Annapolis, MD

Before leaving Pasadena on Wednesday, September 13 Jonny had to help the Rendezvous organizer load all the conference materials and bring them to a storage facility. While he did that I walked Archie one last time on the Maryland Yacht Club’s beautiful grounds. Archie wanted to walk near the little beach so we did that first then circled around the whole expanse of lawn.

We didn’t leave until noon and had an uneventful trip south on the bay to Annapolis.  The weather was sunny and warm and we proceeded along under the big Bay Bridge.

We timed our 3:30 arrival in Annapolis to correspond to the opening of the bridge we had to pass through to get to our favorite spot to anchor or moor, Spa Creek.  We decided to grab a mooring because the area was filling up. This is such a perfect spot for us.  It’s tucked away in a quiet part of the harbor surrounded by lovely homes and beautiful boats.

We could easily dingy into various parts of town and many of the closest tie ups were at the end of residential streets where there are often pretty pocket parks.  A house near one of those tie ups had an excess of tomatoes and left them in a basket for people to take on the honor system.  We were thrilled because we had not found a good source of local tomatoes until then. 

We love staying in Annapolis. It’s such an interesting little city with an enormous amount of history, cobblestone streets, historical homes and charming byways.  We spent the next couple of days relaxing and exploring its ambiance.

On Thursday, our friends Greg and Lynda drove up from Alexandria and we had lunch together at our favorite Boatyard Grill. They kindly brought us to the grocery store so we could pick up a few items and then we treated ourselves with ice cream.  It has become an annual tradition for them to meet us when we’re in Annapolis. It’s always fun to catch up with them. (Sometimes I’m having too much fun and forget to take pictures!)

Fellow MTOA boaters, Mike and Marilou were moored near us and we invited them over for a drink one night. Mike is a new board member and it was nice to get to know them a little more. They live aboard their boat full-time!

The next day we made it a point to visit another favorite place - the Galway Irish Pub - for a brew at this classic Irish pub.

There was a big songwriting festival going on in town throughout the weekend. The artists were performing in pubs and different locations throughout the city. We were able to see several acts for free and all of them were very good.  On our last afternoon we hung out on the patio of the Ram’s Head Tavern (which was the festival headquarters) eating lunch, drinking beer and listening to some very good musicians. One of the songwriters had won second place on The Voice!

Earlier that day we walked quite a ways into another part of town to pick up a prescription at Walgreens. On the way we came across a big farm stand where we stocked up on local corn on the cob and lots of fresh vegetables.

 That night while I was making cream of celery soup with the excess celery I had mistakenly purchased, Jonny took Archie for a dinghy ride to Ego Alley where all the big boats cruise. Some of the biggest acts for the songwriting festival were performing there so he got to hear a little of that too.

We had a very quiet evening with our soup and corn, both of us nose deep in our books. The next day we would be leaving to explore some anchorages on the Chester River.

Pasadena, MD

First thing in the morning on Thursday, September 7 we took a longer than expected walk through a different part of Baltimore to Walgreens to pick up some prescriptions.  We hoped to leave Baltimore by 11 but had to wait for a package to arrive that Jonny needed for the MTOA Rendezvous.  So we had a relaxing day and finally left at 3:10 after the package arrived.  It was a short one and a half hour cruise to the Maryland Yacht Club where we were going to stay for the next five days to attend the Rendezvous.

We really like the Maryland Yacht Club because it is in a beautiful setting on a promontory with 270 degree water views and acres of land for Archie to frolic in.  It also has very nice facilities for a conference such as this.

The Rendezvous was a big success with around 110 people attending and 45 boats staying at the marina.

Jonny was very busy the whole time we were there with his responsibilities as president of MTOA and he did a great job. We got to visit with many of our boating friends and we met many new people as well.  The workshops were mostly informative and the social gatherings were lots of fun.

We also got recertified in First Aid and CPR and Zendo passed her safety inspection too.

We stayed an extra day after the Rendezvous ended on Monday so Jonny could relax and recover. One of our air conditioning units is out again and this time it might be more serious. Fortunately, Woody, our AC guy who is a MTOA member, was volunteering his time coming aboard members’ boats to troubleshoot their AC issues. He came aboard ours and thought there may be one more opportunity to repair it, though it’s a long shot. We’re going to have to wait until we return to Baltimore where Woody lives to address it. Fortunately, it is not as brutally hot as it has been and we still have the AC in the cabins (bedrooms) that still works.  Later that night we went out to dinner with Mike and Cindy, MTOA members we know from Fort Lauderdale. The one negative thing about this yacht club is that it is not close to anything. But fortunately Mike and Cindy had a car so we were able to drive to a local restaurant. 

We began and ended each day with lovely walks with Archie which are always a joy.

Baltimore, MD

On Monday, August 21 we woke up to an overcast day at our beautiful anchorage on the Sassafras River.

We took Archie on shore for a walk along the deserted driftwood strewn beach. Upon discovering a trail in the woods behind the beach, we hiked up the hill through a beautiful wooded area. We love this anchorage and will surely return to it.

Right after lunch we pulled up the anchor and left for Baltimore at 12:15. We arrived at Anchorage Marina after a four and a half hour cruise on calm waters.  We like staying at Anchorage because it’s located along Baltimore’s well designed boardwalk and it’s close to lots of good restaurants and stores.

We kept Zendo here for two weeks because I was flying to Charlotte to attend my girlfriend Cathy’s 70th birthday. She had rented a house in Asheville and invited her best girlfriends to celebrate with her for four days. We had a wonderful time in a gorgeous mountain setting eating and drinking and feting Cathy.

While I was away Jonny and Archie palled around in Baltimore and Jonny took Archie to his favorite bar! 

From Charlotte, I flew to Miami where Jonny met me with Archie in tow.  Jonny’s brother Andy and his husband Ed were going away for a few days and we took care of their dog Ollie which was a treat for both Archie and Ollie.

While in Miami we had lots of visits with Janice, Jonny’s mom and were able to attend a couple of parties and visit with close friends. We made the most of our short visit.  Most importantly, we picked up our clothes for Stephanie’s upcoming wedding!  And it was lovely to wake up to beautiful sunrises from our bedroom window each morning.

Upon our return to Baltimore, we stayed a couple more days and had dinner one night at Duck Duck Goose which was excellent. We’ll be returning to Baltimore later in the month. Next stop is Pasadena, Maryland for the MTOA Rendezvous. 

Sassafras River, MD

We had a relaxing morning on Sunday, August 20. Jonny was tying up some loose ends with boat repairs and I took Archie for one last long walk through town.

Because we weren’t leaving until lunchtime I even had time to watch one of my favorite Sunday morning political shows, Meet the Press, before it was time to make lunch. 

Our plan for the day was to leave Delaware City and cruise to an anchorage on the Sassafras River which is on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay.  We said our goodbyes to Tim and his crew and took off by 12:15 heading down the C&D Canal towards the Chesapeake.  Picking up the current after a couple of hours helped us make good time.  It was a beautiful day, sunny and clear with a nice light breeze and very comfortable temperatures. There was some boat traffic since it was Sunday and people were out enjoying their time on the water.

We arrived at the Sassafras River just before 5. Originally we dropped the hook on the north shore of the river but decided it would be better to go to the south side and anchor there. This way we were more protected from the fetch which could build up overnight.  This turned out to be a great decision because the anchorage was very calm all night long. 

Once we dropped the hook we took Archie on the dinghy into shore. The shoreline was completely undeveloped but it had a nice beach with lots of driftwood. We walked up and down the beach and Archie frolicked about chasing sticks and wading in the water. 

That evening we had cod, spaghetti aglio e olio, and spinach for dinner and sat on the aft deck watching  a small boat that was going back and forth checking a string of crab pots nearby.  

We loved the isolated nature of our surroundings and the only downside was very limited internet access.  So we spent much of the evening watching the gorgeous sunset and reading our books.  This is the best anchorage we’ve had thus far this year so we will surely return. When we have more time, we’ll head up the river a bit further to visit Georgetown,  MD.

Tomorrow we’ll go to Baltimore where Zendo will be docked for two weeks. I’m flying to North Carolina for a three day 70th birthday celebration that my good friend Cathy has invited some of her best girlfriends to at a house in the mountains in Asheville. From there I’ll fly to Miami where Jonny will meet me with Archie. We’ll be there over Labor Day weekend to go to a couple of parties, visit Janice, Jonny’s mom, and pet sit for Andy and Ed’s dog, Ollie while they go away for a few days.  We may also be moving Janice from her current place in a memory care facility to a nursing home. Wish us luck!