40-25.088N
074-02.054W

Docked, Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor, near Sandy Hook, NJ

July 24, 2002

No passage is perfect.  No passage is without stress and challenge.  No passage is without moments of tranquility and pleasure.  And such was our passage from Cape May, NJ, to Sandy Hook, NJ, the perfect place to relax before entering New York Harbor, only 20 miles north.

We made the passage with Artie Haddock, spouse of John's partner, Nancy.  From 11 a.m. until almost dusk, we had perfect sailing conditions, 10-15 knot winds out of the east, ideal for our heading to the northeast.  This was the longest period we have experienced under sail, without motor or motor assist.  Unfortunately, the coast of New Jersey is not perfectly north/south.  To accommodate the coast, we had to turn north, from north east, and simultaneously the wind moved south, right on our stern.  Chichi and I do not have experience with downwind sailing, and we could not find a sail position and sailing direction that allowed us to control the sail, to avoid flapping and luffing.  We have more to learn about this circumstance.

We spent several days in Cape May, NJ, and the best part was receiving our friends, Lars and Irene Hydle, from Washington, D.C.  John met Lars in 1962.  They roomed together several months in Washington D.C. We have visited with them perhaps once every year or two.  Lars is retired from the Foreign Service, while Irene continues to work for Uncle Sam.  They went way out of their way to see us, driving more than four hours each way.  But we had a great time.  We thank them for coming.

Daughter Cindy will visit us tomorrow.  Then, we will plan our trip into the world's greatest city, New York.

39-30.509N
075-34.367W

Anchored southwest of Reed Island
South of Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
on The Delaware River

July 16, 2002

We were privileged and complimented that friends Kay Kelly and Ralph Taylor came to see us in Georgetown.  They drove 16 hours on Friday night and Saturday, and returned another 16 hours after 5 p.m. on Sunday. On arrival, I asked them to hug, to be sure that all was well after the intense auto trip.  They did.  It was.

We got to know Kay, a neighbor, during The Blizzard of '78, and we have been friends ever since.  She is an educational consultant, and her friend Ralph is a staff member of The Indianapolis Foundation.

We cherish our time together, playing cards, learning about recent events in Indianapolis, and relaxing.

Leaving from an intermediate anchorage in Bohemia River, we traversed the C&D canal this morning, encountering two European boats on the way.  The first, from Austria, is managed by four friends who have sailed together for over 20 years.  They built and maintain their all-steel boat, a unique beast in these days of fiberglass.  They might travel to Cape May this week, and we might meet them there, to solidify a short-term relationship conducted all by radio.  Then, after we anchored at another location near the canal, a familiar boat passed with a German flag--the same boat that anchored near us last night on The Bohemia.  John called them on the radio to say hello, and they said, "follow us, we have a better anchorage."  We did.  They did.  Later today, the captain will stop by in his dinghy to say hello. Their boat is Germania.
 

39-09.209N
076-15.283W

Anchored, Swan Creek, North of Rock Hall, Maryland

July 8, 2002

"Rock Hall Trolley, Rock Hall Trolley, this is Pachamama," and so started an experience demonstrating the unique hospitality of Rock Hall.  The response was:

"This is Rock Hall Trolley Base.  Can I help you?"

"Yes, can the regular trolley swing past Haven Harbor Marina and take us to church?"

"Sorry, the driver is at breakfast.  But, I'm his mother, and I'll pick you up in the van."
 

Rock Hall, a charming, friendly town.  Good food, good drink, and good few days, with partner Nancy Haddock, and later with a visit by long-time Indianapolis friend Larry Vaughan, himself an avid sailor and pilot.  We spent four days here at anchor, taking the dinghy to the marina.  On Sunday, we made a mistake.  We went to dinner, instead of to the annual Watermen's festival, in which watermen compete in skills such as docking and anchoring.  We saw the strike, and knew we had missed a lot of fun.

July 5, 2002
 

                                                                                                       A special place
                                                                                                        St Michael's
                                                                                   The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
 

Having just completed James Michener's "Chesapeake," a walk through the maritime past of The Chesapeake was more than a special treat.  It was a time of appreciation and understanding.

Michener tells the history of boats and watermen.  This museum tells the story as well, by presenting original log canoes, skip jacks, and countless other boats that have traveled these waters.  Looking at these displays, I could envision, as a movie, the characters, actions and life styles of Michener's tale.  For example, The Oystering Building contains a renovated skip jack, as well as reconstruction of a 1940s restaurant that provided oysters in dozens of recipes--we saw oystering from production to consumption.

The museum has an old Chesapeake Bay lighthouse, a shed featuring small boats, another building about waterfowl that contains a fine form of art:  the decoy, used to attract Canadian geese and other migratory birds, and a building about the history of Steamboats.

The museum is both tranquil and active.  Visitors find tranquility by examining the artifacts and learning the history.   If desired, visitors also can find activity.  Volunteers and staff continuously renovate old boats.  Visitors either can watch the process, or they can help with the work, for just a day, or as a permanent member of the volunteer restoration corps.

This is a wonderful place, not to be missed on any tour of the eastern shore.

------

Annapolis was our next stop after St. Michael's.  We spent eight nights there, attached to mooring 34, and using our dinghy, "Pachi," to visit town almost every day.  We walked the town, as well as The Naval Academy, where plebes had just arrived for six weeks basic training.  We made routine purchases, and we arranged a "quick haul," to change zincs and to wash the bottom.  This was the first time we have seen the entire "Pachamama."  The week ended with another visit from our friends in Tilighman, Bob and Susan Jones, and with the arrival of John's business partner Nancy Haddock, driven to Annapolis by her daughter April.  Nancy watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the boat, and continued with us to Swan Creek, where Pachamama lies peacefully at anchor.