September Song in the anchorage at Saint Mary's college. What a gorgeous area.

Our escort into Solomon's and Washburn's Boat Yard where we spent a week on the hard. OK, maybe not an escort, but just a Navy jet doing take offs and landings from the Patuxent Naval Air Base.

Another cool Chesapeake boat.

A fly-by and a wave from a Navy helicopter.

On the hard

We left the Saint Mary's River Friday and headed to Solomons Island where September Song was hauled on Monday morning and put on the hard.
It was a long four days with the four of us living at the Super 8 motel. We spent our days at the boat yard while the yard guys worked on September Song and our nights in the motel room. (about the size of our pilot house)
The yard got her done in record time and she is happy, looking beautiful and happy to be back in the water, and we are happy to be back home again.
Friday afternoon we got a pleasant surprise. Stephen and Pam on Tides In got here a couple of days early and the four of us will be here until Monday when we will cast off the lines and continue our dream, (No, not the one where I'm in church naked) and the fearless foursome plus 2 will explore the Chesapeake, including a trip up the Potomac to Washington DC.

September Song (Naked in church?) out
Bob


It always makes us nervous when they lift 47 tons of September Song out of the water and put her on the hard. Please don't drop our baby!

Getting her bottom pressure washed. She loves being pampered.

While we were at Washburns, a boat that burned last weekend was hauled out. They towed it in with pumps in it to keep it floating. No one was on board when she burned. Scary!

It was hot out, but the guys still need to wear protective suits.

Wax on, wax off.

Our baby all done and ready to go back into the water.

Don't drop her now!

Stephanie and the girls spent most of the days in the yard lounge. Cassie and Godiva had fun greeting everyone that came into the yard office and exploring the office, parts department and meeting all the boat and yard people's dogs. Everyone spoiled them.   They even had kids to play with, including this little girl who was having a bad hair day.

Chesapeake,we are here!

We took three days off from moving North and enjoyed one of our favorite stops, the York River Yacht Haven, to celebrate our arrival on the Chesapeake. Another good reason was that it has been in the upper 90's and low 100's with high humidity, and we wanted to be hooked to power and have a pool to hit in the afternoon with a couple of cold ones.
Tuesday, we headed out on a much cooler beautiful day to the Cockrell. The crab fishing was great, but with a fish processing plant not too far away, the wind shifted and it smelled like rotten cat food and the bugs were bad. Needless to say, we moved today to another anchorage. We are on the Saint Mary's River off the Potomac. A beautiful anchorage overlooking Saint Mary's College, cooler weather, and we will be explore the Saint Mary's college area tomorrow.

September Song ( Cassie and Godiva are going to college) out
Bob


So, how do we get around this guy?

Is it a sailboat or a power boat. This is the first time a sailboat has passed us, planing no less!

I hate following barges. It's not the speed, but the prop wash.

The great bridge bridge. No, I didn't stutter. What a cool bridge. Three years ago, Diane K. tried to break it with a nickel.

We spent the night at the free dock between the Great Bridge bridge and the Great Bridge lock. It wasn't so great because they don't have electric and it was 102 degrees when we arrived. Thank God we have a generator. I think they think this is a "great" place! I would think it would be great if they had electric at the dock. I know, I know, what do you want for free. We made the 07:00 opening. 

My expert line handler. and cute too!

The first bridge in Portsmouth is a RR bridge. It's closed, waiting for a train. After waiting for 20 minutes, the train arrived. Oh, did I mention it was going slow and had 162 cars.

After the RR bridge opened, we had another bridge 50 yards North of it. I hate bridges!

These floating hotels house the workers while they are working on ships.

Have you ever seen so many cranes in one place?

OH sh..... Don't look now, but those two young boys have a big machine gun. The ships are guarded 24 hours a day while in harbor.

Amazing to see one of these monsters out of the water.

More young boys with big guns.

Whatever floats your boat! The dry docks that float these ships are enormous.

The city of Norfolk.

Dolphin playing at the bow as we go through Portsmouth.

I don't think they want you close.

This ship looks stealth.

Monsters of the sea.

Finally through Portsmouth and into the Chesapeake to our first at one of our favorite stops, York River Yacht Haven. Tied to the dock in 100 degree heat. 

In this heat, the best thing to do is hit the pool with a cold one.

Nothing like breakfast on the fly bridge while under way on a beautiful day. Life just doesn't get any better than this!

We anchored on  Cockrell Creek, off the Great Wicomico. After we set the anchor, I threw in a couple of lines. After about two hours, I had half a five gallon bucket full of Chesapeake blue crab.

One more for the bucket!

You know you're in the Chesapeake when you start to see waterman boats.

It's not a lighthouse. I guess they just call them a light. They are scattered throughout the Chesapeake. In the old days someone lived here and kept the light lit.