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| The Great Loop Route |
We just realized that we keep referencing The Great Loop journey (also known at the Great Circle Loop) that we are on and some of you who are reading the blog may not be familiar with this trip. It involves the circumnavigation of Eastern North America by water and varies from 5,000 to 7,500 miles depending on the routes one decides to take. This is the general route we plan to take, but will be adding various rivers and bays on our adventure. Because we wish to spend time in certain areas, we will be taking two seasons to complete our journey.
May 6, 2015
We begin our day early and leave the wall in Portsmouth by 6:00 am. The day proves to be uneventful with a bit of military and commercial traffic as we begin the day but it evolves into a comfortable ride with flat water and little wind. We travel for 9 hours and do 65.5 miles. Dave finds a great anchorage in the Great Wilcomico River. The 3,456 pound great white shark, Mary Lee, was recently tracked to be in the Middle Chesapeake Bay just outside this river. Needless to say, we decide not to swim today.
May 7, 2015
We leave our anchorage at around 7:00 am with no sighting of Mary Lee, and head towards Solomon Island and St. Mary's on the Patuxent River. We are going to Lusby, Md to visit with our friends Andy and Samantha who just purchased a house on Hungerford Creek.
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| Andy and Sam's Dock |
They have invited us to stay at their dock. Andy sent us the coordinates and a photo of the house, and Dave and I find the creek with no problem. On the approach to the creek entrance, we note how shallow and narrow the entrance is. We inch our way along and once inside, we find deeper water. Using the photo, we quickly locate the house and dock "At Last".
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| Overnight Guests |
Sam and Andy will not be at the house until tomorrow. As Dave and I make ourselves "at home", enjoying wine and cheese on the dock as the sun sets, our friends' new neighbors look at us as they go by in their boats wondering who we are. Later, we find out that they have given Andy a full report of "strangers" inhabiting their dock. It is a great piece of property with pretty vistas.
May 8, 2015
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| Grayly |
Andy's parents have dropped off a car for us to use. We follow Andy's mom's suggestion and head to the boardwalk on Solomon Island. This island holds a special place in our hearts as this is where we bought "At Last" four years ago. Today is a day of indulgence, especially for me. While Dave gets a haircut, I have a pedicure.....so relaxing. Next we head to the boardwalk and have a delicious lunch. On our way back to the house, we stop at the grocery store to restock. Sam arrives at the house around 3:30 pm and Andy arrives around 5:00 pm. It's great to see them both as well as Lilly and Grayly---their dogs. We have a tour of the house and property and hear all about their plans.
Later, we enjoy an excellent dinner at Stoney's. We are seated outside and the view is marvelous. Dessert is back at Andy's parents' house and then back to the boat.
May 9, 2015
Andy and Sam are working hard on many projects at the house so Dave and I decide to stay and help. While Carol and Tom, Andy's parents, work with him on putting a floor in the shed, Dave and I help Sam prime and paint the kitchen cabinets. We get all the doors and trim done so that Sam will be able to "crackle" them next weekend. Andy and his crew complete their project as well so that the shed is ready for its new roof. Later in the evening, we spend some more time with Andy and Sam before they head back to Pasadena. It is has been great catching up with old friends.
May 10, 2015
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| Chesapeake Maritime Museum |
Happy Mother's Day! We are up early since we must depart from the dock at high tide. We leave around 8:00 am in dense fog. Our destination today is St. Michael's, Md. The fog lifts after about two hours. We travel 55 miles in about 8 hours. We decide to anchor outside the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. This museum is home to a collection of Chesapeake Bay artifacts, exhibitions, and vessels and is definitely worth a visit. The Pine Cabin Resort is located near the museum and we have a view of its beautiful white antebellum buildings.
Pine Cabin Resort
May 11 & 12, 2015
We haul anchor at St. Michael's around 9:30 and set course for Annapolis. We enjoy a very smooth ride amidst rain and mist. It is only 25 miles and we arrive around 1:30 and take a mooring for the night. We have a very low key evening, with dinner at Pusser's. And we, of course must a pain killer, #3.
The forecast for today, May 12th is 30 kt. gusts and 3 foot seas so we decide to head out early and go to Eagle Cove on the Magothy River for a few nights before we head to MYC.
The water, however, proves to be calm and we continue to MYC where we arrive around 10:30 am just before the winds kick up. We dock in our old slip "A10". It's nice to be back!
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