Happy Birthday to US
A Weekend in Baltimore Celebrating America’s 250th
In June, The Club took a trip to visit Baltimore during the Sail250 Maryland Boat and Air Show celebration of The United States’ 250th birthday. We bracketed this visit with two nights anchored in peaceful backwaters of Chesapeake Bay. This trip included three crew members who were new to the Sailing Club, and were, in fact, new to sailing.
First-time sailor Phil Cornelius tosses a line to OG Club Member John Francischetti during raft-up
Our crews arrived at Haven Harbour Marina in Rock Hall, Maryland, in the afternoon of Wednesday, June 24th, and after Skippers and First Mates checked out our boats, we boarded and stowed our gear before heading to Waterman’s Crab House for supper.
The following morning, after the skippers meeting, boat check-outs by Haven Charters, and crew briefings, we headed out for some sailing in moderate winds, to anchor out near Gibson Island on the Magothy River (14 nm from Rock Hall). The south wind presented a lot of tacking opportunites. Our anchorage in Unnamed Bay off Gibson Island was beautiful and peaceful (once the water skiers went home), with abundant blue heron sightings. After rafting up, we enjoyed a swim, followed by an appetizer party as the sun started setting.
Sun sets on Unnamed Bay off Gibson Island
On Friday, we pulled up anchor at 7:30 am and motored and sailed 21 nm to Inner Harbor Marina in Baltimore. For security reasons, officials had set up separate safety zones in the outer and inner harbors. Interestingly, the inner safety zone, which included our marina, was closed to traffic from 10 am to noon, and the outer safety zone, which we had to traverse to get to the inner zone, was closed from noon to 4 pm to allow time for the air show performers to practice their routines. The upshot was that we had to get through the outer zone before noon and loiter in the small area between the zones until the inner zone opened at noon. That accomplished, we docked the boats in the marina. Provisional First Mate Anne Marie guided Jehm of the Sea to her berth.
Once we docked, we discovered that the Balandra electrical splitter was the wrong configuration for the marina’s pedestal. The marina did not have another splitter available, and their only suggestion was that we could go to West Marine and buy another splitter (for a few hundred dollars). The crew was looking at the potential of spending two days in 90° heat with no air conditioning. There was talk of mutiny!
Fortunately, our two boats were docked next to each other, and the solution was to share the working connections (two 30 amps) that Jehm of the Sea had. Each boat got one circuit to do with whatever they pleased. So, we both spent a few hours cooling off, followed by a few more hours charging batteries and devices.
We couldn’t have picked a better spot to see all the tall ships that were visiting. We spent two nights here, taking part in the 250th Birthday celebration of the United States. There were many tall ships, Coast Guard, and Naval vessels in port and open for visiting. Most of the foreign vessels are training ships for their country’s naval academies, so we got to see a lot of young people in oddly unfamiliar naval uniforms marching around. It was very gratifying to see all the friends that the US enjoys.
Friday night, both crews had supper at The Rusty Scupper, an upscale seafood restaurant just a few steps from the marina.
Saturday brought intermittent light rain and overcast skies which served to cool the temperatures and make life more comfortable. We spent our lay day exploring all there was to see in the harbor and beyond. Some of us toured the USS Constellation, the last all-sail warship built by the U.S. Navy, which saw extensive service during the Civil War. Others enjoyed a VIP tour of the USS Eagle. Jehm of the Sea’s crew went to Fort McHenry, famously glorified in our national anthem, and to watch the spectacular air show put on by the US Navy’s Blue Angels and acrobatic teams from other countries. We watched a documentary in the Visitor Center Theatre about the battle of Fort McHenry and the writing of the “Star Spangled Banner.” At the end of the video, the screen rose to reveal a large window, outside of which was the replica of the original Stars and Stripes that flies in the courtyard of the fort. By an amazing coincidence, the Blue Angels did a fly-by behind the flag at that precise moment, as if it was planned for the end of the national anthem at a football game! We checked with the park rangers to see if it had been arranged, but it turned out to be mere serendipity.
That night, the Jehm of the Sea crew decided to stay on board and eat leftovers from the night before. Balandra went to Loch Bar, promoted on Google as a “high end seafood and whiskey specialist.” Sounds like my kind of place!
The Balandra crew had a dual purpose for choosing the Loch Bar - the oysters, and meeting up with Larry and Patty Sherwood, who were at a nearby hotel. The Sherwoods are long-time members of the club, who haven’t sailed in a few years, but still stay in touch and enjoy a tall ship gathering. After dinner, we all walked along the line of anchored tall ships.
Later, both crews headed back to the USS Constellation to hear the Rappahannock Whalers, an a cappella group that sings sea shanties. There were a couple of hundred people crammed onto the upper deck, doing their best to sing along and beat to the rhythm. The performers were very excited - I think it was the largest crowd that they had seen in a while.
Back aboard our boat, Farkle was a great way to cap off the evening.
We were faced with light winds from the northeast on Sunday, so the skippers made a judgment call to head back to Gibson Island instead of beating to our planned anchorage on the Sassafras River. Jehm of the Sea was off the dock at 7:30 am for pump-out and then motored up the river. We passed the USS Eagle and her sister ships being guided by tugboats on the way out, and then were passed by the ships as they got underway. Jehm of the Sea sailed under the Bay Bridge and back, just because our new sailors hadn’t done it, and rafted up to Balandra by 2:30 pm. It was another lovely, peaceful night in Unnamed Bay.
Jehm of the Sea had some crew members with long drives home, so on Monday we un-rafted and weighed anchor by 7:30 am, and were back at our slip in Haven Harbour by 11:15 to unload and clean out. Balandra’s crew took their time for breakfast but was still back at the dock by 1:00 pm.
What a wonderful extended weekend it was!
