Solomons Island, MD to Chesapeake, VA

Total Miles Traveled 4613 since departing Green Turtle Bay, KY

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A cold front was expected to pass through the bay area with strong winds and rain, so we anchored at St John Creek, near Solomons Island Maryland for four days to let the bay settle down before moving south.

We weighed anchor on October 3^rd and traveled 45 miles to Tangier Island, Virginia. It pays to wait when the bay gets rough, we had an awesome cruise after departing our anchorage.

Tangier Island

Tangier island is only accessible by air or by boat and dockage for our boat is limited to three options, we were fortunate to have one opening available when we arrived. The dock is not a normal marina, the previous owner has passed away and the family now operates the docks. There is no contact by phone or radio so it’s first come first served dockage. There is power and water available, and you pay by the honor system by placing your money in a lock box at a nearby residence.

The island settlement dates back to the 1770’s with mostly farmers, but in the late 19^th century, the islanders began more dependent on harvesting crabs and oysters. Today, with a little over 400 residents, the islanders rely on crabbing to make a living and the island is often called the “soft-shell crab capital of the world”. The soft-shell crab dinner we had at the restaurant was very good.

Unfortunately, since 1850, the island’s landmass has been reduced by 67%. Under the mid-range sea level rise scenario, much of the remaining landmass is expected to be lost in the next 50 years and the town will likely be abandoned. One of the contributing factors to the sea level rise in the bay, is the silt and erosion from more than 150 major rivers and streams flowing into the bays 64 thousand square-mile drainage basin, which covers six states. We had to wait until low tide to leave the dock and still had to wade through water to get to town.

It appears their most popular mode of transportation is ATV's.

We departed Tangier Island on October 4^th and traveled 18 miles to Onancock, VA. We passed the USAS American Mariner, a retired missile tracking vessel, originally assigned to collect radar signature data on incoming missiles in the Caribbean, the South Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. The navy moved it to shallow water in the Chesapeake Bay in 1966 to be used as a target ship for training navy pilots in her retirement. Decades of weapon testing by pilots flying out of Patuxent Naval Air Station took its toll on the ship. The hull continues to rust and deteriorate into the bay.

Onancock is known as the hidden gem of the eastern shore and we anchored here for a couple of days exploring the city, the food, and of course, the farmers market.

We weighed anchor on October 6^th and traveled 61 miles to York River Yacht Haven. Our main purpose for stopping was to pick up our mail that we had forwarded to the marina, and to visit the historic Yorktown across the river. Unfortunately, we arrived on Sunday and the museum and places we wanted to visit were closed Sunday and Monday, so we decided to keep moving south.

On October 8^th, we traveled 53 miles to Atlantic Yacht Basin, located on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in Chesapeake, VA. 

We passed through the Norfolk, VA area with a heavy military presence. 

This warship called us on the radio wanting to know our intentions, we agreed to pass port to port.

We have completed our loop around the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding areas, visiting 21 historical city’s, most of them dating back to the beginning of our country.

Atlantic Yacht Basin is a full service yacht repair and storage facility, family owned since 1936. I first heard about AYB in 2015, and since then have learned that if you need any repairs, this is the place to go for quality work.

We have a drip-less shaft seal on the port engine shaft that is not leaking, but completely out of adjustment. We have a few thousand miles to cover over the next several months before our next scheduled haul out, and decided to have it replaced now. Since the boat will be hauled out for seal replacement, we also are having new bottom paint applied along with new zincs on the shafts, bow thruster, and line cutters, and have a few minor gel-coat repairs attended to.

When traveling north, we took the Dismal Swamp route.  We chose to take the intracoastal route as we travel south, this is the main waterway for "snowbird" boaters leaving the northeast coast to warmer weather in the south.  While our boat was on the hard, we were located in front of the waterway giving us a birds eye view of the boats going past.

Before entering this section of the ICW, boats have to pass through a lock and a lift bridge.  The lock and bridge operate together at the top of every hour.  Before the bridge opens, the barricades drop to stop vehicle traffic, and a horn blast before the bridge opens.  When we here the horn every hour, we stop what we are doing and watch the "boat parade" migrating south. 

Our friends on m/v Inked Mermaid.

Our stop at Chesapeake Virginia took longer than we had planned, but we are very happy with the work completed, and are looking forward to heading south for the winter.

Baltimore, MD to Solomons Island, MD

Total Miles Traveled 4437 since departing Green Turtle Bay, KY

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This has been a very busy month for us.  We had a great time during our stay at Baltimore, meeting old friends, making new friends, and seeing the sites.  We spent an entire day touring the Inner Harbor on our scooters.

Condo's on the water with slips.

The old power plant, now a Hard Rock Cafe

Most of the streets we visit in the historic towns are cobblestone.....not good on scooters.

 The USS Constellation, the last sail-only warship designed and built by the United States Navy.

The USS Torsk commissioned in 1944, the only submarine in its class to see service during WW II.

The US Coast Guard Cutter USCGC 37, commissioned in 1936, served more than 50 years of continuous service.  She is referred to as “The Last Survivor of Pearl Harbor”.

We rented a car and traveled about 25 miles to spend a day at Annapolis Maryland to visit the United States Naval Academy, established in 1845.  The campus covers 338 acres and is the home of many historic sites, buildings, and monuments.  Candidates for admission generally must apply directly to the academy and apply separately for a nomination, usually from a member of Congress.  Tuition for midshipmen is fully funded by the Navy in exchange for an active-duty service obligation upon graduation.  The candidate admission is limited to about 1200 per year.  The academy prepares young men and women to become professional officers in the US Navy and Marine Corps.  A few of the notable graduates are Jimmy Carter, John McCain, Ross Perot, professional athletes Roger Staubach, David Robinson, astronauts Alan Shepard and James Lovell.

This is a high security facility and the general public can only enter by walking in through the main gate, two forms of identification or passport, and a metal detector scan.

John Paul Jones, referred to as the father of the American Navy and regarded as one of the greatest naval commanders in the military history of the United States.

Jones body was brought to the United States aboard the USS Brooklyn, escorted by three other cruisers.  In 1913 his remains were re-interred in the marble and bronze coffin and is now located in a crypt beneath the Naval Academy Chapel.

Drill and parades are scheduled twice weekly in the fall and spring at 3:45-6:00

Dahlgren Hall

Wright Brothers Model B

Lejeune Hall sports complex and arena houses an Olympic size pool, boxing and wrestling arena and the hall of fame.

The museum is located in Preble Hall and welcomes more than 100,000 visitors annually.  The first deck exhibits the history of seapower and naval history and the second deck houses one of the world's finest collections of hand crafted warship models from the 17th,18th and 19th centuries.  Some of the models were crafted by prisoners who were kept in deplorable conditions for years on end.  They were carved from the bones of the beef rations allowed to the French prisoners.

Herndon Monument is a 21-foot piece of granite that has stood here since 1860.  Although it is a historical monument, it's popularity has risen over the years as a graduation ceremony for Plebes.  All incoming freshmen to the academy are referred to as Plebes until completing their first year of training.

A "dixie cup", a canvas sailor's hat with an upturned rim, is located on the top of the monument, then the monument is covered with vegetable shortening.  The Plebes form a human pyramid, about 1300 of them this year, and while being hosed down with water, attempt to remove the "dixie cup" and replace it with a formal upperclassmen's hat.  It took this years Plebes 2 hours and 19 minutes to accomplish the feat.  Google Herndon Climb for great video's of the event!

The tour of the academy was truly a fascinating experience.

On September 6^th, we traveled 48 miles to Havre de Grace, Maryland.  

The Francis Scott Key Bridge memorial for the six maintenance crew members killed when struck by a ship earlier this year.

Bridge span support

Havre de Grace was incorporated in 1785. We were surprised to learn that during the first congress in 1789, Havre de Grace missed by only one vote being named the capital of the United States.

We happen to be in town for the farmers market

Another great ice-cream stop. 

Cool murals at the art courtyard 

Decoy Museum is one of the main attractions.

We traveled 40 miles on September 8^th to Delaware City, Delaware.

Looks like the marina has political party docktail seating.

On September 10, we traveled 44 miles to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1682.  Before arriving we had to anchor about an hour behind an island on the Delaware River to wait for high tide, as the entrance to Penn's Landing Marina was too shallow for our 5-foot draft.  

An Osprey MV-22 flew over us while anchored, the Boeing's Philadelphia facility is across the water from us.

Once inside the marina, we had plenty of water with floating docks, and easy access to the city.  Philadelphia was definitely one of the highlights of our summer on the Chesapeake Bay.  The history here is overwhelming, and most of the historical buildings are more than 300 years old.  We traveled all over the historical part of town on our scooters.

Philadelphia was the central meeting place for the nation’s founding fathers during the American Revolution and Revolutionary War.  Philadelphia hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774 and hosted the Second Continental congress during which the nations 56 founders formed the Continental Army and elected George Washington as its commander, then unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

 The National Constitution Center

Signers Hall, 42 life-size, bronze statues of the framers of the Constitution.  

The size of the statues were formed by detailed research of each founder and actors resembling the details were chosen as models.  

We were lucky to arrive at Philadelphia, just after the presidential debate where President Trump and Vice President Harris met for the first time.  The center just opened the day we arrived.

The debate floor, much smaller than we expected.

The Liberty Bell was originally placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall.  The bell was used to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to alert citizens to public meetings and proclamation's.  The bell first cracked when rung after first arrival and was twice recast.  The bell did not acquire its large crack until after almost a century of heavy use.

Independence Hall, completed in 1753, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were debated and adopted by our founding fathers.

Assembly room where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both signed.

Supreme Court

Congress Hall, the first floor, or lower chamber,  is the House of Representatives. 

The second floor, or upper chamber is the Senate chamber.

Elfreth's Alley

We couldn't visit Philadelphia without eating a Philly Cheesesteak.

The Reading Terminal Market is the oldest public market in Philly with over 75 small, family-owned businesses providing local produce, meats, poultry, seafood, cheeses, baked goods, and freshly prepared foods.  We had heard that the broccolini cheesesteak was very good, so we gave it a try on our last visit to town.  It was okay, but not as good as the regular version.

 

Located in our harbor at Penn's Landing. 

 

Love Locks are placed on the fence to celebrate love and hope.

Olympia, a nineteenth-century cruiser, placed in service in February 1895 and is the oldest steel warship afloat in the world.

Moshulu is the worlds oldest and largest square-rigged sailing vessel still afloat and the only restaurant venue on a Tall Ship today in the World.

I had to time the tide to get into the harbor, so I'm assuming both of these vessels are sitting on the bottom.....just sayin.

We departed Philadelphia on September 13 and traveled 55 miles to anchor in the Chesapeake City, Maryland harbor.  We visited Chesapeake City during our loop in 2016, so we stayed on our boat during this stop.

We weighed anchor on September 14th after a heavy morning fog, and traveled 55 miles back to Baltimore, MD to visit our friend Joe Blanchard.   We met Joe on m/v Firebird in 2015 when we started our loop, traveling the rivers, and seeing some of the sites with him in Florida.  Joe happened to be on his boat during our travels back from Philadelphia, it was great seeing him again.

On September 15^th we traveled 32 miles to Kent Narrows, MD and stayed at the Piney Narrows marina for a week.  We have been searching for a covered slip during our travels to prepare and apply two coats of varnish on our teak rail caps and rub rails. 

You never know who you may meet while traveling the waterways, as it turns out, we were in slip next to Jack and Jill Svahn.  Jack served in the administrations of four Presidents and twenty years with Ronald Reagan.  Jack wrote a memoir about his years with President Reagan, which we were fortunate enough to receive an autographed copy.

Jack and Jill were great neighbors to us, they drove us to the local grocery, farmers market, and the Anchors and Oars nautical used parts store. 

Anchors and Oars, everything imaginable stripped from wrecked, damaged, or derelict boats.  From complete engines to life jackets.

We departed Kent Narrows on September 24^th and traveled 25 miles to Chestertown, MD.  Chestertown was another historic town on our list of places to visit on the Chesapeake. 

We had to keep an eye out for stowaways, as a pirate ship docked next to us unexpectedly.

On September 26^th we traveled 16 miles to an anchorage at Wash Point on the Chester River, then traveled 7 miles on the 27^th to Gray’s Inn Creek Marina, near Rock Hall, MD.  Rock Hall was also on our list of places to visit, and Gray’s Inn Creek Marina was referred to us by our friend John Steel who we met in Marathon this year.  John is friends with the owners of the marina.

Cool image projected on the dock

Rock Hall, MD

A triathlon event was going on during our visit, reminded me of my biathlon days in Indiana. 

Seafood Nachos and Corona's for lunch.

We departed the marina on September 29^th and with a favorable weather window on the bay, traveled 75 miles to an anchorage at St John Creek, Solomons Island, MD.  We anchored in this same creek in 2016 during our Great Loop adventure.

We have a few more places to visit while on the Chesapeake Bay before heading down the intracoastal waterway in October.   I believe exploring the Chesapeake Bay this summer will be one of our most memorable boating experiences.