Milestone

Whoo Hoo!!!!!  This is late breaking news but since we have been on the East Shore again, internet and phone use is spotty, blogging impossible.  We have passed the 2,000 mile mark!!!!  Our flags are showing the  mileage...but what can I possibly replace our PBYC burgee with?  It is one of a kind!

2000 mile mark!!!

Sorry looking Burgee

Two observations we have made while in Maryland.  The Osprey is no longer endangered, there are Osprey nests everywhere on the waterways, on pilings, man made nest supports, channel markers and towers.  They like to be in the open with good visibility.  I would say at least 99% of the nests we have seen in Maryland have birds in them.  Most have 2 or more young. These birds are called Fish Hawks....they are raptors and are the only ones who plunge into the water for fish.  We have seen many instances of an Osprey diving down and flying off with a fish in its talons. There must be an awesome food source here judging by the amount of Osprey we have seen.

The second observation is this is a HUGE duck hunting state.  There are duck blinds on the shoreline of the water front houses on every river and creek.  Literally hundreds, I thought Michigan was a hunting mecca but Maryland has it sewed up #1 from what we've seen.  I would hate to be cruising here in November... 

Duck blind on a 'floating' platform...talk about high tech what would Chris Smith have thought?

Gary went for a much deserved swim after working on the engines yesterday.  We are blowing smoke like you wouldn't believe.  Not an easy fix I think.  We decided not to go any farther north and are heading back down the bay to the Norfolk area.  We still want to see the Mariners Museum in Newport News. We spent the  last week in St. Michaels, the Wye River,  Queenstown Creek and the Corsica River all on the East Shore off of Eastern Bay and the Chester River.  

Another week of beautiful scenery and nice anchorages.  Queenstown was a nice little town....little being the key word.  The downtown was literally.a triangle..the Post Office, a Bank and a Pizza Restaurant, with the town office in a house across the street. We walked around the town and took pictures of us on the playground for Sydney & Cole.  We were in a lovely small anchorage but we left when 6 Sea Ray type cruisers came in and rafted together right next to us.  I should have taken a picture but didn't think of it.  We thought it was a bit inconsiderate of them when there was quite a large area with no boats a little further behind us.  They anchored and rafted together so that they would not swing, not giving a thought to the fact that we would and did not have any room with them right on top of us.  So we hauled her up and beat feet.  We ended up in the Corsica River about a mile up the Chester and it ended up being a great spot.  Spent 2 nights with a fabulous breeze.

We have had the threat of storms most of the week but only one materialized. The rest went merrily on their way around us.  The sky would look very threatening, thunder would roll in the distance but we lucked out.  (even though we do appreciate a good rain every now and again to clean the boat!!) The bad thing about storms besides the lightening and wind is that you have to close the entire boat up and since a storm usually follows a hot muggy calm it gets very stuffy and hot in the cabin. Then there are the nights when the rain starts and you have to have a Chinese fire drill to close all the hatches after being wakened from a sound sleep.  Aah..one of the many joys of cruising.

We are now enjoying a pleasant cruise back to Solomons so we can stock the larder again, do laundry and fill the water tanks.  Unbelievably to us we have used 140 gallons of water in the last 10 days....we have been scratching our heads trying to figure that one out.  We are very frugal knowing that getting water can be an issue unless you are at a dock,(this is just SO much like camping, isn't it?) I think we'd better check for a leak since this is the first time since Marathon that we have been down to 80 gallons.  

Truck on the bay bridge.

Bay Bridge from Annapolis area to Kent Island

Thomas Point Shoal Light