No Place Like Home
03 October 2016 | Chesapeake Bay
Thomas Point Light on the north shore of South River is the only screwpile lighthouse still in its original location. It went into service in 1875 and is now owned by a consortium as a public trust.
We've been to beautiful places, exotic places, challenging places, remote places...., but now we're back in the Chesapeake. Now we are home, and we are seeing home with new eyes.
The Chesapeake Bay, with its feeder rivers (Susquehanna, Patapsco, Potomac, Rappahannock, York, James, Choptank, Chester, etc.), is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay itself is 200 miles long and 3 to 35 miles wide with a squiggly shoreline that is home to a myriad of small coves and harbors begging to be explored. Navigable rivers and streams lead to cities, towns and villages (Baltimore MD, Annapolis MD, Washington, DC, Jamestown VA, Norfolk, VA, etc.), each with its own personality.
The prettiest marina that I've seen in all our travels is right here in Rock Hall at Sailing Emporium. It is filled with flowers that rival any tropical paradise, but unlike the tropical paradises that we have been to, the water in the Chesapeake is not gin clear like the Exumas or azure blue like the Caribbean, but brown and opaque and can be filled with sea nettles certain times of year. The crab pots can also be a problem, but they are nothing compared to the high density of lobster pots in Maine.
Sailboat racing has been a big part of our lives and the Chesapeake has been a perfect venue. We've done local, around the marks racing and point to point racing and are most proud of our 2006 finish in the Governor's Cup. Smidge may be a heavy cruising boat, but she is fast on a reach with a strong breeze.
Of major importance are the friends we've made over the years. We visited Rob and Kerry in the Solomons on our way to and from the Potomac and got to see Mike and Cathy before they made their annual trek to Florida. We met Karen and Mike at Harrington Harbor North and went to the Annapolis Sailboat Show with them.
Yes, every place has its positives and negatives, but there is a great deal to appreciate right here in the Chesapeake.