With the winds picking up and the forecast to increase, we rose early Sunday morning in Rock Hall, to ensure a smooth crossing, with Baltimore as our destination. By 8:00 am, we worked our way off the face dock, with the winds pushing against us. With no incidents or close calls with other boats in the marina, we were underway, East/Northeast to Baltimore.
Baltimore is where we came last September to what is known as a Trawlerfest. Five days of seminars ranging from how to buy a boat, how to do The Loop, navigation, basic diesel engine troubleshooting, and boat docking lessons taught us so much. The in-water boat show gave us an opportunity to board many boats. This hands-on experience not only narrowed our search significantly, we were pretty convinced we knew the brand name of boat we would pursue. At the week’s end, we were dangerously informed about the trawler life.
Arriving in the harbor around 11:00 am, we docked at the Inner Harbor Marina. It is virtually brand new and located on the waterfront (I guess most marinas are on the water, now that I think about it) of downtown. The area is like a huge park with lots of activities for kids of all ages, paddle-boats that look like pirate ships, a huge aquarium, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, the Hard Rock Cafe, and on and on it goes. Stores and restaurants are in abundance. Places like this are the reason we have to anchor. Anchoring out costs nothing and keeps the credit cards in our pocket. But for now, we are enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city.
Abigail and Amanda led me around town today like a little puppy in training. I enjoyed Areopostle, J. Crew, and MANY other delightful stores. I’ve been trained these 41 years to follow at a safe distance, never complain, and keep a keen eye open for a bench or chair in every store. I give myself an A for today’s effort as mother and daughter used the word “cute” 742 times. I finally suggested switching to “darling” late in the day as an equal substitute for what was being tried on. My comment was acknowledged, but “cute” continued to dominate for everything from tops to stationery.
After a little RNR back at the boat, we dined at the Rusty Scupper, a restaurant located adjacent to the marina. Shrimp jambalaya for me and crab stuffed shrimp for the ladies ended a perfect day with my girls. We sat on the celebrity pad until about 11:00 pm, admiring the gorgeous skyline of Baltimore.
Monday morning, Abigail has to rise at 4:00 am to catch a plane back to Nashville. As much as we are enjoying this trip, nothing takes the place of friends and family who can come and visit. We will miss her. We miss so many who have been such a big part of our lives, leading to this point. We hope to share this experience with any who can join us along the way.