Sandy Hook to Annapolis with lots of land time

After a spectacular full moon rise on September 16th, we spent three days hanging out in the anchorage at Sandy Hook, New Jersey.  While there, we took the Seastreak Ferry back into the city, had a yummy breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, a sweet French bakery, visited the MET,  and finished the day with an adult beverage and a gorgeous charcuterie plate at the Pierre Hotel.  The Metropolitan Museum is an amazing and slightly overwhelming place.  We were there for several hours and only touched the surface.  We look forward to returning again.

Moonrise over Sandy Hook, NJ

Le Pain Quotidien Cafe upper East side

The MET

Finally, on September 20th, we fueled up and continued south.  We decided to just keep moving and since there was no wind and lots of clouds, we motored all the way down the Jersey shore, around Cape May during the night, into the Delaware Bay, and entered the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal by 1:30pm the following day.  After covering 174 miles we dropped the hook at 5pm just inside the Chesapeake at the mouth of the Sassafras River.  We were rewarded with a beautiful sunset and quiet evening (after all the fishermen went home).

The following day we motor-sailed to Annapolis.  By this time, we figured out that the work done and money spent on our refrigeration unit in Newport made no difference, so we placed a call to the owner of Sea Frost to find a tech in the area.  We got lucky and made an appointment with Nathan (son of the owner) the following week.  That meant a decision as to where to dock (or park for you landlubbers).  We decided to spring for a slip at Bert Jabin Yacht Yard - an iconic yard for sailors.  There must be over 500 boats here between the yard and the slips.  It is amazing.  And it is a very busy place.  The long walk to the heads and showers means you have to stay alert so as not to get picked off by a moving boat hanging in the straps of the travel lifts - there are three!  There are also cranes, pick ups and vendor vans allover this yard.  But, we were very lucky to be assigned to a slip far from this activity and near our good friends Pat and Eric Fulmer on Cutter Loose.

Dream Catcher tucked in Back Creek at Jabin Yacht Yard

The fun part about Annapolis, besides just being Annapolis, is that we have loads of sailing friends here; Fenwick Island is a couple of hours drive away, and we can retrieve Greg's car from Fenwick Island for the time we are here.  We enjoyed three weekends at Fenwick.  One with our friends Lori and Tom, intrepid drivers, who always seem to choose a rainy weekend with flooded roadways to join us in FI.  And one with Sharon's sister Pamela and dear friend Pat, who is really a sister, too.

While at Jabin's Yacht Yard we got lucky that the Patriots were playing Thursday night football.  We took the water taxi around to the Chart House in Eastport and the two TVs at the bar had the Orioles and Red Sox on one screen and the Patriots and Texans on the other.  How cool is that for a Boston sports fan?  The manager of the restaurant is from Lowell, Massachusetts AND Bill Belichik frequents the bar in summer!  Evidently his mother lives in town.  Motherlode for us New Englanders!  And both the Red Sox and Patriots won those games. Greg and Sharon had a very fun evening!

Nathan, the refrigerator tech, showed up the following day and repaired our refrigeration problem within a few hours.  It has been working great ever since!  Thanks Horton Marine Services! He even came back after a few days to check on things. Perfect!

We were invited to a lovely evening at our friends Jim and Cynthia's home, just across Back Creek from where we were docked, only 100 yards away.  They have a beautiful condo on the water with a  dock that keeps their Pacific Seacraft 34.  They spend about eight months a year on the boat in Florida, the Bahamas and the east coast.  In fact, we met them in Spanish Wells, Bahamas, in 2015. They are intrepid sailors and avid travelers.  Last summer they did a camping trip in the Southwestern US up to Colorado, visiting and camping in National Parks along the way.

We also visited the Naval Academy Museum, which is open to the public and very interesting.  Greg has been waiting for this for some time.  We visited seven years ago, but since that time it has been relocated and expanded in a new building.  We had a great time there learning how sailors and sailing ships dealt with the challenges of war and peace.

We had a great day at the Boat Show and saw friends Hayden and Radeen as well as other Island Packet owners.  We even got lucky to be able share some time with Eric and Pat from Cutter Loose.

Notre Dame vs Navy football

USNA Museum

Sharon, Jim and Cynthia

All in all, it has been a great few weeks with lots of social time, good weather between the storms, and good fun.  We have been safe and sound and positioned far enough north to be out of Hurricane Matthew's path.  Fortunately, all our friends are safe and sound with little damage to property.

Tomorrow, we continue south down the Chesapeake.  Jim and Cynthia on Neverland will be leaving in the morning, too.  We expect we'll be in touch along the way and possibly share cocktails and a dinner at anchor.   We plan to take our time.  But, we will be on the lookout!  With debris from Matthew, marina closures, and waterway issues looming in our path we will be extra cautious.

We will look forward to seeing friends along the way.

'Til next time -