Right next to our boat in Rock Hall, MD, was Waterman's Crab House, and they had this outside bar, that war very nice
These folks drove their truck out on the dock, to enjoy some fresh crabs, they had just caught, and watch the storm come across the Bay
This is what we were all watching, as we looked West toward Baltimore
My XM weather showed this storm was strong...and they were right. We took this shot, just before the winds hit us
I kept an eye on the boat next to us, because he had his flag out, and I could watch the winds change directions. At this point the winds had switched from the south...to the west...and in this picture they were blowing NW.
This is the same view...only 15 minutes or so later. Now the flag is blowing from the east, and the rain continues to blast us
This is the western sky, after the storm had passed.
The next day was bright and sunny, so we took a nice dinghy ride to another harbor, and had a picnic lunch at one of the marinas
Everywhere around here there are Osprey nests. But, this Osprey decided to build his nest on the back of someone's sail boat
After our dinghy ride, Deb rode her bike around town, and found lots of damage from the storm the night before
When Deb explores an area, she comes back with LOTS of pictures. Sometimes, she manages to get a few pictures of herself
When we left Rock Hall, we headed for Baltimore. The day was hazy, but warm. This is the Francis Scott Key Bridge. It was in this area the Star Spangled Banner was written. That is a small fort next to the bridge...but I can't find the name of it.
A closer look at the fort next to the bridge
This is Fort McHenry...where Francis Scott Key was imprisioned the night he wrote the Star-Spangled Banner
As you come up the channel, this is the first look at the beginning of Inner Harbor
Very soon, the real Inner Harbor comes into view
A shot looking NW over Inner Harbor Marina toward the Inner Harbor downtown area
There are lots of attractions at the Inner Harbor
Including an aquarium, and a submarine
There are also lots of shops and restaurants
A shot of the Inner Harbor from our boat
What the harbor looked like at 5 am, when I wrote this log
Log 143Day 387
Friday, June 12, 2009
5:00 AM EDT
Location: Inner Harbor Marine; Baltimore, MD.
Weather: 72 degrees & rain has just passed through the area; It is forecasted to get to 81 with a chance of thunder showers later in the day
I woke up a little after 4 this morning, and after laying there for a while, and knowing I was not going back to sleep, I got up about 4:30. It’s funny...for some reason, when I know I am going to write a log in the morning, I have no problem getting up very early. It’s like I have a job to do or something, so I enjoy getting up and getting it done. While these logs can be a pain to keep up with at times, I do really enjoy writing about this trip. A lot of folks doing the Loop write “blogs” about their adventure. They do a great job of capturing great photo’s of the area, and letting everyone see what the town, or area was like (much better than I do). As I tell Deb...I don’t write a “blog”...I write a “captain’s log”. The difference (at least for me) is that I write more about how I see things. Like some folks may keep a diary (for themselves) of what they did each day. My log is similar, in that it let’s me write down what I am thinking, or what I want to remember about a certain part of the trip. I still go back and read some of the logs from this trip 9 years ago...and it brings me right back to that day; or in many cases that morning, as I sat and wrote that log.
Anyway...my last log talked about storms that went through Rock Hall as I was writing the log that morning, and more were forecast for that afternoon. Well they came. Big time. My XM weather showed the storms heading across the Bay toward us, and there was lots of red on the screen. I told Deb, this did not look good, and went and put out extra fenders, and lines. Like many things...I can’t properly describe what the storm was like, but I can say, it was the worst storm I have ever been in...on a boat. A boat next to us had his flag flying, so I was watching that flag, to determine which was the wind was coming from. The wind, prior to the storm, was blowing about 15 mph from the south. The storm was coming from the west, and I was hoping the southerly winds would blow it north of us, and for a minute it looked like it would. But as the storm approached, the winds switched to the west and blew hard (I’d say 20 to 30). Then the rains came. Hard. Very hard. In about 15 minutes the winds switched to the north, and it rained harder. Then they switched to the east, and it continued to rain sideways. By the time the rain was done (about an hour later) the winds had switched to the SE, and still blowing hard. There were sirens going off in town; we lost electricity; the restaurant next door lost a huge tent, that covered their beer garden; and several trees in town were blown down. I don’t know what the winds were...but I’m sure they were steady 30 to 40, and gusts beyond that. Several times, during the storm, you would hear the wind howling, and the sound would get closer, and then... BAM...the wind would hit the side of the boat. No damage to the boat...but it was not fun.
Storms, or not, we enjoyed our time in Rock Hall. Deb loved the town. Together we rode our bikes around, but Deb explored everywhere. Twice she headed off on her own, and both times came back with a big smile on her face, from where she had gone (thinking about this...should I be concerned?) We also took a nice dinghy ride to another harbor, and had a picnic lunch sitting at a marina’s picnic tables over looking their harbor. We had a great 3 days in Rock Hall.
Getting to Baltimore...from Rock Hall is a very easy run. As you leave Rock Hall Harbor, there is a very shallow area, between there, and the open Bay, so you need to go south for a mile or so, before turning NW toward the Bay channel and the entrance to Baltimore Harbor. It rained early yesterday morning, and we waited for that storm to pass, before heading out about 8 am. It was a little foggy, but we did not need radar to see other traffic. We have been up the Baltimore Channel many times, but I forgot just how far it was from the Bay to the Inner Harbor. When I reached the buoy that takes you off the Chesapeake, and into Brewerton Channel, my GPS said it was 18 miles to downtown. The channel to get to the Inner Harbor is very straight forward. The biggest ships in the world travel this channel, so it can get crowed, but it is very easy to navigate. One of the first things you see is the Francis Scott Key Bridge. This bridge is named after the famous author of The Star-Spangled Banner. As the story is told...he was at Fort McHenry (very close by) watching the bombs blast through the night, when the British were trying to take Baltimore. In early dawn, the fighting stopped, and he looked out to see the “stars and strips” still flying, which meant the Americans had held Baltimore. The song was inspired from that experience. Deb and I wondered, as we went under the bridge, how many folks sang The Star-Spangled Banner, as they passed by. We have several times.
Although there are lots of heavy commercial buildings, along the route to Inner Harbor, it is still one cool ride. I’m not sure how many times I have been here, but yesterday’s ride was still special. What was once a very industrialized harbor, has been transformed to great place where industry, and housing, and tourism come together. Several harbors around the US, and the world, have been modeled after Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Since we were here 9 years ago, it has only gotten better. More development, and more things to do. The water is surrounded by parks; hotels; condos; shops; museums; restaurants; and is located in the middle of the financial district. It is a cool spot. After getting here yesterday, Deb, and I, went up to check in, and then to Rusty Scupper for lunch. After lunch, we walked around the Harbor to check out the area. After an hour, I walked back to the boat, and Deb explored for another couple of hours. The afternoon was spent putzing, and doing a bunch of nothing. Neither Deb, nor I, was very hungry, so dinner consisted of a bowl of cereal (Deb) and a salad (me). For only the second time (that I can remember) since we left, over a year ago, we ate in the salon, and watched TV.
Today...we have a short run of about 10 miles from Inner Harbor, out the ships channel, back to Anchor Bay Marina, where we will keep the boat for a couple of weeks, while we head home. Tomorrow (Saturday) we will rent a car, and use the weekend to get ready to get off the boat. We also hope to hook up with a few friends who are coming through this area this weekend. Good News and Salvage Crew should be at the Inner Harbor today, and Sea La Vie should be here as well. We plan to drive over to see them tomorrow...knowing this will probably be the last time we see them on this trip. By the time we get back from home (July 1st) they will be far north of here, and heading for Canada. On Monday, Anchor Bay will pull the boat, and I will inspect the bottom, and decide what work needs to be done, while we drive back home.
Well...it’s now 6:40 am, and I have been working on this log for way over an hour. It’s light out, but I can’t see the sun, because the sky is completely cloudy. But it is warm out, and people are starting to move about the marina. There is no doubt, this is my favorite time of the day. I’m already feeling bad that I will be missing these mornings, when we are home. Some would say, this boating thing I have is some kind of sickness...if so...I am not looking forward to getting better.
I’ll keep you posted.
Bob
