Baltimore and the Chesapeake

It has been a month since my last posting.  We had a beautiful trip down the New Jersey  coastline, up Delaware Bay, and into the Chesapeake to get Rock Chalk to Baltimore.   Our main purpose for going to Baltimore, other than its very nice Inner Harbor, was to have our boat in the Baltimore TrawlerFest in late September.  On arrival in Baltimore's outer harbor you have a great view of one of the most historic sites in our country, Ft. McHenry.  

Ft. McHenry with the Baltimore, MD skyline

   The fort has some impressive canons on the parapets surrounding it for 270 degrees, all with a commanding control of the harbor.   It was 1814 toward the end of the War of 1812, in which the British navy was pounding Ft. McHenry and Baltimore.   Francis Scott Key was captive on a British frigate watching the barrage all night as he penned our National Anthem.   Today we cruised by a red, white, and blue buoy marker in the harbor that marks the location of that British ship, and the view that Mr. Key had that fateful night.  Just another in a long list of history lessons we have been able to observe from Rock Chalk in our 3 year voyage.   

Too bad it was closed to all visitors due to the Obama Government Shutdown

TrawlerFest is a three day meeting of sorts for couples investigating the cruising life.  There are classes on all kinds of subjects, and over 40 different manufacture's of trawlers have boats there for the participants to crawl through.   It is an excellent way for those in the market to capture in one place,  many of the different types of cruising boats available in the market.   The owner of Endeavour Trawlercats knew we have been considering the sale of Rock Chalk, and asked if we would be willing to put our boat in the show.   It was a good opportunity for Endeavour to generate interest in new yachts, and for us to get a feel for the market.  

We had dozens of couples come through the boat, and many showed a real interest, but no offers.   We were relieved by that, as we still feel like we have some cruising to do on Rock Chalk this winter in Florida and next spring in the Bahamas before we really get serious to sell her.  

Once the show was over, Shelley and I headed south, with the next stop of any length, Charleston.  You may remember that our travels north through the North Carolina sounds and the Chesapeake last spring were pretty horrendous.   Very bad, wet windy weather was the signature of that trip.  Quite the opposite this fall.   It was beautiful.   Here are some photos of absolute dead calm on the Chesapeake and the Alligator River in North Carolina.

Point No Point Lighthouse off the mouth of the Potomac

Sunrise on the Alligator River--Red Sky in the Morning...TS Karin was on its way

How often can we see our wake on the smooth waters of the Chesapeake?

We had glorious fall weather all the way down the Chesapeake and into Abermarle Sound.  From there the winds remained quiet across the Alligator, Pungo, and Pamlico Sounds as we made our way south to Beaufort, NC.   We stopped for a couple of days to catch our breath, and then it hit.  We are still sitting after 4 days of Gale force winds, and sideways rain.  

Maybe tomorrow we can continue down the Intercoastal toward Charleston!!