10/21/15  Wednesday

We left early, following and followed by other boats coming down the canal, and one that had been docked behind us last night. Gentle sunrise, orange sherbert with a light layer of mist about 4 feet tall on the surface of the water. Beautiful.

Leaving Chesapeake City back around that bend

David was at the helm and was off like a bat out of hell. Rrrrrerererrrrrr. Finally I confessed that the speed and noise was making me tense and frantic and scared. I really DID think such pressure on the engine before I'd had coffee was truely bad for the engine!!! And could we please just back off the rpms a little bit for a little while. No urgency this early...PLEASE. David accomodated. Thank you.

The day was easy but not relaxing. All new territory again, (every day and every thing is new territory) hyper alert, always looking...water depth, buoys, other boats, crab pots, wind speed and direction...looking, looking, looking. David was at the helm a lot. I read and even took a short nap. Took over navigating and helm for a bit.

First hint of "southern" along the Elk River, a large estate - big house on the hill with columns, sweeping yards, horse barns, vineyard, large boathouse at the edge of the river. The big white tent, indicating to us that it was a place for events lessened the blow. I kept asking myself how I felt about this "southern" estate and wealth. Not comfortable, for sure. Who suffered to make this kind of wealth possible for these few people? For how many generations? in the past and into the future, not to mention the present. Impossible to know but I know some people did some suffering.

It's possible that I'm uncomfortable with any obvious indications of extreme wealth but I'm more imtimately acquainted with the history of southern wealth and slavery and indentured servitude. Other more positive feelings about today's journey had to do with the breadth of the river spilling or slipping into another river and broadening into the Chesapeake Bay. And then we were coming closer and closer to the Bay Bridge - Massive.

Negotiating getting into Annapolis Harbor was nervous making but we managed and the mooring field just off City Dock was nearly empty when we arrived. It filled quickly - within a hour after we arrived an additional 20+ boats came in. Beside us was the boat that was behind us last night. The other side sports a boat from VT, in front of us is a boat from Portland (!) and two boats to our starboard is a rude boat with large flower pots on the aft deck from New Rochelle, NY. Time for a beer and more reading before heading to town for a shower and dinner with the wonderful Lynda and Jeff Fitzgerald. Lynda is Marcy Plavin's daughter and I know her from Bates Dance Festival. She and Jeff met us at Buddy's then drove us around the Naval Academy and told us some things to see tomorrow when we are tourists. They are also the folks who collected our mail - our first mail drop on this trip - from Shannon.

Annapolis hosts, Jeff and Lynda

So totally delighted they made time to hang with us. Sweet, sweet people who are happy with themselves and with each other. We all spoke of our great good fortune to be where we are doing what we're doing and with the people we're with.

At Buddy's

And I got my first taste of ice cream in more than a MONTH. Yum. And we have the boxes from Shannon and the important documentation from the US Coast Guard, and M&Ms, brownie mix and brown rice. Set for the next couple of weeks, easily.