Annapolis!

(Note – you can click on the photos for better viewing. We are not great photographers, but the thumbnails don’t always show the entire picture).

Before we exited the C and D Canal, we spent the night on the wall at Schaefer’s Canal House. Our buddy boat, MT Pockets, joined us for dinner on the balcony. For cruisers, it is typical to be called by your boat name. Not only is it easier to remember than individual’s names, but it is what you recognize when you pull into an anchorage, and also what you hear when folks are calling on the radio. It is why we chose to transfer our boat name from the old boat to the current boat (carefully following all Neptune’s formalities about renaming a boat). After 25+ years, we are “Ritual”!

On the balcony we found the people who had shouted to us about Traverse City as we tied up. Turned out the man was a former Michigander, who now lived on a point just around the corner from the end of the canal.  It seems that people are usually trying to connect somehow, and it is amazing how the six degrees of separation ring true and make the world feel just a little smaller.

In the morning we left on the receding tide – joining a parade of boats heading into the Chesapeake Bay.  We followed the marked channel, in part because there were no crab pots inside the channel, and in part because it shoaled so quickly on either side. The only annoyance was the large power boats passing us at full speed and throwing huge wakes. We try to turn into the wave to keep from being rolled side-to-side, but if they pass too close, it is hard to do so. One 90 footer blew by our fleet of 10 sailboats, eliciting cries on the radio (and a few forbidden expletives!). They did not answer and never looked back to see that they had almost swamped a couple of the smaller boats.

We opted for an overnight on Worton Creek since it was halfway to Annapolis and nicely sheltered from the northeast winds that were forecast to build.  The definition of creek changes again in the Chesapeake.  If you look at a map of the bay you will see a multitude of different, lacey and squiggly inlets lining both the western and eastern shores. The wider inlets are called rivers. The numerous little inlets running into each river are creeks. For example – Annapolis is off the Severn River, on Spa Creek. We are currently at a marina south of there on Back Creek. According to Google there are 150 major rivers and streams, and more than 100,000 smaller tributaries within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

As we left the channel for our anchorage, we quickly discovered the rumored proliferation of crab traps! We ran a literal gauntlet of small red or black or orange buoys. It took one of us on the rail spotting and directing in order to avoid running over a trap. One rope from a trap, wrapped around the prop, would render our boat dead in the water.  We had considered adding a line cutter to our shaft when Ritual was out of the water, and now, in hindsight, think that would have been a prudent addition! We managed to arrive at the anchorage area without dragging any crab traps along, and joined five other boats. Further up the creek were two marinas and a “hurricane hole” – an area completely protected from all wind directions and not likely to get a big surge of water in a storm. There was supposed to be a good restaurant here, but it was closed, perhaps permanently, a fallout from covid. We stayed two nights, enjoying the serenity, eagles, herons and little beach. We needed to head for Annapolis soon, as our batteries were still not charging properly from the engine (although the solar panels help enormously!), and we also wanted to attend the first day of the U.S. Sailboat Show.

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We had hoped to join a fellow Traverse City boat, Manitou, on Weems Creek near Annapolis, but decided to find a slip so we could plug into shorepower and properly charge our systems. With the Annapolis Boat Shows underway, we were very lucky to secure a slip at Jabin’s Yacht Yard on Back Creek. We thought we would be able to address our engine issues here since the yard is home to many marine businesses. We could also use some help with electronics installations and mounting our Monitor self-steering system, so we figured we were in the perfect spot.  The joke was on us however, as company after company said they were so busy that it would be sometime into November before they could fit us in! (It was October 11^th).  Finally, through a fellow Slocum owner, we learned of a company in Virginia that has parts for our old engine, and they referred us to a guy here in Annapolis who works on Perkins engines (a rare breed these days). Andy agreed to take a look, and we were elated when he assured us we did not need a new engine (several of our sister boats have repowered, to the tune of 10-20 thousand bucks); second, that he would do the work; AND third, help with the electronics! And he could start right after the boat show. We are still trying to find someone to help mount the monitor wind vane.

The Annapolis Boat Shows – Power and Sail – are annual fixtures and huge events, and we have been fortunate to attend several times over the years. This year was a bit different as we were missing the friends who have been with us in the past. We visited all the vendors on our list, and scored some good “boat show prices”.  For sailing offshore we needed a life raft and water maker – both big ticket items – and at the show we could compare all the options.  It was also an opportunity to meet several of our fellow Slocum owners. Emily and Lucas, on Alaya, live in Ann Arbor, and we had an enjoyable dinner where we introduced them to raw oysters! They visited Ritual the next day to make boat comparisons. We also had lunch with the owners of Serenata and True Love. Only 60 Slocums were built, and they are spread around the world, so it was special to meet in person with other owners and compare notes.

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This is also the first time we have been able to see the city without the boat show hubbub. From our creek, we could dinghy to a street landing in Eastport and walk a few blocks to fun restaurants and the heart of historic Annapolis. We visited the State House – the oldest state capital in continuous use since 1783, and which also served as the nation’s capital. George Washington resigned his military commission here, and the Treaty of Paris was signed here, ending the Revolutionary War. We toured the beautiful Naval Academy (with a regimen we would not have survived, even as 18 year olds!). They display the original “Don’t Give Up the Ship” flag from the War of 1812, whose historic reminders we have encountered all along the way through the Detroit River, Lakes Erie and Ontario, and towns in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Ontario. The Annapolis Yacht Club was a treat, since they had a fire and were closed when we were here two years ago. And the seafood goes without saying – oysters, mussels and crab – oh my!

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Life in the boatyard takes on its own rhythm – not unlike life at home. Waiting for the engine guys, grocery shopping, ordering supplies, checking the weather, planning/fixing meals, laundry, boat cleaning, checking the weather, visiting with other boaters, researching the next several ports, getting the right part at the hardware or marine store, checking the weather, all make the days pass quickly.

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And finally, the engine is repaired (new raw water pump and alternator), the wind anemometer, radar and chartplotter are all hooked up and talking to each other, and we heard our first Single Side Band radio reception! We have watched the trees change color, and the nights are getting downright chilly. It’s time to head south!

Fair winds – Fred and Lisa