Chauffeur Service Anyone?

I sometimes forget just how cool boats really are. While this may sound arrogant (completely not my intent), because I can take my boat out basically anytime I want I forget about the novelty of a boat for other people.

Doug and I had a wonderful experience tonight. A friend of ours bought tickets for a concert at Pier 6 for herself, a friend, and her parents to celebrate her parents' anniversary. She wanted to make the night special for her parents. Since Pier 6 is right along the water in the Baltimore Inner Harbor she asked if we would be available to take them over via boat. We had the evening free so we agreed.

It was a little touch and go earlier today with severe thunderstorm warnings threatening the outing. Luckily, the storms blew through early and we had a delightful ride from our marina to the Harbor. Baltimore is really lovely from the water. I recommend that anyone that visits this city take advantage of the water views - even the water taxi will give you a great opportunity to see this wonderful city.

Annapolis - Ego Alley

Ego Alley is exactly as the name implies - it's a small area in the middle of Annapolis where boaters dock to watch and be watched. The Annapolis Harbormaster does not take reservations for the slips and spots along the wall of this prime location. We ventured down Saturday morning and were lucky enough to get a slip around 11:30 as other boats were leaving. We were near restaurants, bars, shopping, the Naval Academy, and lots of tourists. I have to admit that it is a lot of fun to sit on your boat as people stroll by. Some make nice comments, some just wave, and some even take pictures. It's also fun to walk around yourself. This weekend I also saw a sailboat that was fully prepared for boat drinks. They had three or four pineapples and quite a few bunches of bananas hanging from the mast and waiting for the blender.

Lunch was at Pusser's (try the herb rubbed mahi mahi sandwich). You can't go wrong with good food, better drinks, and a view of your boat from your table.

On nice weekends there is a lot of boat traffic going through Ego Alley. Power boats, sailboats, kayaks, and the water taxis are continually pulling into the dead end alley just to look around. Unfortunately, lots of boats in a small space can cause issues. The owner of the third boat down in this photo found that out first hand this weekend. Not long after we docked we heard his boat get clipped. A Coast Guard Auxiliary boat got too close and broke the anchor brackets off his bow. The captain of the Coast Guard boat did find a spot to tie off so he could trade information with the captain of the hit boat. The Harbormaster and the DNR also got involved. While an unfortunate reminder that accidents do happen, I give credit to all involved that it appeared to have been handled in a satisfactory manner.

After dinner at Galway Bay (the Saint Brendan's seafood casserole is fabulous), a relaxing evening on the boat, and then breakfast at Chick & Ruth's (too many good items to list), we headed home to Baltimore. And while I wouldn't normally feature a photograph with a sailboat, this one under the Bay Bridge is just too pretty.