Solomons, MD

We decided to take a chance on cruising to Solomons on Saturday, June 18 thinking that if we left early enough we would have the best chance of a halfway decent passage. This was a distinct concern because the wind was blowing 25 knots but because it was coming out of the northwest the only part of the journey that should be really bad would be crossing the Potomac River which provided an open fetch for the wind.  We also didn’t want to stay any longer at South Point  Marina because we had absolutely no internet or cell phone service and we both had work to do.  We figured if the passage was really bad we could always turn back.  So we departed at 7:20 and headed into the Chesapeake Bay. 

It got rougher as we progressed but it wasn’t impossible, just not at all comfortable. I had to hold Archie in my arms the entire journey because he was not a happy camper, even with his CBD cookie.  We cruised for five hours in this manner.  Jonny did his best to make it as comfortable as possible.  The worst of it was crossing the Potomac where the water sprayed over the boat and at times reached us just a bit.

Finally as we turned into the Patuxent River, things calmed down some and we made it safely to Calvert’s Marina in Solomons.  We passed this interesting ship as we entered the harbor.  A dockhand helped us tie up on a floating dock and we happily settled in.  What a relief to get off the water!

Jonny washed all the salt off of Zendo and afterwards rode his bike to a local fish market to get soft shell crabs.  Even though he had called ahead to make sure they had them, when he arrived they told him they had just sold the last ones. So instead he bought some beautiful fresh shrimp.  Meanwhile I caught up on the blog.  That evening we had delicious shrimp scampi with pasta and a tossed salad. It’s always a treat to have such fresh seafood!

The next day was Father’s Day which we will celebrate with Stephanie the following weekend when we are in Philadelphia.  Jonny worked on the never-ending boat chores while I did a load of laundry.  He rode his bike back to the fish market where once again they told him they were out of soft shells!  After he expressed his dismay, they kindly went out back to their tanks and brought him four fat fresh soft shell crabs! He also bought some corn on the cob and green beans.

Upon his return he spent the rest of the afternoon on MTOA work and I spent the afternoon doing Spanish homework (I have a weekly Spanish lesson with a tutor on Zoom) and looking for flights for our trip to Seattle in September.  

We had some very nice interactions with nearby boaters.  One of the couples live aboard and were sailing on their 42 foot Catalina that was docked in front of us and another couple who we had met previously and who live in South Florida were stuck at Calvert’s trying to get their generator fixed. They were very disappointed to have to miss the upcoming MTOA Rendezvous in Greenport on Long Island in July but we benefitted from being able to take over their slip reservation for the event.

We rewarded our day’s efforts with a very delicious dinner of the bounty Jonny had bought earlier in the day.  Eating outside on the aft deck is such a nice way to end the day.  After washing the dishes we both took Archie for a long walk, mostly off-leash, on the grounds surrounding the marina.  The marina is located on a spit of land that has water on three sides.  It’s really quite a beautiful setting!

The next day we will head for Annapolis where we’ll have lunch with our friends Greg and Lynda who live in Alexandra.