Breeze On

One of our goals for our first season of cruising was to complete a one-week cruise before the season ended. It was beginning to look like we might not meet that goal. So, right after the boat show, we decided to go out for a week. We gave ourselves permission to cut it short if necessary. We quickly threw together our provisioning list and did the shopping. We packed our clothes, loaded up the boat and took off on a gloomy, drizzly morning. There was very little wind so we had to motor for the first hour. We were wearing full foul weather gear to keep us warm and dry. Our initial plan was to spend our first night in an anchorage near the mouth of the Choptank and then decide where to go from there based on the wind direction. However, the wind picked up, we hoisted the sails and were near our planned destination in just a few hours. We made the decision to press on, head North on the Chesapeake and anchor in the Wye River. We later regretted that decision. Within about an hour the wi...

The Annapolis Boat Show is quite a big deal. The literature claims that it is the largest and oldest boat show. The entire inner harbor of Annapolis is filled with floating docks. The boats that are tied to the docks are so close together it is hard to imagine how they maneuver them in and out. I have heard it is quite a sight to see how they assemble and disassemble it. Pictures don't do it justice. View from the water taxi after closing   In addition to wall-to-wall boats that have several tents full of vendors. It can be quite overwhelming. We have been attending the boat show most years for the past eight years. Early on we went because we happened to be in town visiting our daughter in college. We bought a few odds and ends, like a soft-sided cooler one year and an electric gadget to help us with our starts in races another year. Last year we were shopping for our cruising boat. This year we returned to look at some items we may want to add to Breeze On if we take her to the ...