Annapolis
Author: Shirlz
Saturday, 1 August 2015
I left Solomons early on a Sunday morning heading for the next convenient anchorage at Herring Bay, about 35nm further north. There was no need for the engine as a pleasant southerly breeze was blowing. I relaxed and let the Navik do most of the work. In this part of the bay the western shore doesn’t offer many safe places to stop so Herring Bay is a popular choice.
As I approached the shallow entrance I had to weave through crowds of small Sunday afternoon motor boats, all anchored on the shoal with fishing lines in every direction. I reduced sail and thought it might be an idea to use the engine for the final part of the channel. Rather disappointingly, once again, the water pump had dried up. Oh, well, it was a pretty straightforward approach and I was soon safely anchored near to a beautiful limestone cliff. The water was clean with no visible jellyfish, so I had a cooling swim and tried to see if something was blocking the raw-water intake. Couldn’t see or feel anything. Very mysterious.
The next day’s forecast was for more southerly winds and we had a really good sail for the first few hours and then the wind died completely. It was extremely hot with a hazy sky and the weather radio was issuing hazardous weather warnings due to the heat index of 107 degrees. Swarms of biting, black flies tormented me as I sat sweatily in the cockpit. To make it even more excruciating, the tide had turned and was pushing us gently backwards. I knew that I couldn’t use the engine for more than a few minutes at a time without it overheating, and felt that it was probably wise to save those few minutes in case we were forced to motor out of the way of some big barge or ship. So we drifted helplessly about.
At last a few small ripples started to appear on the surface of the water and a whisper of a breeze crept in. I imagined that the relief I felt must have been comparable to that of the sailors of old when they first detected a gentle zephyr after weeks of drifting in the doldrums; with scurvy threatening. Even more wonderfully, it was coming from the right direction, and we were able to sail sedately all the way to an easy anchorage off the Naval Academy wall in Annapolis. I celebrated with a warm Bud Lite.
Annapolis is rightly described in the brochures as the ‘Jewel of the Chesapeake’. I had last been there in 2006 and nothing much seemed to have changed. The Naval Academy still as impressive as ever, Ego Alley still filled with gin palaces, the Hard Bean still dispensing great coffee and free wifi. Being the height of summer, it was crowded with holiday-makers. There were regular open air concerts given by the Navy Band and the bay was bristling with sailboats. Wednesday and Thursday night races made a wonderful spectacle as I sat in the cockpit with my sundowner.
After settling in, my first job was to remove the offending water pump and find a replacement or someone to fix it. Getting it off was a bit of a battle, as the fuel pump is mounted too close to allow it to be pulled out, and so, it also, had to be taken off. I was able to find a helpful mechanic in Eastport who located a repair kit in Florida and promised to have it as good as new in a few days. What a relief.
I filled the time while waiting to get the pump back, by doing the rounds of the shopping malls and marine shops. Fawcetts is a wonderful family-run business with many, many things for my wish list. At Bacons I bought an entire 600ft reel of 3/8 inch polyester rope to replace all my ragged rigging. They gave me a really good price. The selection of clothing at the Goodwill Store was a little uninspired so I was able to leave there empty-handed. A really good bus service makes it easy and cheap to get around. As an old wrinkly, I only had to pay 2 dollars for an all-day pass.
Early every morning the Naval Academy midshipmen spend about an hour being put through their exercise routine. I had a good view from where I was anchored. It looked pretty exhausting. The buildings are so imposing that I felt I should spend some time having a look around. Entrance is free but you have to have ID and go through a security check. It was not nearly as exhaustive as the normal airline boarding checks. The grounds are magnificent with park-like gardens.
A very interesting museum has a magnificent collection of ship models, some of them in pristine original condition as they were made about 300 years ago. I marvelled at the miniature detail and at the fact that the models are such an exact and exquisite historical record of the old ships. Rather like an antique hologram.
At last the pump was ready. I picked it up in Eastport and soon had it reinstalled. Unfortunately the leak was worse than ever. So it had to go back again. It seemed there was some problem with the new seal, which was soon sorted out. Now it no longer leaks but the water flow through the exhaust is still no more than a trickle. So there is a blockage. I decided to leave things as they were and head directly to Jones Creek near Sparrows Point at the entrance to the Patapsco River where I plan to haul out and spend some time doing necessary maintenance.
August 28th, 2015 at 05:23
Hi Shirley
Wow, it’s exhausting keeping up with you! Just read through the last few blog entries to catch up. Loved the story of the swallow! xx