Back to the Boat!

We left home on Friday the 12th and spent the weekend in DeLand, Fla. where Ann & I grew up. A great visit with family and friends. We departed Monday morning for the MTOA (Marine Trawler Owners Assn ) spring rendezvous in Fernandina Beach. This years theme was pirates! The event was well attended with 68 boats and 192 people. We met some old friends and a lot of new ones.

The first night was the pub crawl. Three groups, 3 pubs with 45 minutes in each one.

We had a great time  with lots of events through Friday morning.

Ann was enlisted to play the tambourine with the guitar player.

Friday we left for Charleston, SC to visit with Ann's cousin. Another great few days.

We arrived back in Solomons, MD Sunday afternoon about 430 pm. Hit the grocery store and got a good nights sleep. Bright and early Monday morning we headed for Charis. It's been 6 months since we hauled and shrink wrapped her.
She looked great!

 First step is removing the shrink wrap! it was fun in 15 knots of wind! And my first time.

 Just cut it out in sections and Ann rolls it up for the trip to the dumpster.

 Notice Ann dressed for 52 degrees.

And Ken!

Now the chore of redoing everything we undid last fall. Like taking the dinghy out of the cabin. Several more days of chores before putting her back in the water.

Final days and winter storage

Our final days in Solomons were spent getting the boat ready for winter storage on land. The engine and generator had to be serviced and all filters changed. General boat clean up and then deciding what to leave and what to take home to Florida with us. By now most of the crab boats have either left or been converted to oyster boats.

To convert, they add the mast and the giant hydraulically operated claws to gather the oysters from the bottom.

Here is the haul from the same boat on 2 different days.

Today the 11th of Oct. we just had to go across the creek to be hauled at Washburns Boat Yard. That morning the wind was blowing pretty good and we had a long fairway to get down to the lift with boats on either side but we made it.

In the slip with the lift.

And we are out!

Off we go after a good pressure wash.









Back in the yard to the the spot she has occupied for the last several years.

The frame for the shrink wrap.

On it goes!

Sealing it with a blow torch.

The final product. It took 1 guy about 4.5 hours to complete. He will keep an eye on it over the winter and fix it as necessary.


Our original plan was to depart the 16th but we finished up early and will leave the 15th. Our plan is to drive northwest to meet the Skyline drive in the Shenandoah Valley and head south on it and the Blue Ridge Parkway to Chattanooga and on to Joe Wheeler park in north western Alabama for the fall rendezvous of the Great Loop Cruisers Association. We will be back at the boat the middle of April 2013.

Oxford

We decided to leave Saturday morning and head back out near the mouth of the Choptank River and up the Trent Avon River to Oxford. 

This is the entrance into the creek that Oxford sits on.







There is only room enough for 2 boats to anchor just outside the channel downtown but the first boat in anchored right in the middle so we had no room. Instead we went back out into the river and anchored on the other side.

After a peaceful night we headed into town the next morning. Again lots of old houses. One place caught our eye was the Cutts & Chase Boat company. Lots of old wooden boats and other things.

Norton

Battery

Indian

We also saw the oldest family owned and operated 2 car ferry in the nation. Lots of bikers and hikers use it to cross the river and you are just 4 miles from St. Michaels.

The weather was supposed to turn bad Monday so we decided to head back to Solomons on Sunday. It was a beautiful trip with 10 kt. winds and almost calm water. This was our last trip for this year. We haul the boat out for winter storage on the 11th. and depart the 16th down the Blue Ridge Parkway to Chattanooga and then to Joe Wheeler Park in northwest Alabama for the Great Loop Associations Fall Rendezvous.  

Cambridge

We left last Thursday the 27th and headed north across the bay to the Choptank River and then up river to Cambridge.

The city dock was full so we went to the Cambridge Yacht Club.

We strolled around town and saw many old but restored homes as well as this old church. The lighthouse sits at the entrance to the harbor

Happy hour was at Snappers and then dinner at Leaky Pete's wine & Oyster Bar. Excellent food!

Pete's is decorated with oars that people paint and bring in.








The next day we went over to JM Clayton Co. which is the oldest working crab processing plant in the world. We wound up with 2 pounds and a few photos.

Sunrise the next morning was incredible!!