Once again sailing conditions have not been the best for our travels around Chesapeake Bay; we motored and motor sailed the 35 miles to Oxford. It was a cloudy cold day as we travelled up the Choptank and Tred Avon rivers to drop the hook off of Oxford. The boating season is just getting under way here and the anchorages are quiet, which allowed us to get a great spot right off the town beach. We launched the dinghy but rain was threatening so we elected to stay on board for the evening anticipating better weather for Tuesday. The wind dropped off after suppertime leaving the anchorage nice and calm, actually the only waves were made by the Tred Avon ferry. This is a popular tourist attraction for the town and has been running continually since 1890 making it the oldest ferry in the USA.

It was worth the wait, we awoke Tuesday morning to bright sunshine and much warmer weather. After breakfast we headed out in our borrowed dinghy and went ashore to explore historic Oxford.
Last fall on our way south we had stopped at St. Micheals, which is also a very popular stop. However, the Main Street is lined with tourist shops and restaurants which draw huge weekend crowds creating a traffic nightmare for the locals.Thankfully Oxford is not like that and we instantly took a liking to the area. The Main Street is lined with beautifully restored old homes and the town passed an ordinance that forbids these homes to be turned into commercial property. Every street that ends at the water has a green space with park benches offering everyone spectacular views of the river.

When we visit these old towns we always try and check out the local museums to get a feel for the area. The schedule for the museum said it was closed on Tuesday, but a sign said "open". Bev tried the door and it was locked, as we turned to leave a gentleman opened the door and invited us in. The museum is small but everything is well presented and boy did we getting lucky once again. Our host explained, although they were closed Tuesdays he
often lets people in while he's working. We got a guided tour of the displays but more importantly we were treated to a very interesting 90 minute history lesson. Turns out our hosts family had owned one of the large oysters cannerys in town and their family roots go back a long way. After more than 4 hours touring around we returned to Dagny for a break before heading out for a dinghy tour of the area.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Annapolis for a Wednesday night dinner with the crews of Sandbox and Whitebird. Although Wednesday morning's weather was cloudy and cool once again we enjoyed a great sail down the Choptank River and on to Annapolis. We found a great little anchorage right behind the marina where Sandbox is moored and settled in for a couple of nights. We hadn't seen Peter and Cathy (Whitebird) since April 2017 and we were eager to hear about their sailing trip to Newfoundland. A great evening was enjoyed by all while stories were traded and new plans hatched. I was serenaded as I rowed Bev the 75 yards back to Dagny before calling it a night.

Today's picture is of the town clock at Oxford.