Freedom on The Great Loop: To the Eastern Shore: Solomons to St Michaels MD

We have 4 more nights during which to enjoy the Chesapeake before we need to be back in Woodbridge VA. We are having trouble planning because, if the weather kicks up we don't want to be too far away. Everyone told us the Eastern Shore is not to be missed, but crossing the Chesapeake is intimidating (and this coming from experienced San Francisco sailors... it is like comparing a sea to a lake... funny how our West Coast mentality had us thinking San Francisco was the biggest bay).

Sunday morning brought about a glorious day and as goodbyes were said, we often were wished "fair winds and following seas"... I convinced Rob to head for St. Michaels, a very historic town on the Eastern shore. The water was even glassy in spots; you couldn't ask for a better passage.

On the way we passed a Lord Nelson Tug, which prompted me to search for a picture of Rob's most recently completed boat model for comparison:

We arrived at St Michael's Marina, one of several here in town. Docking here on the east coast is a different experience to what we are used to. There are very few floating docks with cleats. Almost all docks are simply very large poles with a small, narrow finger about 10ft long on one side. You have to back into the docks (which is hard with a flat bottom boat and one outboard) in order to reach power. And you have to loop the lines around the poles, on both sides and criss cross your lines your lines in back in order to stay aligned in the "slip". Another complication is leaving enough slack so that your boat can move up and down with the tide (and the line will slide along the poles)... but still not so much line that you move out of the designated area and remain close enough to get on and off the boat. Rob will be adjusting and readjusting these lines throughout the night and worrying when he should be sleeping.