Annapolis & the Boat Race

Hopefully, this mini slide show will work. If it does I will do the big one when I get a little better signal.  It is SO tiring fooling with this stuff all the time.  Just when you get it down pat and it becomes easy some techno idiot at Google decides to mix it up a little. ' Ya' know, I think I'll just make it better by doing this'.....and all they manage to do is screw it up for the simple minded like me!! 

We arrived in Annapolis last Tuesday and decided to get a City Mooring Ball at $30. a night so that we could experience the Wednesday night sail boat races through the mooring field and harbor.  Gwen told us it was not to be missed.  Tuesday was great, we explored. Wednesday started out sunny and we decided to go in and see the Maryland State House which is the oldest state capital in continuous use.  From November 1782 to August 1784 it served as the nations capital and meeting place for the Continental Congress. We had a great little tour only to find that it was raining when we were ready to leave.  Short story...we got soaked running through the streets back to the dink then a wetter ride to the boat.

  

It started to clear up about 4:00 and we were excited because boats were starting to come into the harbor to view the Wednesday night race.  The race boats started going out about 6:00 and we waited with anticipation for them to come racing back through the harbor.  Not happening.....they came back all right, under power.....NO WIND!  Doesn't it just figure.

  

Later that night the wind picked up and with the opposing current in the small round harbor we were ROCKING (that is with big capital letters) it was unbelievable....I was awake all night and on deck at 5am for the sunrise at 5:30.  (This is retirement?) Needless to say we decided to try Weems Creek and hope we could get on one of the FREE (my favorite method of payment as you know) Navy mooring balls.  We hit the jackpot and although it was difficult to grab... just a foot long chain...and the wind was blowing around 10 and of course it was taking us in the opposite direction of the ball. It took 2 passes.  I finally grabbed it off of the swim platform (daring attempt after our debacle in Marathon) Gary rushed down from the helm and together we dragged the ball up the port side of the boat and got her hooked another version of the cruisers curse....hours of boredom punctuated by seconds of high anxiety and sometimes terror.

So far we have visited the Naval Academy....a WOW.....walked the town.....fought the bus system....schlepped laundry (in black garbage bags no less), fixed the leaking dinghy (again) had a fabulous Father's Day lunch....a little late...we are worn out from all the activity!  We are staying probably through tomorrow.  As you know from my whining we are doing this trip without aid of air conditioning, so we are taking notes from the sailboats and we ordered a Breeze Booster, which is a kind of tent that goes over the forward deck hatch that catches the wind and pushes it through the boat.  We've talked to several people who use them and they say they are great.  It is supposed to arrive today..oh joy!