Wednesday, August 31, 2011

76°29.112’ W

38°58.503’ N

The Yacht Basin

Annapolis, Maryland



Superintendent's Home

Most of today was spent at the Naval Academy. We took the walking tour and happened to see 4000 cadets march into lunch! The cadets muster for 

Chapel

 breakfast and lunch seven days a week then march to their tables and are served at one seating! We then visited John Paul Jones crypt and the naval museum. Lunch was enjoyed at the Quad club before watching the first full dress rehearsal of all the midshipmen marching --- all 4000 of them! There was a Navy band followed by the Naval Academy band followed by a Scottish Bagpipe band and of course the Naval Academy color guard!


Inside Chapel





Crypt of John Paul Jones



From there we walked to the state capitol which is under renovation. There wasn’t much to see with everything covered up with scaffolding and tarps.



Lining up for lunch



In Memorial Hall



We did find the Annapolis Ice Cream Company winner of the best ice cream in Annapolis for 2011! It was a small little shop where they make the ice cream on site. It’s not very fancy but it’s worth the walk.



Tomorrow we will move from Annapolis to Baltimore for a four day stay. We hope to get tickets to the Grand Prix Race, close to where we will have the boat moored.

Color Guard



Navy Band






Capitol





Tuesday, August 30, 2011

76°29.112’ W

38°58.503’ N

The Yacht Basin

Annapolis, Maryland



Shore of Kent Island





Leaving St. Michaels

Today was a five star day for cruising ------ blue skies, flat water and cooler temperatures! It took us three hours to cross the Chesapeake before entering the harbor at Annapolis. We are located a few blocks away from the Naval Academy and everything else that makes this port so popular.

Our boat is now rocking more in its slip than during the crossing of the Chesapeake Bay! It’s not the wind causing the problem but the large number of boats moving into and out of the harbor. I’m hoping it 

Bloody Point Bar

quiet downs later this evening!

Annapolis in the distance



After we squared the boat away we set up our bikes and took a nice ride through town stopping at the Naval Academy visitor’s center for tourist information. We stopped at an Irish Pub with sidewalk tables and enjoyed a light dinner and cold beer before locating an ice cream shop close 

Ships wating to go to Baltimore

by. We walked our bikes along the harbor front before returning to the boat and plan tomorrow’s itinerary.


Dome of the Chapel at
Naval Academy



Arriving at Yacht Basin

Naval Academy

Street in Annapolis

Monday, August 29, 2011

76°13.266’ W

38°47.121’ N

St. Michaels Marina

St. Michaels, Maryland

Barb and I are back on the boat! The weather is beautiful and if you were here during the hurricane you 

Our arrival back at the boat

wouldn’t believe it possible!

We had a full day of work removing the winter canvas 

Fixing lines to pull her back to the dock

and reinstalling the running canvas. The boat is in tip top shape and now ready to move on. The wind must have been very strong as there were leaves in the engine compartment floating in the bilges and on the fly bridge under the winter cover!





Having dinner at Foxys!

We reserved a slip in Annapolis, Maryland for two days starting tomorrow. Tomorrow we will get out of here by 9am and cruise 30 miles to Annapolis. The following 3 or 4 days we will be in Baltimore an additional 30 miles away.

Barb and I are ready to move on!

Back to boat after dinner


 

Sunday, August 28, 2011

76°13.266’ W

38°47.121’ N

St. Michaels Marina

St. Michaels, Maryland

LIFE IS GOOD!  The double rainbow we encountered the day before the hurricane did in fact have a pot of lucky charms that helped us beat the hurricane! Moor $tuff faired well and rode out the storm as planned! 

Loose canvas

The marina called us at 7am and told us our boat looked good and asked us if we would like a ride to the marina to check her out ourselves. We were told there was 3 foot waves in the harbor that Moor $tuff rode over for most of the night. I’m not sure what the sustained wind speed was but will wait until I see it published in the newspaper.  

Adjusting bow line

Whatever it was, it was a Category one hurricane!

While at the marina I tightened up one line that was stretched out from the storm then made the decision to spend one more night in the motel. The boat is safer floating away from the dock as she is now tied up compared to tying her to a dock and having the wind and waves 

Adjusting bow line

slamming her against the pilings!

If the weather improves today as predicted, Barb and I should get the boat squared away tomorrow with a full day of work. I am sure the exposed canvas is wet and heavy and with our continued good luck, the wind will dry it out by tomorrow morning! 

Local flooding across from motel



It is time to plan for our next leg of the adventure! Weather permitting; we will cross the Chesapeake Bay on Tuesday and cruise to Annapolis.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

76°13.266’ W

38°47.121’ N

St. Michaels Marina

St. Michaels, Maryland

Good morning everyone. Barb and I have checked into a local motel about a mile from the marina. The day started early for us as we removed a few days of clothing, insurance papers, log books, pass ports and personal items from the boat. At that point I started the process of adjusting lines and repositioning the boat to the center of the cell. As we were completing the adjustment of the lines the rain began. The boat is now tied to pilings in the best way we know how. There will be marina staff watching their buildings and docks and have assured us they will keep us informed of our boats well being. At present it’s a steady soaker with the winds picking up. The hurricane is hours away with the worst predicted to begin 12 hours from now.

Today we will post our blog early as we expect to loose communication with the outside world. Damage to cell towers is expected during the storm. There is a good possibility that the highway in front of the motel may get flooded but I think we will stay high and dry from hurricane Irene!

Friday, August 26, 2011

76°13.266’ W

38°47.121’ N

St. Michaels Marina

St. Michaels, Maryland

Today has been a long day for both of us. Our canvas has been removed and replaced with our winter cover. All of the mooring 

Moor Stuff in the slip

 lines we will need to ride out the storm have been put into place. Tomorrow the lines will be adjusted, placing the boat into the center of the two slips assigned to us. The boat will be secured between 7 pilings 3 on each side and one in line with the bow about 75 feet in front of the 

View of St. Michaels Marina

boat. Once lashed down Barb and I will check into a motel a

mile from here.

We did take a brake and rode our bikes to the Chesapeake    Bay Maritime Museum.

We have the only boat in this section of the marina which is a little disconcerting! On the plus side of the situation all of the other boats located on a different dock are making a 

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

great barrier for us.

Every restaurant close to the harbor will close tomorrow morning as will 

Miles River off Chesapeake Bay

all of the B&B’s and hotels within walking distance. Flooding is almost guaranteed at this point, so staying on the boat would not be advised. Businesses close to us have removed anything that will float or blow away. Flags, park benches, patio furniture and table umbrellas have disappeared and have been safely stored 

Watermans Wharf at museum

out of harms way. It looks like a ghost town at this point. When the flood waters recede and the dock is accessible again we will pull 

Museum getting ready for hurricane

our boat to one side and move back on her!

Tomorrow the show begins and the question of the day will be if we will have a boat two days from now!

  

MOOR $TUFF

Thursday, August 25, 2011

76°13.266’ W

38°47.121’ N

St. Michaels Marina

St. Michaels, Maryland

Tension is starting to build here. The storm in the Midwest that was to push the hurricane out to sea has lost its strength and because of that development it now looks like we are going to get hit with one hell of a hurricane!



Double rainbow - starboard side of our boat

Tomorrow we will remove the canvas and install our winter cover which will lower the profile of the boat and hopefully reduce the effects of the wind. The locals are thinking that the surge from this storm will be less than hurricane Isabel is 2003. Because this hurricane is coming from a different direction than hurricane Isabel, the winds could be higher. What all of that information means to Barb and me is were stuck in the middle of one heck of a storm and depending on what the Coast Guard and the Governor of Maryland have to say ----- we will stay with or close to the boat.

Tomorrow we will pack our suitcase in case we need to move to higher ground! Flooding is a real possibly and high ground is a few blocks away. Impact of the hurricane is now predicted to start around noon Saturday! Flooding could last until noon Monday!

The marina has assigned two slips to us which means we will tie the boat between two piers 

Sun setting - port side of our boat

using the open space of the opening. Every line that we have will be secured to pilings and secured as high as the lines will permit. The staff will help us tomorrow get ready for the big blow! Electrical power to the marina will be turned off sometime Saturday and stay off until the water recedes.

The frustrating thing about this situation is the storm information we are getting, keeps changing from hour to hour. At present we are doing everything we can do to protect our boat while keeping us safe.

Tonight as I started to write this blog a double rainbow appeared in the east! I’m not superstitious but every little bit of good luck helps in this situation. Stay tuned for our continuing adventure aboard “MOOR $TUFF”!



Wednesday, August 24, 2011

76°13.266’ W

38°47.121’ N

St. Michaels Marina

St. Michaels, Maryland



Leaving Calvert Marina

Barb and I did a 6 hour run to St. Michael’s on Miles River. This is where we will we will stay 

Blimp

until the hurricane threat passes! Until the storm hits we will prepare for it as much as we can. When we know for sure it will hit we will remove the canvas and put our winter cover on. Meantime I will enjoy this beautiful quaint boating community.

Tomorrow we will look for 

Fish traps

high ground if a surge is predicted. Our location in the marina is better protected than the open

Cove Point

 waters of the Chesapeake Bay but not out of harms way. The harbor master is preparing a plan and told me he has been through three other major storms here. I am not sure what that means for Barb and me but everyone seems calm and resolved to lash everything down and ride out the storm!



Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

The weather man said the hurricane will arrive this weekend unless a storm now in the 

Arriving at St. Michaels

Midwest pushes it out into the ocean!






Hooper Strait Lighthouse



Our view at St. Michaels Marina