September 2006

Cousin Dave and his wife Judi came back to sail with us in the Chesapeake and we have had great fun! We have sailed in Malaysia and the Philippines with them and it was great to return the hospitality.
It all started with a Friday barbecue in Cambridge with the ‘Wharf Rats’ courtesy of our friends Nancy and Jim. The weekend took us to Solomon’s Island where the amphibious landings for WW2 were rehearsed. We visited an outdoor sculpture park and the mosquitoes visited us! An Italian meal at Vincenzo’s in Calvert Marina was excellent! This whole area makes a great yachting centre.

Judi and Nancy at the Cambridge Wharf Rats Barbecue
Jim, Dave and Angie around the barbecue
The old sentry box at the entry to Calverts Marina
One of the many outdoor sculptures at AnnMarie's Garden
And another...
This lighthouse is still in use despite the list!
A canoe in the process of tacking
These canoes are both elegant and strange at the same time - note the seat at the back for the mizzen trimmer
The loose planks are moved from side to side with each tack to allow crew weight to be placed outside the canoe
Another canoe in the same race
The setting sun lights up the trees in Baby Owl Cove
Judi relaxing on deck
And Dave relaxing on the side deck
This Great Blue Heron is the king of Cambridge Creek and you do not argue with him!
A pile of crabs that have to go with Dave and Angie making a start
Mackenzie with Angie, Mike and Judi - with few remaining crabs

We returned to St Michaels to take advantage of the crab supper at the Crab Claw restaurant but most of the journey was in horizontal rain! On our way in we passed the racing fleet - these are 5-Plank Canoes with excessive sail and very narrow beam. The crew use 3 loose, long heavy planks to sit the boat upright in the wind. Just amazing to see...

In lighter weather they hoist topsails above the main and mizzen which look just like wind-surfer rigs! The seat at the back is for the mizzen trimmer - they look very relaxed when reading a newspaper!
Dinner was as good as expected and we had excellent attention from our server Mackenzie. Blue crabs are not huge but pack a large amount of meat inside the shell which is easy to access. Jugs of beer helped wash the lot down.
Our berth in the marina was difficult to get in and out of and we had to back into an opposite berth first to achieve it. Fortunately all went well.
We visited an incredibly quiet bay for the night on the way back to Cambridge. It is shallow and flask shaped, going by the name of Baby Owl Cove.
The ospreys have all disappeared now but we have seen our first Bald Eagles - the US national emblem and sadly an endangered species. They are on of the few predators for osprey chicks. The herons are still everywhere and as voracious as ever.

We packed the boat up again in Cambridge MD and made ourselves ready for an early start to the airport to visit Colorado again. The radars have returned to Raymarine for further care...

Return

Return to Index