Sept 25 Solomons Respite

 Sept 25

We always enjoy our time in Solomons.   Just a fun little Chesapeake town.   Interesting history, quaint, boater centric, good seafood restaurants and as we found out this trip some really nice anchorages up Mill Creek.   We had decided to hunker down on Thurs and Fri based on weather forecasts.   They were calling for an all-day rain event Thurs. and then strong winds as a cold front passed through on Friday.  After dropping anchor Wed. we were expecting to just sit around for a nice book reading day on Thurs.

Sunset on Wed. from our anchorage in Mill Creek

We were sort of surprised to awaken to a delightfully sunny morning.   Stayed that way until noon when it clouded up and then we finally got light rain from 2-4 pm before the sky's cleared once again.    Woke up Friday swinging to a refreshing northerly breeze and sunshine and temperatures that reinforced fall had arrived. We were contemplating putting the dingy down and taking a tour of the creek and possibly a trip to the town dock.  But the wind continued to pick up over the course of the day and night.  At least they got that part of the forecast right.   We had good protection in our little cove but could tell there were some serious gusts rustling through the treetops.  

Saturday we headed over to the Beacon Marina.  Not a glamorous marina but we had used it as our home base for a couple months when bringing As You Wish #1 down from Annapolis back in 2018.  Perfectly fine for our needs and meeting up with Dan, Athene and Xavier for an overnight visit on the boat. We have bad memories of our initial attempts to stern in dock here on the old As You Wish with its single engine and underpowered bow thruster on a very windy day. Let's just say it was ugly and eventually completed aborted.   But we put that memory aside and used a relatively calm day to let Martha do all the docking duties. We found our slip assignment.  An 18' wide slip with boats on either side, pilings front and center and a very small, fixed finger pier on the port side.   Adding to the pressure were a number "regulars" on the dock as well as the spectators sitting in the waterfront restaurant.   Got to say I was awfully proud as Martha showed off her skills and backed it in flawlessly the first time! Our guests arrived bringing with them some fresh bagels from our favorite store in Alexandria.  They got devoured. Then our guests spent the afternoon at the Calvert Maritime Museum - one of our favorite small town museums.  Martha and I stayed on the boat and watched a nail biter of a Clemson vs Wake Forest football game go into double overtime before our Tigers were finally victorious.   Then we all strolled to downtown and a nice dinner on the waterfront at The Island Hideaway.

Athene and Xavier - sittin' on the dock of the bay....

Xavier finds the perfect size lighthouse

  Back to the boat where we watched half of the movie CARS before it was Xaviers bedtime. Sunday was pretty laid back with breakfast of waffles, ham and eggs after the boys watched the end of CARS.  The balance of the morning was filled with a trip to the Weis Supermarket for provisions.  We've learned to never turn down a provisioning trip where we can get some of the bulky heavy items back by car.   Before we knew it time was up, and our guests were departing.   It is always amazing to see how quickly a young child develops and partake in the joy and happiness they are experiencing so easily. We're  glad to be able to spend these times with family and share our boating lifestyle and adventures.

Sunday sunset ends a perfect stay at Solomons