Saturday, Sept 11: Solomons - Zahniser Yachting Center
They’re here…. They’re here! Dan and Renee Devereaux arrived at Zahnizer's Marina, Solomons at about 2pm after a 20+ hr drive from Minnesota!
Our friend from college, Michele Casey, also drove over to Solomons from her home in Alexandria, VA to join us. A beautiful day at Solomons! Blue sky, sunshine, light breeze. After moving Maja from a mooring ball to the face dock at the marina, we had lunch and then decided to head for the pool and enjoy the rest of the afternoon ashore.
So decadent to stroll from the boat to the pool with beer in hand, sunscreen and towel! The day was full of swimming, chatting, pina coladas, chips and salsa, cheese and crackers … at some point, we reminded ourselves that we had dinner plans at the best place for crab cakes on the Bay – Stoneys! Everyone talks about it, and after several months of hearing the stories about their signature crab cakes, we were so excited to be able to walk to the restaurant and try it for ourselves. Not to be disappointed! I have never had anything like these crab cakes – nothing but crab – where the hell are the fillers?!
After dinner, we walked along the beach front and ended up at Solomons' world-renown Tiki Bar. Even on a quiet Sept weekend, it was the hopping place to be. The bar was packed, and they had overflow seating along the street behind the bar, complete with beach tables, chairs and even sand!
Sunday, Sept 12 -- Rain Day at the Marina
We awoke to a cloudy, drizzly day, just what was predicted. After a slow morning of coffee and pastry and fruit, we decided that the weather definitely sucked to go boating, so we’d go cruising by car instead, something we very seldom get to do in the areas we visit by water. We all piled into Michele’s car and drove to the local marine museum – of course, every harbor town has one! It was a good choice for a cool, raining afternoon with lots of really good exhibits describing the history of the bay. We stopped for lunch afterwards in order to catch some football and then back to the marina. Since it did not look like the weather had any intention of clearly, Michele packed her car and returned to Alexandria – we’ll next see her when we cruise up the Potomac to visit Washington DC.
So what do you do on a boat when it’s raining outside? Either read a book, take a nap, do laundry or walk someplace in the rain. We did all four – it was DWD who braved the wet and walked into town to watch more Sunday afternoon football. We spent the evening planning our sailing route for the rest of the week. We’ll come back to Solomons again next Friday.
Monday, Sept 13: Sail Day = Solomons to Baby Owl Cove
The comforts of marina living come with a price when it comes time to let go! There are always so many things to do besides the routine engine checks and weather forecasts. It took over an hour to store the dinghy, dispose of all the garbage and recycleables, fill the water tanks, hose off the boat, stow all the remaining beer and food that the Devereaux’s had in their van, fill up the diesel and pump out the holding tank.
The comforts of marina living come with a price when it comes time to let go! There are always so many things to do besides the routine engine checks and weather forecasts. It took over an hour to store the dinghy, dispose of all the garbage and recycleables, fill the water tanks, hose off the boat, stow all the remaining beer and food that the Devereaux’s had in their van, fill up the diesel and pump out the holding tank.
During that time, we watched the sky go from clear blue to solid clouds, and we worried about the forecasted 20knot winds and 3-4 ft waves. However, by the time we motored out into the bay, the sky was clear blue again and the wind was virtually gone! We still set all 4 sails, which made the boat look beautiful but didn't do much for our headway in less than 3 knots of wind.
Thank goodness it was 12pm so we could enjoy lunch and a beer, and then turn on the motor to begin our journey across to the eastern side of the bay.
Our goal is to get to St Michaels, and we have a couple of cool anchorages picked out in Oxford and Cambridge. It's always nice to have the first sailing day be a smooth crossing. Renee is perched on the deck with her book, and Dan is down below induging in one of his favorite pastimes -- taking a nap in the middle of the day (something his hard-working schedule seldoms allows).
The winds stayed light throughout the day, but our route took us on 3 different tacks, so during the 2nd leg, we were on a beam reach (wind coming directly over the side of the boat ), and we enjoyed 3 hours of great sailing with all 4 sails up.
When we entered the Choptank River, we took down the sails and motored into Baby Owl Cove (thanks to a recommendation from Ed Dooley (s/v Surprise)!). Beautiful little spot in the river, about 30 miles from Solomons, on the eastern shore of Maryland. The water was like glass overnite. 
.
Tuesday, Sept 14 -- Sail Day: Baby Owl Cove Cambridge City Dock
Up at 8:30 because the sun is out and the sky is clear! Once again we debated the NOAA weather forecast. Today’s prediction is the same: 10-15 knots, gusts to 20knots, 3 foot swells. After yesterday’s experience, do we trust the forecasters?
The debate continued thru a leisurely breakfast of bacon, eggs, pancakes (our traditional meal when we have time to kill in the morning at anchor), and as the winds in the quiet cove start to kickup, we decided to balance our day’s cruise with time spent in this beautiful cove and then move on to Oxford, which is about 3 hrs away in the same inside bay.
DPK was finally guilted/coerced into going for a swim along with Renee and DanD. Of course, I had to stay on the boat and take pictures! (besides, it’s 75 degrees, sunny with a pleasant breeze … remembering our hot and humid trip up the ICW in July, it’s feels great to be out in the air!)
Once underway at 2:30, we faced the perpetual sailors dilemma -- do we stay with Plan A (go to Oxford) or take advantage of 10-15knots of NW winds and go with Plan B (go to Cambridge). We went with Plan B and had a great day on the bay. The route we needed to take required a blend of motor, motor-sail and just sails … which was about perfect to make the 20 mile crossing from Baby Owl Cove to the Cambridge City Docks.
We arrived at about 6:30, so all the hired help was gone at the docks, and we were on our own to dock Maja on the fixed face pier (which means you have to negotiate huge pilings along the dock with your dock lines). After dinner on the boat, we took the scenic stroll thru the historic homes that line the harbor (who cares if it’s dark outside! A walk is always a welcome break from being on a boat!). We found a great little Irish pub so DanD could indulge his passion for ‘beer shopping’. We were the only people at the bar for drinks, and then they made us a huge brownie sundae for dessert. Sweet!
Wednesday, Sept 15 -- Sail Day: Cambridge to St Micheals, MD
One of the advantages of getting all the way to Cambridge is that we are a little closer to our final destination: St Michaels, MD. A place every sailor and guide book raves about. It was still our longest day on the water so far – 40 miles.
We were underway by 9:30, heading for the Knapp Narrows, which is a nifty shortcut for boaters around the land mass that protects the Cambridge harbor. And it has a bascule/lift bridge, so DanD and Renee could see the fun of that experience!
The bay was absolutely flat. The 6 knots of West wind did not even ripple the water surface. So it was a motoring day. Weather-wise, it was another gorgeous out on the bay. Low 80s, nice breeze, blue sky, puffy white clouds. Ah! These Devereaux’s sure brought good weather for their vacation! Renee took her first shift at the helm!
Renee at the helm didn't make Dan nervous at all!
We arrived at St Michaels around 6pm. After circling the inner harbor looking for space (what are all these people doing out here on a Wednesday?), we opted to anchor in the outer anchorage. After 3 days of cruising, we are finally here! We put the dinghy in the water, put on clean clothes and puttered off to see why this was such a ‘must see’ place….
 |
| Maja at anchor in background |
It’s always fun to get off the boat and walk through the marina neighborhoods. They each have their own personalities – and amenities. St Michael’s has it all – historic homes, cute cafes, bars on every block (DanD is a serious beer shopper!), shops, grocery store, museums, shops and more shops. Yahoo for staying here two nights!
This was our a first ‘live crab’ dinner – or rather appetizer because those little buggers were $6/each!). Our server was kind enough to give us a demonstration, and then we managed to bang and twist and cut in the hunt for actual crab meat on this ugly sucker! I have such renewed respect for the crabbing industry, and the cost of a crab cake!
After dinner, we were sitting on the deck, marveling at all the stars and constellations we could see, when there was a flash of fire on shore. It looked like a bonfire on the shore, but as we looked on, it got bigger and bigger and bigger … definitely something too big not to be serious. Sure enough, after a few minutes the sirens started to go off, calling in the volunteer members of all the local fire departments. What a light show for us, safely tucked away from shore at anchor! It hit so big and fast that we figured it had to be a kitchen fire at one of the waterfront restaurants … which it was. In fact, we had walked past the restaurant/tiki bar on our way back to the dinghy dock….passing a dock full of expensive boats in the marina facing the restaurants. We were surprised not to see any boaters leaving the marina, so the fire must have be contained rather quickly.
Thursday, Sept 16. -- Day at St Michaels
Today is our 32nd wedding anniversary! And we’ve got a full day to spend exploring St Michaels.
The day stated on a good note because we were expecting rain, but it’s another glorious day in paradise. Instead of moving to the marina, we decided that our anchorage was too perfect to pass up for a marina slip that costs $150! It’s always a trade-off when we choose to anchor out or use a marina … the right mix is probably alternating nights.
Today is our 32nd wedding anniversary! And we’ve got a full day to spend exploring St Michaels.
The day stated on a good note because we were expecting rain, but it’s another glorious day in paradise. Instead of moving to the marina, we decided that our anchorage was too perfect to pass up for a marina slip that costs $150! It’s always a trade-off when we choose to anchor out or use a marina … the right mix is probably alternating nights.
As we got ready to take the dinghy to shore, a local fisherman came by and asked if we wanted any free crab. "Yeah, Sure" … and as we stood around debating how many do we want? 6? 12? … the fisherman comes over to Maja drops off a large basket of crabs – like 3 dozen of them!
A day at Solomons is a day of eating and shopping and bar hopping ... this is also a marine museum if you have time in your day. After spending a rainy afternoon at a marine museum in Solomons, we opted for everthing else on the list.
Knowing we had 3 dz live crab waiting for us in the cockpit of Maja, motivated us to return to the boat around 5 pm. Since it was our wedding anniversary, (and what are the odds that we’d have Dan and Renee with us … just like we did 32 years ago!), we started with the champagne before tackling the crabs. And those of you familiar with cooking live crab know what we are talking about. Deciding how to cook those suckers was one thing, but then we had to have a way to process the meat (and other icky things). Leary of steaming them inside in the galley over concern of fish smell, we invented various novel ways to cook them on the outdoor grill. Or should I say, DPK and Renee were the only brave souls on board up for this daunting task!
First, DPK had to sort thru the collection to throw back the baby crabs (after first surprising us that the crabs would be alive at all after being out of water for 8+ hours) … then pick out the biggest crabs in the bunch … they decided to start with a half-dozen big crabs to experiment with of “what is the best way to deal with this anyway?”
After their work was transferred into a one-cup bowl of fresh crab, we decided that cooking and cleaning 6 crabs was just about enough for one team, and we also had to get to the task of cooking tonight’s ‘real dinner” of grilled steak and potatoes. Yes, more champagne, please! We had the last of the fine chocolate we'd been doling out to ourselves over the past week for dessert. It was another beautiful evening at anchor, just a peaceful breeze under a clear sky full of stars.
Those two crab-cooking-fools saved the party. They were not too shy to try any variation on grilling, steaming, poaching those crustaceans … and then came the meat harvesting. All I can say from witnessing this first hand is “holy shit, that’s a lot of work for a little bit of meat”. Forget crab cakes, I think Ceasar Salad with Crab sounds great. DPK and Renee kept at it steadily until the sun had set and it was getting pretty damn dark!
Friday, Sept 17: Sail Day -- St Michaels to Solomons
The final day of Dan and Renee’s vacation on Maja has arrived. We have a 50-mile trip back to Solomons so we get going early … which to us means up at 8am, coffee and pre-departure engine checks, stowing gear, raising and cleaning the anchor takes us till about 9:30 to be fully underway. Yes, it’s amazing the time it takes to get ready to leave – get the weather forecast, set route on GPS and chart plotter, clean and put away dishes, stow the computer, roll up rugs, turn on electronics, get out maps and binoculars, put on sunscreen, find your book. This is serious work we're talking about!
The weather couldn’t have been better! Despite a forecast of NW 15-20 winds, we headed out of Miles River to Eastern Bay and reached in Cheaspeake in about 2.5 hrs. We were delighted to tack into 15 knots of wind from the west and set a course to Solomons … and 5 hours later, we had sailed 25 miles back to Solomons! A truly amazing day on the water – cool temps, sunny sky, blue skys. Maja is flying all 4 sails, and we are humming along easily at 5 knots. DanD had his shift behind the helm in some of the afternoon’s best sailing. We arrived back where we started at 5:30 pm, same face dock at Zahnizer’s Marina.
 |
| Our only other company on the water! |
Docking is always it’s own unique experience – which is why we much prefer anchoring! You never know what you’re going to encounter, even when coming back to a familiar marina. Dan’s approach to the dock was perfect, and the 3 of us had rehearsed our respective roles (coming in after 5pm means there’s no paid dock help to handle your lines). However, we hadn’t factored in another person on the slip next to ours coming to help us dock. That changes the whole dynamic! I was a tad worried when I saw this nice guy standing on the dock with both the spring and stern lines in his hands at one time -- meaning that the dock lines weren't tied to a piling and this poor guy is basically holding a 15-ton boat to the dock with his bare hands! But all is well in the end, and that's all that matters!
 |
| It's always nice to be expected! |
Plunder from shopping:
Renee and I both got ankets, with a bet on who's will break first! (this is Renee's)
I've taken to collecting ankets as souvenirs.
(From left to right: The silver one I just both with Renee at Solomons (shells and star fish); the one with white shells is from Fernandina Beach, FL (the farthest south we have sailed this year); the 3rd one is from Barbados (our 31st wedding anniversary); and the one with piece of sea glass is from Beaufort, NC (our goal all summer as it's near the end of the ICW).
Saturday, Sept 18
Dan and Renee were up and out of here by 5am. sigh. sigh.
In their absence, we worked on boat projects we prefer to do while at the dock. I did two loads of laundry, changed sheets, and took a shower while Dan gave Maja a good cleaning. Nothing beats the use of someone else’s water!
We decided to move over to a mooring ball at the same marina and spend the weekend here at Zahnsiers Marina. For $30/nite, we get use of their dinghy dock, showers, laundry, bicycles. Not too shabby. We know where we can go and watch the Vikings game on Sunday.
Sunday, Sept 19.
Well, we've decided to not talk about the Viking football game. Suffice it to say, at least we had bikes to enjoy the rest of the beautiful Sunday weather. And it is just lovely this time of year.
We'll be moving on to Annapolis next (probably Tuesday) and Baltimore by the weekend. After those two hot spots, we just need to see Washington DC and our list for 2010 will be complete!
We should have a full moon at anchor in a couple of day.
1 comment:
Hi from Main Stay, be sure to let us know when you are in Annapolis.
Donn And Pat
Post a Comment