Weems Creek, Annapolis, Chestertown by Karen Posey - July 5-15, 2015

A few days later, while returning from a 3-day trip to Weems Creek, we passed a Coast Guard buoy tender.

Coast Guard buoy tender

That evening, we walked to the City Dock at downtown Annapolis to listen to the Naval Academy Crabtowne Stompers band.  Various Naval Academy bands give free concerts at the City Dock every Tuesday evening throughout the summer.

Naval Academy Crabtowne Stompers band playing at the City Dock

The following week, we motored (no wind, so no sailing) up the Chesapeake Bay to the Chester River.  While on the river, we passed the 97-foot long topsail schooner “Sultana” (photo below, but top sails not raised), a reproduction of a 1768 Royal Navy revenue cutter that once patrolled the Chesapeake Bay.  It now sails as the “Schoolship of the Chesapeake”, providing under-sail educational programs for more than 5,000 children each year (almost every elementary student in Maryland’s Upper Eastern Shore will have the opportunity to sail on “Sultana” at some point).

Topsail schooner “Sultana”

We also passed the skipjack shown below.  Notice the small, separate craft behind it (just touching the stern of the boat).  That vessel is actually pushing the skipjack, which cannot run under its own power. The only purpose of that small craft is to hold the engine. This allows the skipjack to be categorized as a sailboat, not a powerboat, and thus be free from the fishing restrictions that apply to powerboats and not to sail boats.

Skipjack pushed by small craft

As we approached Chestertown (our final destination that day), we passed a group of young people (probably students at Washington College) learning to sail.  We tried to steer clear of them, but as we got closer they turned and headed toward us, so we changed course again.  (Hmmm…lesson #1 – don’t try to run down a boat that is bigger than yours.   :-)

Sailing class at Chestertown

We also passed a practice session of the Washington College rowing team.

Washington College rowing team

Washington College is the first college chartered in the nation after the Declaration of Independence.  George Washington gave to the college the authorized use of his name, a large founding gift, and five years service on the College’s Board of Visitors ad Governors.

Of course, this report would not be complete without mentioning another huge horsefly that landed on one of the lights hanging on the lifeline near the cockpit.  Fortunately, he did not bring along any of his buddies.

Large horsefly on hanging light

But all of nature is not threatening.  We anchored in the Chester River and rowed ashore the next day to visit the small, historical town Chestertown.  At the water’s edge, we caught this raft of ducks swimming in the river.

Raft of ducks at Chestertown

Chart of our cruise to Weems Creek and Chestertown

Kelly IV is the blue hulled sailboat anchored in the background
on the Chester River and the bright yellow
Portland Pudgy is my trusty, reliable and fun transport to shore.