Sparrows Point Country Club

You would think after 14 years of boating together on the Chesapeake Bay that we had been everywhere within a 3-4 hour ride, but just as we all get into dining ruts by going to the same restaurants over and over we tend to visit the same places on the Bay. September has bucked the trend by being a month of firsts for us. We visited Tolchester on Labor Day Weekend and ventured to the Sparrows Point Country Club this past weekend.

This new destination is a quick 45-60 minute ride via boat from Baltimore and close to Hard Yacht Café, one of our lunch cruise destinations. So why haven't we been there before? Well, in our defense, Sparrows Point is not a public marina. Since it is a country club, you have to know someone that is a member in order to use the facility. Lucky for us, we have a couple of friends that decided to join in order to use that as their marina home base. Many thanks to C-Dreamer for opening up the invitation a while back - sorry it took us so long to take you up on the offer.

First, how to get there. Leave Baltimore and go under the Key Bridge:

 Go past Fort Carroll and turn to your port side:

Go under the Bear Creek Drawbridge (By the way, I captained us under the bridge -- my first time!):

Through the old railroad bridge:

Past Hard Yacht Café on your port side:

And around the bend to Sparrows Point Country Club on your starboard side:

Once we got situated, our friends showed us around a bit. Look at this cool table made from a boat's swim platform:

I'm sure the pool is quite nice when it hasn't been closed for the season. It certainly has a nice view of Bear Creek:

There is a great fire pit behind the main club building. Real fires are a rarity in my life these days and the smell and warmth were perfect Saturday evening:

There is a dinghy shed:

And a boat ramp:

Plus a golf course:

And driving range:

All in all, it was a relaxing evening on a very social dock. The only "drama" was when the boat next to us was fishing and they caught our bow line by mistake. I tried to convince them to take over the boat payments since they caught a big one but no such luck.

Hard Yacht Cafe

I'm very happy to say that the boat is FINALLY back in the water. We were able to pick her up on Good Friday. It was a rainy day but the water was calm. This little guy was swimming right next to our boat and I like to think that he was our welcoming committee. The weather yesterday was gorgeous - perfect for a lunch cruise. So, 7 of us set off for the Hard Yacht Cafe on Bear Creek. When we arrived, we pulled up to the fuel dock and sent our friends in to get a table. This is going to be a tough year for fuel prices so we decided to completely fill up while prices are still in the $4 range. Doug is smiling here because Hard Yacht's fuel dock had gas for only $4.19. Has anyone seen anything cheaper? Our friends started to wonder if we had left them. I guess we should have warned them that 200 gallons takes a while. I sure hope it lasts a good long time. Then again, this is still cheaper than having kids and sending them to college.

As gas continues to go up in price, we think we may be making more trips to Hard Yacht this year because it's so close. Granted, a trip via car from our house would only take 10-15 minutes, but it's always more fun to take the boat. And, because it's so close a couple of friends were able to drive over and join us for a short while. Thanks for coming Billy, Rob, Dave and Jo!

The Chesapeake Bay is wonderful because it's so large. There are so many places to go and visit. However, it's also small enough that you never know who you will run into. As we were (finally) walking into the restaurant, we saw a Regal boat that looked very familiar. We were so happy to see Jim and Kathy (and their adorable dog, Rascal). Jim is an experienced captain but they were in a tight spot and we were happy to help them get on their way. Here they are pulling out of the marina: Hard Yacht has great outdoor seating (thanks for getting such a great table guys) and everyone in our group seemed happy with their food choices. Yuengling in the only worthwhile beer on tap but they make fantastic spicy bloody marys and orange crushes. They serve their drinks in plastic cups so our engineer friend, Sara, kept us entertained with her towering creations. The flag on the top of this creation says "Our Lady of the Brackish Water." Doug and I joke that we are very religious and go to Our Lady of the Brackish Water every weekend during the warmer months. We always have communion (aka tasty adult beverages) and frequently are baptised (aka swimming in the bay).

Hard Yacht also has live music. The guy playing this weekend was fun - sorry I don't remember his name. The songs by Blind Melon, Barenaked Ladies, and Violent Femmes were hits for our group. Not sure "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is the best choice for acoustic guitar, but he sure tried.

All in all, it was a great day on the water and we are looking forward to many more trips in the future. Thanks for lunch Mike, Bonnie, Sara, Sean, and Greg!

Hard Yacht Cafe

There is a biker bar on the water. Who knew?

Doug and I ventured to Hard Yacht Cafe on Bear Creek on Sunday. We had heard that this was a fun place to go for lunch. We were surprised to find the fun Harley theme.

We called ahead and found that they have awesome fuel prices. We were down to about half in each tank and have a few longer trips coming up. At $2.99/gallon we simply had to top off once we got there.

It looks like the area right up next to the restaurant can get pretty tight with boats. We saw at least once picture with cigarette boats blocking each other in. However, it seems like a cool place to get stuck, so I don't think anyone would complain. We chose to dock along the floating pier since we knew we couldn't stay long.

There is an inside bar - which of course no one was using in the beautiful weekend weather. The bar extends outside yet is protected by a roof and three walls. It then extends onto an outdoor deck area with a spot for a band. We arrived around 1 pm and had no trouble snagging a great table under cover. By the time we left the tables were filling up.

The food was delicious and filling. I recommend the Fisherman's Grilled Cheese - cheese, shrimp, and crab - simple and yummy. We had asked for a recommendation from the guy at the fuel dock and Doug took his advice - Mark Alan's Fave Burger - a burger topped with crab dip and cheddar cheese. Not my style but he enjoyed it.

A single guitar player started at 1. The music was just the right volume for the space. Doug and I could hold a conversation or focus on the music. And the singer (Mark Jacob) was fun.

If you are looking for a quick in-and-out (why would you look for a place like that on the water?), this isn't the place for you. We received menus quickly, ordered at our own pace, and received our food in a timely fashion. After that, the service dwindled. Then again, it was a gorgeous day and they weren't trying to push us out to seat other people.

Overall, it was a fun stop and we plan to go again.