May 23, 2007

We had a short trip today from Pirates Cove Marina north to Baltimore, Md. We left early this morning and went around the next point and did a slow circle by boat through Annapolis, Md. This is the home to the US Naval Academy which is right downtown in Annapolis and of course we could see the dome of the capital from the water in the morning sun. It looked as though the academy was out for the summer and the cadets were doing their training elsewhere. There was nobody on the scale model training ships that we could hear or see. The harbor was full of sailboats from all over and a few power boats that were pretty large but not as large as the sailboats. We saw our first modern sailboats over one hundred feet long both at anchor and tied off at the wharfs. The real narrow alleyway that goes to the center of town always looks to small to get into and once there you have to back all the way out of it and most times it has only one boat width through it. Saw a megayacht anchored which is something you rarely see in the US. After a cruise around there we headed for Baltimore going under the large four lane bridges between Annapolis and the Easter Shore of Maryland. After that it was just follow the channel around the point and into Baltimore, Maryland. We did the harbor tour in Baltimore using Shorty and cruising slowly along at no wake speed. It was an interesting trip. First we saw the hospital ship Hope tied up at the wharf and loading supplies. Then came a number of navy supply ships which use merchant marine crews to take supplies to where they are needed. We are in a huge marina with probably four to five hundreds slips and all filled with big boats. We are probably the smallest boat here.
But there are groups and groups of marinas that have sail and power boats in them even more than in Norfolk. Coming into the harbor we passed Fort Mchenry where the star spangled banner was written and it flies a flag over it with the thirteen original stars of the colonies. Coming up the channel from Annapolis we again saw some more of the lighthouses that are in the middle of the Chesapeake and left over from the 1800’s or older maybe. We photographed those and the fisherman working there nets and crab people tending there pots as we came through shortly after sunup this morning. We have been making and eating breakfast under way which gives us more hours to run. We had a tanker ahead of us in the channel this morning and a container ship behind us who was trying to outrun us. There were also tugs towing barges and not pushing them. That always looks so unusual because on the Mississippi and elsewhere they are always pushing barges. As far as I know barges do not have brakes and if I was the tug I would be afraid of getting run over by them. We had beautiful weather today and the seas were the gently rolling kind of swells so Shorty was able to run about 12 to 13 knots till we got into the harbors.

Our pin prick hole in the boat continues to leak a drip now and then but after we stopped today it had been enough to fill a large sponge we put there to sop up the water coming through but at least we did not have a half gallon or more in the bilge so something is working right. Bob just put some more 5200 sealant on the hole and so far no water drips are showing and all is dry. Maybe at some point it will seal but we are managing to do alright.

We have fueled up and if the weather holds we could be at the entrance to the C & D canal some time tomorrow. That I am sure will be another story. We have been encountering some currents both days that are adverse to us causing us to lose time and burn more fuel. After some heavy weather one and adverse current our fuel burn has increased slightly.