This is really fun. The Chesapeake is one of the first places that Europeans settled, and the waterway is rich with history. There are so many rivers with countless creeks that flow into the Bay, that it would take a lifetime to explore them all. We spent two nights in The Solomon Islands on the west shore. It is the boating capital of the Bay, even more so than Annapolis, and there are thousands of boats. It is a relatively short season, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but it is beautiful cruising grounds.
We have enjoyed following a river up to a city, finding a place to dock or anchor, then exploring the town. Most have a working crabbing and fish company that will sell you some of their fresh catch from the morning. We just did that here in Cambridge, Maryland. We now have a pound of fresh crab meet in the fridge, waiting for Shelley to add to a salad or make crab cakes. We arrived in Cambridge, on the East Shore, around 12:30 today, and walked into town for a beer and seafood. I had crab cakes and Shelley had fresh oysters. All good.
Navigating in the Chesapeake is so very different than working your way through the Intercoastal waterway . There you follow red and green day markers, to stay in the channel 1250 miles from Key West to Norfolk, Va. The Chesapeake is very open, where you do not see the opposite shore in most places. So navigation is by following vectors on the chart, and using my chart plotter to find a marker that is 15 miles up the bay. The Potomac is 20 miles at its junction with the Bay and it took us 2 hours just to cross the mouth. You cannot see any shore as you cross that river.
But it is a challenge and its great fun to explore the Bay. Each place has its history and, so we go to the museums, and walk the town and read all the historical placards. Then its time for a beer and glass of wine, and try to catch up with all the things of life that have to get done, like prepare for Charlie's wedding. Oh well. Life is good. Marc
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