More on Chesapeake Bay

Now that we have actually left the Bay, we look back on this time there as a very enjoyable part of our cruise. We are glad we have spent the time there that we did, and plan to be back again.

Life was a lot more social than we expected. Leaving Worton Creek and meeting Jay and Joan was just the start. When we went to the Magothy River and were greeted by yet another Alberg 30 owner, Bob, (now ex - but that's another story), who was hosting the Rendezvous and wanted to invite us as well, we were into a whole new experience. To pick it up from there:

As we prepared anchor off the Bob’s house where the Rendezvous was being held, he invited us to tie up at his dock instead, we being the first ones there. Of course we were coming the shortest distance that day - from one side of a small island to the other. They offered us showers - how to find your way to a cruiser's heart! The Rendezvous was followed by an invitation to go along on the Alberg Association cruise. The fan in our composting head (toilet to the non-nautical types) had quit - someone came up with two suitable ones. We needed to go to the bank and do some food shopping - we were offered a car to do both. So naturally we had to go on at least part of the cruise!

It was a lot of fun - we got to see parts of the Chesapeake we would not have ventured into without being in the company we were in, met some very nice people and ate some very good food. We learned the meaning of skinny water, and not to worry too much about crab pots. And the weather stayed nice until just after we got to Annapolis for the Boat Show.

We were a little worried about having space to anchor in when we got to Annapolis - but Joan contacted a member of the association who has a dock on Spa Creek (one of the places in Annapolis many people anchor). We docked there, and in the process finally learned from our good host, Paula, the correct way to do it in these tidal waters. We had avoided docking till then, preferring to anchor out - easier and usually more private, except in circumstances with a host as thoughtful as this.

We met some of our friends from Queen City YC at Pussers, the bar probably most frequented by visitors to the boat show (where else), and caught up on some of the news from Toronto. Then we hunkered down on the boat through a day of rain, went to the boat show and met more people we have met cruising, walked around town and met more people we have met cruising... You get the picture. Then we had a few days until the Can-Am races between the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Alberg Associations, and we spent time doing maintenance on the boat. Cruising does not mean maintenance in exotic places - it means maintenance in all kinds of places. We also found a used outboard engine - greatly reducing the time we need to spend walking while in Annapolis, and making shore trips generally easier elsewhere.

The Canadian/American Friendship Weekend was very enjoyable. We crewed for the races which were held - the second day actually saw the racing called due to very high winds, an unusual experience in Alberg circles. We crewed with Bill on Limerick, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience - though it felt a little odd to be racing on an American team boat. The weekend naturally included a certain amount of socialising - we met more kind and interesting people, ate more good food, caught up a little more on the happenings in Toronto, and had a thoroughly good time.

A few more days of boat work, socialising and wandering around Annapolis, and it was time to make our way down the Bay to the Intracoastal Waterway. We had a last cruise with the Alberg Association at Lake Ogleton (delicious chilli courtesy of Towney), and then worked our way down - Rhode River, sitting tight in the Solomons during a few days of bad weather, Glebe River, Jackson Creek, Hampton - another few days, for laundry, shopping, etc. and just enjoying a very nice town. And then it was a choppy ride, water flying over the bow, over to Norfolk and into the IntraCoastal Waterway.

Written Nov. 10, 2005