Chesapeake Cruise

[ThistleCap]

Part 2:

We leave Island Creek and Kennersley for the drive to the Naval Academy, a must see at Annapolis, MD, any time you visit the East Coast.  There's never a day without a buzz of activity.  As soon as we arrived, we heard performances by the Air Force Academy and Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps.



The USS Delaware, a 119-ft frigate, was built in 1775 by order of the Continental Congress as one of the new Navy's original ships.  Its figurehead was of Tecumseh, Chief of the Shawnee and the largest confederacy to oppose the new nation during the Tecumseh Wars and later the War of 1812.  The original figurehead resided on the grounds of the Academy, but to preserve it from exposure to the elements, was later moved to the visitor center and replaced by a bronze replica.  Before each football game, Tecumseh is adorned with battle dress.  This was the meeting of Navy and Air Force, which Navy won 16-13.  


Don't worry.  By Monday morning, Tecumseh is back to his polished brilliance.


Annapolis harbor from the Academy grounds.


Shortly after the Wright brothers flew, the Navy acquired its first naval aircraft.


Bancroft Hall shorly before the brigade would form up in the courtyard for the march to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.


The entrance to Memorial Hall.


...and Memorial Hall.  The ceilings covered with oil paintings of famous battles.


The Naval Academy Chapel.


And for those with a musical inclination, yes, the story-high organ pipes are real.


The lower level of the Chapel is the final resting place of John Paul Jones.  This bust of Jones is just one of numerous displays surrounding his crypt.


Sorry, not my best picture.  The black and white marble coffin rests atop pedestals of waves and porpoise.  You just need to see it for yourself.  Another must-see is the naval museum in Preble Hall.  It just reopened after a two-year makeover.  If you have an interest in naval history, it's all there.


The brigade marches for the stadium.


The Navy band leads the march, and the Academy Drum and Bugle Corps drops in at the end.  In the background is the admiral's (superintendent) residence.

From end-to-end, besides being one of the nation's most beautiful places to sail, the Chesapeake is jammed with the nation's history and heritage.  Part of this is the skipjack, with only a hand-full of surviving working examples.




To help preserve the industry, oysters may only be dredged by the skipjack while under sail.  They carry a powered push-boat, but before taking oysters, the push-boat must be raised in the davits.

When a friend visited from Georgia, we sailed down the Chester, through Kent Narrows, and spent a few days exploring Eastern Bay and the Wye and Wye East Rivers.
 

We anchored the first night in Lovely Cove, off the Wye, and indeed it was.  


We sailed both ends of Wye Narrows to circumnavigate Wye Island, and then got a glimpse of Wye Heights Plantation.  


We anchored in Dividing Creek off the Wye East that night and got an early start for the return to the Chester River.


Thistle's anxious now for spring and the chance to return when the geese do.

[Tim]

Absolutely Wonderful! Thank You, especially for all the photos.

Enjoy a grog!

[s/v Faith]

Thanks for the update,

 I really enjoy the Cheasapeke, and am glad the WX has not made your journey less then fun.  Annapolis is a great town.  I Like to visit Fawcets and Bacon and Associates to find out 'what I need'.   ;)  Of course I usually end up selling it all off for pennies on the dollar.   ;D

 Thanks for taking time to take pictures and write up your trip.  

[jotruk]

Thank you for the write up. I really enjoyed it and look farward to any more pictures that you have. It just makes me ready to get my boat to the big water and just go.

[ThistleCap]

Well, jotruk, I do have some others that you might find interesting.
This one was just from a personal interest point of view.  I found the design of the bay window interesting.



This is a pineapple picket fence.  Each picket is finished off on top with a pineapple, which is the ultimate symbol of hospitality and friendship.  When sailing captains first traveled the Pacific, they would bring back strange, never before seen wonders.  Many would be for resale and were for the captain's personal profit, but many were to impress or for the enjoyment of friends and relatives, like silk for a wife's new dress.  The ultimate in hospitality was being invited to a captain's home to enjoy the treats, and that would often be the only time one might ever taste the sweetness of a pineapple.  Pineapples, therefore, soon began appearing on gate posts, porch posts, and elsewhere as a welcome greeting to visiting guests.



This is a view of Thistle's interior showing the Thistles my wife added to each cushion.  The inclinometer was a Christmas gift from my son.



Several displays in the naval museum had these life-sized forms to help explain life on a sailing ship.  This is obviously taking celestial observations, but others included loading a breech-loading cannon, life below decks, etc.



And lastly, the schooner Martha White setting sail as she sails down river from Chestertown.  

[jotruk]

Thank you Tistlecap you have whetted may apatite for moving my boat to the coast

[ThistleCap]

Jotruk,
This blog was posted on trailer sailor bulletin board.  They covered some of the same places we did in a home-built boat.  Beautiful boat and great pictures.  Check it out.
http://logofspartina.blogspot.com/

[jotruk]

Thank you ThistleCap I really enjoyed the post. Now just to get my boat ready, but it will be next summer at the earliest

[Oldrig]

Great pix and text. Thanks, thistlecap.

BTW, I just got an e-mail from a college classmate. Turns out his company just finished work on the chapel at the US Naval Academy. Weird coincidence, that.

--Joe

[ThistleCap]

When I was planning the trip from NW Oklahoma to the Chesapeake, I had no idea what the expenses would work out to or how best to economize.  I was working in the dark.  I kept very close records of the trip and thought some of you may be interested in what I learned.
 
To begin with, the tow vehicle is a  8 cyl. Dodge Ram 1500 with a rated towing capacity of 12,000 lbs., and the boat, trailer and equipment total close to 7,000 lbs. The trip east included a run south to Atlanta to avoid the Eastern mountain ranges before turning north to Maryland.  A concerted effort was made to save fuel--keeping my foot out of the carburetor, no cruise control, slower speeds averaging 52 mph, although part of this speed was attributed to very heavy rain for most of the trip.  The return trip was by the shortest distance, but at the posted speed limits, and with cruise control nearly all the time except in the mountains.

The trip east was 1,687 miles at 11.75 mpg for a total of $328.06 in fuel.  The return trip was 1,542 miles at 15.79 mpg for a total of $221.38.  For a truck that normally gets 19 mpg, running in the mountains at 70 mph took its toll.  The two surprises were a difference of only 145 miles in distance between the two routes, and a difference in cost for towing the boat and trailer of only $106.65.  I received numerous advice concerning the wisdom of leaving the boat in Maryland and wintering it at the marina versus towing it back home.  With a towing cost of $107 and winter storage of $500, leaving it was obviously not the right choice.  Total round-trip cost including fuel, tolls, and meals on the road totaled $659.40.  Averaged over the 30 days I was on the trip, the cost averaged $21.98 a day.  This does not include food except on the road, because I figured I'd be eating at home anyhow, and actually eat much less on the boat.  I hope this may help someone in planning their sailfar trip.

[jotruk]

Here's hoping that you have a very good sail and that it stays warm

[Frank]

Ain't nothing like a being tucked into a small cabin with a good book in a secure anchorage during a rainy blow. It legitamizes relaxing. Lots of little 'tuck in" spots on the Chesapeake. Have fun.

[Auspicious]

Let me know if you stop along the north side of the South River or in Annapolis. We can give you chance to do laundry and drive you around for provisions and supplies.

If you share your itinerary plans for this year I'll be happy to contribute any local knowledge I may have.

[CapnK]

Excited!! The day is finally here. I'm rushing around the house and garage gathering all the stuff {snip}... loading it for the trip back to the Chesapeake.

Happy Times. :)

Good luck on the trip, and thanks for taking lotsa extra warm stuff... That preparation on your part will help ensure that Warm Spring is here to stay. ;)  ;D

[ThistleCap]

We continued the Chesapeake Cruise during the fall of 2010.  When I got back, I decided to pursue something I had wrestled with for a long time---starting a blog.  The cruise was 26 days long, and went from the Chester River, north on the Eastern Shore, across the head of the bay, and down the Western shore to South River, across to Eastern Bay, and back up the Chester.  The report on the cruise and pictures can be viewed there.
I'm sad to say I no longer feel I can make coastal sailing work from Oklahoma.  As you will see from the blog, I'll be selling Thistle and moving to paddling.  I thought I'd spend the rest of my days sailing, but you know how it goes---life is what happens while you're making other plans. 
Best wishes to all.  I'll still haunt the site, and maybe even participate once in awhile.  My heart is with you even if I'm not.
Thank you. 
Jim
http://logofibi.blogspot.com

[Captain Smollett]

Please stick around.

If it can be paddled, it's a small boat.

And since CapnK did something like 1500 miles in a 'yak, long distance qualifies, too.

[ThistleCap]

Thanks, John.  Appreciate it.