A cruise to the Chesapeake Bay in the fall of the year; this pleasant thought brings to mind crisp mornings, warm afternoons, the trees bursting with color, and ducks and geese winging south overhead - and this is exactly what we experienced as we sailed the Bay for two months during the autumn of 2010. Boat Show time in Annapolis is an international crossroads for blue water sailors; the camaraderie of the Seven Seas Cruising Association, the fellowship of the annual Ocean Cruising Club dinner, the glitz and glitter of the Annapolis Sailboat Show with many old friends working the booths and presentation halls, and both old and new friends in the anchorage make this a time of both memories of past voyages and expectations of far off new destinations.

If you like boats and ships and vessels of all types, then there is no place like the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Huge merchantmen hauling coal and containers to Europe and the Far East, powerful tugs pushing barges full of fuel, a man-o-war standing out for the far side of the world, a scarred work boat tending crab pots, and a ship-shape and Bristol fashion yacht reaching down the Bay - these are the vessels we love to watch. From the commercial docks along the Elizabeth River, to the world's largest naval station on Hampton Roads, to the center of the yachting universe at Annapolis' colorful harbor, to the nations first tea party on historic Chester River, to the seafood bounty and southern hospitality of the Eastern Shore - Chesapeake Bay has it all. To see a pictorial maritime essay which we developed while cruising the Bay check out our PICTURE GALLERY at the upper right hand column of this page and navigate thusly: PORTS OF CALL / USA / CHESAPEAKE BAY / VESSELS OF THE BAY. See you there!