After a thorough pumpout and a fill with water at the adjacent fuel dock we set off into the channel and it's bye bye Baltimore.
With genoa out we have expectations of a brisk sail down to Annapolis. Of course, by the time we got out into The Bay, the wind had dropped so we motored under the only bridge that crosses the Chesapeake in the middle (not to be confused with the incredibly long tunnel bridge at the mouth of the bay) and down to Annapolis the sailing capital of North America and location of the US Navy's equivalent to West Point.Friday 24th October
We had anchored the night before, opposite the Naval Academy which turned out to be a major mistake, as it is completely unprotected from east winds which is of course what we got. We spent a miserable night bouncing up and down and rolling side to side, too nervous to go into the darkened bay and pick up a mooring. So by morning we were tired and not ready for the relatively long trip we'd planned for the day. Plus the weather forecast was not great so we decided to take a mooring in the harbour, explore Annapolis a little and do some of the never ending list of jobs.
After breakfast we headed down Ego Alley (named for the size of boats along it)
in the dinghy, to leave it at the end while we went to find a bus to take us to West Marine and a supermarket.Annapolis is a very attractive place, at least the old part is,
but the stores are all jewelry, ice cream, restaurants and other touristy places but no food stores. They do have a reasonably priced bus service but the schedule (and the routes) seem to be purely arbitrary.Saturday 25th October
The forecasted bad weather arrives and even in the protected harbour we are bounced around and lashed with high winds and rain. A day for staying aboard and doing stuff like changing the engine oil. We do get a surprise visit when a dinghy pulls up at our stern and Alan Davis, someone we know from Ottawa, has actually moored his boat quite close to us, after a non-stop journey from New York. We agree to go eat ashore with him and his crew on Sunday night.
Sunday 26th October
The wet and windy weather has departed and now the sun is out again but the temperature has dropped - you can't have everything - at least until we get much further south.
We head ashore for showers and a Buddy walk and when we get back to the dinghy we find a visitor.
Fortunately he didn't leave a deposit. The tug boats behind are Lord Nelson Victory Tugs and came from all over the place for this meet.
