The last time we sent out our update we were in Myrtle Beach, SC, traveling north on the ICW. After leaving there we traveled a short distance to Southport, NC and set in a marina for 4 days waiting for a Nor-Easter to blow through. We had 50 MPH winds and lots of rain. No fun but we met some very nice people that were doing the same thing that we were. Waiting!!
When the storm finally passed, we continued on with a really good weather window for several days, stopping in some of the same places that we did last year. Because we enjoyed these places previously, we stopped again in Charleston and Georgetown, South Carolina, and Beaufort, North Carolina to name a few. We also visited some new places such as the Alligator River Marina…very small. They can only accommodate about 25 or 30 boats. When we got tied up we inquired as to where there was a market and were told that there was nothing for at least 10 miles in either direction. We were in the “Boondocks”! Very nice people that run the marina and again we met some friendly people who were traveling just like us.
Once we got to Norfolk, VA, we put the boat in a marina and traveled to see Bud’s mother and Elaine’s dad. We had a great time visiting and even had a chance to see Michelle and Scott and 3 of our granddaughters. It was nice to have a break from the boat for a couple of weeks. When we got back we did a bunch of chores on the boat and got Diamond Girl ready for a long summer in the Chesapeake Bay.
We really love to cruise in the Bay. There are so many places to see. I don’t think you could see it all in a life time. We visited some of the places we’ve been and some new ones. One of our favorite new stops was St. Mary’s College about 4 miles up into the St. Mary’s river. It has a very large anchorage in front of the college and good depths….about 10’ of water. We had heard from other people that the boaters that visited the anchorage were welcome to explore the college. So we took the dinghy and went ashore and looked around. What a beautiful campus. It’s very small and very, very old. It was founded in the early 1800’s. The boaters are also invited to eat in the school cafeteria. Again, we took the dinghy into shore in the evening and had dinner in the cafeteria. The food in cafeterias when I went to school was nothing like this one. The food was great!!
After leaving St. Mary’s we stopped for a couple of nights in one of our favorite places… Solomons Island. There are a lot of small marinas if you want them or you can anchor out as we chose to do. It’s got a lot of protection and good depths for anchoring. We also bumped into the very first people we met cruising on the East Coast. Bill and Jean Wright on Chapter 3 had just bought a condo there and spied us anchored out and came by to say hello. It’s always great to run into some of the wonderful folks that you meet along the way.
Leaving Solomon’s we decided to make our way across the Bay to the Eastern Shore. It’s very different from the western side in that it is much more rural with more farms and larger properties. It’s also more natural. In some of the creeks you won’t see any form of housing development. We anchored in a couple of very protected and beautiful creeks all by ourselves, never seeing another boat. We loved it! There are so many places to anchor that none of them get crowded, even though there are an incredible amount of boats in the area.
Once again this year we were invited to spend the 4th of July weekend at a friend’s house on the Wye River just outside of the town of St. Michael’s, which is a very upscale historic town. What a great weekend! Greg and Susie cooked about 3 dozen crabs to feed six of us. What a feast. Most of the crabs that they cooked came from under their docks. Of course if you ask the local people, they will tell you that the Wye River crabs are the sweetest crabs of all.
Departing Susie and Greg’s we then went back across the Bay (at this point it’s only about 7 or 8 miles across) to our friend’s Nan and Terry who live in Annapolis. We stayed at their dock for 3 or 4 days before heading again to the Eastern Shore and Rock Hall, MD. It’s a small town and not much to do, but we wanted to see it. We also had heard that the Sassafras River was a “don’t miss” area. So we traveled about 30 miles further up the Chesapeake Bay and turned into the Sassafras. Wow!!! What a beautiful river and very few homes or development. We ended up staying on the river for a week. The water was fresh water, not saltwater, so we really enjoyed being able to swim in very refreshing fresh water. This was a really nice stop and one that will be on our list of “do agains”.
Being so close to the head waters of the Chesapeake Bay, we had to visit the town of Havre de Grace which is on the Susquehanna River that feeds the Chesapeake Bay. This river is considered the head waters of the Bay. The town has roots that go back into the 1700’s. It’s still very small but being well preserved.
Now it was time to start heading back down the Chesapeake so we decided to anchor in a few spots that we hadn’t seen before. We stopped in the Middle River and anchored for a couple of nights in a lovely but very busy creek. The Middle River area is a suburb of Baltimore with modest homes and lots of boats. However, we were anxious to get further down the Bay so we only stayed for a couple of nights and then moved to the Inner Harbor section of Baltimore. Boy was that a shock to the senses. We hadn’t been in a large city for about two months at this point, and here we were anchored literally in the middle of everything. The noise was unreal. We got used to it pretty quickly, though, and ended up staying for 6 days. There was a lot to see and we tried to see it all. Where we anchored was in the middle of the Harbor Walk area with paddle boats and small electric boats for rent only a stone’s throw away. So we were encircled with rental boats all day long. (Actually we felt as though we were their target.) It was chaos!!
When we left Baltimore we decided that we needed a marina for a day, so we made arrangements with a marina in Fells Point which is a suburb of Baltimore. We stopped one day to charge batteries, put on water and do some much needed grocery shopping. Our next stop was going to be one of the places that had been recommended to us as so many are. The Magothy River is between Baltimore and Annapolis. Some of the area is privately owned and very exclusive. We anchored in what has become one of Bud’s favorite anchorages. Behind Gibson Island is a very large cove with good depths and is really protected and is also extremely pretty. At one point on the weekend there were probably 30 boats anchored in the cove and not one was even close…it’s great! We spent 4 nights here and loved them all. Usually there were only 4 or 5 boats left after all of the day-boaters went home, so after the weekend it was quiet.
We decided that before we stopped at our friend’s Nan and Terry’s place again that we would spend some time anchored in Annapolis. You can anchor just about anyplace even in the areas of marina’s, so we did what a lot of others do and anchored right in the middle of the channel. Everybody expects it and just maneuvers around you and it doesn’t seem to bother anyone. We really enjoyed experiencing Annapolis…it really is a charming town.
We are now at our friend’s home, at their dock, and will be underway in two more days. We’re getting some maintenance done which is always on the list. We will be heading down the Bay to Portsmouth, VA. We joined a group called the MTOA (Marine Trawler Owners’ Assoc.) last year and are going to a rendezvous, which is a gathering that is being held in Sept. It should be a lot of fun and I’m sure we’ll meet a lot of people. This group is made up of very active boaters, a lot of them doing just what we are doing. We still have plenty of time to get there so we are looking forward to a lot more exploring.
This year we will be leaving Diamond Girl in Norfolk, VA for the winter. We are in the process of making the decision to do the Great Loop next year. For those of you who are not familiar with what the Great Loop is, you should Google search GREAT LOOP for an explanation. We will try to explain it at a later time.
This will probably be the last update for awhile. We are planning on being in CA for Thanksgiving and Portland for Xmas so hopefully we will see everyone while we are in those areas.
