Pre-vacation – on Saturday, July 14, we loaded up the non-perishable foods, linens, and other assorted things and stowed them aboard Dragon. That evening, we packed our bags and double-checked all of our lists, then tried to get to bed fairly early so we could get an early start on Sunday. whiterabbit showed up a bit after noon to learn the routines of the critters and to get the lay of the land. She went to the boat with us on one of the deliveries, so she got to see where we’d be vacationing:
Port side settee
Starboard settee
Galley
Nav station and quarterberth
V-berth
Head
Sunday: FCD and I got up around 5. He left to finish a couple more chores aboard, and I started backing the perishable foods. Daughter and Future Son-In-Law got up around 6-ish, and the three of us were on our way before 7. We finished loading the boat with our stuff, we put the mainsail on, and FCD ran to Lowe’s for a small stool, since I forgot to bring one from home. He also got 2 bags of ice for the icebox. I moved the cars to the longer-term parking area, and by 9, we dropped the lines and were on our way.
It was hot. One of the first things we did as we headed to the bay was put up the awning to shade the cockpit. It was also rough on the water – partly from all the boat traffic throwing wakes and partly from the rather brisk wind. And did I mention it was hot? The brisk wind didn’t benefit us much because it was coming from behind us, so we were running with the wind. We did use our headsail a couple of times, but it was easier and faster to just go under power.
As we were making our way north, it became obvious that we weren’t going to make Baltimore that day. This boat is slower than our last one, and those 2 knots made a difference. Once it was apparent that we’d have to spend the night in Annapolis, we called ahead and arranged for a slip at the Annapolis Yacht Basin, which is located at the end of Ego Alley (for those of you familiar with Annapolis.)
It was a relief to get out of the bay and into the calmer waters of the approach into Maryland’s capitol city. There was a LOT of boat traffic (duh – Annapolis!) but most people there seem to know and observe the rules, so we arrived relatively unscathed. A little exchange on the radio told us our slip assignment for the night, and the marina had a guy waiting for us when we pulled in. It took a little tweaking and fussing, since we were trying to teach FSIL how to handle lines, but eventually, we were tied up and plugged in. We had a great slip – it was very close to the shower house.
FCD went to pay for our stay, and discovered that the kid who helped us tie up was waiting for a tip. Another boat owner had tipped the kid $50!!! :eek: Unfortunately, FCD didn’t have any cash on him. Plus it never occurred to us that we’d ever tip the guy who caught our dockline. Oh well.
We immediately hit the showers – ah the bliss of cold water! Then we ate one of the frozen meals I’d brought (chicken, rice, and broccoli – it looked like critter hork I’ve cleaned up off the carpet, and it tasted really meh) then we took a walk up Main Street and got milkshakes at Chick & Ruth’s. The younger couple wandered around a bit while we older folk went back to the boat and crashed. So ended our first day.