Mer Sea

We left DC with the intent to stop at Mt. Vernon, which our cruising guide told us we could visit by water, meaning there was a dock to which we could make fast. We were both looking forward to having that little excursion. However, as we approached what we thought was the dock through a narrow and shallow channel, we could not make out where we could possibly tie up, and the channel simultaneously became dangerously shallow, so we turned around and said farewell to Mt. Vernon. You’ve got to be able to make these split second decisions when you’re on the water, or you end up running aground or worse, as there are no brakes to put on as you consider the situation. We were both disappointed with the outcome, and perhaps we’ll anchor out in the future and dinghy in to the shore. For now, though, we wanted to get out of there!

 

We toodled along on the Potomac towards our chosen anchorage, from which we planned to dinghy ashore and explore. The Potomac is well-marked, and not so heavily used, as far as we could tell, so it makes for very leisurely boating! We had a lovely day, and found the area where we’d planned to anchor. We had some difficulty making our way into the anchorage, as it was seeded with land mines (in the Chesapeake, that means CRAB TRAPS!). These little suckers are the single most difficult thing about boating on the Chesapeake. Should you accidentally get the line between the trap and the bouy at the water’s surface wrapped around your propeller, you may as well kiss any possible propulsion goodbye, and might do some real engine damage in the process. So it’s “all hands alert” in areas with the traps, and you thread your way carefully. It’s especially difficult to anchor in such an area, since the boat moves around the anchor depending on the wind and currents, and so you must find a pretty broad area with no traps and anchor in the middle of it.

 

We were unable to anchor in our first choice because of the traps, but did finally find a spot further along to “drop the hook.” It wasn’t ideal, but at least we wouldn’t get fouled in crab traps! I swear, if I didn’t like eating crab so much, I’d be tempted to get angry at the whole situation! However, we made the most of it by dinghying to shore and eating crab for dinner that night! This was the first time we’d left Mer Sea at an anchorage while we took off in the dinghy, and it was a lovely and welcome sight to see her sitting serenely in the anchorage as we headed back for the night!

 

Our next stop took us out of the Potomac and further up the Chesapeake to St. Mary’s City, MD. This was, without a doubt, the best anchorage of our entire trip! We proceeded up the St. Mary’s river to a little cove that was thoroughly protected and offered a nice spot to “beach” the dinghy. St. Mary’s College has their boating facilities there, and so we had the built-in entertainment of watching their sailboat classes.

 

We dinghied to shore and had a fascinating history lesson in the restored St. Mary’s City. This was the first capital of Maryland, and one of the earliest settlements in the Colonies, period. We walked all over the substantial acreage and enjoyed the lovely park-like setting and the restored buildings, and were treated to knowledgeable guides who gave us the history of the area and the specific buildings we were seeing. One of the highlights for me was the guide who “made fire” for us two ways: using a spark from striking flint, and using friction to create enough heat. It was fascinating! The people who work at that “museum” are extremely knowledgeable and personable, and we had a great time!

 

The pressure was off us now, in terms of getting to Baltimore on time, as we were no more than two days at the most out, and still had plenty of time. This enabled us to now just take our time and stop as long as we wished where we wished – sort of what “cruising” is supposed to be about! Ah, this is the life!

 

Our next stop was Solomon’s Island, where we docked at a marina that was a bit removed from the “action” and used the dinghy to motor over to the fun part of town. That first night we had a fantastic Italian dinner at a restaurant on the water, complete with leftovers for lunch the next day! The weather was supposed to deteriorate after that first day, and since we were in a relatively cheap marina, we decided to sit it out there. We got the boat cleaned up inside and out, and got our laundry done, and made another trip to a restaurant (this time for seafood!). We also borrowed the marina’s courtesy car and did some grocery shopping as well.

 

We left Solomon’s and headed for Annapolis. I may have been to Annapolis at some point when I lived in Baltimore, but I don’t remember it if I was there. We were supposed to meet with our insurance broker and take him to lunch to thank him for “going to bat” for us when we were having trouble getting insurance, but it turned out that he was unavailable. However, we had a wonderful day just walking all over Annapolis. We walked all around the Naval Academy, which is beautiful, checked out shops, ate good food and ice cream, and relaxed. We took the Water Taxi from the marina as the water was a bit rough for the dinghy, and it worked out just perfectly. Annapolis is a great town, and I look forward to going back when it’s warmer and the weather is nicer.

 

From Annapolis we headed to Rock Hall, the scene of our “big adventure” last summer when we were training with Mother Goose. It was fun to head back there in Mer Sea and to revisit with those nice folks who own the marina. We also had the fun of visiting with some of Mother Goose’s clients who we spotted on the (I think) Bonnie Goose. We invited them over to see Mer Sea, and talked to them about our adventures, as one of the couples is considering buying a boat and doing some extended cruising. It’s always fun to share our experiences, and to try to give honest pros and cons when people are thinking of making the leap. It’s not for everyone, but we’re certainly (mostly) enjoying it!

 

We had planned on anchoring out the next night, but, once again, the weather was lousy, cold and rainy, so we stayed put at the comfortable dock in Rock Hall. There were a couple of grocery items we needed, and we were planning to walk to the grocery store in our new (and expensive!) foul weather gear. However, Roy had seen a sign at the office that the local grocery store would pick us up at the marina, take us to the store, and bring us back with our groceries for no charge!! Because of the weather we decided to take them up on it. What a nice service they provide for the transient boaters! It’s a good-sized, well-stocked, family run grocery store, and we were happy to have the opportunity to support them and the service they are providing. It was really great not to have to make that trek in the rain, even with the foul weather gear!

 

Our next stop was our final destination: Baltimore! We stopped first at Anchor Bay East Marina to talk to them about the “haul out” they’d be doing while we were in British Columbia, and then we proceeded to Anchorage Marina for a reunion with Mother Goose (Bill) and CJ. Bill was very generous with us in terms of helping us with a slip, and we were really looking forward to seeing them both and thanking them for getting us started on this adventure. We pulled in and got Mer Sea into the slip, and were fixing her lines when Bill and CJ walked up the dock. It was really great to see them!! Roy was so excited to show them Mer Sea that we didn’t even wait to get her cleaned up from the trip; we invited them aboard right away and gave them the tour. It was lots of fun! We made arrangements to take them to dinner the next night and then let them get back to their business and we got back to cleaning the boat.

 

It was an amazing feeling to be in Baltimore with Mer Sea. Who wudda thunk last August that we’d be making this trip? The feeling of accomplishment of having left Punta Gorda, FL over a month ago, and now arriving safely in Baltimore, MD on our own boat and using our wits and navigation skills and judgment – it’s hard to describe. The added twist of being able to end this leg here with Mother Goose and CJ, who gave us our start, and to be here, in Anchorage Marina, where we first began learning what operating a trawler is all about – it makes the sense of accomplishment all the more sweet. Sure, we still have plenty to learn, and skills to acquire and polish, but we MADE IT!!

 

The next fun for us would be taking our friends Jesse and Gene out on Mer Sea, which we planned for midday the next day. We met them and brought them on board Mer Sea and gave them the grand tour (and lunch), and then went out for a short spin on the Chesapeake. It was fairly windy, and seemed to get worse the longer we were out, so we turned back and headed for the marina after about 45 minutes.

 

Windy docking is not our favorite, and we struggled a bit getting Mer Sea back into the slip. CJ and a kind stranger were on the dock, and I was able to toss them our stern lines, and then I went forward to get a bow line. I walked it to midship where I planned to lasso a cleat on the dock. I leaned over and swung the line to try to grab the cleat, and realized that I’d leaned over too far. I was either going to fall, or I needed to jump onto the dock (about a five foot drop, plus the distance from the boat to the dock). Jumping definitely seemed the better part of valor, so I leapt. Ow! I landed squarely on my bare feet, but apparently mostly on my left heel. I was in a lot of pain.

 

Our friends Jesse and Gene drove us to the Johns Hopkins Emergency Room, where we were lucky that the Holiday Weekend activity hadn’t yet really picked up, it only being late Friday afternoon. Our wait time was very short, and I was X-rayed and CAT scanned and examined in relatively short order. The Chief Orthopaedic Resident finally came and told us that I have a fractured heel. I am very lucky. Usually, a fractured heel splinters like a dropped teacup, and I have a single, clean fracture. Usually there is knee, hip, and/or back involvement, and I have none. Usually, surgery is required, but not for me. I will, however, be in a cast for eight weeks, and during that time am forbidden to put any weight on the foot.

 

Going back to the boat was out of the question. There is no way I could have gotten onto her, much less gotten around on her. After a long weekend at the Parker-Sartori Rest Home (at Jesse and Gene’s), Roy and I flew back to Atlanta, where we are now in our house in Dawsonville. We had to cancel most of our trip to the northwest, but will still be able to make the wedding and festivities.

 

We are so grateful that this happened in Baltimore, with friends, at a friendly dock, and for all the help and concern given and shown by all. It is hard to describe how it feels to be simply taken under someone’s wing when one feels so helpless and vulnerable. We’ve received so much help from Bill and CJ, Jesse and Gene, and Art at Anchor Bay East. It’s hard to imagine what this could have been like under different circumstances.

 

So, we are in Dawsonville for the summer. I don’t know yet when I’ll be seaworthy again, but we’ll be back aboard at that time. As soon as we know when that will be, we’ll get to work figuring out a new float plan, and I’ll post it here. In the meantime, give us a call or drop us an email. We’re keeping our cellphone instead of re-hooking up a land line. We don’t seem to have internet service from our wireless modem here at the house, but if we drive into Dawsonville we can hook up and download and upload, etc. So that’s the plan for now…