Tilghman Island

Tuesday, August 23,  Tilghman Island

Left the anchorage, anchor fairly clean and headed south.  John made a phone call and confirmed that we could cut thru Knapps Narrows to Tilghman.  When going through the Narrows, we needed to go under a bridge that lifts on demand, with the boats having the right-of-way over the cars.  We headed around the corner to Tilghman on the Chesapeake Marina. The marina is wonderful and has a buy 2 get 1 night free deal, so we are staying. We got on the bikes to get an overview of the area to plan our visit.  We stopped for a beer and local knowledge at Characters at Bridges and also received free tomatoes from a server.  A dip in the pool then cooled us off.

Wed and Thurs. 24-25, 

With the bikes we can really get around.  We rode the bikes to the north end of the island, which was a ride through rural areas. The road ended at Walnut Point which was a bed and breakfast-private and rural. The ride was an eight mile ride that day so we enjoyed the pool.  On another day we rode the other direction, over the bridge towards St. Michaels to Lowes Wharf, about a ten mile ride round-trip.  Here we enjoyed lunch at picnic tables by the water- one of only 2 sets of customers.  The ride back was more difficult as it seemed uphill and into a headwind.  All I wanted to do after a nice lunch was to take a nap.  Again, the pool was a welcome sight.  Two nights we also enjoyed cocktails with three other "loopers" who also were enjoyed this marina.  The boats were Corkscrew, Sandrobber, and Act III.  This was very enjoyable as loopers share stories, experiences and boating suggestions.

Friday, August 26

We arose this morning with intentions of leaving.  Phyllis, from Corkscrew, stopped by to invite Pam and Colletta to a girls afternoon.  With no urgency to leave, the men agreed and we stayed one more day.  The women all got together on Corkscrew and did "beading" for the afternoon, while the guys did their little projects, enjoyed the pool, and just talked.  A very relaxing day was had by all!!

 

Nice lawn ornaments

Bridge at Knapps Narrow

Dogwood Harbor on Tilghman Island crab boats

Great little museum that the curator opened special for the 4 of us.
Very informative with island history

A "W" house. Designed for good air flow for ventilation

Line 'em up boys.

After a hard day of touring on bikes time for relaxation.

Off on a bike tour of the island.

Biked 5 miles out to this bar on Lowes Wharf.
Great lunch but a 5 mile bike ride back into the wind.
See swimming pool picture above

 

Return to St. Michaels

Monday, August 22, St Michaels anchorage

 

Pulled Up anchor to find a trot line wrapped around chain, but it came off easily.  Explored the anchorages at St Michaels, we ended up in Fogg Cove and Short Vacation ended up off Parrot point. We waited a short time to be sure we would not swing into the nearby docks or channel, and once satisfied, we were off. Dinghied into town for beer and lunch at Carpenter Street Saloon.  Returned to boats, relaxed, enjoyed an evening ride around harbor and slept well.



Returning with our booty.

Kent Narrows to Wye River / Shaw Bay and Shipton Creek

Friday August 19

Slow departure for today, waiting for current to slow and a bridge opening.  All of that was suspended when we heard the marina had assigned our slip to another boat.  A dock hand appeared, he helped us leave and we were off.      We headed thru the Narrows and had a peaceful ride to the Wye River.  This River has been recommended by many people as being peaceful and beautiful and a very relaxing place to stay.  We anchored in Shaw Bay and observed the sea nettles had returned.  Much to Toms disappointment, there would be no swimming today.  A boat raced toward us while on anchor and we were concern.  Much to our surprise, it was a free pumpout boat, checking to see if we needed his services.  He was a nice young college kid who was just checking on us.  We headed to Short Vacation for cocktail hour then a relaxing evening aboard Greeks Folly.

Saturday, August 20

The Wye River is a favorite place for crabbers.  Tom watch a father and his 2 daughters as they set their trot line and began crabbing.  His curiosity got the best of him, so this "shy" captain got in his dingy to acquire some first hand knowledge.  The crabs are big up here, almost all of them are keepers- 5 and 1/4 inches.  Their trot line was 600 ft, which can be purchased at the local hardware store.  The local marina sells chicken necks, if you can't get them at Food Lion.  The family crabbed for about 5 hours before the daughters went to a beach for a quick dip.  Tom noticed the generator did not have enough water coming out the exhaust.  He shut it down and checked the water intake which he found plugged with sea nettles.  After clearing it with a water hose in the bilge, we moved up the river. We hoped the water moving by the hull would dislodge additional nettles and they would be less numerous if Tom had to go in the water.  Once anchored again, Tom started the generator and all is well.  It is nice when things work out!  Time to go exploring.  The four of us zoomed around in John and Pams dingy.  We explored the branches of the river, finding new friends, the state park landing, and a wedding celebration on the rivers edge.  A delicious shrimp scampi dinner was prepared by the best chef in the area and we enjoyed the moon rising and the starlight sky.  Ahhh- Life is good!!! 

A father and his two daughters, crabbing
 

Sunday, August 21 

Awoke this morning to a nice breeze. Tom spent much of his morning watching crab fisherman.  He is enthralled with their activity.  Some watermen use a trot line which has chicken necks tired to a 600-1200 ft line. The lines have an anchor and a float at each end. The necks lay at the bottom of the river, the crabs grab the necks, as the lines are raised to the surface, the waterman scoops up the crab, tosses him in a basket as the line with the chicken necks fall back to the bottom for the next catch.  This method works very well as long as the crab are moving.  The Wye River is one of the best places to crab, especially in late summer.  After a refreshing shower, the sun came out and the boys went again for a dingy ride.  Being on anchor allows for relaxing days.  It gives us time to update the blog, fix little maintenance problems on the boat, reading time, napping time as well as enjoying the eagles soaring and the noises of nature.  Al and Jane in In Speyered 2 came to join us at anchor.  

A storm front approaching when we were anchored in
Shipton Creek up the Wye River

One of the houses with their lawn service of sheep taking
care of the lawn.

the Admiral checking out our progress going down river

Hey Honey, I think I will just go down to the duck blind
and shoot me some dinner.

InSpeyered 2 joyed us in Shipton Creek

 

Rock Hall to Kent Narrows

Monday August 15

Fairlee Creek was calm and deserted in the morning.  Only five boats remained on anchor. We prepared to pull our anchor about 11 AM only to find a sailboat had run aground in the mouth of the channel. Tom and John took the dingy out to assist and survey the opening. They found we could get by the sailboat and out into the bay. The boys returned to the boat, we pulled up anchor-which came up clean after the big storm -and we headed out.  The 25 mile ride to Rock Hall on water that was flat was enjoyable. Rock Hall hosted the Pirates and Wenches weekend previously but at the beginning of this week could accommodate us.  

Passed these two wooden classics on our way to Rock Hall. The
bottom boat is a "buy boat" that was used in the oyster industry in
days of old

A casualty of Pirates and Wenches Festival
in Rock Hall

 

Mon-Wed  August 15, 16, and 17th.

Rock Hall Landing Marina is a nice place and a welcome sight after being on anchor or mooring ball for seven days. We plugged in and the boat too was comfortable being docked in a slip.  We used our bikes as transportation into and around town. We did laundry and a beer run via the local tram. The pool is exceptional- cool and refreshing.  One day we biked the area and explored the other four or five marinas in Rock Hall and on Swan Creek.  The hidden gem in Rock Hall is a venue called Mainstay. It is a performing arts theater that gets local and famous talent. It was the best$10 ticket we have ever spent.  The venue is a local store front with a stage, lighting, and 125 eclectic group of seats-rocking chair, church pews, stadium seats, and dining room chairs. Monday night is a performance night so we listened to a jazz pianist, Joe Holt and a female vocalist.  They were exceptional!!!  The pianist was amazing and it was obvious that he loved what he was doing.  The vocalist had that"club"style voice and sang original tunes as well as some popular favorites. It was the vocalist's birthday so they even provided birthday cake for everyone in the audience.

The rock Hall Tram. You called him and for a $ 1.00 he took you
anywhere around town. Great for laundry and grocery
shopping.

A cool bench at the Sailing Emporium Marina. One of the ones
went toured on our bikes

It is getting to be that time of year. We plan
on returning to Illinois to help Colletta's brother
Mike harvest corn.

A beautiful sunset over Rock Hall

 

Thursday, August 18  - Kent Narrows

It was a pleasant ride to the Narrows. The Narrows is a small cut between two pieces of land.  The channel is well marked with large permanent buoys.  The water is shallow and the current runs fast, so we planned to arrive at high tide and slack current.  With much patience, we headed into the cut successfully and went to Mears Point Marina. This Marina is also a resort-big place. We enjoyed the large pool and then drinks at the Red-Eye, the local tiki bar, with live music, on the property; a beautiful setting right on the water and picturesque moon.

Havre de Grace to Worton Creek/ Fairlee Creek Again !

Thursday, August 11

Leaving Havree de Grace included the challenge of untwisting lines on the mooring ball. This took a little time but Greek's Folly finally became free.  We headed south into a shallow Worton Creek. In exploring  to find an anchorage, we stirred up a lot of soft, silty mud.  We decided to anchor in the deepest water we could find, which happened to be in the channel.  This was not an original idea as by the end on the day, there were 4 of us anchored there.  We did something new, and contacted a MTOA harbor host. A harbor host is a local boater who agrees to assist other boaters when they come into the area. We contacted Loretta and she picked us up in her car to show us the area.  We enjoyed our little tour. Loretta drove us to a local fruit stand, which also had delicious ice cream, then into Chestertown for a visit. We drove through town as she pointed out local points of interest and other things we might enjoy.  The evening included relaxing on the aft deck and watching the locals. Tom and I also woke about 2 AM, went on the bow of the boat with a pillow, and watched the meteor shower. The creek showed a dark sky and the shooting stars were easily visible. God's creation is beautiful!!

 

 

Friday, August 12 to Fairlee Creek

 

Short ride today to Fairlee Creek, 6 miles. Anchor came up muddy, so the salt-water wash down with pump worked nicely.  Pulling into the anchorage was much more relaxed this time as we knew what to expect. Also the number of boats in the anchorage was decreased all weekend due to the Pirate festival in Rock Hall.  We once again contacted a harbor host  and arranged for a new travel experience for tomorrow.

 

Saturday, 13th

In the morning, we dinghied to Lollie's dock on Fairlee Creek. We were met by Craig on the dock, climbed 50 steps to their house on the hill.  Lollie's drove us into Chestertown where we shopped the farmers market, had coffee and a bagel at EverGrain, shopped the stores, and viewed the local gallery.  Lollie was a wonderful and knowledgeable guide. We returned to the boats for the afternoon only to once again join Lollie's and Craig for the evening's activities.  In Chestertown, there was a festival in the town square which included music, food, a small parade including a car show and the county marching  band; everything that is small town America.  Dinner was shared ar the Lemon Leaf restaurant.  A wonderful day with new friends!

 

Sunday, 14th

It was hot.  The morning included regular boat responsibilities, while the afternoon involved floating. The four of us floated off the back of Greeks Folly for most of the afternoon and tried to stay cool.  The temperature was 97 with a heat index of 111.  We were thankful we could swim in the creek without sea nettles   With floatation devices and lines tied to floating fenders, we could paddle and move around and still remain close to the safety of the boat.  The evening became interesting as some boats began to drag their anchors; one small bow ride got tangled in another boat's anchor line; another large cruiser's anchor let loose and two boats moored together headed close to us.  Luckily, they started engines, got control of their vessel and moved away.  As the evening turned dark, the heat lightening flashing in the west, suddenly turned to streaks of lightening and a strong weather front blew thru with 60mph winds.  The boat spun around on its anchor, chairs on the back deck blew over, the bikes blew sideways and needed to be secured. Tom started the engines in case he had to maneuver. After a time and a few prayers, the rain started, which helped the weather to blow through and we began to fell safe.  The anchor held, the scope on the chain was sufficient, and the captain and crew rested the rest of the night.

another hot day at Fairlee Creek

Preparing to make an ice run back to the marina

Just floating......keeping cool

 

 

 

Georgetown to Havre de Grace

August 9th, Tues.  Georgetown to Havre de Grace MD

Today we travel to Havre de Grace on the west side of the bay.  This is the most northerly point we will visit this summer. The bay is only 5 miles across, east to west, but we still need to maneuver shoals and shallow areas.  The ride was calm and even warm again today.  Tom tried fishing, unsuccessfully, snagged our own lure. We were traveling 9 mph which is too fast for any fish to catch us -beef for dinner.  We entered the mooring field at Tidewater Marina only to find none of the mooring balls had any pennants attached.  We dropped the dingy, the first mate stood on the swim platform, ready with a line and the captain expertly and slowly pulled alongside the ball so the first mate could attach a line thru the eye by hand.  It was a tricky maneuver, and a first for this crew, and we were pleased with our success.  We celebrated with a victory beer.  We once again dinghied into the marina and started our explorations.  The marina had a nice courtesy van which we used to get an overview of the town. After dinner we headed out to Walmart to once again do provisioning.  When transportation is available, we have learned to take advantage of it.  Yesterday we bought milk for $4.95 a gallon and today it was $1.62. Between the  2 boats, we bought so much stuff, it took 2 trips with the dinghy to get the provisions onboard. 

August 10th.  Havre de Grace

This town consists of 3 streets, 3 blocks of stores and many, many antique stores with a large variety of collectibles.  Tom's favorite was Bahouka's Antiques.  Upstairs housed a beer muzium, with beer glass, beer sign, beer tray, beer tapper, beer mirror and beer can imaginable.  The store had an eclectic assortment of old "stuff".  Sister-in-law Cindy would have loved it all.  Lunch was a 3/4 pound burger at Roger's House Tavern housed in the oldest building in the city.  Once back on the boat, the wind and waves had kicked up so we swung around, bounced a little title but still enjoyed the sunshine.

Baltimore/ Fairlee Creek/ Georgetown

Friday August 5  Baltimore to Fairlee Creek

We have completed our adventures of these big cities, so we will head to the east side of the Bay to enjoy some smaller towns, creeks and  quiet anchorages.  Very quickly we learned that Fairlee Creek was far from quiet, at least on the weekend.  To enter Fairlee creek, a boat must follow the buoys carefully upon approach including a sharp turn to starboard, while powering thru the narrow opening against a strong current, and listening to the crowds on shore as they shout instructions and helpful hints for success.  The channel opens to a large bay and a busy harbor on the eastern shore. We anchored in 10 ft of water ( although the chart said there was only 3 ft) and s cured our spot for the weekend.  Little did we know what was to come.

Friday 5, Saturday 6, Sunday 7, -Fairlee Creek

This ended up being a great anchorage with a lot of action.  We met Matt and Julie, from Chesapeake City, in Baltimore and they suggested this anchorage so we found them and thanked them for the boating advice.  They also were our verbal guides as we entered the channel.  It's nice to have local friends.  Jellyfish Joel's is an outside bar area also at the mouth of the harbor.  Besides drinks and food, they also provided live music and lots of "bikini" sightings for Tom and John.  On Sunday, we sat at the mouth of the anchorage, like a local, and watched over 100 boats come into the anchorage, all kinds of boats, all kinds of people, a bridal party, party, small boats, go-fast boats, cruisers, weekend warriors, everyone looking for action and a good time.  

We enjoyed a cruise in the dingy, until we ran out of water, and swimming off the boat.  This is the first place where there is fresh water from the creek mixed with the salt water to make it brackish.  This is the first place where there are no sea nettles, the surface water was 84 degrees and swimming and floating was greatly enjoy.  John has decided this is his favorite anchorage and had he known this was waiting for him, he would have forgone the southern part of the Chesepeake Bay!

Beach time at Fairlee Creek opening. Watching the boats
enter and exit. What sport!

Finally, nettle free water we can swim in.

In the dinghies out on an explore up the creek

It is not all play. With water we could swim in the boats
water line gets a much needed scrubbing. I use a yellow suction
cup device to hold me close to the boat.

The yellow duck made his first appearance on the Chesapeake
Bay. 86 degree water. not real refreshing but swimmable

 

Monday, August 8 - Fairlee Creek to Georgetown MD

We waited for high tide to leave the anchorage, and followed some other boaters thru the channel with no issues.  We enjoyed the nine mile ride up the Sassafras River to Georgetown.   We grabbed a mooring ball at the Yacht Basin and headed into shore.  Our short visit into town consisted of a local fruit market, local small convenient store, liquor store and ice cream shop.  We needed to do some restocking but this was not the place to do it.  Everything was expensive and the choices were minimal.  Tom needed beer so that was the major concern and a definite purchase.  The marina had a nice pool which we enjoyed- just the four of us.  Dinner was leftovers and watched some of the Olympics.  

Georgetown Yacht Basin from there swimming pool