Exploring More of the Chesapeake

Exploring More of the Chesapeake

While we loved our time in Annapolis hanging on the Navy mooring ball in Weems Creek, eventually it was time to move on. Several people had told us that St. Michaels was a cute little town which we should visit if we had the chance, so it was there that we headed after taking care of some boat chores, which included filling our diesel and water tanks and pumping out our waste.

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The anchorage on the south side of St. Michaels

St. Michaels is indeed a quaint little town, and we spent several hours exploring it with Ron and Jackie. We walked all through town, checked out a couple of gift shops and thought about going through the maritime museum, but at $15 per person for a self-guided walking tour, it was a bit too pricey for us! Besides, there is also a distillery, a brewery and a winery all right next to each other. Priorities, right?!? The distillery wasn’t open on Sundays, much to Ron’s chagrin, and the winery looked a wee bit too hoity toity for us boat bums, but the brewery was a perfect fit! Imagine that!

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Barley, the brewery Bernard!

Jim and I shared one of their samplers, which included one each of their five current beers on tap. Surprise, surprise…our favorite was the IPA and the Belgian tripel was a close second! Oh yeah…we had one more favorite. His name was Barley and he was a huge St. Bernard puppy belonging to the brewmaster. Beautiful dog and he was joined by a total of about five other dogs all hanging out at the brewery with their owners. Gotta love puppy friendly breweries!

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Very chilly day!

Next stop, after a very chilly seven hour motor from St. Michaels (it was 37.8 degrees outside and 46.9 degrees inside when we woke up that morning!), was Solomons Island. We spent three nights anchored here while we explored the island and visited with friends who live nearby. This is also where we sadly said good-bye to the Hullabaloo crew as they continued their southbound trek while we took a hiatus from our boat travels to vacation in Jamaica for a week (I know..life is rough when you’re us!).

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I LOVE lighthouses, and this one was just so cool!

Before bidding adieu to Ron and Jackie, we spent one last day hanging out together. We hopped in our dinghies and headed to the Calvert Maritime Museum. If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend checking it out, if for no other reason that to see the very cool Drum Point Lighthouse, a screwpile type light which is one of three still remaining of the many that used to be found in the Chesapeake.

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Happy hour at The Lighthouse

We spent a couple of hours in the museum, and it must have made us hungry, because we ended up at the The Lighthouse Restaurant just in time for happy hour with half off appetizers…and we ended up sharing six appetizers amongst the four of us! My favorites were the crab dip pizza and crab dip stuffed potato skins. So yummy!!! It was a nice little “see ya later!” party as we parted ways with Skelton Crew, but we miss them like crazy and are really looking forward to a reunion party!

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Along the waterfront in St. Michaels
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Lots of pretty houses and flowers in St.. Michaels
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Outside the Eastern Shore Brewing Company in St. Michaels
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What a cute entrance to the brewery!
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Sample board!
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I even found a mermaid in St. Michaels!
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View of the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge over the Patuxent River from Solomons Island
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Beautiful home on Solomons

10 Comments

  • Kathy Walden

    November 19, 2015 at 3:34 pm Reply

    Beautiful pictures as usual. What a great time you guys are having. Even though it was cold it looked as though the sun was shining. It should start getting warmer as you sail south towards your final destination.

    • Chris

      November 19, 2015 at 3:38 pm Reply

      Thanks! We are really trying to enjoy ourselves! Ha ha! Thank goodness the sun was shining those couple of days or we would have really froze our butts off!

  • Chris Moe

    November 19, 2015 at 3:42 pm Reply

    Hey You all. That last picture, the “beautiful home”, belongs to my good friend Donny McDougall. I’ll get you a tour next time you are in town. He and his wife Jean did a great job on it, right down to steaming the cedar shingles to match the curve of the “turret!”

    • Chris

      November 19, 2015 at 3:47 pm Reply

      So cool! The turret and the cedar shingles are what actually caught our eye and made us turn and take a picture!

  • Robert M Kansa

    November 19, 2015 at 3:47 pm Reply

    If and when we ever retire, (unlikely we have boat payments) we will retire to the Chesapeake bay. We have sailed to St Michael’s and through Kent narrows. The Solomon islands is where our corsair nationals were 2 years ago. Beautiful area, the Chesapeake bay is magic. Glad you enjoyed it looks like a beautiful part of the adventure. !

    • Chris

      November 19, 2015 at 3:50 pm Reply

      We loved the Chesapeake and can see why you would want to retire there. There is soooo much to see and explore…nooks and crannies everywhere!

  • Laura Armstrong

    November 19, 2015 at 4:38 pm Reply

    I always wish this blog had a “like” button for the photos!

    • Chris

      November 19, 2015 at 10:05 pm Reply

      Awww! Thanks! Most are Jim’s photos, but occasionally one of mine makes the cut. Lol!

  • Dee Walker

    November 19, 2015 at 5:14 pm Reply

    Absolutely Beautiful! Love all the pictures you post. You are having a wonderful experience and making great memories. Warmer weather is awaiting you.

    • Chris

      November 19, 2015 at 10:06 pm Reply

      Thanks! Most of the picture credit goes to Jim! We are definitely making memories!

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