Chesapeake City and Old Bohemia (St. Francis Xavier) Church


Tablet at Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Pumphouse
We toured Chesapeake City and visited the C&D Canal Museum.  Chesapeake City is primarily the result of the building and operation of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal which connects the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays reducing the water travel distance between the Philadelphia and Baltimore by 300 miles.  The museum is housed in a pump house which once was used for the lock at Chesapeake City.  The C&D Canal is allegedly the third busiest canal in the world.  The town is small and quaint with many buildings constructed between the 1820s and 1850s.

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Maintenance and Relaxation


No touring today.  Carla polished life-line stanchions, cleaned the bilge and did laundry.  Dwayne cleaned out some email and read.  The pool water was just right for the hot weather.

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Assateague Island National Seashore, Berlin and Ocean City, MD


Wild Horses at Assateague Island National Seashore
Assateague Island National Seashore is famous for its herds of wild horses.  Assateague is a 37 mile long barrier island which is divided into Assateague State Park, Assateague INS and the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge which is at the southern end of the island and part of Virginia.  The horses roam free and are easily seen along the one road which travels down the narrow island.  The beaches and campgrounds are beautiful; however, they were very full of visitors.   You really wouldn’t want to be there on a weekend when traffic and parking are big problems.  Visit during mid-week.

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St. Michaels


Shallop replica
We spent most of the day in St. Michaels which was once a shipbuilding center and today is a major tourism destination.  The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is the premier museum on maritime life on the Chesapeake.  The Bay’s history is showcased in nine buildings each dedicated to some aspect of life on the Bay such as boatbuilding, fishing, oystering, crabbing, hunting and transportation.  The restored Hooper Strait Lighthouse and numerous historic boats enhance one’s understanding of what life on the Bay was like in the past.  We spent half our day at the museum and still have much more to learn from the exhibits.  a replica of a shallop used by John Smith in his explorations of the Chesapeake Bay was in the water.  Smith explored the Bay beginning in 1607.

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Cambridge






Replica of Screwpile Light House and Tender Cambridge
We took a walking tour of Cambridge which was settled in 1684.  Cambridge is on the Choptank River and like Chestertown, served as a major trading center sending tobacco, lumber, seafood and muskrat pelts to England in exchange for finished goods manufactured in England and slaves imported from Africa.  Tobacco and grain crops were the primary agricultural products.  Tobacco was exported and the abundance of grain crops led to the region being called the “Breadbasket of the Colonies”.

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Chestertown


Customs House Chestertown

Brian and Janet joined us on a tour of Chestertown which was a Royal Port of Entry for the Colony of Maryland.  It has served as a seat of government since the 17th Century and is the county seat for Kent County.  Chestertown, on the Chester River, was a major trading center and one of the largest cities in Maryland during the colonial period.  Dozens of 18th Century homes can be found in Chestertown’s historic district along the waterfront.  It is also the home of Washington College which was chartered in 1782 and named after George Washington who was one of its primary benefactors.  Washington College was the first college chartered in the nation after the Declaration of Independence.

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Wheels Again

Schooner in Davis Creek

Brian and Janet brought our car to us and we spent the day exploring Rock Hall.  The Waterman’s Museum was closed and we were able to complete our driving tour of the town in a half hour.  We did learn that George Washington passed through Rock Hall at least 8 times.  It is uncertain as to whether or not he slept there; however, it is well documented that he passed through Rock Hall at least 8 times.

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Carla cleaned the bilge and did the laundry.  Fortunately, the laundry is next to the pool.  So, she was able to relax reading poolside between loads of wash.


Took a dinghy ride up the East Branch of Langford Creek after dinner.  Again, beautiful scenery and some big waterfront estate property.  Fish in the creek proved to be plentiful and many were jumping.  In fact, a shad jumped smacking Carla in the chest and fell into the dinghy.  Needless to say, it created some excitement as if flopped around trying to get back into the water.  We discovered shad to be a sweet tasting but very boney fish.

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Maintenance and Exploring by Dinghy


Local Schooner

Spent the day cleaning the boat and doing maintenance.  Washed the decks, starboard hull and stern. Checked batteries and engine fluid levels.

Took a dinghy cruise up Davis Creek and the Langford Creek's West Fork.  Beautiful landscapes and unexpected sights such as this small schooner on a mooring.

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Day of Rest


Skipjack with yawl boat and tender

Spent the day resting and touring the surrounding creek with the dinghy.

Came across a skipjack used as a training vessel for teens. The skipjacks were sailing vessels primarily engaged in oyster dredging.  This one has auxiliary motor power provided by an engine in the small boat tied to the skipjack's stern.




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ASA 118 - Docking Course with Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship July 20 and 21

Completion of ASA 118 Docking Course
We decided we needed more skill and experience at getting in and out of tight slips and handling the boat in confined areas.  So, we headed to Lankford Bay Marina, near Rock Hall, MD  to take the American Sailing Association Course 118 - Docking.


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Lankford Bay Marina and Rock Hall, MD

Waterman's Crab Shack in Rock Hall, MD

Winds significantly increased last night which caused us to lay out another 50 feet of anchor chain to avoid dragging anchor.  That extra chain really helped settle the boat and allowed us to sleep better.

We took the dinghy over to the Lankford Bay Marina to sign in and check out our slip arrangement prior to moving the boat into the harbor.

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Worton Creek to Cacaway Island on Langford Creek

Beautiful Dairy Farm on Langford Creek

Left Worton Creek under engine power as the winds were strong and against us with storms headed our direction for across the Bay.  We made good time as the tide was with us and the waves were less than 2 feet.  Fortunately, we stayed just ahead of the storms and by late afternoon the sun was bright and the winds dropped to less than 15 knots.  By 1400 we were under sail and tacking our way to the Chester River.

Like the Sassafras River, the Chester River appears mostly undeveloped land with occasional estate properties dotting the shoreline.  Unlike the high bluffs of the Sassafras, the land surrounding the Chester is flat and occasionally a farm is seen along the shore.

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Sassasfras River (Georgetown, MD) to Worton Creek


Tug Towing Barge
Another good day on the Bay.  Motored out of the Sassafras under partly cloudy skies.  The scenery was the highlight of the morning.  The winds picked up to 10 – 15 knots once we were on the Bay.  Waves were less than 2 feet and the clouds changed from bright white to light grey.  Southerly winds caused us to repeatedly tack to reach our destination; however, we were usually sailing at 5 – 6 knots.  

We decided to anchor at the mouth of Worton Creek rather than move upstream since the channel is narrow and meandering with very shallow water on either bank.  Also, the anchorage upstream would require us to leave early in the morning to make certain we could get out at other than low tide.

By the time the sun went down we were one of five sailboats anchored at the mouth of Worton Creek.  Thunderstorms are possible tonight.  Our anchorage is well protected except from the west.  We let out additional anchor chain to help hold us in place should winds grow during a thunderstorm. 


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Summit North Marina (Bear, DE) to the Sassafras River (Georgetown, MD)

Beautiful Home on the Sassafras River

We spent a quiet night at anchor off Georgetown’s marinas on the Sassafras River.

The Sassafras is the most picturesque river we have seen so far on the Chesapeake Bay.  It is mostly wooded along the banks which are often high bluffs.  The channel is deep but shoals quickly near the shores.  The few homes there are along its banks are large and spectacular multimillion dollar properties.  We made good time down the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal as the tide helped us reach speeds of 8 knots.  We made our way up the Sassafras at about 5 knots.  A perfect day for cruising as it was sunny and calm.  Not a great day for sailing due to the lack of wind.



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