Chesapeake Bay Cruise - 2020

Chesapeake Bay Cruise - June 2020

With much of he world closed for travel due to the COVID-19 epidemic, our travel blog has been idle, awaiting a trip. The opportunity presented itself about a month ago.

Every year, one of the highlights for me is to visit my good friend, Wesley, in Port Deposit, MD and cruise the Chesapeake Bay. This was our twelfth cruise.

To get to the east coast, I flew from San Luis Obispo to Dallas with a connection to Baltimore. To say the least, it was somewhat of a surreal experience. Airports were deserted except around the gate area from which the flight left. Few if any bars, restaurants and general stores were open. Aboard, masks were mandatory and there was no food or drinks served. I actually felt relatively safe (whether it was warranted or not, I'm not sure).

My arrival at Baltimore was relatively normal, except that no stores were open at BWI. Wes was there to pick me up in his sporty BMW. We soon were on I-95 headed for Port Deposit, MD.

After arriving at Wes' home, we stretched our legs and took a walk along the Susquehanna River, that runs along Port Deposit. We had dinner and retired for the evening relatively early.

Wes had the boat ready to go - all we needed was ice for the coolers. We were underway by 10 am, with an out-going tide and a north wind helping us. Exceptional planning.

By late afternoon we were passing "down under" (the Bay Bridge, that is), approaching Annapolis.

In Annapolis, Wes brought out a special bottle of champagne that his daughter, Janette, had given him for the cruise. It was a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, one of the best. We indulged.

Looking towards the naval academy.

The following morning, we left Annapolis and headed for St. Michael's, a historic town on the peninsula (east) side of the bay.

St. Michael's is a lovely town and anchorage that over time has been gentrified. Among the amenities in town are restaurants, bars, a maritime museum, a winery and a brewery.

Christ Church in St. Michael's was founded in 1672.

Anchored at St. Michael's we met Benoît and Inès, a Frenchman and his German wife who are chefs at the German embassy in Washington D.C. They wanted to take a walk around town but had relied on there being a water taxi - none were operating. So Wes let them borrow the dinghy. We later had a drink with them on board their Beneteau 38.

Benoît and Inès getting accustomed to rowing.

In the morning, we weighed anchor and headed for Oxford. 

A beautiful late afternoon in Oxford. 

Wes even got the Seagull to run.

The weather was in the 80's and the water was comfortable for a swim.

A waterman baiting his lines with clams to catch crabs.

We were searching for a place to quench our thirst, but this bar was closed.

We had a couple of brews at the Capsize Restaurant.

There was no lack of good dinners and Bordeaux wines.

Solomons with the Tiki Bar lit up. 

After three days in Oxford, we departed and crossed the bay to Solomons. We spoke to the crew of another sailboat anchored near us, Seven on the Seas. They were a young couple (Paul and Jessica) with their five children, ages 7-14, sailing around the world. They purchased the boat in Turkey and sailed it through the Mediterranean, across the Atlantic, through the Caribbean and were now cruising the Chesapeake Bay. From afar, the kids appeared to be well behaved and enjoying themselves. What a life-changing experiencing for those kids.


We spent the night at Solomons and, in the morning, left for Turkey Point. Wes' high school friends, Mike and Ann, have a small trailer near Turkey Point - it's just a few feet from the bay. After several hours of motoring and sailing we anchored in front of their trailer. As we anchored, we spotted Mike, busy checking his crab pots for dinner.

Mike, Ann and I. We had oysters followed by a fish dinner.

Mike and one of his crab pots.

Great view of the bay.

It was a feast prepared by Courtney's Seafood Restaurant!

After dinner we sat around a fire pit overlooking the bay.

Wes and I came ashore the following morning and had breakfast with Mike and Ann. Afterwards, we pulled up the hook and were on our way to Reedville, VA.

At anchor at Turkey Point.

The following day we said our good-byes to Mike and Ann and got underway to Reedville. As we approached, I got the idea to call a friend, Bob Riddle, who both Wes and I knew from when we worked in Iran for Bell Helicopter. Bob was home and yes, he was able to come over for the night from Richmond, VA (about an hour and a half drive).

Rowing Bob to the boat.

Wes and Bob had not seen one another  in 41 years. I, however, had kept in touch with Bob and seen him on a number of occasions. It was a good reunion.

After a night of reminiscing about life in Tehran and all the good and unusual experiences we encountered in Iran, I rowed Bob ashore and he was off. It was really a pleasure to spend the evening together.

Soon afterwards, Wes and I weighed anchor and left for Tangier Island.  But once we got out into the bay, we found out that we would be fighting a strong northerly wind, just the direction we were heading. We decided to turn back to Reedville and await more favorable winds.

A rainy day in Reedville

We anchored at another spot near Reedville, in front of Jennings Boat Yard. We ended up staying there for three days due to weather - rain and high winds. We amused ourselves with long walks, lunch at the Fairview Marina and looking at a number of forlorn yachts on the hard.There were Cal-40's and even bigger boats there.

These were some of the smaller boats that have been abandoned by their owners. 

On the third day the weather improved and the wind swung to the south. Perfect. We weighed anchor and headed for the Solomons.

More fine dinners, more fine wines.

Solomons is a fine stop-over for a night. But it's really an odd place to anchor. Loud cigarette boats often come by on their way to the Tiki Bar as they vroom-vroom around in their macho boats.

In the morning, with light winds from the SW, we went to Annapolis, arriving there in the late afternoon.

One of the Woodwind schooners that take people sailing around Annapolis.

Lots of evening chats over a glass of wine.

Looking towards the naval academy as a large yacht comes by.

We had light winds from the south after we left Annapolis for Havre de Grace. Towards the afternoon, the wind increased a bit and we noticed an ominous looking squall coming from behind us. For the most part we managed to outrun it, only getting doused with a light rain.































After returning to Havre de Grace, we drove to Wes' home in Port Deposit. The following day we took a drive to Elk Neck State Park. We had wanted to walk along the Turkey Point trail (another Turkey Point), but it was crowded. Nearby we found another nice hiking trail.

Wes' home in the background.

Elk Neck State Park

Elk Neck State Park

The following day I flew home. The airport was not busy.

Yucatán - 2020

Cancun

On our annual trek of the Yucatán, we usually stay one week at the Omni Resort in Cancun and another week exploring a new area of the Yucatán. Keeping to our tradition, this year we first visited the Omni and afterwards spent nearly a week in the south, near the Belize border.

Waking up in the morning to sunrise is always special at the Omni. 

Although the resort has several restaurants that offer breakfast, we favored the beachside cafe. 

Part our the day is spent under a palapa reading and enjoying the warm Caribbean water. 

Going back to the same resort year after year has its advantages - we were pleasantly surprised to find a bottle of bubbly and sweet treats in the room on one of the afternoons.  



On one of the evenings, they hosted a special and elaborate dinner on the beach. 

Staying in shape at the resort is easy - if you come early in the morning, you have a pool like the one above, all to yourself to lap swim. They also have a gym that we utilize in the afternoons.



One of the locals enjoying a morning on the beach. 



After a week of being pampered, were ready to begin exploring the southern part of Quintana Roo. We rented a car and drove south to Mahahual, a trip of about 4 1/2 hours.  



Mahahual is a sleepy town along a stretch of beach. We stayed at a small hotel, the Balamku Inn, outside of town, on a bumpy, dirt road. By happenstance, the inn was managed by a friendly Dutch lady.



The main drag of Mahahual consists of small shops and hotels, while the beach side mostly has restaurants and bars.



We had great chicken tacos and ceviche (raw fish, octopus cured in citrus juices and spices) at one of the beachfront restaurants. With an ice cold Bohemia beer, there's little that can beat it.  



Above is the dirt road in front of the Balamku Inn. 



Although the Balamku Inn offered a delicious breakfast, they served no other meals. Fortunately, our Dutch hostess directed us to a restaurant nearby, the Travel In', run by her husband. Good food and reasonably priced wine.



After several days in Mahahual, we drove westward to Bacalar, a small town along Bacalar Lake. The narrow but long lake is a bright blue and turquoise color. 



I got up one morning before breakfast and was treated to an impressive sunrise.



Lengthy docks are needed at the lake due to its shallowness.






Although we had a traditional Mexican lunch at a mom & pop restaurant, we opted for a place nearby our hotel called Rapsodians for dinner. It's a vegan restaurant that offers very tasty meals. 



We decided to spend the last night of our trip a little closer to the airport in the coastal town of Playa del Carmen. But along the way there, we stopped in Tulum. The main part of town is right along the highway, but most hotels and restaurants are by the beach, along a tree-lined street.   




Our balcony had a peek of the ocean, but you had to look hard. We had breakfast on the balcony, then packed our bags and returned the car at the airport. Another adventure in the Yucatán had concluded.

Spain’s Costa del Sol 2019-2020

The Costa del Sol area in the south of Spain was a beautiful area to spend the holiday season with Meredith, Elliot, Isla and Freya. 

We stayed near Malaga (Torremolinos and Nerja). It’s a long way from California, but only a 2 1/2 hour flight from Amsterdam (with no time change). 

The weather was reasonably good (mid-60’s) with lots of good beach time for the kids. Definitely a good way to end 2019 and to start off the new year.

Diane and I arrived in Malaga a few days earlier. One evening, we took the opportunity to visit Calle Molino Lario (downtown Malaga) and the festival of lights. It was quite a scene with hundreds of people - lots of families with young kids dazzled by the light show.

Our Airbnb flat in Torremolinos was a few feet from the sand. The weather was warm - just what Amsterdammers are longing for at the Costa del Sol.

Freya enjoyed the sand more than the water but was always ready for some beach time.

Torremolinos has many quaint, narrow, tiled passages lined with cafes, restaurants, bars and shops. This scene was just outside the door of our flat.

Isla, who's been taking swimming lessons, was comfortable playing in the waves and running around the edges of the water.

After nearly a week in Torremolinos, we moved to Nerja, a hilly, beachfront town an hour east of Malaga. Below is a vista from our Airbnb overlooking the town. Looking left, we had a decent ocean view. The beach was about a five minute walk.

Only about a ten minute drive, the Cueva de Nerja (Nerja Cave) was a fascinating place to visit. The limestone cave's most striking feature is a nearly one hundred foot long stalactite. Also of interest is that they hold concerts in the cave (which undoubtedly would be an incredible experience).

We visited Playa de Maro, a quaint little beach near Nerja. Nearby, apparently there are waterfalls. We didn't see them.

Nerja's beach was very picturesque - and best, it was just a few minute walk from our place.

Oma, Freya and Isla on the walk from our flat to the beach in Nerja. Isla effortlessly floats along the tiled walkway.

We visited the hill town of Frigiliana, a beautiful little white village with a Moorish influence. Lots of orange trees everywhere.

Steep and narrow passages must keep these people pretty healthy.

Our last day, Diane and I moved closer to Malaga Airport to catch an early morning flight. I took the opportunity to walk up to the Castillo de Gibralfaro, a Moorish castle, dating back to the 17th century. It has panoramic views of the Malaga harbor and the city.
  

In Nerja, I coerced another tourist to take a family photo at the Balcon de Europa. However, Freya obviously felt that she needed a nap more than to pose for a silly family photo.

We flew back to California (to weather much like Malaga's). Later in the afternoon, Meredith, Elliot and kids flew back to Amsterdam, a bit colder and damper than we had enjoyed in Malaga. And so ended another adventure.