On to Baltimore, Aug 8 2012

Leaving Solomon Island. Reminds us of Meaford shore.

Our next destination is Baltimore. This is at least a 60 mile run from the Solomons Island so we needed to be up early and try for a a 6:00  am start. The weatherman called for 5 to 10 knots out of SW with 1' waves. The winds were so light you could hardly tell where they came from and Chesapeake Bay just had a gentle roll. The skies were slightly overcast for the most part with the air temps in the high 80's. A perfect day.

There is little to comment about as the trip was uneventful. We had called ahead to our Looper friends, Greg and Leslie Marsh aboard Amalia. They were already in the area, and this is their home stomping ground. Asked where would be a good marina? They recommended Maryland Yacht Club, as it was a lot closer to Chesapeake Bay, and it would save us the 8 + mile trip in to Baltimore. MYC was their marina before they took a sabattical for their Loop trip.

Pumping station just north of Solomons Island. Freighters offload here and then it is pumped to 6 huge holding tanks onshore. Charts show a tunnel area close by, so they probably have a tunnel also that goes between the station and tanks. We paid the most for fuel at the Solomons, anywhere on the trip, and the fuel tanks are only about 2 miles away. 

All of the major cities along the Chesapeake are at the end of a river that goes a long way inland. It means that you have to make a major committment of time to get to any of the cities. While it would be good to have the time to spend a month or so just poking around on the Chesapeake, we do not feel that we have that time. After losing that month and a half while the engine was rebuilt in Charleston, and with the summer moving along, we feel that we need to push along and get home.

Greg has offered to take Peter back to get the car in Portsmouth and bring it forward. Greg can take Peter on Friday, so we will layover till Saturday. These Looper friends are truly exceptional and so helpful. They offer to help before you can even realize you can use a hand.WOW. Greg and Leslie were the ones who got us a slip at Marathon in a marina that was already full. They found us a spot where we could be shoe horned in for a month. WOW, WOW, WOW.

Bob and Linda, on Waypoint, are going over to Georgetown tomorrow, about 30 miles on the other side of Bay on the Sassafras River. Their old stomping grounds. They want to do an oil change, visit some friends, and do some grocery shopping. We will join them Saturday.

Ballast water out, anchor up. Time for us to get out of here.

Along the way to Baltimore we went under the Chesapeake Bay bridge. There were about 5 huge freighters at anchor before the bridge. Bob said this was a staging area for them while they waited to go into Baltimore. Just as we were going behind one of them, we noticed they were pumping out their ballast, and more importantly that the anchor line was going up. We looked and the propellers were turning. Time to get out of the way. Easier said than done. We are so small, and so slow by comparison. It's a good thing that they too need time to get moving. We were well clear of him before he started to move. A little intimidating.

When we arrived at MYC, there was something of interest. The electrical system needs a little work. First there was an extension cord looped around the post, with one end hanging in the water. Then for our hook up, there was 4 plug ins haphazzardly attached to the same post we had tied our lines onto. Most surprising is that they worked.

The same post you tie the boat, is the post where they have all of the electrical outlets. What a maze. And they work. 

Electrical cord hanging in the water. Mentioned it to dock boy and he just said yes, that was from a previous boat, and that the other end not plugged in. And he left it like that.

For the last 3 or 4 days, we have been seeing Jelly fish in the water. Small ones, and larger ones. Once again, no swimming. Local advertisements are for "nettle nets" that have large rings that float behind a boat. You can safely swim within the floating nettle net without getting stung by the jelly fish tendrils.

Tangiers Island, tied for 3 days, boat finally got cool enough to need a blanket in the salon in the early morning.