Log 151; Day 418; July 13, 2009; Anchorage Marina; Baltimore, MD

As we enjoyed Darrell and Donna's company, we also had to deal with our smelly refrigerator. After lots of phone calls, and lots of measuring, we finally make a decision on to get a new one, and here the process begins. This is the old one being taken apart to get out the door

We stand the old, and new, side by side...yea...the new one will fit

Darrell takes the front panels out of the old one, but in the end they smelled too...so Deb threw them away

This is the cavity that the refrigerator sits in...the good news is, there was no smell behind the fridge

The new refrigerator coming in the boat...without the doors we had 1/2 inch to spare. You can not imagine what we would have had to do if it would not go through the door
The new one installed...you can't tell by this picture, but my stress level is near 0
Deb is really excited, and gives the "thumbs up" approval

And it even works...thank God

Here is our slip on the canal wall in Annapolis. This gentleman in front of us carries a car with him.

This shot will give you an idea of how narrow the channel is, and how close the boats come to us as they go by

This shot is from the dinghy...looking down the narrow channel. HQ is down on the left.

The shot above is looking down the channel from downtown Annapolis.

This is Darrell and Donna as we take a dinghy tour of Annapolis harbor

And...speaking of tours...we toured The Naval Academy while we were in Annapolis

This is one of the many large halls

The Academy Dome...which you can see from everywhere

Deb wanted to see where they keep the Heismans

When we left on Sunday morning we took this shot from the Severn River

We left Annapolis on Sunday, and came back to Baltimore, only this time we stayed at Anchorage Marina

Log 151
Day 418
Monday, July 13, 2009

7:30 AM EDT
Location: Anchorage Marina, Baltimore, MD
Weather: 77, with calm winds...forecasted to be 84 and sunny today

Another beautiful day on the Chesapeake. Bright sun, and an almost cloudless sky. Yesterday it got up to 90...but today they say it will ONLY get to 85.

Well...I am happy to report that the refrigerator issue has been solved. After a few tear; lots of phone calls; much deliberation; and too much money; we have a new refrigerator...and it’s great to have that behind us. It turned out not to be that big of deal to get the old one out, and the new one in (only an hour or so), but there were hours spent prior to that, to make it happen. The good news is, all went well, and we are back in business. Like many things in life...you don’t know how good something is, until it gone. The stress level on Headquarters has gone down measurably.

Our time with Darrell and Donna has been a lot of fun...but too short. We did get to see a lot, and had great weather. On Friday, we got an early start...leaving St. Michaels at about 7:30. We wanted to get to Annapolis early, in order to get a good spot on the downtown channel wall, as well as get the new refrigerator installed. It was a picture perfect morning on the Bay...we had a great 29 mile cruise...and we were tied up in Annapolis by 10:30. The only issue was that the refrigerator folks said they may be there at any time. So, we waited at the boat for several hours...they finally got there at 3:30. But, we were so excited to get the fridge we did not care what time it was. Once installed, we celebrated with a cocktail, and went downtown to eat dinner. We ate at Middletown Tavern. A great spot right downtown, and less than a block from the boat. Like many places in this area, they claim that George Washington ate and drank there (back in the day). Having been there a few times...I believe them.

Saturday...another beautiful day. We started out by visiting the Naval Academy. I did this several years ago (with my management team), but it was fun (and inspiring) to see it again. We all split up, to see it at our own pace, and then met back at the boat at noon. After a quick boat’n sandwich, we jumped in the dinghy for an Annapolis Harbor tour. Our plan was to tour several creeks, but the winds were fairly strong, and once you got out of Spa Creek (which is the water that Annapolis Harbor is on) the waves were such that it was not any fun. And, fun is what we are all about, so we went back to the boat, and watched the boat traffic move up and down the city channel. Similar to sitting in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the boats go by just a few feet (sometimes inches) from the side of the boat. I ended up putting fenders along the channel side of the boat...just in case. All in all, it was a very relaxing and enjoyable afternoon, and for dinner we had a great pasta dinner that Deb and Donna cooked on the boat. I went to bed early, but everyone else stayed up late, to watch all the traffic.

Sunday...we left the wall in Annapolis at 8:30. There was almost no wind downtown, but by the time we got out to the Bay, and under the Bay Bridge, the winds had picked up considerably, and it was fairly choppy. The girls had been sitting on their chairs on the bow, but about 1/2 way to Baltimore, they had to come in because it was too windy, and they were getting hit by spray coming over the bow. Our plan was to go to Anchorage Marina in time to walk to lunch, which we did, but a little later than planned. We tied up about noon, and by the time we made it to lunch it was a little after 1 pm. We walked to an area called Fells Point...a very cool area on the harbor. We ate a Koopers...the place Deb and I went to the Sunday before. The food was as good as we remembered, and the atmosphere was great as well. The only issue was it was hot...damn hot. So, when we got back to the boat, we closed up all the isinglass, and turned on the A/C. Darrell and I watched the NASCAR race recorded on Saturday night, and the girls went to the pool at the marina. Dinner was “Chesapeake style sausages”...which, is basically, smoked sausage with Old Bay seasoning.

Today...Darrell and Donna will be leaving this afternoon (they have a 3:30 pick up for the airport) so our plan is to have a relaxing morning, walk somewhere for an early lunch, and then take a dinghy ride around Baltimore Harbor.

From here...we almost have 4 weeks before we need to be in New York, to meet Jeanine and Terry (Deb’s sister and brother in law), so we have lots of time to explore the Bay. I am working on several options for where we’ll stay, and what we’ll do. It’s exciting to have all this time...with all these options. And, knowing we’ll spend the time on the boat.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob