Annapolis, Maryland

September 24, 2020

Ok, back to the real world and time to get some work done.  We sailed back to Annapolis, and took a town mooring in Back Creek near Jabin’s Boat Yard, where we launched from back in June.  Life is a circle.  We needed the yard to help us install  new seals in our hydraulic backstays, so we were there for a full week getting that done.  We didn’t mind though, because Annapolis is sailors paradise.  It only took the first day to get our laundry done at a convenient spot, go to the post office to get mail, stock up at the grocery store, etc.  There was even an Amazon locker at 7-11, just a mile from the boat.  The whole flurry of errands confirmed from me that we made the right decision getting the folding bikes.  Lifting them in an out of the dinghy to go to shore is a pain, but they made all the errands so easy and fast.

The first half of the week was amazing weather.  I spent a lot of time paddle boarding.  We met other cruisers heading south, and Fluffy continues to be a “chick magnet”.  Everyone wanted to know what kind of dinghy she is and how we like her.  We love her!

On the 29th, we had a great dinner ashore at Vin 909.  Two bottles of wine and some amazing food later, we skipped back to the boat and it started raining just as we got there.  The next morning I vowed I was doing “Sober October”.  We’ll see how that goes.  With the rain there was a wind shift, and after 5 happy nights on our mooring, we went aground at low tide as the wind blew the water out of the creek.  It was so stressful, but luckily soft mud, and only a few inches too shallow, so no harm done.  But yikes!  It turned out the rain did not stop until Friday morning when we got our hydraulic cylinders back.  We popped them back in (ok, huge understatement, but we got it done).  We left right after that because we did not want to ground again as the tide dropped.

Some many fun things happened in Annapolis.  The perfect rum punch at Pussers, a picnic, up and down Ego Alley in the dinghy, a band on the corner on Saturday night and dancing in the street.  It was great.  Also, it’s a very pro Biden town, and everyone was wearing masks even outside in the historic district.    

After rain all day Wednesday and Thursday, we were soggy and ready to go.  It was like a sign when the clouds parted and we got under way with happy backstays once again on Friday.