The Boat Show
06 October 2007 | Annapolis, Md.
Jim Lea
Well, I was right! We did find some stuff that we couldn't live without... a new wine bucket, a new rug, some new plates, a new mattress cover for the forward berth, some spare parts, and some stuff that only a very little person (baby Benjamin Lea!) could wear. And, more interesting for me, I had a chance to talk more to some equipment suppliers about maintenance stuff. We also went aboard some boats that was interesting. A Shannon 43 for $850,000 was the nicest one we saw, but we decided to give it a pass for now. We saw a nice Pacific Seacraft 40, and chatted with the new owners who bought the company in bankruptcy and are in the process of relocating it to Washington North Carolina. And we talked with James Allen, a friend who is a broker for Morris Yachts. He offered us a Morris 43 for the same price as the Shannon, and again we declined. We also talked with another Morris salesman who has a summer home in Stanhope PEI. So we had a great chat. On the way in, we stopped by an Island Packet from Halifax and introduced ourselves to Bill and Leona Roberts from the RNSYS. They are on their way south and we will probably see them from time to time as we work our way down. But the weather was the most impressive part of the day. It was the first non-rainy boat show day we have had, and it was spectacular in the high 80's and not a cloud in the sky. By late afternoon it was time to grab a few supplies (wine, mostly) and head back to the boat. There we changed and headed back ashore for dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant. Jeannie had grilled sea-bass and I had pheasant wrapped in prosicutto ham. Both were excellent, and we were too full for dessert even though it looked good, so we ordered a coconut pudding to go and will have it tomorrow night. So back aboard, we settled in for the night in the flat calm (it has been this way since we arrived in the Chesapeake. Tomorrow we will head out and plan to cross the bay and begin to explore some of the rivers and creeks of the Eastern shore. We plan to head up the Chester river for a few nights. I have been reading a book, Beautiful Swimmers, about Chesapeake Bay. I wasn't sure what it was exactly about when I started, but it appears to be about the Blue Crab, the crab for which Chesapeake Bay is famous. I didn't know anyone could fill 400 pages on a crab, but this one is, and I'm equally surprised that I am half way through and find it interesting! It is very well written, and won a Pulitzer Prize when first published in 1979, so I'm enjoying it. Then back to some silly murder mystery for a change of pace. Then I have one I have been saving, or putting off; I'm not sure which. It's called Everything and More, A Short History of Infinity. I read a review of it and it sounds interesting... we'll see.