9/13 ● Solomon’s Isl., Cobb Isl.., Mattawoman

There were plenty of anchorages to choose from once we were inside Solomon’s Island harbor (many lined with marinas), but Mill Creek was too charming to resist, so we dropped the hook smack dab in the middle of it. It was a small, little tree-lined bay populated with very nice houses, all possessing there own docks, boat houses, etc., and of course, interesting (to us) boats. We stayed for 2 nights, then moved on to Cobb Island, arriving in the early evening.

We anchored in 8 feet of water (whew!) and went ashore for happy hour at The Pirate’s Cove. Once we ventured onto the harbor-view patio (away from the eardrum splitting juke box) we were greeted by the friendly, colorful people of this small water-based community. There were the two on the rail, working on their most recent of many, many beers—a weathered, scarred waterman and his heavily-tattooed biker friend. The first commented that we tied up our dinghy just the way he does, then, remembering his manners, held out his hand and said “Duffy, my name’s Duffy.” Bill took his hand and said his name, then the fellow nodded saying, “Well, same as me. William Duffy’s the name.” He was a commercial crab fisherman, and had many interesting stories about work and misadventures, but for all his roughness, he was a kind fellow. Then, we were greeted by the deeply-tanned, short-shorted self-described “Social Director” of Cobb Island (nursing-director was her day job). So, our happy hour was just that, about an hour long and very happy. We merrily motored back to Songbird for dinner and a quiet evening.
Next day ... Mattawoman, where we spotted a bald eagle hunting for dinner and heard the call of blue herons. They sound sort of like a pterodactyl might have, eons ago.
Friday morning, 9/12, we weighed anchor and headed up the Potomac River, arriving in the Washington, D.C. channel that afternoon. When we dinghied to the marina, we were greeted by many of Bill’s cronies at the Capital Yacht Club. We’ll be here for a few weeks to visit friends and family and to wait out the hurricane season before heading offshore, toward St. Thomas, USVI.
Photos: Homes & their boats along Mill Creek; below video of Songbird on the move.

9/8 ● Galesville, MD – on the West River

Shortly after we arrived at Hartge’s Marina Friday afternoon, and tied down tight to a slip (9/5, we walked to town for a wonderful crab cake dinner, had a good night’s sleep and woke up to an all-day storm. It wasn’t nearly as severe as the weather sayers predicted and Saturday evening, when the storm left the river, it was absolutely beautiful. We departed the West River Sunday morning …. on to Solomon’s Island, via a peaceful night in Herring Bay.

Photo: West River, just after storm Hannah

9/6 ● Annapolis Is Truly Charming But …

…we must move on to a better location to be ready for tropical storm Hannah. We had planned on staying in Annapolis through the weekend and do some sightseeing but we changed plans on Thursday and made our way to the West River on Friday (9/5). This particular part of the West River, near Galesville, MD, is known, among sailors, for being a hurricane hole – safe haven in a storm. We took a slip at the Hartge Yacht Yard, tied down tight and waited for the storm to pass – high winds – torrential rains – oh boy!!! We’ll head to the Potomac River on Sunday or Monday.

Photos: Thomas Point Lighthouse, just south of Annapolis; A dense forest of sailboat masts in Annapolis, the boating capital of America.

8/29 ● Engines Are Good

We have a sailboat and that’s good. The boat has sails, and that’s even better. But the best combination is when you add a properly installed engine. WE ARE ON THE WAY TO ANNAPOLIS! Yay!!
Cape May was very pleasant and laid back with down-to-earth locals. We met several interesting characters while anchored in Cape May Bay. Many cruisers on their way to Florida or the Bahamas, or just to the Chesapeake. Retired couples, young couples on summer holiday, people with kids and dogs. One couple had a well adapted kitty cat, anxious to meet and greet. We watched the fishing boats go out in the evenings and come back early the next mornings. We explored Cape May’s harbor living. We saw houses and condos with yards and garages in front and boats, in their slips in the rear looking out onto canals -- the best of two worlds.
Photos: Sunset across from the Coastguard Station; Commercial fishing boats; Townhouse with its own windmill power; Songbird on its way out of there.