Day 211 - May 21, 2013: Touring Baltimore, MD

Instead of the sounds of nature, last night we were entertained with trains in the distance, planes landing overhead, and an occasional siren in the city. The evening air cooled off quickly, and it became another "one sheet" night.

We took the bikes out early in full sun and rode the full length of the horseshoe-shaped Inner Harbor following the base of the Baltimore skyline. There were the usual young people running with earphones, local entrepreneurs selling their wares to tourists, and many groups of school children led by teachers who were perhaps tired of the classroom and needed a day outside.

Inner Harbor inlets with sidewalks and bridges

Looking north across the Inner Harbor 

There are many sign boards of local history to read, a group of historical ships to see and tour, the National Aquarium and more. We passed the famous USS Constellation that was the last all sail ship in the U.S. Navy, the USS Torsk submarine that served in WWII and holds the record for the most number of dives (11,884), and the United States Chesapeake light ship, built in 1933, that lighted a number of points along the East Coast and the Chesapeake Bay.

USS Constellation

USS Torsk

After a really fabulous lunch at the award winning Gia's Ristorante in Little Italy, we stopped over at the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House which tells the story of Mary Pickersgill sewing the flag that inspired the national anthem.

Gia's Ristorante

Mary Pickersgill's house where the flag was sewn

I took a quick trip over to West Marine to get a small inverter to power Anne's computer and chargers while we are not on shore power, and I began installing it. Later, we rode up to Little Italy's Viccaro's Italian Pastry Shop and stood in line to get some great gelato and pignoli cookies. It is nice to be so close to so many things to do and places to eat.

Day 210 - May 20, 2013: Moving on to Baltimore, MD

Annapolis is a great city, and before moving on we wanted to see just two more places: The Maryland State House and the Charles Carroll House (which was in view from Great Laker on the mooring ball).

In 1695, Maryland's governor moved the capital from St. Mary's to Annapolis, and the first State House was built starting in 1772 on a hilltop site overlooking the Severn River. This State House is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use and the only one to have been used as the U.S. capitol (from Nov. 1783 to Aug. 1784). It has been rebuilt and added onto three times and still retains the original and largest wooden dome in the country. This dome has a lightning rod and grounding system designed by Ben Franklin which is still in place and working. One notable event of many was that General George Washington resigned his commission as Commander in Chief of the army here in 1783. We did a self guided tour of the building and grounds.

Maryland State House

Working Senate Chamber

Then we walked over to the Charles Carroll House. In 1689, Carroll left his native Ireland to escape English discrimination against his Catholic faith and carried a commission as Attorney General of Maryland granted by Lord Baltimore. He first settled in St. Mary's and later moved to Annapolis and built his home and surrounding gardens which housed three generations of Carrolls between 1706 and 1832. Charles Carroll was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, and General Washington was a guest at his home.

On the way back to Great Laker, we picked up sandwiches at The Big Cheese Deli and then departed for Baltimore, MD. On the way we passed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the only bay crossing between the Atlantic and Baltimore, and under the Francis Scott Key Bridge, where Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner while observing the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Francis Scott Key Bridge

We arrived at the Inner Harbor East Marina, right in the heart of Baltimore in 80 degrees, with high humidity and almost no breeze. While we have had little use for Great Laker's air conditioning so far, we are thankful to have it and expect we will be using it some this week.

Day 209 - May 19, 2013: Touring Annapolis, MD

Today we went to the service at the United States Naval Academy Chapel. We were surprised to discover that this was Baccalaureate Sunday, honoring the graduating Class of 2013, and providing an opportunity for the midshipmen to dedicate their commissions to God.

The minister gave a stirring message on "Courage Matters." His theme was that our society has diluted the notion of courage, applying it too commonly to people in everyday activities. He emphasized to the midshipmen that real courage is standing up for the survival of one's religious beliefs and/or the country's existence in the face of injury or death. He noted that the midshipmen are surrounded here in the Academy with the history of many Navy personnel who have exhibited this real courage, and that they may be asked to do the same.

This service was a very emotional and stirring event. Besides the beauty of this immense chapel, the incredible pipe organ and choir, the hundreds of midshipmen in full dress whites with their families proudly filling the pews, and the power of the pastor's message, there was a tangible but unspoken air of honor and respect for the Navy and these graduates. We understood in the strongest way the importance of the Navy traditions we saw being repeated here, and we left walking slowly and quietly sharing what we had just experienced.

Immense chapel seating

Stunning Tiffany stain glass window

It was midday, and we went over to Chick and Ruth's Delly (yes, a strange spelling), which is a famous eatery here since 1965. The crab cakes, mine on Eggs Benedict and Anne's as an entree, were just plain delicious. After eating every bite of the very large portions, we walked the historic areas enjoying the quaint narrow side streets, the historic homes, churches and buildings, and the sunshine. We finished the afternoon with a long dinghy ride up the Spa Creek to see the many boats and waterside homes.

Chick & Ruth's Delly

Main St., Annapolis, MD

Individual historical row houses

Riverfront homes

Day 208 - May 18, 2013: Annapolis, MD, and the United States Naval Academy

At dawn, we headed back across the Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis, MD, taking the shortcut between Tilghman Island and the mainland at Knapps Narrows. The channel is narrow and shallow in places and can have a strong tidal current. In the middle we encountered one of the few low bridges on the trip (under 12 feet) where we needed an opening. Shortly after, we passed the third of the three remaining screw pile lighthouses at Thomas Point Shoal. This one is still actively in use.

We approached Annapolis before noon in cloudiness and possible rain and chose to stay at the Spa Creek Mooring Field. It is under a bridge just past downtown and is in a very protected end of the channel just yards from a dinghy dock. It borders a park and promised still water and a quiet evening.

Knapp Narrows bridge

Thomas Point light house

Great Laker on the mooring ball in front of the Charles Carroll House

A major purpose of coming here was to see the United States Naval Academy, and we took the dinghy to the downtown dock, which is several blocks from the entrance gate. Tours, led by very knowledgeable docents, are given every 15 minutes or so and cover many of the buildings across the campus.

The academy was founded here along the Severn River in 1845 on a 338-acre site, which was previously Fort Severn, and has produced some of our Navy's finest leaders ever since. Many of the buildings are majestic and stately and suggestive of European palaces and cathedrals. There are 4,200 midshipmen here, and all live in the largest dorm in the country, Bancroft Hall, which is an incredibly beautiful building. The athletic buildings are state of the art, and there are classroom facilities next to the dorm, churches on the campus, and a museum of naval history which is outstanding. (Yes, two days, and I already succumbed to seeing another museum!) Being selected to the academy is a high honor, and I respect these fine young people for choosing to serve our country.

The entrance and center section of Bancroft Hall

The Academy Chapel

Inside the Bancroft Hall entrance

When Anne attempted to start the generator to prepare dinner, I discovered it was overheating due to a failed water pickup impeller. The rubber vanes on these pickups do wear out, and I had brought a spare along in case it was needed. After putting the new one in, the generator ran cool again. There are benefits to good planning!

Day 207 - May 17, 2013: St. Michaels, Oxford, and the anchorage at Dun Cove

This morning I told Anne that after the marathon 3 1/2 hours we spent yesterday, I was "museum-ed out" and was hereby on strike until further notice. While I love history, and while every town has a very well done museum, the ones here along the Bay have quite a bit of repetition, and I'm loosing my enthusiasm. Odds are I'll bounce back soon.

We went back into St. Michaels this morning and rode our bikes to see more of the downtown and the Inn at Perry Cabin, which was selected as one of the top 500 best hotels by Travel + Leisure. Then we did some gift shopping before taking the dinghy back to Great Laker.

We turned back south through the winding narrows of San Domingo Creek, down Broad Creek into the Choptank River, and north up the Tred Avon River to Oxford. This small town is one of the oldest in Maryland (1683) and was one of the two original ports of entry. It enjoyed the wealth of international shipping, nearby tobacco plantations and of course fishing, claming and oystering. Today, it is a near picture perfect vacation and boating destination. Surrounded by river views, it has quiet streets lined with dense trees and traditional New England-style homes faced with picket fences. Our bikes helped make touring the town fun and easy.

Oxford beach view of the Tred Avon

Quiet streets lined with trees

Who could resist a porch, a picket fence and a view?

Great Laker anchored in Town Creek

Some of the many sailing vessels here in Oxford

While we only stayed in Oxford about 4 hours, we really liked it and would come back again and stay longer. However, our goal was to move on to an anchorage nearer the bay to give us a head start in getting to Annapolis in the morning. There is nothing better than cruising on glass, and when we turned into the Choptank River it was just that. Our anchorage was in Dun Cove on Harris Creek.

Incredibly flat water on Choptank River

Grilling a big juicy steak for dinner

A burnt orange Maryland sunset

Day 206 - May 16, 2013: St. Michaels, MD, and the anchorage in Broad Creek 

Last night was still, warm, and "one sheet" sleeping. I opened up the boat early to a welcomed warm day. We departed Solomons in still wind and total glassy waters and went out past the south end of the Calvert Cliffs. These high cliffs are eroding rapidly, exposing the layers of silt and marine artifacts that reflect millions of years of the Bay's rising and falling water levels. While the cliffs are protected for scientific study, you can walk the beaches and frequently find a shark's tooth or fossil of astounding age. We passed the ever-present crabbing boats, the Cove Point Lighthouse, and an immense offshore Navy refueling station.

The Calvert Cliffs

A super-sized crabbing boat

Offshore Navy refueling station

After crossing the Bay, we entered the Choptank River, the setting of much of Michener's book on the Chesapeake. Here, we were finally able to measure our imagination against the real river which we'll see more of tomorrow. Our destination was St. Michaels, a popular destination for boaters. It required turning north on Broad Creek, and we anchored at the very north end in a narrow, secluded, tree-lined channel. With the dinghy lowered and the bikes inside, we headed for a dinghy dock not far ahead. It turned out to be quite shallow, and after a struggle motoring through weeds, I was able to get us to a low wall just as it started to rain. Fortunately we had umbrellas and spent time waiting for the dark cloud to pass before venturing out.

St. Michaels is a small town (~1,000) that was developed in the 1770s by James Braddock, and its earliest industry was shipbuilding. During the War of 1812, its shipyards were building schooners known as Baltimore Clippers, which were fast enough to evade the British blockades. Shipbuilding declined after the war, but a very substantial oyster industry took its place.

This town has an immense Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, which covers 18 acres along the waterfront. It has numerous uniquely different buildings filled with displays and historical artifacts about boats, oystering, waterfowling and more. They tell the story of both the bay, the watermen, and St. Michaels. The museum has also preserved another of the screw pile lighthouses that resided at Hooper Strait. Anne and I both got a chance to try our luck at working as a waterman. I used a long handled rake on an oyster bed, and Anne pulled up a crab trap. Neither of us had any luck.

Skipjack outside museum

The art of building boats by hand

Larry raking for oysters

Anne pulling up a crab trap

We spent the entire afternoon at this great museum before a fine meal of oysters (of course), tuna, and scallops at 208 Talbot. We returned to Great Laker just in time to catch this sunset over the river.

Sunset at the Broad Creek anchorage

Day 205 - May 15, 2013: A day on Solomons Island

Solomons Island is a small 1.8 square mile fragment of land that is at the confluence of three tributaries that flow into the Patuxent River. Inhabited since colonial days, it takes its name from a Baltimore businessman, Issac Solomon, who established oyster packing factories here shortly after the Civil War. Besides being a center for fishing, crabbing, and oystering, in the 19th century the island became known for building fishing vessels. During the War of 1812, this was the departure point for American ships attacking British warships in the Chesapeake Bay. During WWII, it supported training for amphibious landing forces. Today, it attracts tourists with numerous marinas, shops, a marine museum and restaurants.

The streets are quiet and wind around older but well maintained homes. There are several restaurants and shops, a marine biological center, and an historic oyster packing plant.

Bike riding through Solomons Island

Marine biological center

Stately home facing the water

Historic oyster packing plant

This morning, because I didn't have all the tools that were needed, a marina mechanic helped me remove the stern thruster motor. We discovered the shear pin had come loose and replaced it. When we put it back together, thankfully, it ran well.

Then Anne and I biked over to see the Calvert Marine Museum. This indoor/outdoor museum allows visitors to explore the prehistoric, biological, and marine heritage of the Chesapeake Bay. Exhibits include a marsh walk, a small craft collection, and a wood-carving shop. However, the highlight for us was a tour of the Drum Point Lighthouse, an actual screw-pile lighthouse which was moved to the museum from the bay in the late 1970s. We spent the rest of the morning at the museum before coming back for lunch on Great Laker.

Calvert Marine Museum

Drum Point Lighthouse

After lunch I had a scuba diver come by and clean barnacles off all of the running gear (main propeller, rudder, bow and stern thruster propellers). This is a necessary maintenance item in salt water and was the first time it was needed during the trip. Then it was back to see more of the museum.

Restoration of a Miocene white shark

First automated clam dredging boat

We rode over to the Tiki Bar for refreshments and then to Kim's Lotus Kitchen for dinner and Key lime pie. We justified the pie because we had ridden bikes and walked so much today!