Busy Day to Annapolis

Day 3  |  Solomons to Annapolis  |  53 Miles  |  6.3 Hours

As we slept, the hundreds of gnats that had found refuge onboard during our trip to Solomons worked their way to the pilot house windows. While this was disconcerting at first, it made for quick work in our new-found game of Splat-A-Gnat. With the help of a fly swatter and a little Windex, we removed the infestation and were on our way at 6:45 to Annapolis. Tuesday night's rain and the morning dew provided a nice opportunity to wipe down Crossroads. She won't be getting a full-fledged bath for a while so I will take full advantage of these conditions to keep her looking sharp. While cleaning the stern, I had a bit of fun photo-bombing Barry's rear-view camera.

Solomons to Annapolis is another familiar trek. It is also loaded with scenery and is one of my favorite day trips on the Chesapeake. Leaving the Patuxent River and heading north we first pass by the picturesque Cove Point Lighthouse. The Calvert Cliffs and trees always provide a nice backdrop for pictures. Just past the lighthouse is the Cove Point Liquid Natural Gas Terminal. There was a tanker in the anchorage awaiting its fill, but no activity this early in the morning.

I spent a little time on Fiberglass Beach catching some rays and a little snooze. I have determined that the charging display for our solar panel is a good indicator for prime tanning time. When our panels are charging at over 250 watts, Fiberglass Beach is the place to be. Before we knew it, Thomas Point Lighthouse was in sight. Thomas Point is a screw-pile lighthouse and is the quintessential Chesapeake Bay lighthouse. We passed by closely to help get some good pictures. The sky was a bit hazy, but the red and white still popped.

About the time we got to Thomas Point, we noticed how the boat traffic was increasing tremendously. This was anticipated as we knew the Blue Angels would be performing an air show over the Naval Academy at 2:30. Boats of every size and type were converging on Annapolis harbor. After some discussion, Barry and I agreed to drop anchor for the show viewing and then reset for the evening much further in when the crowd went back home.

The Blue Angels were amazing and so was the collection of boats. Everyone behaved and gave each other enough room to swing. Six jets performed for about half an hour. Barry and I stood on Fiberglass Beach and enjoyed this special opportunity.

Following the show, the harbor cleared out and we moved closer to town, anchoring near the Naval Academy. Barry grilled some chicken and we had an excellent view of the Wednesday night sailboat races -- sometimes too good of a view. As former sailors, we enjoyed seeing these boats sail back through the harbor and appreciated their skill at maneuvering through a very crowded area, although we were also concerned about our anchor chain and swim platform.

We will stay in Annapolis tomorrow and take the water taxi in to explore the town.