Cheryl's Notes:

We didn't leave Solomons Island until Saturday (August 8). The forecast called for rain all day Thursday, and it was right. On Friday, The winds were from the north, and we would have been fighting to move in that direction. Finally, we left Saturday morning with a forecast for winds from the Southwest. The winds held for the first 25 miles, and then switched to the northeast. The last 5 miles it was straight on our nose. We were told not to try to approach Annapolis on a Saturday because of the boat traffic. We ducked into West River and found a safe bay for the night.

On Sunday morning, Liberty headed for South River to find our anchorage for our Annapolis visit. We decided to spend the day on the bay, sailing just for fun. We sailed back and forth across the bay in 18 knot winds. After about 20 miles of sailing, we decided that it was time to head into South River. We entered the river and hooked a right into Harness Creek. The quiet anchorage was full of power boats anchored to take advantage of cool waters on a hot day. We found an empty spot in the middle of the creek and dropped the hook. This would be our spot for the next three nights.

Wes and Deann had already made a trip to the local strip mall. The most important store was the West Marine. The only drawback was the two mile hike through Quiet Waters State Park to get there. Monday and Tuesday were the hottest days so far on this trip. When you start your day with a two mile hike, you get overheated and tired more quickly. We caught a bus near the stores and got dropped off in the old waterfront section of Annapolis. Our first stop was Fawcetts to check prices and their supply of marine gadgets. Next, we walked the water front around to the United State Naval Academy. We entered and were able to walk around the campus. The Plebes had just finished their six week summer training and were being settled in for the fall semester. We found out that the prior week had been "Parent's week" and met a few still wandering around. We were told that Bancroft Hall is one of the largest dormitories in the world. All four years of midshipmen are housed there. We were able to witness their formation drills at lunchtime in Tecumseh Court. It was really cool to watch. We then wandered the campus and toured the chapel and viewed the tomb of John Paul Jones that is interred under the chapel dome.

We ate lunch in an excellent Irish Pub near the State House, and then worked our way back to the bus stop to get back to the park. We were exhausted and very hot. We jumped in the creek to cool off and then regrouped on Liberty to compare notes on our explorations. Their day was spent finding parts to fix their windlass, and finding a new dinghy. The floor of their inflatable was separating from the sides. Every time they stepped into the dinghy, the water would come flooding in from the sides. On Tuesday, they again trekked into town, but we decided that having already walked the entire old town area, we would spend the day keeping cool and getting the boat ready for the next leg. We did take a dinghy ride to the nearest marina. We needed ice, and it was faster and easier to go by water than to walk two miles in the heat carrying our cooler.

John's Notes:

I don't know how I could have traveled all those miles, been in all the cities that I have visited while on business and totally missed just about everything. I'm seeing more now than I did in all those years combined. I'm even taking public transportation. Really!

You can see Annapolis in a day. It would take a month to see all the sailboats though. There is also a contingent of huge motor yachts. The rich seem to be holding their own in Annapolis. There is an area on the waterfront that is cruised by the big boats on the weekend. The locals call it Ego Alley. Not hard to see why. The tour of the Naval Academy was very kewl. I'm getting so I go through every exhibit and read everything in the museums.

When we were in Elizabeth City, Sam, the official greater at the dock, told me that if I liked Rueben sandwiches, there was a place just past the marina that had the best in the world. Now I'm not saying that I'm an expert, but over the years I have become somewhat of a connoisseur of the Rueben sandwich. When I get back to Elizabeth City I'm going to have to give Sam the bad news. It is obvious that he has never had the Irish Rueben at the Galway Bay Pub in Annapolis. I might not yet have had the best Ruben in the world but this one was the best I have ever had. They make a special dressing based with Bushmills Irish whisky and coarse ground mustard that is to die for.

Annapolis appears to be the home of another unique fast food place; CLUCK-U Chicken. We rode by it on our bus trip to downtown. Too fast to get a picture but if we go back I will try and get one. Just like Smuckers, with a name like CLUCK-U, you gotta be good. Honest, I'm not making this stuff up.