Annapolis, MD for the winter

November 2, 2020 - November 8, 2020

Sometime during the night, Bob woke me up so I could help him with the dock lines.  The wind had increased during the night (gusts to 35 mph) and our stern dock line came loose.  We struggled to pull the boat close enough to the dock for Bob to get off the boat and retie the line while I stayed aboard to tighten the line when it was properly attached to the piling.  We decided to check on the bow lines as well and discovered that one of them had come untied.  After fixing that line we retreated to the warm cabin having been chilled by the high northerly wind.  As we say, “It’s always something on a boat.”

In the morning we rechecked the lines and tied the dinghy (which is on the bow) down more securely. The wind was still whipping around the boat and the temperature was in the low 40’s.  We quickly realized that we needed to supplement our wardrobes with some warmer clothes if we were to survive the Maryland winter. We rented a car to drive to Baltimore and retrieve our Prius from the marina garage.  Since we purchased a parking pass from the city of Annapolis we can park near our boat.  We stopped at Italian Market for lunch, stopped at our storage locker to get one of our oil filled radiators, and did a few more errands before returning to the boat. It’s super to be close to our favorite Annapolis places again.

Tuesday was sunny with lighter winds making it warmer. Putting the oil filled radiator in the cock pit warmed it up nicely.  Lola is loving the freedom of being in the cock pit all day where she can watch birds, people, and dogs all around the boat.  After doing some errands we retired to the cockpit to drink a new cocktail Bob concocted (mint patty martini - delicious) and listen to the election news.  Bob continued to man the bar and I made various snacks.  The vote counts were not very promising by bed time.

For the next couple of days (Wednesday - Friday) we listened to election news on the CNN Sirius XM channel most of the day.  Every morning the weather was wonderful and I took a long walk around Eastport and Annapolis through the lovely neighborhoods and along the water. Walking here is much more enjoyable than in Baltimore.  Annapolis has mandated wearing a mask on the street and inside buildings as well as posted one way signs for the sidewalks. I feel much safer from the virus here.

These "one way" signs help to make my
morning walk safer from cover-19.

I am still waiting for the quilt I pieced for Rachel (my second daughter) to be quilted.  On Thursday I called Glory Bee’s and they informed me that the backing fabric needed to be altered in order to be the correct size. I made the hour drive to make the correction right away.  The quilt should be done by the end of next week - fingers crossed. It will be difficult to complete the quilt before I drive out to Oak Park before Thanksgiving.

On one of my walks I took some photos of several iconic Annapolis buildings.

The spire of St. Mary's Catholic Church
which is on Duke of Gloucester Street.

St. Ann's Episcopal Church is located on Church Circle,
and is the oldest church  in Annapolis.

The State House dome presides over State Circle.

The Govenor's Mansion is near the State House on State Circle.

Wear a mask and stay safe!

Thank you for reading my blog.

From Baltimore to Annapolis

 October 22, 2020 - November 1, 2020

During our last week in Baltimore we tried to complete many of the tasks we would not be able to complete in Annapolis.  Since the City Dock Marina doesn’t have a facility like the boater’s lounge at Anchorage Marina I spent several afternoons in the lounge cutting out the strips I needed to create the quilt I want to complete for my son, Karl, during the winter. I figured having a quilt to work on when the weather is nasty this winter will be a blessing.  I, also, cut out a dress and a couple of winter tops.  Bob started to prepare the stern teak toe rail for refinishing, but with so much rain in the forecast he realized it would be impossible to complete the job before we left for Annapolis.  

We attended a final get together of all of our boating friends on Thursday night (10/22).  We discussed our plans for the winter.  Some of our friends were leaving for New Bern, NC and others were planning to spend most of the winter in Florida.  With the pandemic uncertainties no one was planning to cross the gulf stream to the Bahamas.  From what we have heard the usual annual migration of cruisers down the ICW to warmer weather has been light this year.  We will miss our friends, but will keep in touch throughout the winter.  We will have a reunion party in May, no doubt.

On the health front, Bob finally got the report from his urologist.  It was good and bad news.  Bob does have cancer, but it is small and easily treated.  He will have a consult with his doctor to review his options for treatment next week.  

We changed our plans, due to weather concerns of course, and left for Annapolis on Saturday (10/31). We had a pleasant though chilly trip.  The big landmarks we passed were the “Star Spangled Banner” buoy just east of the Key Bridge.  The buoy marks the spot where Francis Scott Key wrote our national anthem. You can read the story of the buoy at this web site.Star Spangled buoy The Bay Bridge was our next big landmark.  It is such an impressive structure especially when seen from the water.  We arrived in Annapolis by 2:30 and settled in.  Bob did an amazing job of docking the boat in a narrow slip with the stern in.  I was pretty good with the lines, too.  Since it was Halloween we sat in the cock pit and observed the various people going by, some in costume.  The craziest group was four witches paddling by on stand up paddle boards.  Although having the boat at City Dock with the stern next to the dock is almost like living in a fish bowl it is very amusing watching the passers by both on foot and in automobiles.

Sunday was restful with breakfast at Starbucks.  We were hoping to go to City Dock Cafe, but it is closed until further notice (boo hoo).  We made it back to the boat before the down pour and I made Pizza for lunch.  We listened to the Ravens vs. Steelers game which was a real thriller but the Steelers won 28 - 24.  

In Annapolis everyone is required to wear a mask on the street and inside buildings which makes us feel safer than if Baltimore.  Stay safe and follow all of the recommended Covid protocols.

Thank you for reading my blog.