gazing and planet guessing and having a wonderful time.
On Sunday morning we walked into town for coffee and donuts. Bethany Beach is a popular summertime destination for Washingtonians but now that the season is almost over, it was free of crowds and fun to explore. It is colorful and cute and Michael regaled us with stories of the many summers he spent there as a youth.
Jonny and Michael went for one more bike ride and I packed up our things to get ready to leave. Christina made us a lovely lunch of tofu salad and later in the afternoon Michael drove us back to Zendo. It was a very nice visit and we really appreciate the Brackens and the time we spent with them!
On Monday, Jonny spent all day doing boat chores, most notably changing the oil and adding water to the batteries. Work on the boat is never quite done and though he accomplished most of what he set out to do, there is still more to be done. Poor little Archie seemed to be plagued by a stomach bug and he was vomiting on and off all day. After calling our vet and Michael and Christina’s daughter, Sophie who is in vet school, we were advised to wait a day or two to see if he is better. By then we’ll be back in Baltimore and if we need a vet, we can find one there. Hopefully, he will feel better soon.
We had a nice surprise from our friends Ken and Fred from Miami. They are the couple from whom we bought our boat and we have become friends with them ever since. They are onboard their beautiful Symbol cruising up and down the east coast. They went as far north as Maine and are now heading back to Miami. We’ve been trying to connect with them in person but keep missing each other. This time they made a special trip over from Baltimore to Kent Narrows to meet up with us. They invited us over for drinks and appetizers and we had a great time comparing notes on our respective cruises this year. Ken is retired but Fred is still working and was able to do so while cruising thanks to Covid! We love their “new” boat and always tease them that when they are ready to sell we’ll buy it since we have been so happy with our purchase of Zendo from them! Here are some photos of them and the saloon of their beautiful boat.
We’ll be heading back to Baltimore for about a week to volunteer for MTOA at the Trawler Fest, a boat show for trawlers. We’ll be recruiting new members with a team of local volunteers which is actually kind of fun. Our friend, Steve, who lives in Sacramento, will join us there and together we’ll head up to Washington, D.C. for a week’s visit.
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