Annapolis, MD

Friday morning we were not in any hurry to leave as John had miss placed his sun glasses and wanted to check to see if he had left them at the Maritime Museum and that did not open until 9 am.  So we had a leisurely rainy morning.  He was able to find his sun glasses so we left around 9 am and the weather was a little better but still hazy.  As we moved to Annapolis we passed fellow Loopers from Glory Days and Something Special, they we heading to St. Michaels, we hope to meet up with them on Sunday when they move to Annapolis.  We had traveled to the Bahamas with Sid and Evelyn and it was so good to see them again, even if it was as our boats passed one another.

As we approached Annapolis we passed 7 very large ocean cargo ships that we anchored off of Annapolis, we think they were waiting to go into Baltimore. As we came into the Annapolis harbor the Cruisers book had said it could be very congested and it was.  I guess it was giving us a little practice before New York harbor.  

Lighthouse marking the channel to Annapolis.

One of the many cargo ships at anchor.

We chose to tie to a mooring ball and went off to explore the town for the afternoon.  When we returned the winds had picked up even more, with a tornado and severe thunderstorm warning.  Passport was really rolling.  As we sat in the cabin you could hear everything in the cabinets rattling around.  Well this would not make for a very comfortable night so we decided to move to another mooring field in Spa Creek that was much more protected. Once we were tied up to a new mooring ball everything was better.  Dinner was on board and we had a quiet nights rest.

The Maryland State House.

One of many buildings with great details.

 Saturday we took the dingy in to town and tied up for the day.  It was a short walk to the U.S. Navel Academy where we did or own walking tour.  The museum at Preble Hall was quiet interesting and we spent most of our time in there.  

US Naval Academy Superintendents home.

We were not able to go into the Main Chapel as there were six weddings scheduled for the day.  The crypt of John Paul Jones who was one of the greatest Revolutionary War navel heroes is enshrined beneath the chapel, we were able to see this.

The Crypt of John Paul Jones

Naval Academy dorm which is so large it has it's own zip code.

The Governors front door.

Model of the African Queen which was used in the movie.

We then took a trolley tour of Annapolis as we have done in other cities along the way.  John and I both think that these are a good way to see and learn more about the areas we are visiting.  We had dinner in Eastport, which is on the other side of Annapolis and then it was back to Passport before dark.

Sunday we awoke to another bright sunny morning.  When we were here in Annapolis 4 years ago visiting Christy and attending the Boat Show we stopped at great marine supply store right in downtown.  We were especially looking forward to stopping there again.  Well, the store had moved and it was now 2.6 miles out of town.  We took the dinghy to the other side of Spa Creek to see if we could find a dock and were then going to walk to the store. 

We found a dock and a gentleman was walking by and I asked if we could tie up for a few hours.  He asked if we belonged to a yacht club and when we said yes he responded with “welcome to AYC” (Annapolis Yacht Club).  As we were chatting with him and telling him what we wanted to do he insisted on driving us to the marine store.  On the way there he asked if wanted to have dinner at the club and even called to see if our club ( Cheboygan Yacht Club )  was listed for reciprocal privileges. It was not, but he said that’s ok we could attend as his guest.  We thanked him for the offer but explained that we would be meeting some other Loopers for dinner. 

When we got to the marine store he said he was just running to the hardware store and would come back and pick us up in 10 or 15 minutes.  On our way back he said he had recalled the club and as his guest we could bring as many friends as we wanted to for dinner.  He then took us over to the club got us signed up with a guest card and showed us around.  He then took us back to where our dinghy was. It is truly amazing just how many wonderful people like Bill we have meet along this trip.  It really makes you very grateful for all of these kind people and we want to thank Bill and all of the others we have meet along the way.

Later in the day we toured the state capitol building and went back to the Naval Academy and were able to see the chapel.  We then met with Sid and Evelyn and had a nice dinghy ride together up to the end of Spa Creek and back.

Thanks Craig, a great place for breakfast.

The chamber where George Washington resigned his commission, currently being restored to it's original condition.

Looking up the capitol dome.

Inside the US Naval Academy Chapel.

It was nice to see our Bahama Buddies Sid & Evelyn again.

This house is by our mooring and was built by the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence.

We were planning to have dinner with Sid and Evelyn from Something Special and Joe and Pat from Glory Days so being able to go to the Yacht Club was an added treat.  Later in the afternoon we got a call from Fred and Julaine form Boreas and we invited them to join us as well.  Dinner was very good with a wonderful view and it was really fun to catch up with everyone.  We will be leaving early tomorrow for Baltimore with hopes that we may see these friends somewhere further along the way.

XXX and OOO’s

Mary and John