Month: August 2019

Today’s “excitement” is to pass under the Bay Bridge from the north. Actually, passing under it in either direction is a first for us. We marked this journey as our the farthest north….to get back to Galesville we needed to head north toward Baltimore first. In this part of the Chesapeake, you need to pay attention to the shipping channels used by the huge freighters which we usually see safely moored awaiting their turn to enter the port.

Getting up close and personal with a bridge like this is spectacular. We’ve driven over this bridge several times to and from St. Michael’s from Annapolis….but never realized that it is actually two bridges. From a distance it looks like a double-decker bridge similar to the Bay Bridge in San Francisco with one level headed east and another headed west. You’ll see in the photos below how this bridge really works!

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It’s Sunday and all sorts of boats are out on the water. It is fun to see them all and especially fun to be one of them. I’m sure our boat seems as weird to some of the people we pass by as the unusual boats I try to photograph as we pass by.

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Lots of people have commented about our boat. The positive comments mention the amount of outdoor space we have (we’ve hosted a cocktail party for 20 on the upper deck)….the negative ones ask whether we are a houseboat (NO!) Dot.Calm is a Bluewater — the company went out of business in 2007 as a result of the economic downturn. They only made custom boats and at that time, no one was ordering custom 50+ foot boats. We went looking for a Bluewater five years ago or so when we decided it was (finally) time to cruise the ICW. We’d snagged appointments to board these boats at boat shows for years and loved the outdoor space and the indoor configuration — two staterooms, two heads and lots of space in between. Definitely out of our price range new….but what about a used Bluewater? We located about a half dozen Bluewaters in Florida and looked at them all, driving from Marathon to Fort Myers to Boca Grande and then on to Jacksonville and back down to Palm Beach. None fit the bill. Later an internet search identified two more….one in Houston and one in Knoxville. Since we were driving back to Chicago in the next week, and Knoxville is sort of on the way, we decided to take a look. Ta da!

They weren’t kidding when they named this spot — possibly the narrowest bridge passage we’ve ever navigated. After a pleasant cruise out of Eastern Bay (St. Michael’s) through Prospect Bay, we reached the Chester River which begins with a low clearance and very narrow passage under a bascule bridge followed immediately by a modern, 65-foot high expanse. We learned that the bascule bridge used to be the only access to the beaches in this area and the bridge opened for boat traffic every half hour for about 10 minutes…..I can only imagine what the back-ups must have been like.

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The “narrows” under the bridges plays havoc with the Chester River’s current, a worrisome aspect of preparing to dock at an unknown marina. The water swirls in haphazard patterns and the current seems to be moving by the bridge pylons in both directions. Happily, the marina features a long entry channel and advantageous protection from winds off the Chesapeake Bay across the Kent Narrows peninsula.

We were able to get a good look at both bridges by following a hiking trail leading from the marina, across the bascule bridge and onto the Kent Narrows peninsula (where we’d hoped to, but didn’t, find a cool restaurant we read about). Not to worry! There were several restaurants adjacent to the Mears Marina, one of them named Annie’s. How could we resist.

Our two day stay at Mears was completely relaxing (aren’t they all?!). And the hot spell of weather was broken. Kent Narrows is the farthest north that we’ve been on the Chesapeake and we wondered whether even this relatively short distance made a difference in the temperature. (Don’t think so.) We used the pool, hiked the trail across the bridge, read, watched a Cubs game (the magic of Apple TV and internet) and lazed.

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Was it weather? Or repairs? Or something else? At any rate, last year our planned cruise to St. Michael’s was replaced with a car trip. Highly unsatisfactory — especially compared to the real deal.

We set out mid-morning on a sunny, but hazy day and arrived in about 4 hours, opting for a marina within a close walk of the “city” center. Its location was perfect. (Services, not so much, but that’s a different story.)

We did visit St. Michael’s by boat 100 years ago or so (maybe closer to 33-34) when we ventured across the Chesapeake from the Severn River (Annapolis) in a houseboat with our three kids, plus Cliff’s parents and my mom. We were well prepared….we had a placemat from the local diner that pointed out (approximately!) where St. Michael’s was from Annapolis. With the houseboat’s compass and a pair of binoculars, and the placemat “chart”, off we went. And we made it somehow, ending up in an anchorage just off The Crab Claw, a tourist dive then as it is now, I am sure. In those days, the Crab Claw sent a tender to moored boats bringing them into the restaurant. Today, the mooring field has been replaced by permanent piers and the complimentary tender is no more.

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Cruising essentials! Headsets! Better than marriage counseling:-) What we’ve discovered over 35+ years of boating together is that any yelling aboard is a problem. Even if you are just warning your loved one that there is a large log in the water, when you yell the information, it is as annoying as it may be helpful. The answer is: Don’t yell! The other essential: Champagne! Breakfast of champions. But only after all the yelling has subsided.

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One of the fun things on the Chesapeake is to see all of the different boats on the water which range from impressive yachts to huge tankers and container ships. The crabber above was unusual because it had four crew members aboard. Most of crabbers we’ve seen in the past have only one or two watermen aboard.

The photo below is a Coast Guard boat designed to place (or replace) day marks. They had both a green and a red daymark aboard, a full day’s work I’d think.

Rain was threatening when we arrived in St. Michael’s, so we cleaned up the boat, cleaned up ourselves and opted for an early dinner at Limoncello (highly recommend!) We managed to arrive moments before a horrific downpour accompanied by wicked winds that bent tree branches, flapped awnings menacingly and whipped umbrellas into rain catchers. It eased a bit as we left to hopscotch puddles on the way back to the boat. My shoes will never recover.

St. Michael’s is a great walk-around town and reminded us a bit of Key West without the obscene tee-shirt messages. The central street, Talbots, is lined with stores that can only be described as touristy filled with every kind of memento with St. Michael’s emblazoned on it that you can imagine. Three ice cream shops. Three or four churches, cemetaries with headstones tilted akimbo like crooked teeth in a wide smile. Three or four real estate offices — and yes, Cliff did stop in….just to find out what “water access” vs. “waterfront” meant he said. I stayed outside:-) We imagine that the zoning restrictions in the charming residential areas are nearly as strict as those in Charleston, prohibiting changes to historical details. But apparently they are a little lenient when it comes to paint colors (see lavender store below!)

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Tomorrow’s trip to the Kent Narrows is short so we’ll have time for breakfast on board and a walk before we depart.

I think I mentioned earlier that this year’s cruising holiday is quite different than last year’s. Last year we were focused on getting TO places…first from Coral Gables to Charleston for the Spoleto Festival and then from Charleston to Washington, DC to catch our plane to California and, finally, from DC to the Chesapeake. This year we are already here and getting TO anyplace is completely at our discretion….and the whims of weather gods, mechanical systems imps and yacht yard schedulers.

This week felt like being home in Coral Gables in some ways. We had company! Jim and Hedy Watson, a couple who were moored next to us last year in National Harbor in D.C., drove to Galesville from their home in Virginia. (Only 40 minutes!) We had drinks aboard and then went out to dinner at our very local (3 minutes) Pirates Cove restaurant. And just like being home and getting ready for company, Cliff and I spent a big chunk of the day before they arrived cleaning and straightening and getting ready. It was a nice incentive. And we had a terrific evening with them.

The next day, more chores to be done. (See, I told you it was almost like being home.) Cliff had more paperwork to fill out as part of being executor of his cousin’s will. So a trip to FedEx Office to print things out and get them sent back to the attorney. I spent nearly $12 in computer time there trying to print out tickets to a Nationals-Marlins game I purchased with no success. We’re nearly out of coffee (gasp!) so a trip to Costco was in order. Let me explain….the curse of Keurig cups which are MUCH cheaper at Costco than anywhere else!. CK decided he needed the latest Robert Crais book and I wanted some new (and EASY) knitting ideas, so a book at Barnes and Noble for me too. Oh….we are cruising to St. Michaels tomorrow so a liquor store stop for some champagne (a cruising tradition that we’ve somehow skipped so far this year). And lunch in Annapolis at Carrol’s Creek. Just like having a favorite lunch spot in Coral Gables, but fancier!

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Can you believe it!? Cliff has itchy feet. Fortunately I’ve been able to divert this urge into looking for a new place to moor Dot.Calm next year and not a house-hunting excursion. Our stay at Spring Cove on Solomons Island whetted our appetite for a nicer home-away-from-home. And, of course, Cliff got right on it arranging for us to visit two marinas on Sunday afternoon.

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So…while we are at it, why not put my wish list into the mix. Pool? Beach? Cliff says a shorter distance from mooring to the bay would be a plus. Why not a nice on-site restaurant? Luxe landscaping would be nice too.

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We had brunch at the restaurant, cleverly named Ketch 22. Lovely. Andouille sausage quiche for Cliff and spicy tuna lettuce wraps for me. Yum.

Stand by!

A beautiful, calm (again!) day for our trip back to Galesville….with all systems go as far as air conditioning apparatus.

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Safely back in our Galesville slip and treated to a wonderful sunset. Our view to the west is limited — but we enjoyed what we could see!

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We remain at Spring Cove Marina awaiting parts. And it’s raining. At least that is cooling things off. A perfect day for a boat without air conditioning. I shouldn’t say “without” — we actually have air conditioning for brief moments, but the problem is that it’s never long enough to actually cool the boat off.

Enough complaining! It’s cool today. And we’re waiting for repairs. And the Cubs play at 2:20pm today. Sounds like a good plan!

Our sketchy air conditioning has gotten the best of us. So we are sort of stuck in Spring Cove until it gets fixed. We got stuck here last year too, though the cause was bad weather. There are worse places to be stuck for sure! There are lots of boats to look at. The marina has a lovely pool. A short walk takes you by Victorian-ish homes and a local museum. Plenty of restaurants and the marina has a courtesy car to take you to and fro. We think the necessary pump is on its way and now we wait. And, what the heck! We’re retired! And on vacation!

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This area may even be on to some pre-2020 election strategies: