Annapolis,MD

We left Anchorage Marina in Baltimore on Tuesday, October 1 at 9:15 for the four hour cruise to Annapolis passing by these ever-present Navy ships.

The first part of the trip was pretty uncomfortable due to rain and a northeast wind which made the bay somewhat choppy.  We spent time in the saloon until we crossed under the Bay Bridge.  And as often happens, the waters calmed down considerably and we were able to go up on the fly bridge for the remainder of the trip.

We arrived at the harbor in Annapolis and headed for the drawbridge to get into Spa Creek in search of a mooring.  Not surprising due to the Annapolis Boat Show, we found that all the moorings were taken but it was not a problem as this is an easy place to drop a hook. By 1:15, under Archie’s watchful eye, we were comfortably situated in a spot very close to shore where we had anchored before.

We love staying in Annapolis because it’s such a pretty and historic town. Staying here is very affordable and very easy with Archie. Here in Spa Creek the surrounding neighborhoods have attractive homes and the streets lead down to the water with many of them having small docks where we can tie up the dinghy. The landing closest to us also has a lovely little pocket park that is used by locals to walk their dogs and just sit by the water.  We get a kick out of the bronze duck statues scattered throughout the park.

Once we settled in we called the harbormaster who provides a very helpful pump-out service that we were glad to take advantage of.

We had a relaxing afternoon and evening on board as we knew we would be busy the next day. On Wednesday, Jonny met one of his fellow MTOA officers who was bringing him many boxes of MTOA Rendezvous materials that she had stored in the home that she and her husband were selling.  After Jonny found a place to store these items on our boat (!) we dinghied to the Eastport part of town to meet our friends Greg and Lynda Gallagher who had driven up from Alexandria for our annual lunch at Boatyard Grill.  We had a fun afternoon eating crab cakes and catching up on each other’s lives.

After lunch we took them for a ride on the dinghy to look at the ever-increasing gathering of boats in the harbor due to the upcoming boat show.  We headed over to our favorite ice cream parlor where we topped off our ample lunch with delicious ice cream cones.

After dropping them back at their car, we headed back to Zendo where we were able to skip dinner and have another relaxing evening onboard.

On Thursday we got tickets to go to the boat show’s preview day which was perfect because it wasn’t as crowded as it would be on subsequent days. It was also nice to be attendees instead of having to work the show as we do at Trawler Fest.  We spent the day looking at the exhibits and touring many of the boats for sale. Jonny is especially enamored with the Back Cove 37 which is a lobster style boat. We have been seriously considering selling Zendo because it is getting older and Jonny, especially, would like to get something that is newer, with fewer levels and one that can “get up and go” if needed. Going to boat shows reminds me of the guilty pleasure that Stephanie and I share which is visiting open houses that are for sale.

We decided to stay an extra day in Annapolis because we are nearing the end of this season’s cruise and are ready to slow down a bit, plus we really like Annapolis.  So on Friday we visited the Banneker-Douglass Museum which is dedicated to preserving Maryland’s African American heritage.  It’s a very small museum right in the center of town.  It is housed in the former Mt. Moriah AME Church which was originally built in 1874 by a congregation of free African Americans whose roots date back to 1799.  It was an interesting museum with an array of tableaus  illustrating the various aspects of the history and lives of African Americans.

Afterwards we strolled through town stopping at a popular book store where we browsed and drank coffee.

Did I say that we  really enjoy Annapolis?  It’s a beautiful town with lots of history and charm and we never tire of walking its cobblestone streets with its lovely homes and stately buildings.

From here we will return to Baltimore where we’ll stay for a few days. We have some much needed detail work scheduled to be done on Zendo while we are there.  

Baltimore, MD

We left our anchorage on the Bohemia River at 8:50 on Tuesday, September 24 bound for Baltimore where we would be staying for several days. It was a cloudy, overcast day with cool temperatures. It is definitely beginning to feel like autumn. We had an uneventful six hour cruise making our way from  down the Chesapeake Bay. As we arrived in Baltimore we encountered the sad sight of the collapsed Frances Scott Key Bridge. This is the bridge that was struck by the collision of the cargo ship Dali in March of this year. 

We arrived at Anchorage Marina by 2:50 and settled into our comfortable slip. We like staying here because the surroundings are so attractive and we have access to grocery stores, West Marine, and lots of restaurants.  In addition, the entire waterfront for miles is paved with wide brick walkways and lined with attractive townhouses.  We are here because we will be staffing an MTOA booth at the Trawler Fest for three days as we have done for several years. Also, we are excited because Stephanie and Ryan will be joining us for dinner and an overnight stay for the weekend.

We had dinner onboard the first night because the next day was my birthday and we had dinner reservations at a restaurant named Ammoora that was just written up in the New York Times as one of the best 50 restaurants in the U.S.

On Wednesday (my birthday) we did lots of boat chores and all the while I was receiving scores of lovely birthday messages and phone calls. That evening we Ubered over to the restaurant that was in the Ritz Carlton on the other side of the harbor. If it hadn’t been raining we could have taken a water taxi and gotten there much quicker! We had a fabulous dinner at this beautiful Middle Eastern restaurant. It was definitely a special birthday meal!

Thursday was the first day of the boat show and the three of us (including Archie) went over to the marina early to set up the booth. We had several great volunteers come and help staff the booth. 

Unfortunately,  It was another drizzly day and traffic was light so Jonny sent me back to Zendo with Archie in the afternoon. I was able to get an appointment for a much needed haircut that afternoon and afterwards started to get the boat ready for our weekend guests. The walk back and forth to the boat show is very pleasant through old neighborhoods lined with row homes, cobblestone streets and pretty Halloween decorations.

That evening I walked halfway back to meet Jonny and three of our volunteers for dinner at Choptank Restaurant in Fell’s Point. 

On Friday, Jonny again gave me the day off, since he had plenty of volunteers to staff the booth and traffic continued to be light. That afternoon Stephanie, Ryan and their dog, Eloise arrived. It was the first time Eloise had been on a boat and she did very well. 

When Jonny returned we walked over to the nearby Lighthouse Pub that Jonny had been wanting to show Ryan. It is filled with thousands of different types of liquor and beer, an array unlike any place we’ve ever been. They struggled deciding what they were going to buy to bring home. In the meantime, we ordered beers and a nibble to tide us over until our dinner reservations.

After we dropped the dogs off at Zendo, we walked to an excellent Chinese restaurant that the “kids” found called NiHao. This unassuming spot on a busy street was bustling with activity and lots of Asian clientele, which is always a good sign. We had an amazing dinner with a large array of dishes that we shared. It was a real treat to have such excellent Chinese food!

On Sunday morning Jonny had an MTOA board meeting so he had to leave early. The rest of us took our time getting ready.

Then Stephanie, Ryan and I, along with the dogs, took a long walk through Fell’s Point and had breakfast at a very cool restaurant called Pitango. Jonny and I had eaten there in the past and enjoyed its savory selection of breakfast foods and sandwiches.

Jonny met us back at Zendo and after hanging out for awhile we walked the kids to their car and bid them farewell.  Fortunately for us we’ll see them again in a few weeks when we go back to Philly. 

Jonny and I returned to our empty nest where we decided to hunker down for another day or two before resuming our travels. We had leftovers for dinner on Sunday night and watched a little TV before going to bed early.

On Monday we had a vey relaxing day, which Jonny definitely deserved after his four days of volunteer work. Because he hadn’t been to Pitango this trip we walked over there for lunch and spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing whatever odds and ends needed to get done. We’ll be heading down to Annapolis the next day where we plan to meet our friends Greg and Lynda for lunch mid-week. The weather is cool and a little wet and we are no longer in a rush to get anywhere since our journey is winding down in a few weeks.  I made a coconut chicken curry for dinner and we enjoyed another quiet night aboard Zendo. 

Chesapeake City, MD

We took our time leaving Delaware City on Monday, September 23 in order to take advantage of the favorable current on the C&D Canal. In the morning we took Archie for a shorter than usual walk along the canal path and afterwards spent some time chatting with Tim, the owner of Delaware City Marina. 

Jonny, who is always very busy, did some boat chores including filling the batteries with water.  We didn’t leave until after lunch at 1:15, cruising past Delaware City’s cute town center.

The weather was overcast and a bit chilly but we bundled up on the flybridge and were fine.  

 We cruised past the center of Chesapeake City going under the bridge that connects the two parts of the town that sit on either side of the canal.

A few miles south we came to the Bohemia River, our destination for the day.  We found an anchorage just outside of Bohemia Bay Yacht Haven and dropped the hook. This is a great anchorage because we could take the dinghy in to the marina and tie up at their dock. So much easier than having to haul the dinghy onto the beach or into a forest clearing! 

This is a very attractive marina that appears to be well-managed. One of our boating friends keeps his boat here in one of their covered slips.  Jonny seriously considered keeping Zendo here for the winter but there was no place that we could leave our car as we can do in Delaware City.  It is also further from Philadelphia, so for now we will continue to keep Zendo in Delaware City.

We took Archie for a walk around the marina and he was able to run off leash for awhile.

That evening we had a cozy dinner of meatloaf, boiled potatoes and broccoli. Jonny went to be bed early and I followed him a bit later. Next stop is Baltimore where we will stay for six days because we’ll be volunteering for MTOA at the TrawlerFest there. And Stephanie and Ryan will be joining us for an overnight stay aboard Zendo to celebrate my birthday again!

Delaware City, DE

We left early at 6:45 on Friday, September 20th in order to take advantage of the currents flowing favorably up the Delaware Bay.  We were bound for our “home port” of Delaware City Marina.  We made good time on a very nice day with calm seas and few other vessels, though this big one quickly passed us.

We arrived in Delaware City by 1:10 and quickly tied up at their linear docks. We are here at a somewhat in-between time for cruisers so the marina was pretty quiet. We were docked right in front of a big sport fish owned by Mike and Steph who we met last time we were here. They are fixing up this big 70 plus foot boat which is turning out to be a bigger project than they bargained for! 

It’s always nice to be back at this marina. Tim, the owner, and the staff are so friendly and helpful that we always feel at home here.  Our plan was to be here just for the weekend so we could visit Stephanie and Ryan and by Monday leave for the Chesapeake Bay where we’ll be for a few weeks.

After tying up and having a bite of lunch, we did boat chores, cleaning, and laundry all afternoon and had a relaxing night onboard.

On Saturday we took Archie for a long walk on the canal path here which is a favorite of all three of us. Archie especially loves it because he can be off leash most of the way. 

By mid-afternoon we were on our way to Philly in our car which we leave at the marina while we are cruising. Our plan was to stay overnight at Stephanie and Ryan’s home. We were excited to see them since we hadn’t done so since early June.

We had a lovely reunion at their comfortable row house. Archie was thrilled to see Stephanie, as he always is. Eloise, their Corgi, was especially happy to see Archie and wanted to play and play.  Archie was somewhat indifferent though he did engage some with his little “niece.”  

That evening they had arranged for us to go out for a drink at a very cool little bar where we had delicious and creative cocktails. From there we walked over to Osteria Ama, a little Italian BYOB where Ryan had made reservations. We were lucky to be in Philly at this time because it was restaurant week. We had a delicious three course dinner for only $40 per person! Of course, Philly’s popular BYOB policy makes eating out particularly affordable. 

The next morning we all took a great three mile walk throughout the nearby Graduate Hospital and Fitler Square neighborhoods. This is the area where we will consider moving when the time is right for us to move to Philadelphia.  We stopped for coffee and breakfast sandwiches at one of their favorite coffee shops. 

 

These neighborhoods are very attractive with lots of parks, restaurants and even a lovely walkway and bike path along the Schuykill River. As we strolled along it and over a footbridge we got a fabulous view of the city. skyline. 

On the way back to their house we walked by Ryan’s twin sister, Shannon’s apartment where she lives with her boyfriend Andrew. They live just two blocks from Stephanie and Ryan. As we chatted with them, their friends Tim and Tom, who also live nearby walked by and stopped for awhile. It’s so nice that our kids have friends and family who live so close to them!

After returning to their home, we chatted for a bit and I got to open my birthday gifts from Stephanie and Ryan. They were so sweet and thoughtful and I was very appreciative. And we’ll get to celebrate again next weekend when we are in Baltimore! Jonny and I have a boat show that we are volunteering at and the kids will join us on Saturday to go out to dinner together.

We left their home around 1:00 to drive back to Delaware City stopping at Costco and Trader Joe’s along the way to pick up some groceries.  That evening Mike and Steph, in the boat behind us, invited us over for a drink. We chatted with them for a couple of hours before returning to Zendo where we ate the leftovers from the previous night’s dinner.

The next day we’ll start our trip to Baltimore which will take us a couple of days.