I really enjoyed our time in Annapolis. Our mornings were spent taking dinghy cruises up Spa Creek, wandering various parts of town taking in the colonial architecture and blend of small town and city vibes, and sitting in the cockpit enjoying being in the heart of it all.
I took a morning to tour the Naval Academy, which was fantastic. The Bancroft rotunda and Memorial Hall were amazing, as were the chapel and John Paul Jones’ crypt. It was a really interesting tour, and I’m really glad I was able to fit it in. The tour guide was class of 1946 and it was interesting to hear some of his personal experiences interwoven with the narration.
We met up with a member of the Catalina Owners’ Association and her husband for dinner on Monday night, and we had such a good time! They were absolutely tribe, and they offered any help they could give and connected us with a sailing friend that is also heading south. They were really fun people to chat with, and it felt like talking to old friends. She even brought me a Catalina Association hat!
We had dinner at the Ram’s Head one night and made the obligatory stop at Pussers for a painkiller, and another night we had breakfast for dinner at the Iron Rooster (Chris went for chicken and waffles, while I had chicken and pancakes).
We’ve been spoiled with beautiful weather here, and although a couple of the nights have been chilly, the days have been perfection. We were going to head out on Thursday morning, but we decided we’d rather spend a few more days here and make a longer run on Saturday.
I’m sitting in the cockpit watching the world go by, as I often do, and reflecting on the time we’ve spent here. It’s different than Cape May, for sure. I’ve loved being in the middle of everything, even if it’s not quite as quiet. It’s kind of surreal being one of the people I used to envy, sitting out on their boats in the middle of the week, and it’s amazing to experience the world from the water. I love looking around at all the other boats and seeing so many other people taking it in, taking the time to slow down and enjoy.
I’m looking forward to the next few weeks and getting into the ICW, but I’m really glad we decided to make this stop in the Chesapeake. I am bummed that we won’t be staying for the boat show, but I think we’re making the right call to move on. Being able to be here by boat has been so great, and I still can’t get over the fact that we were able to snag a mooring right in downtown. I feel so incredibly lucky to be making so many amazing memories along the way.
