It was a froggy day!

Hi all! It’s been a few days, so we figured we had better get you caught up!

We left Baltimore on Saturday Morning the 19th.

We had seen the Under Armour plant on the Trolly Tour, and the guide said that they had just purchased more land on the water front to expand.

What you see here is about 1/2 of their existing facility. I guess the athletic clothing they make is pretty popular!! On Thursday afternoon, they were having their annual company party in a huge tent. The entire waterfront was a sea of black Under Armour shirts!

We traveled 44 miles up the Chesapeake  to an anchorage in Back Creek on the Sassafras River. That evening, I heard an “OH SHIT”!! from Pat. Those that know her, know that is a little unusual! Turns out she had just dropped her new iPhone in the Chesapeake! However, the sunset was spectacular! 

We saw this old structure on the shore, so decided to take the dinghy over to check it out the next day. The property is a privately held historic site that was a tobacco plantation. There were walking trails and signage explaining the setting. It made for a nice afternoon walk! It was a nice peaceful anchorage, so we decided to stay another night.

Later in the afternoon, a Cruisers motor yacht pulled in. Turns out it was our friends Tom & Linda on the Raydiance. We had first met them at the fall AGLCA rendezvous in Alabama, and had run into them a few more times in our travels. We took the dinghy over later for docktails / or I guess boattails in this case! As we were both headed the same way, we decided to run together for a few days. 

The next morning we took off for our last few miles of the Chesapeake, which takes us to the C&D Canal, to the Delaware bay, and then down southeast to the Atlantic Ocean. We stopped on Monday night in Delaware City, where the C&D Canal enters Delaware Bay. There we found BrandyIV who we had met previously, and two new to us looper boats - Quest & Moor Stuff. The 20BUCK$, Raydiance, and BrandyIV went out to dinner. Tom on Raydiance hasn't cut his hair since they started the loop!

From Delaware City, we headed down the Delaware Bay to Cape May. Cape May is at the southern tip of New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.  It was a nice day for a cruise!

From Cape May to New York City, there are two options. The Inter Coastal Waterway (ICW) is very twisty, windy, and shallow. The other option is to run “outside”, in the mighty Atlantic. As we both wanted to get the boats up and running, we decided to do the outside.

Our plan was 100 miles up the coast, to the Manasquan inlet. This would put us within 30 miles of NYC. We checked the sea forecast, and it called for 3’ to 4’ swells with 9 second intervals. Not bad! At least it’s not the tight chop we had on the Gulf. The weather called for ESE winds at <4 MPH, fog in the early AM, clearing by 11:00.

The photo is our departure from the Cape May canal into the Atlantic.

A short time later, the fog started to lift, and we decided to get ‘em up and run ‘em! We had our course in the plotter, and the radar tuned to pick up any objects out there. There was not a lot of traffic, as we were about 3 miles off shore. The radar easily picks up anything within six miles, and we had a good 1/2 to 3/4 mile visibility. However, the fog never did lift. It stuck with us all day. Running the swells was very comfortable, and FUN! Kind of like riding a gentle roller coaster. 

We saw a few radar targets, and made sure we steered clear of them. Most were fishing boats, and a few sailboats. About 50 miles up the coast, I picked up a significant target right on our course line about two miles away.

With our Garmin touch screen plotter, I can tap on the target, and tell the radar to turn it into a MARPA target. That tells me how fast the object is moving, and in what direction. This object wasn’t moving, so I figured it was a commercial fishing boat. 

We slowed down as we approached, and Pat spotted some plastic barrels and some orange floating markers. We weaved slowly through them, and saw this object in the water. Looks like some type of pump??!!??, with large hoses going into the water. This is in the middle of nowhere, three miles off shore!

We found the Manasquan Inlet, and I placed a security call on the VHF, announcing that we were going to be inbound, and asked for any outbound traffic to respond. Hearing no answers, I repeated the call. Then a gentleman answered, and said there was no outbound traffic, but to be careful, that the rollers were breaking hard at the inlet. OHHH BOY I thought. I’ve heard some horror stories about boats getting in trouble in these conditions! I asked if he had any “advice” for me, as we had never run this inlet. 

As we entered the canal, the fog over land was non existent! We got tied up, and had dinner with Radiance at the Sand Box.

Reflecting back on the day, we decided it was one of the BEST cruising days we have had! It gave us a chance to use a lot of the navigation and operation skills we have learned. We were also able to put to use all of the equipment we have as it is intended to be used, and the boats were able to get up and stretch their legs. We’d do it again in a heartbeat!

Next stop - New York City! Friends Rich & Judi  will join us there to ride up the Hudson River, and Champlain Canals!

Captn Ken

Take me out to the Ballgame!

Oriole Park at Camden Yards!  The Orioles were not in town when we were in Baltimore but they open the park for tours when the team is playing away!  I love baseball so it only made sense to tour the park!  It really is a beautiful baseball complex, not as nice as Target field but close! 

The Orioles played their first game at Oriole Park in 1992.  Prior to turning the property into a baseball field, the building below which today houses the offices of the Oriole management was the warehouse for the B&O railroad.  The building is over 1,000 feet long and 7 floors high!  There was concern that a left handed hitter would hit a homerun that would shatter the windows so shatter proof glass was installed.  As of our tour only 61 homeruns have landed on the walkway by the building, none have hit the building.  A plaque is put into the concrete and labeled when a player hits a homerun ball to this area.  The only ball that came close was Ken Griffey Jr. in the homerun derby during the All Star game in 1993 - 465’, quite a poke.  His hit the bottom of the building!  I did find one Twin that was deserving of a plaque.  Been a few years since that happened.  Justin Morneau in 1993, 412’.

Center field is a green wall patterned after Boston’s “green monster” and the ivy growing mimics the ivy wall at Wrigley field.

Our tour included the scoreboard computer room, the press boxes, the VIP suites, the dugout and much more! 

The picture of the top of the scoreboard shows two 6’ tall Oriole weathervanes!

The lineup board at the right is left in the hallway outside the media boxes until the next game is played.  The last game of the year remains until the first game the following spring.  It gives pertinent stats of the game - start time, attendance, YTD attendance, length of game, players, positions, umpires and stats for the pitcher.

Here's the view from the press box!  Not bad!!!  To think someone is paid to sit here and watch a ball game.  Pretty good gig if you ask me! 

Two World Series trophies!

Parking shared by the Ravens!

TV cameras in the Umpire’s tunnel to determine if a ball is foul or fair!

Baltimore Orioles have had some pretty well known ball players as evidenced on the MVP wall.  To name a few - Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr. and Babe Ruth! 

We learned how Babe Ruth got his name!  The owner of the Orioles at the time Ruth started playing, Jack Dunn, became Ruth’s legal guardian because of Ruth’s young age .  The other players would tease Ruth calling him Jack Dunn’s baby.  It then became Babe and it stuck!  I didn’t know that!

It was a beautiful day for baseball and if you couldn’t watch a game it was a beautiful day to tour a baseball complex!

Now my final words are GO TWINS!

Pat

Baltimore aquarium and water front!

When we said previously that we were right in the middle of the action in Baltimore, we weren't kidding! What a fabulous job they have done with their water front! The photos above are taken right from our boat.

The first morning, this little work boat kept running back and forth in front of us. It made quite a ruckus!  It looked just like a milfoil harvester they use on the lakes back home to get rid of the milfoil weeds. But there is no milfoil here! A closer look, and I saw it is a garbage picker. This guy drives around the harbor all day long, and the machine picks up bottles, cups, and trash that has landed in the water!

One of the first things we check out in a larger town is to see if they have a “Trolly Tour”. These tours are a great way to get to know the town, and figure out what sites you want to spend time at. Our tour guide was quite a character! He used different hats when he was talking about different portions of the City!

We were so taken by the workmanship and beauty on this 1800’s Episcopal Church, that we walked back to see if we could get a look inside. Unfortunately, we couldn't.






 Baltimore has lots of monuments, parks, walking paths, gardens, and attractions to see. We couldn’t possibly see them all, so we had to choose.

As we both love the water, the aquarium was a must do. There was everything from exotic fish to coral reefs, a rain forest, birds, jellies, waterfalls, and even frogs. Many of these we have seen on our scuba dive trips!

One exhibit about the tropical rain forests showed that at the current rate of harvest, the rain forests, and their associated eco systems, will be totally devastated by the year 2080!

Well - that was just ONE afternoon! At the end of the day, we needed something that required no walking or energy! The Street Performers were just the ticket! Right on the water front, just down from the boat, there were performers every night! The Unicycle Lady proved to be quite entertaining! 

She even got Pat into the act!

Pat has the BEST of Baltimore yet to show you.

We are back on the water again, so I just had to show you this pretty sail we saw today!

Almost time for a beautiful sunset at our anchorage on the Sassafras River!

Good Night!

Captn Ken

Oh say can you see.......

The saga goes on with the raw water pump on the boat. After contacting numerous vendors, I find the pump is not available - anywhere!! I called Mercury direct, and was told there were problems with this pump, it is off the market, they have no more in stock, and it will be six to eight weeks before a replacement is out.  I did locate a rebuild kit, and was able to have it rebuilt. Many thanks to my friend Mike from the Cruisers Yachts forum for his help finding a good shop to do it! Then I did some more searching on-line, and found a vendor who had the previous generation pump in stock that would fit our application. So I had that one shipped home. Now we also have a spare waiting to be sent anywhere we need it.

We left Annapolis Wednesday morning, and headed further up the Chesapeake. We took a left into the Patapsco River, and up the river to Baltimore. We are docked right in the heart of the action here! A walk to the Visitors Center, and we were able to plan a few days of sightseeing in this historic town. As we had gotten here early afternoon, we decided to take the water taxi out to tour Fort McHenry

During the war of 1812, the British Empire had an ongoing war with France, and were also restricting trade with the United States. Fort McHenry sat prominently at the harbor entrance to Baltimore, and was Baltimore's defense against any sea based attack.

In 1814, a young Baltimore lawyer by the name of Francis Scott Key boarded a boat to meet with the British who were anchored in the Chesapeake, and negotiate the release of certain prisoners of war. He boarded the British ship HMS Tonnant, and pleaded his case to the British officers, only to find out they would not let him go back to Baltimore, as he was now privy to their planned attack of Fort McHenry!

All through the night, he watched as the British relentlessly pummeled Fort McHenry with cannon and mortar fire. At dawns first light, he strained to see who's flag now flew over the fort. It was still Old Glory flying. This is when he wrote down the historic words that would become our National Anthem!

Looking at Fort McHenry from the ocean side, you would think it would be easy to target the buildings and devastate them with cannon fire. However, what is here today, was not there in 1814.

Back in 1814, the two story buildings which stand now, were only one story, and sat hidden from the sea behind the earthen berms. The British did not know where to aim their cannons.

There were only a few American deaths after being bombarded all night long. The British finally gave up, and retreated. 

The cannon shown here is typical of what was used in 1814.

Around the time of the Civil War, many larger cannons were added.

There are numerous underground bunkers which had stores of gun powder and fuse cord. Men as young at 12 years old acted as the “monkey”, carrying powder to the cannons.  

An archeological dig in the 60’s or 70’s located the original cross brace for the flag pole that stood at the fort.

It is now displayed in the fort, along with a mock-up of how the cross brace was planted in the ground to hold the flag pole. 


 

The flag that Francis Scott Key saw that morning had been commissioned by Major George Armistead, the commander of Fort McHenry. He wanted a flag so large, that the British would have no trouble seeing it from a distance. Mary Young Pickersgill, a local seamstress, received the commission to create an American ensign measuring 30X42 feet, using the finest quality bunting available. It was so large, she had to make it on the floor of a local brewery! She also made a smaller “storm flag”, which may have been the flag flown the night of the attack. The flag raised in the morning, the one that inspired Francis Scott Key, is the large flag she made. That flag is now in the Smithsonian.

The Park Rangers working at the fort have many flags they fly. Often times, they enlist the help of school groups touring the fort to assist in raising and lowering the flags.

If those Rangers would let me out of my cell, we could show you more of Baltimore!!! 
                                          Mr. Key - HELP - I need your services!!!
 Captn Ken