BellaGatto Cruising: WEEK 8 LOG - Deltaville, VA to Annapolis, MD

The repairs in the boatyard in Deltaville took longer and cost more than we had hoped, but on Wednesday we were FINALLY ready to get back on the loop.

We got up early for a long trip to Solomons, MD on a forecast of 1-2 foot seas. But when we stuck our nose out of the creek at 0630 we found a nasty 3-4 foot short period chop right in the teeth. When a 50-foot trawler half again as long and three times as heavy as us turned back, so did we. We both anchored near the mouth of the creek where we could watch the bay with binoculars, and by about 10:00 it laid down quite a bit. We figured with the later start maybe the best we could do was get to Reedville, Va that day, but by the time we got there around 1:00 pm the bay was dead flat and we had a rising tide behind us and we decided to push on to Solomons, another 5 hours. It was a good call, and we had a great run and got anchored up in Solomons well before dark, giving us plenty of time for a dinghy ride to shore for a walk around the town. It was nice to finally be at anchor again.

Conditions on the Chesapeake were beautiful

Time for shore leave in Solomons

Having fun at an outside eatery

We especially frequent places that allow dogs

Church on Main Street, Solomons, MD

BellaGatto at anchor, Solomons, MD

The next day we headed out early for a 55 mile run up the bay to Annapolis, where we planned to stay a couple of days on a mooring ball. We had a spanking wind out of the south that gave us a 2-3 foot following sea, and we just barreled up the middle of the bay out away from the crab trap minefield and let the autopilot do the driving, arriving in Spa Creek in Annapolis around 3:00 in the afternoon.

Thomas Point Lighthouse

Severn River, Annapolis

Annapolis is a must-visit destination for most loopers, and it did not disappoint. The highlight for us was a tour of the US Naval Academy on Commissioning Day, when the senior midshipmen graduate with both a bachelor degree and a commission in the US Navy or Marine Corps. The Blue Angels did a flyover of the graduation ceremony on a gorgeous spring day. I don’t care how cynical you are, seeing the Academy will make you swell with pride for your country.

Naval Academy tour

Bancroft Hall, Midshipmen Housing

John Paul Jones (Father of the Navy) crypt

Naval Academy tour

Shopping, dining, beautiful architecture, and yachty stuff of all descriptions abound in Annapolis, and we could easily spend a week, but we are already feeling the call of the north. We know we are bypassing dozens, maybe hundreds, of great cruising destinations here on the Chesapeake, but we will be passing this way again next year and will give them the attention they deserve then. Our next stops will be Chesapeake City, the C&D canal, and then Cape May, New Jersey!