HEADED NORTH - CHESAPEAKE, MD

Trip Day:	83	Latitude:	39°28.44 ' N	Locks Today:	0
Miles Today:	40	Longitude:	075°55.34' W	Locks Total:	8
Total Miles:	1,588	Location:	Bohemia River near Chesapeake City

We have NOT sailed off the edge of the world!   Jean has just been a slacker and failed to blog while we had friends onboard and toured Baltimore - too much food and wine may have played a role in this laziness.
One last look back at Baltimore Inner Harbor and the Baltimore Dragon Boat Club we sailed out the Patapsco River.













We headed north into The Bay which begins to  narrow as we near the head waters of the Chesapeake. 

Lighthouse on Turkey Point and a happening shoreline along the Elk River.

Seven hours in the hot sun at the start of the Memorial Day weekend was hard today after being in a marina for two days.  The Chesapeake area boasts of being the sailing capital of the world and today I believed it because the ratio of sailboats to power boats was about 15:1!

We anchored in Bohemia River off the Elk River about 8 miles south of Chesapeake City which marks the entrance to the C & D canal.  Tomorrow we will bid Maryland goodbye as we pass into Delaware.  

Trip Day:	82	Latitude:	39°16.72 ' N	Locks Today:	0
Miles Today:	0	Longitude:	076°36.22' W	Locks Total:	8
Total Miles:	1,548	Location:	Baltimore Inner Harbor East

MAY 25, 2012  /  DAY 82  / BALTIMORE, MD

Meet our friends, Art and Mike from Sarasota.

It’s easy to be a tourist in Baltimore with plenty of   literature on museums, the aquarium, the zoo, historical sites, free bus shuttle and friendly locals. 

Of the four ships available to tour, we chose the sailing sloop of war Constellation, which is the only major U.S. Navy warship surviving intact today that saw active service in the American Civil War. 

The sloop Constellation is the second warship to bear the name, the first being a 36-gun frigate built at Baltimore from 1795-98.  This Constellation was built from 1853-55 at Gosport Navy Yard near Norfolk.  In the years following the War of 1812, the three masted, square-rigged sail sloop with 18-22 guns replaced the frigate as the principal type of  medium sized warship in the US Navy.

In 1858 the U.S. government increased the effort to catch American ships illegally smuggling slaves into Cuba, Brazil and the United States.  Constellation was the squadron flagship while fourteen American slave ships were captured off Africa and almost 4,000 people were freed and taken to safety in Liberia.  At the start of the Civil War in 1861 the squadron’s ships were ordered home and the anti-slave trade patrols ended.  One gun on the bow is still fired during tours with tourist participation to haul it into place at the rail.

After the war, Constellation was used as a Navy training ship in Newport, RI until 1955 when she was moved to Baltimore, where she underwent a major restoration from 1996-99.  Touring this vessel with a 14" thick hull, 3 mast,179' in length and 41' beam, gave us an appreciation of shipbuilding methods of these huge wooden vessels from the past.  Viewing the austere officer’s sleeping quarters and crewmen’s hammocks we returned to our boat with a greater appreciate of our creature comforts including a diesel engine!

MAY 24, 2012  /  DAY 81  / BALTIMORE, MD

We awakened early and walked to Chick and Ruth’s Deli for breakfast and we were lucky enough to be in time for the daily tradition of standing for the pledge of allegiance by staff and patrons. 

We got underway about 9:30 traveling east on the Severn River, then headed north on the Chesapeake passing under the Bay Bridge with a nice wind and a rising sun.  Sailing north, passing the Magothy River and Gibson Island, we turned west into the Patapsco River and headed toward Baltimore.  There was a steady stream of large, commercial vessels in the main shipping channel, but Art was in good form managing to steer clear. 

  Our initial impression of the Patapsco River was all about a large shipping port and industry.  We passed Fells Point, which in the day was the second busiest port of entry for immigrants after Ellis Island, and the cityscape came into view with Fort McHenry front and center.  

The excitement built as the buildings grew taller and the features of the harbor came into view, but it took all of us and the binoculars to determine just which marina was Harbor Side East.  Once located and a VHF call to the dock master for slip assignment Ron managed to maneuver the boat into the slip without incident although we questioned whether the slip was wide enough for our boat.   

It was only a short walk to Little Italy with a multitude of choices for dinner.

MAY 23, 2012  /  DAY 80 / ANNAPOLIS, MD

First order of the day was to get the boat clean, inside and out in preparation for friends arriving from Sarasota.  Ron scrubbed the outside while Jean readied the aft berths, washed linens and gave the inside a really good cleaning.  Mid morning we took a break and decided to check out the specialty crepes at Sofi’s— good decision, those crepes were delightful. 

Our return walk took us by the Alex Haley Memorial which is in a little park next to the city basin where Kunta Kinte arrived as a captured, chained slave to be sold at the Annapolis  market.  The city has done a nice job with the commemorative sculpture and bronze plaques honoring this time in history captured in Alex Haley’s series, Roots. 

Mike and Art arrived late in the afternoon having been met at the airport by their son, David, who lives in Baltimore.   In addition to their luggage they had a cooler full of wine and ice so they were welcomed aboard with gusto and glasses were poured.  David graciously drove us all to dinner at Level’s on Main Street, which specializes in small plate faire.  We ate our fill of lamb, tuna, calamari and fresh vegetables before returning to the boat.

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