Annapolis

June 24, 2003

What a storybook day.

We left our base in Silver Springs and drove Annapolis, MD.  This time we had 14620 in tow.  The drive to Annapolis was pretty serene on I-495 and Hwy 50.  I had forgotten how pretty Annapolis is.  The streets are all done in red brick!  Hundreds of quaint shops line the streets.  Boating, and sailing, in particular, rule!  We were in heaven.

We dropped 14620 at Severn Sailing Association located right on the Severn River across from the Naval Academy.  We stopped at the Boatyard Grill for lunch and then parked in town.  We took a tour of the harbor by boat.   Afterward, we walked the town, shopped, and visited the capital building.  Annapolis is the capitol of Maryland and the capitol building is right out of the revolutionary era.  It has a real gold dome.

By 3:30 we were back at SSA setting up the boat.  From 5 to 6 we cruised the harbor.  We sailed up the Severn River, under the Hwy 50 bridge, put up the chute, and cruised back down beside the academy.  Arriving back in the harbor, we found racing underway.  Some forty boats were racing in three fleets.  It was informal and rapid fire starts.  The starter would raise his bull horn, call out the fleet, and you got a two minute start!  It was very low key racing for the adult fleet.  But race we did.  Before the sun set, several other Lightnings joined us and we actually had some fun races.  Finally they called the last race "to the docks".  We didn't understand that, but found it out it meant everyone head for refreshments!

John and I sat on the wharf at Severn and watched the sun go down.  What a beautiful sight at night.  Wish our families were here to see it.

We walked back to town to have dinner at the Boatyard Grill.  A two piece band played music from the seventies, including lots of Jimmy Buffett.  "Key Lime Pie" featured an acoustic guitar/singer and a steel drum percussionist.  They were great.  After two hours, we walked back to Severn, hooked up 14620 and drove back to our base.   It had been the perfect day - everything the safari is about.  Tomorrow we take on the Potomac.