Oct 14: Parade of Sail in Baltimore

    We had a leisurely morning in Bodkin Creek, about as urban a cove as we have ever seen.  At every house a dock and boat, but just as still as a mill pond.

Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle keeping an eye on each other from their perches.

Baltimore Skyline

     Underway at 1030 for a trip against the wind to Baltimore.  We toured the inner harbor then stopped to speak Capt Jessie Briggs of the AJ Meerwald. The AJ Meerwald was built in 1928 as an oyster dredger in Delaware Bay and survived 15 years of oystering, years commandeered as a fire boat during WWll, then a career as a surf clammer, before being sunk in shallow water as was a common way to hang onto a vessel that you had no use for, but thought you might someday.  In 1988 she was sold for a dollar, hauled out and rebuilt back to near original and is now used for training and Bay awareness.

     Capt Jessie invited us to raft up for a while, so we did, then invited ourselves aboard the AJ for the Schooner Parade of Sail, the kickoff event in the weeklong Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, that Jessie’s father Lane had started 27 years ago. We quick anchored the Willie Dawes off the marina then rowed to the marina to join the Meerwald. Up and back thru the inner harbor,  25 schooners, cannons blazing, generally milling about, all with a great sense of comraderie, Capt. Jessie handled the schooner like the pro he is.  Thanks Jessie!

     Once back at the Willie we had our supper and were just about to settle in for the night when I heard engines reversing close aboard.  Once on deck I was blinded by blue strobe lights flanking the Willie Dawes.  The nice Baltimore Police were here to inform us that we were in a no anchoring turning basin, and they showed us another place we could anchor.  Very nice, no problem, we thank them for not towing us while we were in the parade.  We upped anchor and quietly moved to the other side of the marina.  

Willie Dawes in the wrong anchorage.  Oops.

     Of note, Baltimore is an exception to the rule reserving and allowing visitors several places where it is OK to anchor, as opposed to many that allow none.  Thankyou Baltimore.