We left Baltimore on Wednesday October 11th and headed south to Annapolis for the sailboat show. In addition to seeking key suppliers regarding boat upgrades, we were really excited to meet the Salty Dawg Sailing Association (SDSA) members who were attending the show. We had heard form our friends aboard SV Minerva (Billy and Kelly Kenney) that there was room outside of the main Annapolis harbor, but by the time we got there Wednesday it was packed with over 50 boats anchored. We took a spot out toward the channel which was a bit rocky but still provided easy access into the main harbor via dingy. And of course watching all the activity and looking over to the Naval Academy was very cool!

We attended the show Thursday and Friday which takes place right on the docks in downtown Annapolis. We find it much like Newburyport MA with lots of shops and restaurants as well as historical sites. Bill had realized that our batteries were aging out (needed replacement) so our #1 priority was to evaluate the options for changing out the batteries for similar AGMs or upgrading to lithium batteries which last a lot longer but of course are more expensive. We were connected to Hank George who owns Blue Heron lithium batteries through Bill and Kelly Kenney (they introduced us to a lot of people – they are so resourceful). Hank is also a Salty Dawg member and he was a big help in walking us through the options and has set us up to have the new batteries installed next week. We had a great lunch with the Kenney’s and later met up with Lucy and Doug Halsted who recently purchased a Leopard 45 and were there to shop and learn! Billy and Doug are like kids in a candy store talking to all the different suppliers at the show. Lucy and Doug also joined and attended the Salty Dawg dinner Thursday. We were excited to meet other “Dawgs” heading on the Caribbean Rally and enjoyed hearing the guest speaker, Gary Jobson tell stories which included so many references to Marblehead.

One of the highlights of the show was a visit with the crew of the OG Cruising You-tubers Paul and Sheryl from SV Distant Shores. They sent a special note to Billy’s sister Bonnie which was SO COOL. They were so encouraging regarding our plans. For those who follow, they are still waiting for the boat to be finished but are enjoying chartering in the meantime. Overall it was a great show – we learned a lot, got things done and of course had some great cocktails and meals!

We hung out on the mooring Saturday as it was a rainy day – and headed for St. Michaels (Marylands East Shore) Sunday morning to visit with our friends the Hecklers. It was a breezy day, blowing 25 knots most of the day but we were down wind most of the time and made good time through the Chesapeake and then up and around into St. Michaels. The Hecklers had arranged for us to stay at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum which was an easy approach and tie up. It was fun to be on the museum campus – several visitors came by and checked out Carried Away as if she was a museum exhibit! John and Kim gave us an amazing tour of St. Michael’s where they send most of their free time and treated us to a wonderful dinner at the Bistro (yum!). We then had late night cocktails around the fire-pit at the Inn at Perry Cabin which is where Wedding Crashers was filmed (one our favorite movies!). The surrounding area is simply amazing – so much coastline, open spaces and farms. It was a wonderful 2 day stop.

We left St. Michaels for the Solomon Islands – had a wonderful following wind the first half of the day and made great time. We tucked up into Mill Creek in a quiet anchorage surrounded by beautiful homes – it felt like being on a lake it was so calm and still – and had a quiet dinner on board. While we hoped to stay a couple of days there, the weather forecast is for strong winds from the South (exactly where we are headed) starting tomorrow so now we’re heading to Deltaville VA and will be spending the weekend at a marina in Lancaster VA to get the new batteries installed. Next week we’ll head south and begin final preparations for the Hampton to Antiqua passage! More in passage prep in the next blog!