Sailing Mecca
03 October 2006 | Annapolis, MD
Lisa
"Our first Dingy raft up"
We are in Annapolis awaiting the boat show. Since we left Chesapeake City, we have visited the Sassafras River. We continue to travel with the same group of boats exchanging lies and experiences. DJ and Nicole have made friends with a family from Austria. The girls are 9 and 12. We found a quiet anchorage and made a campfire on the beach with the crew from Pie Squared. Those fixings for S'Mores came in handy. We really enjoyed our visit with the crew of Pie Squared and will see them again in Annapolis. While we were in the Sassafras, we were invited to a cocktail party by the owner of Equity, a beautiful 56' Fountain Pajot. Coley lives here in Maryland. At the party, there were several of us new cruisers along with a seasoned cruising crowd. It was a great exchange of information. Dave and I realized that this was the first time in a home in over three months. Before heading out of the Sassafras ( I just love that name) we visited the Amish market to provision. What a neat experience, another long walk for the crew of Dreamcatcher.
After our first passage of sailing entirely from point to point, we are anchored in Weams Creek. There are so many boats here for the show, anchorages are bulging with cruisers. The second night we were here, we were invited to a raft up. A cruising tradition. We were told to bring a dish to share and whatever beverages we would require. When 4:30 arrrived, it was like ants on a piece of chocolate. All of the dinghies migrated toward the host boat. We all tied up together, approximately 30 dinghies. Snacks were passed from boat to boat. Some funny, clean, jokes were told and at sunset, the Bahamian tradition of blowing into a conch shell was done. Both kids were able to do it! I, however, didn't try it myself. Something about blowing into a shell that 50 or so others have didn't sit right with me. I am my mother's daughter. I'll wait for my turn in the Bahamas. The night was wonderful and we met two more families with children! It will be an evening that I will never forget.