Back in Galesville. Both of our boat neighbors are away. We ran into John and Gloria in St. Michael’s. They were enjoying an outdoor concert with some friends and hailed us as we walked by on our way to a dinner reservation. Our other (less friendly!) neighbors have called it day for the season or for Hartge. We’re not sure.
At any rate, here we are. Chores to accomplish. Re-provisioning to attend to.
Liquor store gave us this box to tote our wine purchases home. Great packaging:-)
After all that WORK….dinner out at our local favorite Pirates Cove. If you get this way, you have to try the fried shrimp. Undoubtedly the best ever….I’m talking to you Fred!
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!
When I took this picture it reminded me of the times we’ve gone under bridges in Dot.Calm and in our sailboats thinking “we’ll never make it!”
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.
This pedal-powered boat is in our harbor at Galesville. I loved the name too…our friends Becky & Jeff Kreutz have a daughter Abigail and another named Reilly Rose!
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.
Old bridge and new
Narrow entry!
Drawbridge up!
Pedestrian and bicycle path across the bridge.
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.
I loved all the colors in this photo. All of these buildings are adjacent to the Mears Marina where we moored, which is just past the bridge you see in the distance. The low, bascule bridge is in front of the large overpass in the distance.
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.
Annie;s turned out to be a sort of old-fashioned supper club complete with pianist who was terrific and seemed to know every show turn that was requested by heart.
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.
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.
Chesapeake trip of long ago. Amy with Cliff’s dad Cliff Sr.
Preparing to shove off.
Houses speckle the shore nearly all the way.
Captain Cliff
One of the charms of the Chesapeake is the absence — for the most part — of mega-mansions. But here’s one that I think may have been built by a window-mogul. Wonder if they swap recipes or borrow sugar from the house next door?!
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.
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!)
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!
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.
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.
We had brunch at the restaurant, cleverly named Ketch 22. Lovely. Andouille sausage quiche for Cliff and spicy tuna lettuce wraps for me. Yum.
A beautiful, calm (again!) day for our trip back to Galesville….with all systems go as far as air conditioning apparatus.
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!
Clouds reflected in the water.
Gorgeous colors.
Golden moment.
Was happy that this photo with the sliver of a moon showing came out. This is what we call an “Ann’s Moon” in our family. My favorite phase based on a childhood story. Ask me about it sometime.
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!
The yellow marks are lightning strikes! All nearby. The blue mark is Galesville….we are in the middle of the marks at Solomons Island.All’s well that ends well….dinner at the Ruddy Duck. Cliff has (for years) ordered extra dry martinis (hold the vermouth) and requested a single olive. 99 times out of 100 his request goes unheard and he gets 2-3 or even 4 olives because that is what the bar already has set up. Here we are at the Ruddy Duck (definitely a family-friendly, non-bar oriented place) and the server manages to deliver just one olive. Bravo!The other “saying” at the Ruddy Duck applies to wine as well as beer I think: “A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it’s better to be thoroughly sure.” Cheers!
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!
These Spring Cove residents invite passers by to pick cherry tomatoes from their street front garden….they even provide plastic bags for your harvest. This photo was taken around noon yesterday. At 8am today, all of the ripe red tomatoes were gone!
Cliff is having fun….really!
See!
This area may even be on to some pre-2020 election strategies:
We are returning to a marina where we stayed for 5 days last year…..stuck there in bad weather. We admired the pool area, but never got to use it because of the rain. The marina’s shuttle took us to lovely restaurants where we had to dodge puddles and drips to get the their entrances. This year, I am very happy to report, we have perfect weather!
Our trip from Galesville took about four hours and the Chesapeake was nearly glassy. Cloud formations and shoreline reflected on the bay like watery dreamscapes. On Lake Michigan I took pictures on the rare occasion that the water was as calm! Speaking of Lake Michigan, a little aside. Cliff read this morning that the water temperature at South Haven dipped by 26 degrees in a 24-hour period….from 76 to 50 — brrrrr. I think we’ve experienced both extremes on our trips there. And here we are complaining about the heat:-)
Let’s hear it for autopilot! Cliff gets to enjoy a bit of sun while we are underway.
And somehow manages to injure himself along the way. He’s not careful. Maybe you heard:-)
It was a toss-up deciding whether to get spruced up to go out to dinner or to turn on the stove. Dinner aboard….damn the heat! I improvised with ingredients on hand: frozen cheese ravioli, cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil. Not bad!
We are having fun planning our next stops. A couple of days here and then off to Slaughter Marina which has a floating restaurant (okay a barge) that has the BEST soft shell crabs I had last year. We definitely will get around to exploring some new spots. As I flipped through the charts, the locations in the photo below caught my eye. I have no idea of how far away these places are, but can’t resist putting them on the list….Sassafras Neck! Bohemia River!
Then there is Point No Point….which reminded me of when one of our neighbors on 70th Street in Marathon decided to name their house…something like Heaven Point. Ugh. Another neighbor and I considered naming our properties: “What’s the Point,” “Pointless” and “It’s Not Nice to Point” were contenders!
