The Chesapeake is quite extraordinary. Not that I knew what to expect. The bay showed us at least three personalities.
Wilderness persona:
Having lived and explored the Midwest, the Northeast, and California, I was totally unprepared for the wilderness feel of the bay and its tributaries. It felt it more like the Adirondacks than anywhere we've been. Given the proximity to Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington, a more congested, urban experience seemed likely.
As we slip into port for the evening we pass a few great blue herons. Some folks are fishing and one sailboat has run aground. On the other side of the cove there is a congregation of ducks incessantly quacking.
The black night sky comes ablaze with friendly constellations as I've not seen them since the Sierras. Despite predictions, there are no meteorites flashing past Mars and Betelgeuse. I ponder Voyager on its way to Sirius and await dawn. The quacking is down too a few diehards.
All's quiet come morning. Mist hugs the water. An eagle sits patiently in a barren treetop. Loons are about the business of fishing off our port bow. Except for the fact that we're afloat and underway, I could be at Peck's Lake or Sunset Lake.
Videogame persona:
Once in the main Chesapeake, a maneuvering frenzy begins. The only "safe" zone is the edge of the channel. Mid channel there are infrequent but humungous and fast moving container ships. One minute the horizon is empty. The next minute a ship comes into view. A few minutes later it is upon us. Outside the channel is a mine field of crab pots. Experiences with New England lobster pots comes in handy. But these pots are easier to miss due to drab colors. They are strewn over large areas of the surface, sometimes with barely enough space to navigate between. Joe's at the helm. I'm spotting through the binoculars. "Look out for the brown pot. Hard to port! Hard to port! See the black pot to starboard? Oops, it passed under us. Whew! It didn't tangle on the prop. There are three more ahead." I want to reach for the pause button, but there is none. Wind and currents keep us in motion.
Sailing Haven Persona:
We have one weekend sailing day to experience the bay come to life with sail boats. I imagine this is only a taste of what the summer season brings. The boats are racing. But to all appearances they seem to be performing a well choreographed ballet with spinnakers replacing tutus. We navigate among recreational sailboats of every description. Quite a display of naval architecture.!
So much for one brief encounter with this amazing body of water. I was surprised to learn that the Chesapeake developed geologically from the Susquehanna River. I've seen the modest pond in Cooperstown that is the source of the Susquehanna. I've witnessed its power as it rose to flood Owego when Matt and Maeg were living there. Now I have experienced the truly magnificent Chesapeake Bay that the Susquehanna created.