Greek's Folly on the Great Loop: Washington D.C to Colonial Beach with Peter and Sara

Friday-Monday, September 16-19. Boat travel with Pete

Our youngest son, Peter and his girlfriend, Sara arrived in DC and will be cruising a few days with us to experience our boating lifestyle. Tom and Pete first moved the car to Colonial Beach in the morning as that is the end of the cruise for them, and they will need the car to return to the DC airport. We left Gangplank Marina headed to an anchorage on smooth water. Sitting on the bow of the boat, we saw military planes heading south, Ft. Washington, Mt Vernon as well as a enjoying a refreshing nap before reaching Mattawoman Creek to anchor. Pete assisted me in setting the hook before he and Tom jumped in the water for a refreshing dip. Appetizers and drinks were shared and enjoyed. Sara brought cheese curds and sausage from Wisconsin which we goppled right up-a great hostess gift. Tom and Pete experimented with crabbing- adjusting the crab pot, adjusting the float, moving the line and retrieving the pot-all of which resulted in a water logged chicken neck and no crabs. That was ok because Tom made a low country boil dinner, complete with salted caramel ice cream for dessert.

The anchorage got very busy in the morning as the local marina was sponsoring a "Pirate on the Hook" party as 20+ boats began to arrive. We decided it was time to move on before we got sucked in to the mayhem. We continued heading south on the Potomac and enjoyed a nice ride towards Port Tobacco anchorage. With a south wind, we altered our plans and anchored outside of the channel, close to shore, just south and west of the anchorage in 12 ft of calm water. Munchies and drinks were again served as we enjoyed the peaceful surroundings and the company. We watched the moon rise over the treetops and used the binoculars to get a closer view. It is amazing to see to craters and the texture of the moon's surface. Pete and Sara laid on the bow of the boat and continued their star gazing. As we retired to bed, we all fell asleep immediately-it must be the fresh air and wonderful company.

The chef prepared eggs and ham for breakfast and then the young couple went for a dinghy ride. A slow morning was enjoyed by all before the anchor was hoisted and we traveled to our final destination. After arriving in Colonial Beach, we dropped the dingy and cruised through the harbor, checking out houses, marinas, and other boats. Some personal down time was enjoyed by all - naps, reading, computer time. Tom again cooked a wonderful dinner of sautéed fish fillets -white perch from the Yecomico River. We retired to the boaters lounge to watch the Packers football game and play a game of Sequence.

We rose this morning to rain-and it rained all day. Sara worked in the morning, Peter read his book and tutored his parents in shortcuts, file management and use of the computer. The rain continues so out to lunch we go to a local place and enjoy crab cakes, shrimp and oyster combo plates. Sadly, it is time for Pete and Sara to leave. They enjoyed the boating experience and say they now understand our lifestyle and why we enjoy it soooo much.

We have had many enjoyable times on our adventure but spending time with Peter and Sara is one of the highlights. It was sad to see them go but they have their lives to return to. It was wonderful to share some time with them.

Our friend's boat, InSpeyered 2 , Al and Jane Speyer

Two buddy boats at Gangplank Marina, Washington DC

There were some cool boats in the marina. A lot of house
boats and pontoon boats like this. With such expensive
rents in DC this seems to me to be a great idea.