We are now in a position that we can slow down for a bit. It has been quite hectic (still pleasant, but hectic) for the first bit of the trip. The beginning was, of course, challenging due to the closure of the Erie Canal and all the uncertainty. Not to mention the extra 500 miles that we had to do to go around it. This last bit had the jumps out in the Ocean and the last day on Delaware Bay. Now, that we have these milestones out of the way, we can relax a bit and not feel the need to do 10 hours every day! We did our school in the morning. Dylan was in his standing sling as we sang some songs that he could participate in. We left the anchorage for Havre de Grace at 12:30pm.
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"Mom, are you serious...get me out of this thing".
"OK, push me one more time - and then, get me out!" |
The trip was only 3 hours. Most of that we stayed below and continued with school work while Kerry drove. There are a few marinas and anchorages here. I had favoured going into the first marina as this is close to the main park downtown. We have been here before, and I knew that Connor would just love to jump off as soon as we land to blow off a bit of energy. The entrance to the marina was a bit tricky, however. As we approached the depths were starting to read quite shallow...2.9, 2.7, 2.5 feet. We seemed to do fine as we can handle those depths...but, when we landed at the gas dock, the attendant informed us that a lot of the boats were actually locked in as the entrance way has been silted in. We continued to learn that there was another tropical storm (Lee) that hit this area around a week and a half ago. We had learned that they had to release some of the dams which brought lots of muddy water from the Susquehanna river into the Havre de Grace basin. The docks showed water level marks almost 2-3 feet over the docks. The cleats on the docks were all wrapped in grasses further identifying the high water levels. It seems like everywhere we have been, water damage has been prevalent. Connor did, indeed, waste no time running to the park. Within a few minutes, one of the kids asked him to play 'Transformers' with them. After a lively game that group disbanded and Connor took it upon himself to ask another family (a father and two children) if he could play with them as they were playing 'tag'. He and the boy played very well together. He must have been at the park for 3 hours enjoying the company of his new friend. The sad thing is about meeting friends, especially 'land' friends, is that we move on. He does fine with it though, which is great. I was at the park as well with Dylan. He just loves the slide and swings - except....he is getting very long....and not quite fitting the little swing anymore. :(
Connor brought his new friend back to the boat to show them around. Although it was a chilly and drizzly day today we all had a nice time.
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The dockbox - showing the water stain about 1/2 way up.
Also note the grasses in the hose support. |
We woke up at 6:45am started the engines and headed out the gap. We had to leave close to high tide to ensure that we had enough water under us. It is such a narrow gap and with the current in there, we were reminded of what the guide book said...."be bold when entering or exiting this channel". And bold we were. Kerry kept constant throttle and kept his eye on the channel markers. The channel is so close to the beach that you think that you will land on it at any second. We got out without a hitch and took no time to throw up the sails. We could see a small parade of boats coming our way. They were probably all heading for the Boat Show in Annapolis. I ducked back into the boat to start the coffee up and breakie. The boys were up as well so we got a few hours of school in before throwing down the anchor in Annapolis at 10:30am. After about an hour we decided to hit the town. We jumped in the dingy and headed for the only dingy dock at the show. The dingies were layered about 2-3 boats from the dock. Kerry had to climb over all of the dinghy and tie us the dock. The kids were then escorted one by one - followed by Dylan's stroller. It was quite the production. It took no time for Connor to notice that Annapolis sells ice cream! They both enjoyed a cone when all of a sudden I noticed Pat and Paul from QCYC, our club back home. We sat and had a nice visit. More members will be arriving tomorrow, so we will see more then. We walked around the town and then went to visit the Naval Academy. They had a wonderful museum that we all enjoyed!
