Walkin' in Annapolis

I did get a few pics with my phone.

One of the first things we did after tying up was walk downtown and look for a restaurant. We really want some crabs, but they continue to be eluding us.

Next to "Ego Alley" is this bronze statue of Alex Haley... remember "Roots".
When we saw this, at the same time, Mel and I both said, "That's Tucker."
For the folks who don't know, Tucker Rolle is the fellow who owns and operates Compass Cay, Exumas.
For those who do know him... doesn't it?

We didn't eat here, but the colors and light blended nicely.

The skies are clearing a bit so, maybe, later today we can take some good shots. There are many things to photograph here.

Today's Pics

Annapolis is interesting — busy and touristy — but interesting.
We wandered off the beaten trail yesterday and it's a cool old town. Brick pavers, that appear to be quite old and they probably are, are used for sidewalks. The houses kinda remind us of parts of Mid-Town Memphis.

A knock on the boat last evening produced a visit from an old friend from Compass Cay. Josh is a Captain on a big yacht here in the marina. It was really fun catching up with him... He's a funny dude that we're sure we'll see again before leaving.

Our old buddy, Pete, is stopping by today for lunch on his way down to Williamsburg.

Tim, our friend, who's an Annapolis resident, will stop by soon also...
So, wow, we've gone from recluses to being social butterflies.

Should be fun.

I didn't take a camera as we walked the streets of Annapolis so these are a few pics leading up...

Quick shots taken from the pilothouse.

The only boat we saw on our crossing from Savannah to Cape Fear.

These Turecamo tugs are everywhere. Named after another Compass Cay friend. The Turecamo family owned many of these tug boats on the east coast. They show up on AIS all the time.

Why do sailboats always go out of their way to demand the right of way?

Easing into Solomons Harbor.

Today's a relatively cool day and at sometime we'll wander around some more... I'll take my camera.

I missed the Wednesday night sailboat races in front of the Yacht Club. That was pretty wild.

Thanks for checkin' on us.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Makin' Tracks

Our AIS Track
Check out, Marinetraffic.com

We went

Woke the crew and quickly made preparations to get underway.

The fellow on 'Blue Grotto' was correct and the seas have been relatively smooth.

Got a pic of Cove Point Lighthouse on the way around the bend and into the Bay.

This one's for Broulee.

Now as we're happily settling into our routine of staring out the window and cutting corners on our planned route, I get a text from a friend in Annapolis. He's got us spotted on Marine Traffic.com. Tells us our speed, bearing, and all the traffic around us.
You can run but you can't hide.

Another cool thing about boats and technology.... I'm posting this from the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.
Right here.... Click link to see the location. http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=DHupI/38.65279N/76.44356W  I'm such a gear head.

The marina in Annapolis just called to tell us they've made room and we haven't found a place at St. Michaels... so off to Annapolis we go.
We've never been to Annapolis.
Finally we're going places we haven't been before. We're excited.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Today's Pic

Like the old tune by the Clash... Should I Stay or Should I go.

A fellow just passed by in a Selene so I radioed him for a report. He said his run yesterday was pretty nasty so I guess we made the right call after all.

 Pretty sedate morning in Solomons Harbor.
No red skies make for a boring picture, but an omen of good seas.

It's so smooth up in the Pax River, but you don't know till your about 5 miles out what the Bay is actually doing.
Low tide is around 9AM so our thoughts are to meet that slack tide and ride the flow north. Still not sure where yet. Got calls into a couple of places, but it seems everyone is full. I'm sure we'll find something. Anchoring out in the Severn is probably not a good idea with all the storms that are predicted, but we shall see.

Just got a call from 'Blue Grotto', the Selene Trawler. He reports that it's not bad at all... so off to wake the crew.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Solomons Ospreys

These guys were playing across the harbor all the day. Fishing must be good.

And there were quite of few of these flying around also.

Weather's improving... maybe a run to Annapolis or St Michaels tomorrow.

Today's Pic

Well, as I said yesterday, the weather's the determining factor in our planning decisons. Last night we looked at forecasts and conditions appeared to be on the border between good-enough and no-fun. My thoughts were to wake early and look at the latest forecast, factor in the tides, wind direction, then decide if we're gonna run or stay put.
What we learned last week after being man-handled by the Chesapeake Bay was: 15 to 20 knot southerly winds pushing against an ebb tide equals those snarling, mean ass following seas. Not gonna kill ya, but they'll certainly take the pleasure out of boating. For you boater types, think 4/5' at 2 seconds. Hell, last week those seas actually knocked ol' Don Quixote off his perch. That's never happened.
As I expected, conditions crossed over to the no-fun zone. Looks like we'll stay at Solomons a little longer. Could think of worse things...

We may move to a different marina just for new scenery, but it's raining right now — I'm going back to bed.

Adios,

Istaboa

Sittin' at Solomons

We've enjoyed Solomons a lot. It's a quiet little place, even on a summer weekend. Remember the 70's rock band, Bad Company? The town put on an outdoor concert Friday and even that was peaceful. We could hear the music well and the crowd really enjoyed the show. Lots of applause.

Our Nephew Neil, stationed at Pax River NAS, and his friend Maria came by for dinner.
Neil's such a nice fellow. He loaned us his car for our stay and pitched in and helped me repair a faulty bilge pump switch. (I held the flashlight) He's very talented that way.

I figure if he can keep this (pic below) working, my bilge pump shouldn't be too difficult.

 P-8 Poseidon flying over Pax River NAS

Interesting link here http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/the-p-8a-poseidon-adventure-flying-and-fighting-the-poseidon/

We think Neil's adjusting well to Navy life ...

It was fun catching up with Neil... been a couple of years since we've seen each other.
His friends are very nice and they all seemed to have enjoyed their tour of the boat.

We're happy we had a planned stop so close to Neil's job; 2 weeks ago we had no idea he was here. Sometimes... things just work out.

Next visit we're promised a tour of the base.

Not sure what the next few days will bring... weather is a factor and we'll know more in the morning.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Today's Pic

Solomons Harbor

Today's Pic

Are we there yet?