We slipped the mooring at Georgetown at 0610 with light
winds out of the N and a favorable current. As we followed the shipping
channel south At 1100, current turned foul 1 kt. Once we left the
channel to Annapolis, current and wind were favorable. As we entered the
Annapolis area, a very hard rain reduced visibility but not for long. Lots of balls available so we picked #11. Life was good
except the next day was Wednesday. We lowed the motor back onto the dinghy and Bob headed to shore for more medicine for the Admiral.
Wednesday was peaceful in the morning.
We were watching the kids on Severn Sailing Association dinghies
learning the finer points of seamanship. Unfortunately the kids on #10
weren't paying attention as they wandered from the crowd and hit the
stern of our boat ... and then left the scene. Bob yelled before they
got out of range and they turned around and approached us. They didn't
say they were sorry, they saw no damage, and they left. They did report
it to their instructor, he came by, saw no damage, and said they should
not have been here. We then pointed out the damage to our flag staff
and he replied that he would take care of it. We reported it to the
Harbormaster, DNR, and the email address that Jason provided. After that nothing. Maybe someday.
Next stop is St. Michael's on the Eastern Shore.
On 6 May at 1000, we said farewell to ball #11, left the Annapolis
harbor and headed for the Eastern Shore. The (motor)sail (jib only) up
the Eastern Bay and Miles River was pleasant with winds N@10 kts and
nearly flat seas. This trip brought back memories of our first sail to
St. Michael's nearly 25 years ago. Not much has changed as most of the
coastline is as it was those many years ago. Even the shoals haven't
changed.
We arrived at SM at 1420 and were greeted with empty anchorages.
We guess that there is not much transient traffic in early May.
We anchored just west of Parrott Pt. in 10 ft. Spectacular views!! Including 2 bald eagles, and a couple of 'ducks a begging'.
The next morning, we lowered the engine back
onto the dinghy and headed for the dinghy dock behind the Crab Claw. We took the scenic route so that we could see the skipjack and bugeye tied up at the Museum. The vessels must be replicas of the originals as they are in great shape. Dinghy dock was good enough to make a near stress-less disembarkment for the Admiral. Everything is more difficult with her shingle and back pains.
We walked the streets looking for pain ointment and a glass of wine. Ann found seats of convenience. Here she used a fire hydrant to rest her back pain. On the Talbot, she found sidewalk benches and stone walls on which to rest. Carpenter Street Saloon had nice chairs breakfast, and good wine. Our last stop was Pemperton Pharmacy for shingles ointment and a candle. Then we headed home. A tough trip for Ann.
The day before we left, a predicted near gale was
approaching. The wind piped up with 30 kt gusts and the rain fell in sheets. This was a proper storm. It lasted for several hours and did a good job of partially filling the dinghy. When the storm left us, Bob jumped into the dinghy with is water pump (soaker toy) and started pumping (for 15 minutes). Now we are ready.
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