We were happy that my sister Eve drove from Michigan to join us for cruising and sightseeing on the Chesapeake Bay. Eve met us at Herrington Harbour North in Deale, MD. Her first day with us was cool and rainy, so instead of boating we drove with Eve to Alexandria for brunch at an excellent local restaurant and then to Washington DC to visit the LBJ Grove and the FDR Memorial, neither of which we had seen before.
After the rainy weather passed, we cruised 30 miles across the Bay to the quaint small town of St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore. Our slip reservation was at the Harbor Inn and Marina, a local marina hotel on the waterfront, just across from St. Michael’s downtown.
Historic Saint Michaels is picturesque! Homes, churches and business buildings from the 1600s, good restaurants and shops on the Main Street, plus the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, all in an attractive waterfront town.
After we docked at the Harbour Inn, we took the Inn’s loaner bikes for a short ride into town for a late lunch/main meal. We chose outdoor seating with table-side fireplaces at Awful Arthur’s. The seafood was outstanding!
“Awful since 1975.”
I then devoted a couple of hours to exploring the 18 acre Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum while Rhonda and Eve checked out the downtown and returned to the boat.
In the evenings onboard, we challenged each other at Scrabble and taught Eve the game Quixx.
The next day we recrossed the Bay westward to Annapolis, where we docked two nights at the downtown Annapolis Yacht Basin.
Great Loop friends Mike and Deb from M.S. Carousel are cruising the Chesapeake Bay all summer. We had planned to meet them in Annapolis, and as it turned out we were docked stern-to-stern at AYB.
We enjoyed dinner with Mike and Deb one evening, and shared happy hour with them the next evening. It was good to catch up with these friends from our early days on the Great Loop.
Eve’s college roommate Julie lives in Annapolis. Julie and her friend Townsend joined us aboard for visits both evenings at the marina. (Thanks for the excellent wine and cheese!)
Annapolis is the state capital of Maryland and home of the United States Naval Academy. It is a beautiful and walkable historic maritime city.
While in town we enjoyed dinghy rides in the Annapolis harbor and nearby waterfront neighborhoods.
Our second evening in Annapolis was the Annapolis Yacht Club’s weekly sailboat race, with dozens of boats competing in classes ranging from small recreational sailboats to large and fast racing sailboats. Our dock was near the finish line, and we were close-up witnesses to some dramatic finishes.
After the sailboat races we said goodbye to Eve, who plans to stay a few more days with her friend Julie. Rhonda and I loved our time with Eve, and catching up with Mike and Deb. We look forward to a return trip to Annapolis!
