063: Middle Chesapeake: The Best and the Brightest

On April 25^th, we left Tangier Island, VA to go to the town of Solomons, MD.   Solomons was forty-six n/m to the northwest of us, but due to the wind and wave conditions we didn’t take the direct hypotenuse route which would have exposed us to beam-seas for most of the trip (bad); and instead headed northeast to get to the Maryland side of the Bay so that we could run north protected by the Eastern shore of Maryland, and then cut over to the west where the Bay narrowed.   The consequence of this was about an hour of pounding into some “saucy” seas.    The plan worked well, though we did have a few things knocked about inside the cabin.

We pulled into a nice marina (Safe Harbor) at Solomons (courtesy car with a driver, free laundry, really nice showers) and washed all the salt of Hygge.  The big highlight of our stay was the Calvert Marine Museum.  Nice small aquariums, oysterman, and big exhibit on a Chesapeake Bay showboat from “back in the day” (but “old man bay,” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as “old man river.”)    The highlight though was the tour of the lighthouse which they moved to the museum when it was decommissioned.

https://www.calvertmarinemuseum.com/27/Visitor-Information\

 A big highlight for Nancy was the Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center (I enjoyed it, but not as much as Nancy!).  

 

On the 27^th we went back west across Bay thirty-five n/m to Oxford, Md.  We anchored in a great spot on the east side of town and dinghied in.  Unfortunately we just missed the annual “Oxford Day Parade.”   We enjoyed walking around the town and talking to the parade-viewing stragglers and having a cocktail at a local bay-side tavern.   Nice small-town America.    The anchorage was a peaceful as could be, and I took this panoramic video to share:

 

History:

Restored Customs House:

On the 28^th we took a short twelve n/m ride up to St. Michaels, which is a great town!  First stop was a local small, but eclectic, classic car museum.  Super high-quality vehicles. https://www.classicmotormuseum.org/   Matt and I were in our element and had a nice chat with the docent.  They are looking for ways to promote the museum and we both suggested contacting Hagerty Classic Car Insurance to get a visit on their YouTube channel “Barn Find Hunter.”   (They don’t just visit rusty cars in barns, but also museums.)

The next stop was a local cigar shop that only sells hand-rolled cigars by the owner.  I bought two milder versions, and they were excellent.  Wish I’d bought more!   The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around this historic town and the waterfront park.   Great place.    That night we had a great meal of grilled shrimp (fresh from a local place) on the boat and enjoyed a perfect anchorage.  

Good cigars!

Lovely homes:

They like their kayaking here:

Sunrise if you didn't watch the video:

Creek views:

 

Sunrise panoramic view of our anchorage at St. Michaels:

 

 We could have spent a few days at St. Michaels, but we were anxious to get to Annapolis, so on the 29^th we left relatively early for the thirty-five n/m trip back East again across the Bay, but this time in really calm waters.  The first calm day on the Bay so far in fact.  It was nice.

 

What can I say about Annapolis but spectacular!   

We had a spot at the City Dock* right next to the Naval Academy and the people watching alone was worth the trip.  But the highlight was the guided tour of the Academy and the next day’s visit to their museum.  The guided tour is a must-do.   We learned about the history of the Academy and all that goes into getting into the Academy and what it takes for the Midshipman (and women) to complete their four years.   When you consider the academic, athletic and leadership qualities required to graduate from our service academies, only one conclusion can be made:  these students are truly the best and the brightest this country has to offer. 

The guide was a retired Navy/Army nurse who served in Vietnam and retired as a Colonel.   Excellent tour guide (though she made a few historical boo boo’s of which I corrected two, much to Nancy’s horror; but hey, Alan Shepherd was not the first person in space, first American yes, but not the first person!   She thanked me after the tour.)   A highlight of the tour was seeing the noon parade formation which the Midshipmen are required to do to go to lunch.   When the band played “Anchors Aweigh” it was hard not to get a bit of a lump in your throat.  

 

The next day we went to the museum, which was small but great.  To see actual swords owned by naval hero’s such as Stephen Decatur, was super cool!   I’ve got a bit of a bone to pick with their Admiral Halsey exhibit which gives the impression that he won the battle of Leyte Gulf, when in fact it was won in spite of him (he should have been court-martialed for abandoning the landing fleet and leaving it unprotected by the fleet carriers.)  After an excellent lunch at the officers’ club (open to the public) Nancy and I headed to the NA Cemetery to pay our respects.   Unlike a person we all know of, I think this man was a hero, even if he was “captured:”

 

Naval Academy:

Captain's quarters (nice!):

French architecture is stunning:

Tomb of John Paul Jones:

One of the original Wright "Aeroplanes," not a replica:

A hero:

In the afternoon, Nancy took advantage of the “May Day Garden Tours” around town while I installed the replacement Garmin AIS 800 unit.  Success: people with AIS receivers can now see “Hygge.”    That night, a work colleague and her husband came over from Rockville, MD and treated Nancy and I to a great dinner at the Chophouse (Thanks Ladan and Gary!!!!).   It was great to catch up with

 Nancy's walk:

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Dave

Odometer:  3,751

 

*We had to back into the dock in a very narrow slip in a narrow channel across from a restaurant with lots of people watching.  No big deal, but once again my stern thruster shear pin broke at a crucial moment.   Some weeds or something got sucked in.  Luckily, I was able to back in without incident.   I was able to replace the stern thruster in record time, this being the third time on the trip.