We are an honest to goodness, functional sailboat now, although we have done no sailing. Leaving Galesville and our last option in the near future for a dock with all its amenities, we are on an anchor and basically off the gird.
We motor two miles to the Rhode River and a protected anchorage off of Camp Letts (a YMCA camp), the site of this year’s Seven Seas Cruisers Association (SSCA) Annapolis Gam. This is all new to us, and we watch with fascination as over 50 boats eventually join us in the anchorage. In all, over 250 people are in attendance, coming either by boat or car. The first evening we observe dinghies heading off to a small island in the area, and that is our signal that the opening happy hour festivities have begun. Dinghies are pulled onto the small beach, snacks are set out on the sand, and wine bottles are uncorked – it’s our first opportunity to meet this array of people ranging from first time cruisers like ourselves to multiple circumnavigators. The next day we participate in scheduled activities including four hours of seminars and a sponsored cocktail party, all amid torrential downpours which are typical of the weather we have seen so far. Saturday features eight hours of seminars and a sit down dinner. It seems intense at times but it is a wonderful opportunity to hear well known speakers in the boating world like Lynn Pardey and Ralph Naranjo.
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| Deck at Camp Letts overlooking anchorage |
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| Gam banquet participants enjoy a program by Lin Pardey |
We also have breaks in which we begin sharing boat cards (business-like cards that give contact information) and chatting with other gammers. We gather much information on what we will experience on our way south from those who have already done the trip, meet others following the same path as us for the first time, and surprisingly, meet two other couples whose plans have been impacted by the Erie Canal closure. One has sadly postponed their cruise until next year while the other arranges to truck their boat from southern Georgian Bay and is in the reassembly process at another yard in Galesville. Sunday dawns gloomy, and after a breakfast roundtable for first time cruisers, we join the crowd pulling anchor and heading off to various destinations. We are sad to leave this cocoon of new and supportive friendships.
So, it is off to Annapolis, about an hour motor through the debris strewn Chesapeake. We have heard about all the storm rubble that has been flushed from the Susquehanna into the Bay but are surprised how nerve wracking it makes the navigation – we are dodging large branches and logs along with the always present crab pots. It is fortunate that we will be at anchor in protected waters again for the next two weeks; perhaps the debris field will have disappeared by the time we begin heading south.
Annapolis is a huge boating center, and we motor into Back Creek and the beginning of Spa Creek, seeking out an anchoring spot.
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| A busy Annapolis Harbor |
It is packed with boats of all sizes and values, and we decide the wise choice would be to go to an anchorage less congested. So, we head north on the Severn River to an adjoining creek just north of the grounds of the Naval Academy. Weems Creek has plenty of boats on moorings and anchors but it is not as crowded as the more popular anchorages. We are surprised to see a number of other boats flying the SSCA burgee, having also made the move from the Rhode. It is quiet here with the placid water surrounded by wooded bluffs and beautiful homes.
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| Boats anchored in Weems Creek |
We can look out to the Severn to see a very bucolic setting rimmed with huge estates, just minutes north of the hub-bub of Annapolis Harbor. We have a convenient dinghy beach and nearby access to a grocery store and laundromat; we can bike or dinghy into Annapolis proper in about 15 minutes. Best of all, every afternoon the Naval Academy crew team flies by our anchorage down the Weems or out on the Severn for practice sessions.
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| Crew team practicing in Weems Creek |
So what do you do for two weeks while anchored near Annapolis? We have plenty to do coordinating and figuring out some of our new systems like the single sideband radio, wind generator, and a fluke in the battery charging system. We consult with a sailmaker over the possibility of a new set of sails. We replace a battery that has gone bad. Carting five gallons of water back to the boat takes an hour. Trips to the grocery or bike repair shop or West Marine all consume a half a day; we seem to be able to resolve our boat issues and personal needs but it just takes much longer. Right after five F-18's flyby over Weems Creek on their way to the Navy stadium, we head into Annapolis and watch a nail bitter Air force vs. Navy football game in a bar with enthusiastic patrons. And, we watch it rain daily, although sometimes interspersed with some sunny periods.
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| View out onto the Severn River just prior to a storm |
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| Look carefully for the double rainbow over Weems Creek |
The weather is unusually bad for fall in the Chesapeake, and now the highs are down to the 50’s. The cold, rainy weather keeps everyone boat-bound so there is little socializing with those around us. We plan to stay through the Boat Show but the weather gods are sending a very clear message – get south as fast as you can!
