Elinor and Tom Adensam

View from their deck, their sailboat Meridian and our Cross Over.

Sunset from their deck

Jeff and Darlene Forte at Cantler's on Mill Creek

Susan and Chuck Gladding

No room on the property for a pool, just float one.

Sailing school  in  Annapolis Harbor

This is the BEAR, one of two sail boats at the Annapolis dock.  The other is the BULL.  They represent the return of the 1869 Sandbagger.  Sailboats of this type were used in the NYC Harbor to harvest oysters. The crew and sandbags were used on the rail to balance the huge sails.  Launched in 1997, built at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.  Overall length 28', bowsprit 18', draft with center board down 7'  beam 11' and mast 40.  They are impressive and we would have loved to see them sail.

The Oyster Boys in Concert

Annapolis Day 30

   We had a wonderful and relaxing visit at the home of our Tartan friends,  Elinor and Tom Adensam.  Tom and Dave made a return trip to Bacons with the faulty pressure water pump and hose clamps that were the wrong size.  Elinor and I did water aerobics at her Y pool and then she took me out to the Deep Creek Restaurant at lunch time so I could experience Scallops Monterey again, so YUMMY!  That evening we met Darlene and Jeff Forte at Cantler’s on Mill Creek.  Eating crabs is a pricey habit!  Dave enjoyed his clams and I Rockfish.  The Fortes had anchored their Tartan 41’ off the restaurant. They are one of the few club members who still sail a Tartan. 

   Tuesday Elinor had plans to play Mahjong with friends for the day and of course Tom was off on his 36 mile ride.  Dave and I relaxed, did laundry and grocery shopping in the afternoon and I made dinner preparations for the evening.  We ate on the deck and enjoyed another one of their unobstructed sunsets.

  We had a call from Susan and Chuck Gladding and they were free between all their summer plans to meet us for breakfast.  It is so good to catch up with all these special friends.  The Gladdings sailed with us on many occasions and we have fond memories of our trip to Bermuda with them.  They too still sail a Tartan.

   By 10 AM we were under way to enjoy time in the Annapolis area.  Coming down the Severn River we explored  some creeks and then dodged the sailing schools at the Naval Academy and the other private clubs.  The dock here at Mears Marina in Back Creek is newly redone.   The pool in the afternoon was great.  After an early dinner we took the bikes into Annapolis and indulged in small ice creams and checked out the boats in Ego Alley.  The lightening show later was spectacular, the rain leaked in the port window.  

   Thursday after breakfast Dave biked to West Marine and then recaulked the window and did some stainless polishing.   I worked on pictures and the blog.  After lunch we went into town and did some of the shops but bought nothing.  The pool and a new book topped off the afternoon.

   We had and early dinner and biked to the Annapolis Maritime Museum in Eastport.  The Oyster boys gave a fun concert.  If any of you have heard them they did their signature song, “Good Hat, Good Dog, Good Boat.”  During the concert we watched the J- boats return to Back Creek with their spinnakers up.  You never know what will be going on when you come to a new port.

Next stop Cornfield Creek off the Magothy River and spend the night at Mike Heilman’s.  Interestingly enough he too still sails a Tartan.

Bowsprit on the Kalmar Nyckel,  Lion's mane was done in gold leaft when the king of Sweden visited.

Kalmar Nyckel visit Kalmar Nyckel.org for more information

The ship has carved heads of major donors.  Hails from Wilmington, DE

Fish trap  with the owner tending the trap

Cove Point Light with the light flashing

Sky after the storm

This Home is above Hartge's Marina,  The osprey liked it too.

Osprey are plentiful on the Bay.

I got lucky and captured the flashing light at Thomas Point.  You can see the haze.

Ego Alley, Downtown Annapolis, MD

Our audience

Annapolis has their pirate boat.

along the Severen River

Closer to the Adensam's home

There is Meridian and the Adensam's house.

Bike shop on the dock,  my bike has two gears now.  Thanks Tom.

Dave relaxing on the deck.

We now are officially on a summer cruise.

From Solomon’s Island we motored up the Bay on fairly calm water, light wind out of the North.  On past Cove light and more fish traps.  We saw the Pride II headed south with all her sails set but she was too far away to get a photo. 

  On to Galesville; anchoring in our favorite stop off Chalk Point.  Without a keel on the boat  it is no longer our favorite stop.   We moved to the East and the water was calmer.  We took a short swim but the water seemed cold to me and the towel showed how much sediment was in the water.  Heavy rain storms came through but no wind to speak of.  The boat did have a few leaks.  An interesting sky in the evening and the rest of the night was quiet and cool.

  After breakfast we did a tour of the whole area; reaching places we had not been before because of our previous boat having a 5 foot draft.  Presently we only draw 2 ½ feet of water.  We got fuel and proceeded to the Rhode River and cruised around there and found an anchorage before lunch.   Later the weekend boats arrived.  After a swim (water seemed cleaner) we rowed over to a Tartan 37, Shadowfax and met Bob Keene a former member of the Tartan Club.  They now live in Florida. 

This anchorage was not idea, again for the same reason, we road sideways to the waves and rocked until the small boats went home at dark.  

   The next morning dawned over cast and cool.  Dave pulled up the murkiest anchor he had ever seen.  What a mess to wash down!  The Captain set the course to Annapolis, past Thomas Point Light House in the haze. By 10 AM we had reached town, the Naval Academy ahead and CrossOver wanted to show off and headed by the mooring field to Ego Alley.  The viewing audience was there at the hotel to greet us.   The alley seemed very narrow; boats have gotten longer and wider.

   Now out into the Severn River, under the two big bridges and on our way to Elinor and Tom Adensams.  There are many huge homes and boats along the way.  Some had three staircases to reach the water from the house.  We arrived in time for lunch and a short visit before Dave and Tom  headed for Bacon’s, a used boat equipment consignment store.  Elinor and I visited and worked on dinner preparations.   Mike Heilman and Jim Meenen joined us for dinner on the fabulous new deck.

Today is sunny and hot in the sun.  Dave and Tom are doing boat and bicycle work.

Bronze sculpture and fountain  "Oyster Tonger"

Alyse this fairy house is posted for you

Girl with a braid

This could be my fairy house

Titled  "Resting"

Mr. Hartge's last sailboat has been restored

Drum Point Light was moved to Calvert Museum and restored.  This is a screw pile lighthouse.

One of the screw piles

Dave and Adrienne waving from the lighthouse

Smith Point Light

Point No Point Light

Mary, Walt, Ben, Dave and Jane

Menhaden plant and stacks

Old stacks at the entrance to Corkrell Creek

The main boat

Area used to mend the nets

The net boats

Motoring North

Leaving Reedville, VA

June 16^th,   After a nice dinner with Mary, Walt and Ben at Tommy's on Sunday is was time to get underway again.  We left the idyllic spot that our friends Mary and Walt enjoy  on Cockrell Creek.  Their friend Ben Fulton left at 7 AM.   We enjoyed breakfast and gathered our stores from their refrigerator and repositioned things aboard.  Our wave good bye was at 9:30 as we headed to the fuel dock to top the tanks.  CrossOver  was underway  at 10:00.  On our way to the Great Wicomico I counted at least 9 Osprey nests.  This trip was under good travel conditions.  The tide was coming up the bay and winds light from the SE.  We saw numerous fish balls in the Bay before we reached Smith Point Light.

   Let me tell you a bit about Reedville.  This is the Menhaden fishing center.  The industry flies spotter planes to find the fish balls (large groups of fish in an area churning up the water) then notifies the main ship is dispatched to those areas.  Small boats with nets are lowered.  The nets are spread and the boats then close in and tightening the net.  The main ship picks up the nets.   Fish are brought to the plant and cooked, you really like to be down wind during that process.  The plant has made changes to filter the chimneys in recent years.  The by product is fishmeal used for fish food and fish oil.

   Our trip was pleasant this day.  I enjoyed seeing familiar light houses, Smith Point and Point No Point.  Crossing the Potomac River was no problem today.  It is 10 miles across and the currents and wind can make passage difficult at times.  Dave spotted 4 Mylar balloons on the water.  They are an ever present danger to turtles and other sea creatures.  Next trip we may carry a crab net to pick them out of the water.

   As we rounded Cedar Point to enter the Patuxent River heading to Solomon’s Island, I noticed our friends the Reynolds were heading down the Bay to their home port in Mill Creek near Solomon’s Island.  We communicated and were able to get together in the evening.

  This trip is special, no thunderstorm on the Bay to run from as has happened many times in the past.  We were able to get a slip at Zahnisers’s Marina.  We are just a few slips from the showers, laundry and a nice porch (a new building with the Dry Dock Restaurant on the second floor) and not many steps from the pool.  We docked at the same time our daughter, Adrienne, and her dog arrived.  After some visiting and exchanging birthday and Father’s Day gifts we headed to the pool to cool and work on tans.

  We got directions and met the Reynolds at their condo for cocktails and a tour of their dock.  Afterward we were introduced to the Ruddy Duck Restaurant, great meal and a fun evening all by chance.  Adrienne dropped us off and she and Lt. went to the Comfort Inn for the night.

  Adrienne had never  been  to Solomon’s , Brad however had worked here part of a summer.  We took her to the Calvert Museum, which has grown since our last visit.  Lt. enjoyed the otters through the glass in the outdoor tank.   

  We came back to the boat to cool off, have lunch and nap.  Dave was having pain in his heel so he dropped Adrienne and I off at the Annmaire Sculpture garden and did errands at ACE Hardware and West Marine.  The Sculpture Garden had 20 sculptures on loan from the Smithsonian, Hirshhorn collection and 66 fairy gardens submitted by artists and individuals.  The walk is easy but with temperatures of 98 and no breeze it was quite uncomfortable.  What a fascinating place; I hope my grandchildren get to go sometime.    

  The pool was a welcome relief, unfortunately it closed at 6.  We showered and headed to what we thought would be a pet friendly restaurant but the only seating was in the sun.  We found a nice Mexican Restaurant in the next town; by then the sun was down and we could leave Lt. in the car.  After dinner Adrienne headed back to South Riding and we found our pillows shortly after that.

  Wednesday and another hot one!  We got an early start and biked to the end of the peninsula to see some Chris Crafts Dave spotted yesterday and to see the Kalmar Nyckel, the tall ship from Wilmington, DE.  We got to talk to two lady crew members.   Interestingly the Capt. and Co-Capt. are women.  The Pride II from Baltimore, Sultana from Chestertown and The Dove from St Mary’s are due her tomorrow to take part in the Star-Spangled Celebration.  The occasion is to commemorate the 200^th anniversary of the Battle of St. Leonard’s Creek.  The other attraction this weekend is Sheryl Crow.  For you fans, she will be at Musikfest in Bethlehem.

  We rode our bikes to the other end of town hoping we would find a Minute Clinic at the CVS to have wax removed from Dave’s ear.  He can hardly hear out of it.  No luck.  We find a thrift shop and got   him some more Tee shirts so I won’t have to do laundry so often.

  After lunch Bonnie Shiplet drove over to say hello, see the boat and take a dip in the pool.  It was so nice to get a chance to spend time together.  Bonnie lives in Columbus, Ohio and is our daughter-in-law’s aunt.  She is visiting her father and brother before going to London with her daughter. 

  We stayed at the pool;, later did laundry, dinner aboard and when the sunset we walked the docks.

  Tomorrow we head to Galesville, MD on our way to the Severn River to visit with our friends the Adensams.  It would be nice if the storms hold off until we anchor and then bring some cooler weather.