ANNAPOLIS

He Said:  Hello from Annapolis.  Our trip from Delaware to Annapolis was nearly perfect. The C and D Canal was as calm as could be.  It took us about 1 ½ hour to pass thru the Canal and then it was off to the Chesapeake Bay. Our 55 miles to our marina went well.  The weather was nice, no big winds and of course no big waves either.  We like this a lot! We arrived here in Annapolis about 4PM on Sunday.  As we traveled under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge we were sort of greeted by only 200 or more sail boats.  They were everywhere, and we had to navigate between them to stay on target for Eastport Yacht Center, our new home for 30 days of September.  Arriving at the marina went well other than the fact we had several boats around us waiting for me to make a move.  They were smaller than us so they stayed out of our way as we back the boat into the slip with good success.  Maybe they stayed away because they heard we were on our way in.  

 

We got all of our boat stuff finished up very fast and headed to the Bryants’ for a Sunday cook-out to celebrate Labor Day.  They had about 18 or so friends and family, and it was so nice of them to include us.  They lived 2 doors down from us in Phoenix and now live about 10 houses down from the marina we are staying at.  Andy and Margaret did a great job on dinner, and we meet some really nice friends of theirs.

 

Sailing with Margaret & Andy Bryant (center) and Katie Belt (front left)

 

We sort of got the lay of the land the next few days - restaurants, groceries, pubs and all the rest of the important things in our lives. All of the people we have met here at the marina have been terrific.  A really nice guy from Almost Heaven West Virginia has been tons of help about everything here in Annapolis - whether it is boating, fishing, or finding your way around town.  Thank you, Ray.

We also have gotten to know the manager here at the marina, Kimberly, and our next door neighbor, Bernard.  It has been a pleasure.

 

View off the bow of MTB looking toward the Chesapeake Bay.  The Bay Bridge is on the far left side of the picture

 

 

This past Thursday we had our very first over-nite company as far as a couple goes.  My nephew Todd Belt and his wonderful wife Katie drove in from Columbus on Thursday and arrived here at about 3PM.  We had a great time with them, but their departure on Sunday came way too soon.  We took the dingy out, went sailing with the Bryants, drank a few cold ones, did the crab thing, and on Saturday made our way into Annapolis and visited the sites.  The Naval Academy was too cool.  The Severn River runs right alongside the city and is very cool.  Not too hard to believe that Todd and I found a little bar downtown with a beautiful Buckeye Flag hanging in the back of the bar.  You know where we watched the first half of the game against San Diego State.  It was 35-0 at halftime so we passed on the second half.  

 

Todd and Jack taking a sightseeing trip in the Back Bay

 

Within walking distance of the boat there are about 4 cool little restaurant/bars - much closer than the 1.2 miles into Annapolis.  We have hit each one a few times.  The coolest is a bar called The Boat Yard.  It was our first discovery.  We walked in their last Monday and noticed about 10 Buffet albums all over the joint.  After a few questions we realized the owner hangs down in the Keys where he sails and fishes - better yet all kinds of pictures of him hanging with Jimmy!  The coolest part is that a week from this Saturday there is the 9^th annual benefit concert about 50 yards from the boat.  No JB, but for you Coral Reefer People how does Mr. Michael Utley sound? Utley is the key board dude and has been with Jimmy forever.  Also playing is the steel guitar player from the band.  So you know where we will be on Saturday the 21^st   - at McNasbys’ Oyster Company (I am reading the sign from the boat). We are looking forward to hearing some JB music and whatever else Utley has up his sleeve.

 

Naval Academy - practice ships

As I sit here typing we are getting our first rain in about 2 weeks - heard you people in Phoenix have had your share the past 4 or 5 days.  I know you guys can always use some rain.  We will be departing here in about 2 ½ weeks.  Our slip is rented on Oct. 1 for the largest Sail Boat Show in the country - at least that is what we’ve heard.  By the looks of all the sailboats we have seen I believe it.  We have about 140 miles remaining of the Chesapeake and we will probably take 2 to 3 weeks to finish that part of our journey.  After that, we will be in Virginia and then off to the Carolinas.  That is about it for now.  Hope all is going well!

Take Care, Jack

 
 

She Said:  We have finally arrived in Annapolis.  The trip was long, but we had favorable currents.  About 13 miles out, we saw the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (more than an hour away at our speed) and we started getting excited.  As we got closer to Annapolis the number of sailboats multiplied.  They were everywhere, and as long as they’re under sail they have the right of way – that meant a lot of maneuvering.  We entered the Severn River and made a quick left into the Back Bay where we were met with a ton of boat traffic.  Our marina/slip was immediately on our right and we actually passed it because it came up so fast.  We were surrounded by at least a half dozen boats entering Back Bay, and Jack needed to back up into the slip.  It was a difficult situation and Jack docked us (stern in, port tie-up) like an expert boater.  We were so excited to be here.  The original plan over a year ago was to start our trip in Annapolis.  Everything that we’ve experienced up to now has been an added bonus.

 

After getting settled in, we took a quick shower and headed off to our friend’s house for a Labor Day cookout.  Our former Phoenix neighbors, Margaret and Andy Bryant, bought a house in Annapolis a block from the marina.  The Bryants are from this area originally and have had a sailboat here for the last couple of years.  They are a wealth of information.  We had an excellent day visiting with them, their family and friends – we were the last to leave so hopefully we didn’t overstay our welcome.

 

View from bow of MTC looking down Back Bay

We spent the next day walking around getting to know our surroundings.  The area we’re in is called Eastport – just a short 1 mile walk into downtown, historic Annapolis.  The walk into Annapolis is filled with quaint, turn-of-the-century homes.  There are also several restaurants/bars.  We met Margaret and Andy at The Boatyard for dinner.   Jack fell in love with the place because Jimmy Buffet is everywhere – the owner knows Jimmy.  Even if weren’t for the Buffett connection, we’d still like it – fun atmosphere, good food and reasonable prices.  We saw a poster for an upcoming benefit sponsored by The Boatyard.  It will feature music by two members of Jimmy’s band – the Coral Reefer Band.  The event will take place a stone’s throw from MTB.  We’ve got it on our calendar.

 

Annapolis Skyline from Severn River.  Middle tower is the state capitol.  Far right tower is chapel of the Naval Academy

 

We borrowed the Bryants’ car and got a lot accomplished – groceries, vegetable stand, hardware and liquor store.  The furniture on our back patio is an ugly green.  I made new cushion covers for the furniture which makes the green even uglier.  Jack bought some white spray paint and has transformed the furniture.  It looks 100% better.  Now I need to get some more fabric and finish the project.

 

The vegetable stand we found is like the ones I grew up with and they still have in some parts of the Midwest.  The stand we found sells produce from PA and the eastern shore of the Chesapeake.  The corn and tomatoes are EXCELLENT.  It’s that flavorful produce that we just don’t get in AZ.  We tried the local peaches and OMG!!!  Thankfully the stand is within walking distance, because we’re there almost every day.  Even closer is a fish market.  The owners fish in the morning and open late afternoon to sell the day’s catch.  We’ve made numerous trips there, too.

We were really looking forward to the arrival of Jack’s nephew, Todd, and his wife, Katie.  They drove in from Columbus, OH and arrived late afternoon Thursday.  We had happy hour on MTB and then headed to Carole’s Creek for dinner.  We feasted on ½ price appetizers.  They were excellent – not our regular bar fare.  We will definitely go back there. 

 

The Belts - Todd, Katie & Jack

 

Sleeping on board has been great.  We actually sleep better on the boat than we did on land.  That wasn’t the case for Todd & Katie’s first night on board.  The water and wind were awful, and we spent most of the night awake.  Fortunately, none of us got seasick – but it was close.

 

The next day was very relaxing.  We enjoyed a sunset sail aboard First Light – Margaret and Andy’s sailboat.  A highlight was sailing in front of the Naval Academy. 

 

Naval Academy at sunset

  

On our last full day together we explored Annapolis, including a visit to the Naval Academy.  Jack and Todd found a bar to watch the Ohio State game; Katie and I did some shopping.  For dinner we did the local favorite – steamed crabs.  We fixed fresh corn on the cob, tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and fresh baked bread – yum.  We went to the local fish market and bought fresh crabs which they steamed for us.  We sat on the back deck of MTB and attacked the crab with our mallets.  The crabs were a lot of work with very little reward.  We laughed so hard - it’s a night that we’ll always remember.  We enjoyed our time with Todd and Katie and hated to see them leave.

 

 

 

For the last several days we’ve been settling into Annapolis.  Jack’s made friends with the marina staff, and they’ve been helping him with all kinds of boat tasks.  His new best friend is Ray from West Virginia.  Jack does a great impression of Ray’s southern drawl, and he’ll do it for anyone who will listen.

We’re really enjoying Annapolis.  The weather has been all over the place – we’ve had picture perfect days and hot/humid days.  We’ve actually needed the AC – good thing we’re hooked up to electricity.  We’re looking forward to exploring more of the area, and we’ve got a lot of little projects to get done while we’re here.  So we will definitely be busy the next 2-3 weeks.

 

Annapolis Sunset