Solace

September 8th and we have decided to leave Annapolis after another week long stay. We always find things to do in Annapolis, so it is not difficult to stay there. There is always something going on in the harbor. We have recently enjoyed music from a wedding reception on the church grounds, music form the City Harbor, sailing regatta weekend, and each evening here Taps being played at the Yacht Club, with the signal of the cannon going off. The moorings have been completely full this past weekend with boaters from all over. Many folks are from nearby sailing harbors, but also, some are from faraway places. It is the time of year that cruisers will begin their journey back to the winter site. Andy has pointed out to me that this time of year is the height of hurricane season, so boaters want to avoid these possible storms. We continue to talk about when we will begin to head south, as well. No final decision has been made yet. It is going to be hard to say goodbye to this area. The weather is changing noticeably, with cooler evenings and early mornings, so fall is in the air.

Yesterday, we decided to head south, and east, to return to one of our favorite spots, Dividing Creek, off of the Eastern River. We left St. Mary’s Cove with the 9:00 bridge opening, after having dinghied in to shower at 7:30 am. We deposited our trash, which we do daily, and filled our two five gallon water jugs to then fill the boat’s water tanks. When not on the mooring or at a marina, water becomes important. We hoped that there would be wind so that we could sail to our destination. Upon leaving, Andy hoisted the main sail. The wind was not what we expected, so we ended up motor sailing almost every bit of the way. Right at the end of the trip, Andy was able to let the Jib sail out too. Unfortunately, the wind we found was short lived, but the hour we had with no engine running, is always a welcome sound. We arrived at the Wye River around 3:00 and headed for Dividing Creek, hoping that all of the weekenders had headed home for the weekend. We were surprised to find that there were still 5 boats anchored in Dividing Creek, so we passed on that plan, to check out Pickering Creek, another favorite place in the same area. We were lucky and are now anchored, all by ourselves, with nature and its sounds surrounding us. We love it. It is incredibly relaxing! I find great pleasure in watching and listening to the world around us. I hear the familiar call of the bald eagles, so I know they are here again.

Yesterday afternoon was extremely warm. When we arrived I thought that I might take a quick swim to cool off. I got my bathing suit on, and Andy prepared the ladder. However, I aborted my swim plans when I saw too many nettles, or jellyfish being carried in by the current. So, rather than swim, I opted for a cool beer and chill time in the cockpit. Eventually, things cooled down. As the day came to an end, I began my third attempt to catch enough crab so that Andy could make some crab cakes.

The battle between Cindy and the crabs begins in the early afternoon as we settle in to relax in the cockpit. I get my crabbing lines out, which equate to 12 foot lengths of twine. I then get my frozen chicken necks. I proceed to tie a sticky, and somewhat “gross”, chicken neck to the end of my line. Of course, I get the net ready beside me since I think I am going to catch some crabs. Then the waiting begins. I begin to watch the line that is now tied to the life line on the boat. I watch for some tension, or movement, on the line. We are anchored in a creek that has a strong current, so determining whether it is a crab or current action, means that I get up and down at least one hundred times to pull on my line to see if the resistance is actually a crab. Finally, I have one, and I begin to drag my line in slowly, while holding the net in my other hand. I get the crab to the surface, and swing my net, only to lose him back into the water. The thrill is gone! I do this several times, before I figure out that crabbing with a line is not as easy as it looks. I do think they are smarter than me. After dropping two, I do finally land a crab in my net. I am so excited, and he is pretty large. I name him “Clyde”, and he is not a happy camper. Clyde is my only catch the first evening, but I plan to resume my crabbing attempts in the early morning hours the next day. I am determined that I will get enough crab to pick so that we can have some of Andy’s crab cakes. The next morning, I begin again. I do catch two more crabs, “Suzy” and one unnamed. In the process, I have lost two more with failed attempts. I continue my up and down checks of the lines until very late in the morning, and still only have 3 crabs. My goal is to have at least 6 crabs. It is too warm now for crabs to be interested, so I hope that this evening I can use my last chicken neck to get a few more. Unfortunately, I have no luck in the afternoon. I have a couple of hits, but not one willing to hang on to get in the net. However, I do get my usual exercise of up and down and checking lines.
So, step two of my battle with the crabs begins. I have resolved to myself that 3 crabs will be all we have for cakes. Andy assures me that he can make it work. Now I have to steam these poor babies and then pick them. I wish I could show you the adventure that was had, harnessing these crabs to put them in the boiling pot. Poor babies! This is when I remember being told that you should not name animals that you plan to eat! Start the Jaws music now…. I got my 10 inch long tongs, the deepest pot we had, to boil water, and , of course, checked online to see how best to murder the creatures. That is what it felt like to me. The process is definitely not very humane. It is amazing how a 6 inch critter can create some healthy fear in a grown person! It is abundantly apparent that the claws of the crab are extremely strong. It was made apparent to me that Andy had previous experience, and he was enjoying my attempts to work with the crabs without being attacked by them. I figured this out when I noticed he was standing back, saying he was not going to interfere, because he wanted me to figure it out. Then he laughed. I was not always winning! Can you imagine me standing on the hatch steps, off the ground, with one foot there and the other on the counter top, tongs in hand and a writhing crab? Clyde, the mean one, did manage to get loose and land on the counter and stovetop, but somehow, I recovered and managed to re-tong him and throw him in the pot of steaming water, before he got me. He was a fighter, but Cindy finally won. After slamming the pot lid on and listening for no more movement, I was comfortable with the fact that I won. I had to steam the crabs in two batches since our pot was not quite large enough for all three.

Step three is to pick the delicious meat from the steamed crabs. Again, this is a job that Andy wanted me to do, “all by myself”. I got my tools ready… a nut cracker for the claws, a sharp knife, a skewer and an hors d’oeuvre fork for picking. Picking crabs is a nasty job, and something that requires patience, and probably way more practice than I have. At any rate, I managed to get all the meat that I could and cleaned up my mess. It was a mess! The next step is to make the crab cakes. Again, Andy wanted me to do this as well, so that I could experience the entire process. Well, after a bit of sweet talking, Andy agreed to make the cakes and the remainder of the delicious meal that we had later that evening. Even with only three crabs, we managed to have two nice sized crab cakes, sautéed, with some of Andy’s Green rice, and a romaine and blue cheese salad. Dinner on the boat is usually gourmet, except when Cindy cooks!

So, what have I learned about crabbing on the Chesapeake? It is fun, time consuming, and sometimes hard work. I have also learned that this year has been the worst crabbing year on the bay in last twenty years and it made the news! Maybe that explains my few numbers of crabs. I had decided that I was just no good at it, but it seems that there have been other factors making the hunt more difficult. I am satisfied with my efforts and will probably not work to have crab cakes again this season…unless….I see them walking below the water line in the hundreds

We have spent the last two mornings listening to and observing a pair of Bald Eagles. They are magnificent creatures. They, too, have spent some time observing us from their perch high atop the trees, less than 100 yards from us. Unfortunately, I do not have a camera that will capture what we are seeing! That is on my list of things to bring on my next sailing adventure, a camera with telephoto lens. They are building a nest, and have spent some time breaking branches from trees and flying away with these good sized building materials. I actually had the binoculars focused on one as he flew directly toward me with the branch in his mouth. It was spectacular! Again, this morning, I watched him devour a freshly caught fish, as he stood on a tree branch, to do so. They seem to have gone for this morning, but often times return in the early evening for some more hunting. We will see.

I have told Andy that I could easily spend a month here, just soaking up the peace and quiet, and the sights and sounds of nature. Unfortunately, we will need water and more provisions soon, so a month is out of the question. I will have to make the most of the few days that we can spend in this peace and solitude. I love it, and know that these will be some of my fondest memories of our trip.