Chesapeake Chase Days 32-33: Havre de Grace

July 13, 2022:

We slept much better in the Annapolis mooring field last night–no rocking; maybe this time the calm came after the storm!  Today’s destination, Havre de Grace, Maryland, would be as far north as we planned to go before heading back South on the east side of the bay.  Translated, Havre de Grace means “Haven of Grace”.  I love the name and was looking forward to visiting the town.  The write up said it was a very friendly town.

We unhooked from the mooring before 10:00 AM and stopped on our way out to get fuel at the Annapolis Yacht Basin.  The price was the lowest we had seen anywhere so we wanted to take advantage.  It’s a long way back to South Carolina!  The folks at the fuel dock were very helpful and pleasant.  It was a worthwhile stop.

An interesting sight on our way out was a group of young children in kayaks.  We have seen lots of young children learning to sail in small sailboats, but these are the first kayakers.  It is wonderful to see children learning these water skills at a young age when they live in areas so close to water.  In my opinion, it is such a healthy use of time and resources, and it takes these children away from the constant use of electronics; they were all wearing life jackets and being supervised by adults.  They are learning lifelong skills that will serve them well beyond the water.  Think about it.

Other points of interest while underway included passing another huge cargo ship and going under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge which crosses the bay from Annapolis to more rural Stevensville.  Captain Fred will write more details about the bridge (engineering stuff).

The closer we got to Havre de Grace, the narrower the bay got.  We also realized we were not going to arrive at the marina before closing, so Fred called ahead to get our slip assignment and pertinent information. 

We indeed arrived too late for help docking from marina staff.  The docks were fixed, not floating docks, which are easier for me to tie up too, but we didn’t have to contend with wind and current.  We were very disappointed with our assigned slip.  The water level was very shallow, so we were churning mud.  The docks were too high for me to climb onto to secure us, but again with Fred’s expert skills, we managed.

Once we were settled in, we decided to hold off exploring until morning–the ice cream shop had closed at 6:00 PM so even that wasn’t an option.  Our plan was then to rise reasonably early and go find someplace to eat breakfast.  We would not be staying another night, so exploring would be limited.

The sunsets on this trip have all been beautiful.  We see hardly any when we are home, so it’s been a treat to see so many on this trip.  Tonight’s was not spectacular like last night, but it was still picture worthy.

Captain’s Comments:

After the storm last night, the harbor flattened right out, and, with a gentle breeze and light rain that allowed us to crack open the hatches, sleeping was peaceful.  I woke up this morning with the sun poking me in the eye through the aft cockpit door at 0700.  Time to get up.

We head further north today, so after engine checks (earlier, I had started the generator for coffee and toasted leftover pancakes), we untied from our mooring and motored the 100 yards to the Annapolis Yacht Basin (AYB). 

I had checked fuel prices several days ago and had planned on fueling in Annapolis, but at a marina around the point with a cheaper advertised price on the internet.  Driving the dinghy back from ice cream yesterday, we noticed the posted price on the dock at AYB.  It was about $.50 less than the internet price and $.30 less than where I had planned to go.  I called the other marina, and their price was still the same, but AYB had lowered their price over the weekend and the internet didn’t reflect the new price.  We took on 250 gallons at AYB.

Sue practiced her busy harbor piloting skills as we left Annapolis and headed for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  You may not appreciate infrastructure like I do, but this bridge was beautiful.  It crosses the bay at Kent Narrows, which accentuates the tidal current we were once again fighting.

Once through the bridge the bay widened back out, but we were still fighting the current, while the water was again rippled glass.  The breeze, engine vibration and gentle rise and fall of the boat tended to make the watchstander (sitter) drowsy, but I managed to stay awake.

We passed the turn in to Baltimore on our port and continued northeast up the channel.  This eventually put us closer to the shore where we noticed the usual lineup of (mostly) large, beautiful homes along the water.  The difference here in Maryland is the elevation.  The homes appeared to be 25’ or more above water, in stark contrast with what we observed along the ICW in the Carolinas (and last year all the way to FL).  Unfortunately, the new construction practice appears to be to clear all the trees down to the waterline and plant grass.

Havre de Grace is just a short, winding way up the Susquehanna River.  We picked the Tidewater Marina since it appeared to be closer to the center of town.  Tidewater Marina Turned out to be disappointing—from our perspective.  A marina that closes up at 1700 is probably not focused on transients.  That should have been a clue.  We arrived at 1730.

The docks were fixed, and we drug bottom getting to our assigned space on the (empty) transient “bulkhead.”  They did provide a shower room code and Wi-Fi password over the phone when I called at 1530.  The showers near us were 6 single occupancy toilet/shower combo units, relatively new and quite clean.  But no laundry, pool or restaurant on site, and no shuttle to a grocery store.  There were, however, lots of parking spaces for the local boat owners (and for winter storage on the hard).

I picked this marina using Dockwa.com, an online marina reservation system. Another marina in Havre de Grace, Log Pond, would have been a better choice, but they’re not on Dockwa, and their website was not good, so I didn’t bother to call them on the phone. I should have called on the phone.

We’ll take a walk through town in the morning.  For now, Sue’s crockpot dinner is waiting.  I checked the thruster under the forward berth and didn’t find any water (good news).  We’ll do laundry, change the sheets and take showers—on board.  That should do for tonight.

Peace fks

July 14, 2022: “Vintage” Havre de Grace breakfast, and boardwalk

We were up early enough to find breakfast and explore before departing for Rock Hall, our next destination.  On our way out of the marina, we were greeted by a couple riding bikes.  They had noticed the boat and wanted to extend a welcome.  Having been boaters themselves, they wanted to know if we needed anything–very friendly and helpful.  They informed us that most places did not open until 11:00 AM and grocery stores and restaurants were not in walking distance.  We asked about the café Fred had planned for us to go to for breakfast.  Their response: it was open, and “it’s okay”.  After chatting a few minutes, we went on our way.

The cafe was the “Vintage Café”.  Inside, it reminded me of the old-fashioned diners (vintage).  It was like stepping into the past.  This was the hometown gathering place; my mother used to say places like this are where you take visitors from away to see the “local color”.  The food isn’t great, but the experience is real and warm.

We left the cafe to walk down to the boardwalk at the waterfront.  Along the way, a woman walking her dog with her son and a friend, started talking with us.  They too were very friendly and were going to the boardwalk, so we walked with them until we reached it.

The boardwalk follows the shoreline; it was well maintained and a lovely, scenic walk.  There were many historical information boards along the walk as well as many places you could stop and sit.  There is so much history along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, and it is often connected to the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and shipping of some sort. 

History buffs would love touring all the cities and towns along the Chesapeake Bay.  Though I am not a history buff, I do find much of it interesting–there is just too much for me to absorb.  An interesting tidbit I did learn is that Havre de Grace became the “decoy capital of the world” and apparently still maintains that title.  We walked past the decoy museum while we were on the boardwalk.

The town dock, with benches for sitting at the end of it, was decorated with many beautiful carvings of different birds sitting on top of the posts. 

I do love lighthouses!  At the end of the boardwalk was a park-like area around the Concord Point Lighthouse. Built in 1827, it was first lit with 9 whale oil lamps and was decommissioned in 1975 as the oldest Chesapeake light in continuous service. It looks so much like my all-time favorite Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in New Harbor, Maine. 

Across the bay to Rock Hall

We had now used up our time in Havre de Grace, so we headed back to the marina and were underway just after 10:30 AM.  There wasn’t much to see along the way other than two big tugs pushing barges, and more of the floating grass mats.

Arriving in the Haven Harbour Marina in Rock Hall, Maryland by 4:30 PM, there were two dock staff to assist us for which we were grateful, and they were very helpful.  Amenities here included a pool, bikes we could borrow, plenty of showers and free laundry. Most everything we would want in terms of shopping, restaurants, and “you know what” was within walking or biking distance.  We were happy boaters!

We ate dinner on the boat, but we had no dessert.  Darn!  Maybe we would have to walk and “Get the Scoop”.  If you haven’t guessed by now, you haven’t been paying attention.

Along the way Fred spotted a doe and four fawns.  Is that even possible?  I checked.  The odds are less than 1 in 3000.  By August the odds are even greater.  I also learned that sometimes a female will adopt other females’ fawns.  Mama was definitely keeping her eyes on us!

“Get the Scoop” ice cream was in a small complex of shops called Rock Hall Village.  The buildings reminded us of tiny houses, but they were all businesses of some type.

As we placed our order at “Get the Scoop,” it didn’t seem like they were very busy; then we went around the corner to the pick-up window!  Fred asked if anyone minded him taking a picture.  We didn’t have to wait too long.  The price was the best so far, the servings were generous, and the ice cream was good.  Not made on site, but it was from a local dairy, Kilby Creamery.

The evening ended with another beautiful sunset as we walked back to the marina.  The whole marina itself was one of the prettiest ones we have been to on this trip [they definitely get the awards for best landscaping and nicest marina store].  In fact, we liked it so much, we decided to spend another day.  We were already here for two nights and one more would not put us behind.