Baycation Part 1

How often do you get to travel and take your home with you? Just think -- you get to sleep in your own bed the whole time, you don't have to pack because you already have everything you need, and you get to explore. Full time cruisers can do this whenever they want. Those of us with full time jobs that require us to go to an office get to do it in short spurts. This year, we left our home dock on Saturday, July 2 and returned eight days later.

The Chesapeake Bay is perfect for this type of trip because there are many destinations relatively close together. This was our trip:

• Saturday - Tuesday: Anchor in Swan Creek behind Rock Hall
• Tuesday - Thursday: Get a slip at Herrington Harbour South Marina (in between Deale and North Beach on the map)
• Thursday - Friday: Luck out with a slip in Ego Alley in Annapolis
• Friday - Saturday: Anchor behind Dobbins Island in the Magothy River (just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the west side of the Bay)
  

The other great thing about the Bay is that lots of boating friends can come and go from the trip as it fits their schedule. It's like having house guests that bring their own house (and bed and sheets and towels and food). We had a core group of four boats in Swan Creek with another three that visited for part of the time.

The raft up taken from the bow of Wet Wille.

After watching fireworks in Baltimore and Middle River for the past few years, we wanted to try something different. We chose Swan Creek because we like the anchorage area and Rock Hall had fireworks scheduled for Sunday, July 3. We then chose to stay in Swan Creek for an extra couple days so we wouldn't have to deal with a Bay busy with boat traffic and price hikes at marinas for the holiday. We also got to enjoy a relatively empty anchorage basin for a couple of days.

Rock Hall put on an impressive fireworks show but the funniest statement about the display came from the 4-year-old in the group: "Mommy, why aren't the fireworks up in the sky?" This lucky little guy has always seen fireworks up close and personal, as in, lay down on the bow of your boat and watch them explode above you close and personal. We were close to the front of the Creek but still at the point where the fireworks were on the horizon and not directly above us.

The four ladies took the dinghy into town on Monday via the dinghy dock at Haven Harbor Marina. Town is about a half-mile away along a well-traveled road but the shoulder is sufficient for walking single or double-file. We did a little shopping but I have unfortunately seen a steady decline in the number of open businesses in Rock Hall. I wish there was more to do in town but we were really there for a relaxing raft up.

We did visit Waterman's Crab House for lunch. You simply must go to Waterman's if you visit Rock Hall. Just in case you need proof, they do serve more than just crabs:

The blackened tuna was cooked perfectly!

After four quiet days it was time for a trip down the bay to Herrington Harbour South. Watch for that post in a couple days.

The Pirates of Swan Creek

We rafted up with three other boats last weekend in Swan Creek. But this wasn't just any old Rock Hall weekend. It was Pirates & Wenches Weekend - an annual event that brings hoards of people in costume to Rock Hall seeking fun.

In the past, we've always docked at Rock Hall Landing or did a quick lunch cruise to Waterman's. Why had we never ventured into Swan Creek? I don't have a good answer for that. However, this being our first trip and having heard stories of Pirates & Wenches Weekend, we didn't know what to expect.

The first "obstacle" we had to overcome was a swarm of pirate kayakers blocking our path into the creek:

Next came the pirate dinghies with their vuvuzelas:

I guess we looked harmless enough because they let us pass. We finally made it safely into the creek and rafted up.

After that things were pretty calm. We saw boats full of people in costume heading into town for the festivities. And there were many boats in the creek proudly displaying their flags. There was certainly plenty of space for boaters that wanted to anchor out and tender in to town.

The creek was so pretty that we can't wait to go back. Perhaps we'll even go into town for the next P&W weekend in the search of booty. This year it was fun being on the outskirts of the festivities enjoying the quiet scenery and the warm water - that is saltier than most of the places we frequent in the Bay.

Rock Hall

Doug and I celebrated 12 years of marriage this weekend with an overnight trip to Rock Hall Landing Marina on Saturday. We put the word out earlier this week and two other boats were able to make the trip with us (thanks guys!). You really can't go wrong when this is your view.

Yes, that is the Bay Bridge in the background.

The marina is the closest to town and directly next to the crab house. Prices are reasonable at $2.25 a foot on weekends. Unlike last year's early heat, it's just getting warm enough to swim this year so we didn't spend any time in the pool but it is nice.

We have made many lunch trips to Waterman's Crab House over the years but I don't believe we have stayed the night since Luv'n Life II. The town is very small but easily walkable from the marina. Make time (or save up calories) to make a visit to Durding's. This soda shoppe and ice cream parlor is like a step back in time with counter service and amazing thick milkshakes. The red devil cake ice cream and chocolate chip cookie cone were also big hits.

Unfortunately, the shanty-style collection of shops in Oyster Court were all closed because of a dance recital. You know you live in a small town when everyone goes to the recital. While it would have been fun to browse, we simply meandered back to the marina after finding this fun "library" along Main Street.

To me, Waterman's means crabs and hush puppies. Three of us split a dozen extra larges for dinner - they were meaty, easy to pick, and de-lic-ious!

Food always brings people together and boaters have perfected the art of social eating. Even in a marina, we find a way to create meals on the boat and find any seating possible to enjoy each other's company. Picture a tailgate party where people are sitting on chairs, coolers, and bumpers. Seating in our "sun room" includes wicker furniture, a cooler, and the steps up to the helm.

Sandra and James surprised us with bloody mary's:

 To go with breakfast:

We had already attacked the "buffet" before I remembered to take a picture. Eggs, sautéed peppers, jalapenos and onions, grated cheddar cheese, avocado, and arugula on wraps are an easy make-your-own breakfast for groups.

We took a leisurely ride back home on Sunday. The cats both had a rough time on the ride to Rock Hall and the slower pace back seemed to agree with them. I'm going to talk to their vet about motion sickness remedies but it may not be necessary since they recover so quickly once back at the dock.

Big Yawn

Our little contortionist

Crabs and Tons of SeaRays

Waterman's Crab House never disappoints! With an extremely full boat we made our way across the bay for lunch. There were 10 of us yet we were seated immediately. Waterman's has tons of outdoor seating, I've never actually eaten inside. There must be an inside part to the restaurant? Oh well, we sat outside on what has been the most beautiful July day I've seen in a long time.Six of us chose to have crabs - YUM! (and very well priced - only $60 for larges). Crabs are such a great social food. It makes me wonder if crabs would ever be a good choice for a first date. What if you find you have nothing in common? If that's the case, you are in for a long night.

Everyone seems to eat their crabs a different way: some dump their shells in the bucket right away -- some create neat piles to dump later. Some scrape off the old bay and don't use it at all(crazy!) -- some scrape it into piles to make sure every bite can be rolled in old bay for extra flavor. Some suck the meat out of the legs -- some just toss the legs aside. Some eat the body first -- some eat the claws first. Hmm...what is the best meat on a crab? I have difficulty deciding. Oh yeah, one more thing, some people just have fun with the mallets:
Apparently, Waterman's also has non-seafood. While it would never have been my first choice, apparently the ribeye sandwich special was quite good.

After a great lunch, we headed to Hart-Miller Island for some more fun in the sun. For any mothers out there -- it took us at least 30 minutes to get to Hart-Miller Island so no one went swimming too quickly after eating. :)

Hart-Miller was PACKED! We happened upon a SeaRay Aquapalooza. The number of boats rivaled Fairlee Creek on Memorial Day Weekend. We anchored and jumped in. You know how normally there is an initial chill when you jump into water? Well, not this weekend. The water felt fantastic and according to one of our passengers it was "very wet." (Uhm....okay)

It's been a long time since we've anchored at Hart-Miller, I had forgotten how much of a current rolls through there. You really have to pay attention and work to stay near the boat. At least we worked off a crab or maybe a beer.

Thanks to a great crew -- including 5 people who had never been on our boat before. It was a great day.

Rock Hall - Lunch Cruise

Saturday was time for another lunch cruise. We gathered eight people for the boat and set out for Waterman's Crab House in Rock Hall, MD. This cruise takes about an hour from Baltimore and we had a great ride over. Once we started pulling into Rock Hall we saw the local wildlife. It's a little hard to see the bird in this nest but we always joke that this is a penthouse - it even has electricity.

There are some great houses in Rock Hall. I'm especially enamored with this one.




Waterman's Crab House has a fantastic deck area for dining. We scored tables under umbrellas and started the feast. I have to say that these were the best crabs I've had all season. They were very tasty and very full. Waterman's has never disappointed us. I am curious about the Harbor Shack (also in Rock Hall) and would love to get some reviews from people who have been there. When we've stayed overnight in Rock Hall we've been able to hear the music from the Harbor Shack so it seems like a hopping place.

After leaving Rock Hall, we headed back to Stoney Creek to anchor and swim. It still seems crazy to me that I'm swimming in the Bay this early. It has been that hot of a season already in Maryland and the water feels great.

I have only one piece of advice from this trip:

• Make absolutely sure the props are centered before trying to dock using the twin props. I'm definitely an inexperienced docker and almost got us in a lot of trouble. Thankfully my husband was able to fix my mistake. I really want to learn to dock the boat on my own and will have to get more practice. Thanks to all the friends on the trip who supported me and placed the "blame" on the wind.