Still in Rock Hall

We are still here in Rock Hall waiting for our bilge sensors which were suppose to be here Tuesday. Well, it's Wednesday night and still no sensors. If you see a slow boat from China headed this way, let us know.
Yesterday afternoon we met up with Jeff and Karen Siegel and their two labs Dinah and Dylan. Cassie and Godiva had a great time with their new cruising friends chasing each other around and getting acquainted the way dogs do. (sniff sniff) Jeff and Karen are the creators of Active Captain, an on line cruising guide that we love to use and contribute newly found anchorages and marinas and post comments to. You can see their site at www.activecaptain.com After our four legged kids had worn themselves out we all went to Harbor Shack for a burger and a beer. We had a great time with Jeff and Karen, exchanging stories, talking about our travels, and of course talking about our four legged kids. We look forward to meeting up with Jeff and Karen again. They plan to go to the Exumas next year so we will probably see them there if not before.

September Song (still waiting) out
Bob


Tammy's new found friend. Notice her ear is bent to the max

Cassie and Godiva enjoying happy hour with us

Meeting Jeff, Karen, and their two yellow labs Dinah and Dylan

Jeff and Karen's boat aCappella. Jeff and Karen are the creators of Active Captain, an on line cruising guide most cruisers are using

aCappella at the free dock in Rock Hall

Karen giving out treats to Cassie, Godiva, and their new friends Dinah and Dylan, Karen and Jeff's Labs

Sorry! All gone

The batteries are here! But we're not leaving

The new house batteries arrived Friday morning and after a lot of grunts and groans they were in their new home. Two guys on the deck to lower them in, two guys below to "catch" them, put them in their boxes, and "slide" them into the rack. After 45 minutes they were wired and ready to go. (NOT) After looking at the manual (if all else fails) we discovered a wire hiding that wasn't connected. (VOILA) It's all working, well the house batteries are good to go, but when Randy disconnected the old batteries he arced them and shorted out our bilge pump sensors. (all three) These are no ordinary float switches. They count, sense water levels, count time, count number of times run, connect to the master state room alarm, (lets us know when we are sinking while asleep) and connect to the read outs in the pilot house. They were ordered last Tuesday and won't be in until this Tuesday. (the factory needs to make them first) Nothing simple on our baby. This isn't all bad because the Chesapeake will be jammed with all the people on their boats filling the anchorages and trying to get in their last long weekend at the end of summer here in the North. (amateurs weekend) There was a constant traffic jam Friday and Saturday, with boats leaving our marina and boats coming in to get fuel. Not only that, but the dockage is free plus a courtesy car (normally 2.25 a foot per day plus electric) because they screwed up. I guess it's time to get a few more boat chores done, enjoy the pool, go to the farmers market, go to happy hour, and get "crabby" (pig out on blue crabs)

September Song (a good place to be stuck) out
Bob


It must be Friday, The 160# monsters are here

Randy, the electrician, and a helper loading the new batteries from the dock to the aft deck

I'll count to three and then we liiift

Hooking up the new house batteries. Now which wire goes where?

Harbor Shack, Our happy hour hang out. .99 cent Coors, 1.88 Captain and coke, and .35 cent wings.

I fed the parking meter while we enjoyed happy hour. Didn't want to get a bar ticket

While we were at the Harbor Shack for happy hour we noticed a 49RPH at the marina next to Waterman's. Tammy looked through her telephoto lens and saw it was River Girl. We met River Girl last winter as our paths crossed on the waterway in Florida. We got to meet them face to face at the Defever rendezvous at Cabbage Key and Useppa. You never know when or where you are going to meet cruising friends as you travel the waterways. Ron and Janice Walton (River Girl) and their friends Tom and Sandy were there for the night. When we left Harbor Shack the four of us stopped by to say Hi, have a drink, and catch up on where we have been and what we have been doing. It's always great to see cruising friends and Defever Cruiser members as you travel. Great to see you guys. I'm sure our paths will cross again.

Janice on River Girl enjoying a glass of wine

From left to right Ron, Sandy, and Tom on the fly bridge of River Girl

The party crashers on River Girl's fly bridge

Sunset over Rock Hall Harbor

"The crab feast"

After happy hour and a visit with River Girl we headed to Waterman's restaurant for the best blue crabs on the Chesapeake. We were not disappointed. Doug and I ordered the crab feast. (all you can eat blue crab in two hours) First they cover your table with paper because things will get messy, give us our wooden mallets, set a five gallon bucket next to the table for the shells, and bring out the first cafeteria size tray piled with blue crabs. OH MY, this could get ugly!!! After two trays of crab, four pitchers of beer and a whole lot of OOOO's and AAAAAAH's, Doug and I needed a shower. We had crab everywhere. It was a messy job, but someone has to do it. They were SOOO GOOOOD!

September Song (crabby and happy) out
Bob


Notice the paper on one side of the table. Things could get messy!!!!

The first of two trays of crabs.

Crack'n and a pick'n

It doesn't get any better than this!!!!

Doug pick'n and a grinn'n

We filled a five gallon bucket 3/4's full with the shells. That's alot of crab. "I can't believe we ate the whole thing"

My new hat. Stephanie says "not"

Happy boys after a crab feast

Stuck in Rock Hall MD.

We are docked at Haven Harbor Marina where we are waiting for four new house batteries that will be here Friday morning. (we hope) We were having a problem with our house batteries (these are the ones that we run everything on at anchor) heating up so I did a load test and found one out of the eight 160 pound monsters bad. We arrived at Haven Harbor Sunday and an electrician came to the boat Monday to check the other seven out. Battery Doctor says 4 need to be replaced. (YUUUK!!!) Each battery cost about the same as ten car batteries. (DOUBLE YUUUK!!!) The batteries won't be here until Friday so I will catch up on some maintenance things on September Song and enjoy Rock Hall. 1.88 Captain and coke and 35 cent wings at happy hour is about the only good deal we will get this week. If we have to be stuck, I guess Rock Hall is better than most.

September Song (there are worse places to be stuck) out
Bob


This is one of the things kids do for fun on a sailboat. Not many kids have a swing set like this.

This is the only bridge that crosses the 150 mile long Chesapeake Bay.

Sunday on the Chesapeake can be busy. No, the radar doesn't have the measles. All the red dots on the radar screen are other boats.

We are in the land of sailboats. 250 slips in Haven Harbor, Rock Hall Maryland, and we and Gypsies are only a couple of the few power boats in here. I'm not sure why they let us stink potters in with all these rag baggers. I guess our money is as green as theirs.

September Song is at the end of this dock with nothing but sailboats all around her. She feels like she doesn't belong. We assured her that she is still the biggest and best boat in the marina and all the others are envious. She felt better after I told her that.

An Island that time has forgotten

We left our anchorage on the Corrotoman River and set a course for Tangier Island. After a little bit of a bumpy start in the morning it calmed down and was another beautiful day on the water. As we cruised to Tangier we watched the pelicans diving for fish, The waterman checking their pots, and the seagulls flying over head waiting to pick up the scraps they left behind. (lazy seagulls) As we approached Tangier Island I called on channel 16 for the Parks Marina. No response. I don't think Mr. Parks even owns a radio. If he does, he never turns it on. We waited just off the "dock" and sure enough here comes Mr. Parks. Mr. Parks is 78 years old and he and his ancestors have lived here all their lives. Coming into Tangier is a step back in time with dozens of Waterman crab shacks on stilts along the shore with their boats named after their wives, children, or sweethearts tied up in the afternoon. (their day starts around 3:00AM) My docking was easy because I got the face dock. Doug's was not so easy. The tide was ripping and he had to dock at a 90 degree angle to the tide. (you need to read Gypsies blog for the details) After we were settled the four of us took a walking tour of the town, found the ice cream shop and enjoyed our travel back in time. Life is simple on Tangier and the people like it that way. It is an old fishing village with a charm all of its own. cute little waterman's houses, a few restaurants, a "grocery store" a couple of home grown gift shops, and an ice cream shop. On Tangier you need to do things early because everything closes at 5:00PM.
I asked the Channel Marker Restaurant if they would let us come at 5:30 and they said the would stay open for us. After drinks on Gypsies (Tangier is a dry town) we headed to the Channel Marker. After we walked in they promptly took down the open flag and turned off the open sign. The meal was good. We had fresh soft shell crab and crab dip. The next day we decided we would walk (Cassie and Godiva don't ride bikes) to the beach we saw as we came into Tangier harbor. It was a long walk, but we saw more of the town on the way. The beach was nice, but the horse flies were hungry, so we stayed for a short time, playing with the girls in the water, and headed back to the boat. Tammy and Doug stayed and later let the horse flies carry them home. We enjoyed our visit here, and there's alot to be said for the simple life in a fishing village that time has forgotten. Tangier is a great place to visit for a few days and step back in time, but I wouldn't want to live there. You really need to go to Gypsies blog and read about Tangier Island. It's a great read. If you go back up on our page look on the right side for favorite websites and blogs and click on Gypsies in the Palace then click on their blog.

September Song (back to the present) out
Bob



Crabber checking his pots as we approach Tangier

Stephanie in her helm chair enjoying a beautiful day on the Chesapeake sporting her new active captain cap. Ain't she cute

I love this lady!

Tammy purchasing a hand made map of Tangier Island for a dollar. What a bargain, it even has local recipes on it. Take a map and put a dollar in the soap box.

The streets of Tangier Island. Bikes, golf carts, motor bikes, a few rusted out pick em up trucks and one car owned by the nurse on the Island.

The Double Six Sandwich Shop where the waterman gather at 3:00 AM for coffee and a smoke before going out to fish

The Island was settled by John Crockett in 1688 and his descendants along with the Parks and Pruitt families are still here today. The British fleet that ravaged the Chesapeake was based here. They sailed from here to near Baltimore to attack Fort McHenry. It was in this attack that the Star Spangled Banner was written

This is where I mailed your birthday card from Kerri. When the mail boat gets here it will be on its way

Great little ice cream shop with 60's and 70's decor and music. Ice cream, gotta have ice cream!

Nothing fancy, just good fresh seafood. Be there before 5:00 because everything closes then.