Saint Mary's City and Annapolis MD

This is the top of the Maryland State Capitol building in Annapolis. This building was build in the late 1600's when the capitol was moved here from St. Mary's City in the southern part of the colony. This building served not only as the capitol for Maryland, both colony and state, but was the capitol for the United States for a few months after the War of Independence.















We had a two hour walking tour of Annapolis. This is in the State Capital Building. It is a room with George Washington posed. The only time George was in the State Capital Building in Annapolis is when he resigned from the Continental Army.

A beautiful ship's mural along the entrance wall to The Annapolis Naval Military Academy. We had a two hour walking tour of Annapolis which included an hour on the grounds of the academy.

This is a bust of John Paul Jones which is in the elaborate crypt underneath the Chapel on the Naval Academy grounds where his body is buried after it was found in a graveyard in France and move here early in the 1900's. He is honored for his leadership of our Navy during the War of Independence.

The front of the Chapel on the Academy grounds. The Tiffany Glass Windows are in hues of "blue and yellow" and shimmer throughout the chapel.

In the back of the Chapel on campus is a huge ship's model hanging from the ceiling. The windows are Tiffany stained glass depicting stories of "fishermen" of the sea. The candle in the center of the pews is a memorial for the " sailors" currently serving our country.

Class is out and the midshipmen are walking around the campus grounds. While we were touring one of the buildings a 2008 graduating midshipman (woman) saw me looking at some of the student photos and pointed out to me some of the leadership staff whom she really respected and encouraged her along the way. I wished her well as we continued on the tour.

"Bill" the Billy Goat is the mascot for the Army Navy football games.

This is the original crest for the early Maryland settlement. The current state flag retains the design shown in the shield representing the coats of arms from Lord Baltimore's family and his wife's family.

Visited Saint Mary's City which was an early English settlement. Capt. John Smith arrived in the Chesapeake Bay area 400 years ago. Lord Baltimore was granted land in the "new world" which was called "Maryland", the hope was to find gold or silver but alas they found Indians and the cash crop "tobacco". The Indian Village was soon to be abandoned for territories further up north for "fur trade" so the English settlers were met with a helpful "tribe" who taught the English settlers how to survive on the land and traded "guns" for learning how to live off the land, grow corn and later tobacco.

This docent was explaining how the New English settlers bartered and traded supplies that came in from the ships arriving from England

.

Saint Mary's City was settled by "Catholics" and this is a reconstruction of the first Catholic Church on the original foundation. The land grant was built on the philosophy of "tolerance" of religious practices.

Solomons, MD 15 September 2007

On Saturday we went to the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum which displays many of the Naval Test developments /projects from the early 1940's until the late 1990's.

They had a display of the pilot ejection seat from the first test model and its evolution to recent technology. This is dear to my heart as it saved one of my brothers during his naval career. Hey Terry!!!

Many of the "test planes" could be viewed on the tarmac display area.

Inside the museum there are displays of the catapult mechanisms and arresting cables on aircraft carriers and the evolution of the carrier and support mechanisms. They also had a kiosk of the alumni of the Naval Test School graduates.

We also went to the local "art fest" which was in the AnnMarie Sculpture Garden not far from the Spring Cove Marina. There were many art and craft displays as well as live entertainment.

Solomons, MD September 13, 2007

We spent the day visiting the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory touring the facility with a very informative and friendly docent who was formerly a high school biology teacher in Massachusetts. The lab is associated with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and is involved in estuary ecology and marine research. The center of town has a boardwalk along the Patuxent River with restaurants, gift shops and a play area for children. Captain Gordon is waving hello next to the "Cone Island" custard stand on the boardwalk.

There are beautiful homes along the river and all of them have their own private boat slip. The bridge in the background leads across the river to The Patuxent River Naval Air Center which is involved in "testing new airplanes".










Almost every day you can see the planes flying out of the Naval Research Test Center. While we were on the Boardwalk we took a few pictures of the airplanes flying overhead.









We will be here for a couple of months. Gordon is going to do some consulting. The boat has to have major work done on the transmission as it has been leaking for two months now. The boat yard will have to actually remove the engine to get to the transmission and then send the transmission off to be rebuilt. We are also upgrading the refrigeration system as well.

Solomons, MD 6 September 2007

Arrived Spring Cove Marina. More to follow as we will be here for a while.

This is the Patauxent River entrance from the tip of Solomons Island.

Baltimore to Selby Bay, MD 5 Sept 2007

Good morning and goodbye Baltimore as we head south. We enjoyed our visit and the great food at the local restaurants.













One of the many marinas we passed on the way out of the harbor.













Passing Fort McHenry.












One of the few traditional Chesapeake Bay Lighthouses built in the middle 1800s. This one is located off Thomas Point. The keep usually lived with his family here and if you will note that there is a small platform under the building, the keeper generally kept a few small farm animals here.









A view of the South River from our Selby Bay anchorage looking northeast.

We are off to Solomons, MD tomorrow. It is about 45 miles to the south and it where we will be stopping over there for a few weeks. We will be doing maintenance and making some equipment changes before we head to Florida in mid October.

Baltimore, MD September 4, 2007

We spent the day seeing the sights in Baltimore Harbor. There are several maritime museum exhibits and a lovely aquarium. The red and white boat in this picture is the old "Chesapeake Lightship". The harbor has a large "food mart", activities for children, paddle boats, and several restored ships from WWII.

A replica of the US Constellation

A smiling captain!

The Bottle Nose Dolphin show at the aquarium.

A Polish Occupation and War Monument a stone's throw from where our boat was docked. We walked the streets along the harbor where there were many upscale restaurants, shopping stores, hotels and condominiums.

Lewes, DE to Baltimore, MD (Delaware Bay, C&D Canal, Upper Chesapeake) 2-3 September 2007

A very wise decision it was, to stay in the Harbor of Refuge until the 2nd of Sept as the Delaware Bay was much calmer and the current and tide was in our favor all the way up the Delaware Bay and through the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. Because the Bay is shallow we kept the boat on the edge of the shipping Chanel the entire 50 miles up the bay. This is the break wall at the Harbor of Refuge.

The rising moon for another clear night.

Another beautiful sunset!

One of many many container ships we met while going up Delaware Bay.

Another container ship.

Pineapple anyone?

A beautiful suspension bridge in the C&D Canal.

Shipping docks in the outer Baltimore Harbor.

Sandy Hook to Lewes, DE (Entrance to Delaware Bay) 1 September 2007

We left Sandy Hook, (Atlantic Highlands Harbor) at 9:30 a.m. on Friday August 31 and arrived at a harbor of refuge called Cape Henlopen in the lower section of Delaware Bay at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday the first. A total of 126 nautical miles. We had hoped to do an additional 50 miles up Delaware Bay to the C and D Canal ( Delaware-Chesapeake) but the wind ( up to 30 knots and tide and waves) were not in our favor to go up the Bay. We had quiet seas most of the night but the wind picked up and we had following seas once we got into Delaware Bay past the shoals around Cape May the waves and wind started to build. In fact when several container ships looked like "buildings rather than ships" because the waves we bouncing us around so much and we decided to go to Plan B and head for Penlopen Harbor of Refuge. We are staying here until the 2nd and then proceed up the Bay to the canal and then stop just short of the Chesapeake Bay and Sunday. This is a picture of the Fast Ferry to Manhattan that we passed before we rounded the Sandy Hook out to the Atlantic Ocean.

A passingg freighter as we were proceeding along the New Jersey Coast south to round Cape May and proceed into the Delaware Bay.

This was sunset on the Atlantic Ocean. It had been hazy all day with predictions of clearing but increased winds and a weak cold front coming in. Close to sunset the clouds dissipated for this picture of the setting sun. We stayed pretty close to the New Jersey shoreline and saw many of the old Victorian houses and beach resorts. Beautify low lying sandy beaches were evident along the coast.

This picture was taken around midnight about three miles off the coast of Atlantic City. I had hoped it would be a clearer shot but the large following seas and the camera just couldn't capture the view of the city I had hoped to capture. It was a beautiful night with a full moon shining on the ocean and the coast line twinkling with the lights along the coast. We saw many fishing boats but as we progressed further south we met several tug boats and barges being pulled north toward NYC. We frequently check the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Rules to see the light patterns on tug boats, barges and freighters so we can determine what we are approaching. I never hesitate waking up Gordon if I am on watch so he can "check it out" while we skirt around any traffic although I am gaining more confidence in identifying the ship traffic its nice to have the Captain check it out if I am in doubt!

Once we passed around Cape May New Jersey into the Delaware Bay, dawn had arrived and we no longer had following seas but head winds and choppy seas against the tide. There were several large structures that looked like "buildings" but in reality were large freighters so we turned into Cape Henlopen as a harbor of refuge since we did not want to battle these waves for 50 miles! We anchored by this inner break wall and by 5 p.m. the waves were calmer so I took this picture of the break wall. The Cruising the Chesapeake 3rd edition says "
Few people cruise the Delaware Bay for pleasure-it is something to endure to reach the Chesapeake Bay - the 50 mile passage with tide range of 5+ feet and resulting currents together with shallowness of the bay can make some fairly uncomfortable conditions on the bay" true to form!

These passenger ferry boats were not far from the break wall and take people every hour or so across the bay. Too bad we couldn't attach our boat and hitch a ride!