A sailboat at anchor while the sun sets on the Sassafras River.
The Adventure Begins
I flew out of San Luis Obispo on an early flight to Dallas. Sitting on the left side of the plane gave me a panoramic view of the SLO area towards Pismo Beach. After an uneventful flight to Dallas and a lengthy layover, I got on my second flight - it was to Baltimore. When I arrived at BWI, Wes was waiting for me.
We spent the evening at Wes' home in Port Deposit. The following morning we got underway from Havre de Grace down the channel with an outgoing tide. We were fortunate with the tide but not the wind. We motored.
Our first anchorage was in Worton Creek. We celebrated being back on the water with a split of champagne.
The next day we sailed south. We had a scenic view of the Bay Bridge as we sailed under it.
Annapolis is always fun to visit. In this photo, the rotunda of the Maryland State House is visible at the end of the street.
Chick and Ruth's is a notable Annapolis landmark that's been around for many decades.
On the mooring, watching the schooner "Woodwind" sail through the harbor.
The following day we sailed south to Galesville and took a walk ashore.
We stayed in Galesville an extra day due to heavy rains. The next day the weather improved. We were rewarded with a superb sail (although temperatures were below normal - high 40's to low 50's).
We arrived in Oxford (on the peninsula side of the bay) and anchored at our usual spot near the "Capsize" restaurant.
In the morning, we had a friendly visit from one of the local crab fishermen.
Oxford dates back to the mid-1600's. It has lots of interesting and colorful buildings.
After a couple of days in Oxford, we motored to Cambridge. It only took three hours to get there.
The inner harbor of Cambridge is a mix of commercial docks, a restaurant, the county building and townhouses. The harbor is shallow and provides excellent shelter from harsh weather.
Aero at anchor in Cambridge's inner harbor.
After our stay in Cambridge, with a shift in the winds, we headed back to Annapolis for another night on a mooring. Upon entering the bay, we were greeted by lots of race boats from small to over 30 feet. The fleet of racers often zipped right through the mooring field, passing us to our bow and stern. It was fun to watch and we were glad that the helmsmen were skilled and seasoned sailors.
The following day, with a favorable southern wind and tidal current, we decided to head up to Baltimore's inner harbor. From the bay, it's a long way to go to get to the inner harbor. But it's a unique anchorage, surrounded by high rises, restaurants, bars, an aquarium, a lighthouse servicing vessel and even a WWII submarine (the Torsk).
We got there just in time before the weather started to turn on us.
After a couple of days in Baltimore, we weighed anchor and sailed north to the relative peacefulness of the Sassafras River. The weather was good and the water was warm enough for a dip around the boat.
In the morning we motored north to Havre de Grace and finished another cruise of the Chesapeake Bay. In Port Deposit, we took a walk along the Susquehanna Heritage Trail and checked out Wes' vineyard. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes looked healthy. Recently, Wes planted a dozen Sauvignon Blanc vines to complement the Cabernet vines. In the adjacent area of the vineyard, a very discernible, almost loud, buzz of the cicadas could be heard. Hopefully, they don't have an appetite for grape vines.
At home, Wes opened up a bottle of his first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon. On the label is a photo of his "château" in Port Deposit. The wine tasted very good particularly for being so young in the bottle.
The following day it was time to pack it in and head home. We had finished yet another great Chesapeake Bay cruise - the 14th, I believe.
