Elk Lake to the C & D Canal

The pictures will speak for themselves!

We saw a multitude of sights as we went across the Chesapeake and entered the Elk River. Our trip across was wild. The wind was howling and the waves as rough as Gail has ever experienced. Every single thing on the boat was moving. As we entered the Elk River, however, things were much smoother and much more pleasant. The above tow was one of the first things that greeted us. It is amazing to have them in the same channel with us!

The next surprise was this huge ship that even cast a shadow on us as it approached. The picture below is looking back at the entry to the C & D Canal as we left the Elk. The C&D opened for business in 1829. At that time it was 13 miles long with a waterline width of 667 feet, a bottom width of 36 feet, and a depth of 10 feet. The present channel was deepened to 35 feet under a long-term improvement program. The canal is government owned and toll free, a vital link of the Intercoastal Waterway that connects the Chesapeake and Delaware bays.

We were headed for an anchorage off the canal in South Chesapeake City.It is an embarkation point where ships transiting the Bay pick up a pilot, Chesapeake City serves thousands of small craft every year. An amazing number are sharing a little basin with us tonight. The bridge we passed under is within sight of our boat for the night.

Our boom under the bridge!!!!

It is a little difficult to see but there is a mama osprey on the marker protecting her babies. As we have mentioned before, they are everywhere.

The end of our crusing for today - John tending the anchor, and tending the anchor, and tending the anchor. We were in a silt bottom and had a "little" difficulty holding. It is about 9:00pm and John is still working on charts for tomorrows adventure.

Monarch On the Move!

After an early start this morning and a trip to the dump-station and the fuel dock in Deale, we headed out into the Chesapeake Bay under bright skies and calm seas. Needless to say, we were overjoyed to head Monarch north. We passed some great sights: Annapolis, the Thomas Shoal Light, the Severn Bridge, wonderful landscapes and homes. As we passed Annapolis we thought of John McVay and wished he could see it as we were seeing it!

There are many beautiful lighthouses along the way. The Sandy Point Light to your left is just one that we saw today.

Not too long after we were treated to this sight we arrived at the Magothy River and entered the Sillery Bay where we are anchored for the night. There are several small islands around; one called Dobbins Island which is totally uninhabited and Little Island which has a huge house with a built-in light house next to it. The only drawback is that they have planted a plastic palm tree in the front yard!!!

Canada Goose visited us and we have reentered the world of the Osprey. They are all around us searching for food.

John is having great fun using his new GPS equipment. He already has all our waypoints marked for tomorrows voyage.

From the Other Side!

We traveled by land yesterday to view the places we had already seen from the water as we traveled the Little Choptank off the Chesapeake. We were able to view things up close and personal and were delighted with what we saw and experienced. Below is a picture of Trinity Church probably built between 1670 and 1680.


As you can see, it is a diminutive Flemish bond structure that was restored in 1953 and services are held there each Sunday. The church yard unfolds like a page from history. Beneath its spread of cedars, sycamores, elms, and wild cherries lie the bodies of Thomas King Carroll, one time governor of Maryland, and his illustrious daughter Anna Ella Carroll, one of Abraham Lincoln's confidants.

A pair of giant millstones taken from a nearby 18th century gristmill mark a miller's grave. Soldiers from the American Revolution rest in the shadows alongside veterans from every other war in U.S. history.

We traveled northwest to Spocott Windmill on Grays Creek. (We ran aground with Marco the day we were trying to see this from the water!!!) On the same site there is Llolyd's Country Store Museum, The Castle Haven School and the origional Spocott tenant house. Each were unattended by anyone (open 24 hours a day!) and all were filled with treasures that made you want to stay a very long time.

The school house was particularly appealing to Gail who found some old books with wise words on teaching children to read published in early 1900.

John ,on the other hand ,was completely fascinated with the windmill. The gears are hand-carved and we were able to climb to the very top to examine them. Dad LeRoy would have loved it!

After a short tour of the quaint town of Cambridge, our final stop for the day was a wonderful restaurant in Oxford right on the Tred Avon River. That of course put us in mind of the bard, and our favorite English Professor, Sheila. We dined outside and watched a sailing regata as the sun was setting. Of course, we both had Maryland crab and enjoyed every mouthful.

Back in Deale

Never made it to Saint Michael's due to a BIG wind that changed our plans. Arrived back in Deale and started making ready for our next trip out. Purchased bikes, restocked the fridge, made ANOTHER trip to West Marine for "just a few more needed things", and then had a "final meal" aboard with Marco and Virginia. This morning we had a great breakfast at a local restaurant, went to the car rental to get us a car for our remaining time here and then bid farewell to Marco and Virginia. We returned to three seperate companies at work on the boat!After a loooooong nap, we spent the remainder of the day in the laundry and reading. The wind continues but the sun is bright and wonderful! Even though we are not out on the Bay, it is a treat just being on the boat. The more time we spend on it, the more we like it.

Marco's day at the helm

We found the flag and she now flies proudly at our stern!

Marco took the helm for all of today and John had the chance to spend a lot of time in his favorite compartment, the engine room.

We awakened to bright skies and sunshine then left Hudson creek this morning and explored a number of other creeks off the Little Choptank. Next we returned to the Choptank and took a tributary, the Tread Avon past a lovely little town, Oxford, MD. We are now at anchor in the Plaindealer creek across from Oxford. Tomorrow we are considering cruising to St. Michael, MD.

Back across the Bay

A few updates to yesterday's post. The Log Canoe that we took the cruise on is the "Wm. B. Tennison." It was built in 1899 and served as an oyster boat. The boat is part of the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, MD. Their website is www.calvertmarinemuseum.com. On the way out of the Solomons harbor we passed a webcam on a piling of an Osprey nest. The website is http://www.life.umd.edu/biology/paynterlab/video/webcam.html. While we were on the boat a reporter for a local newpaper approached us and said they had taken our picture. They were doing a story on the seasons first cruise of the Wm B. Tennison and asked why were were aboard. We don't know if they printed a story, but their website is www.somdnews.com.

Today we departed Solomons and cruised up the Patuxent River to St. LeonardCreek. It was at the mouth of this creek that Commodore Joshua Barney drove off a British blockading fleet during our country's second war with Great Britain. I think we said it was during the revolution, but I suspect Durelle is going to correct that and say it was the war of 1812. Onthe way back down river we explored Mills Creek, shut down the engine and had lunch. Fulton Lewis Jr. a
WWII correspondent had a home on Mills Creek.

After lunch we motored across a calm Bay to the Little Choptank River and found a snug anchorage in Hudson Creek, where we lay at anchor at this moment.

Full day at Solomons

This beautiful swan greeted Gail this morning at Solomons!

We spent most of the day at the local museum with great displays of local history and sea life. The high point was a cruise on the only registered "log canoe" in existence.

This is the oldest registered boat of any kind on the East Coast and probably the second oldest in the U.S.

This "Bugeye" oyster boat is the same kind of construction as that built by Joshua Slocum to sail with his wife from South America to Boston as described in his book "Single Handed around the World."

Another fascinating adventure was climbing this "screw pole" lighthouse which once stood on Drum Point at the mouth of the Patuxent River. This is the same design as the "Mid Bay" lighthouse in Mobile Bay.

Tomorrow we will set sail up the Patuxent River, the route the British took when they sailed from the Chesapeake up the river and burned the White House and Capitol during the Revolution. From there we will cross the Bay and find an anchorage or two on the Eastern Shore.