We spent a little more than a week in the Annapolis area, going to the Boat Show, connecting with other cruisers and getting some projects done. Due to the number of boats around, and limited places with deep enough water for us, we took a slip at Liberty Marina on the South River.

One night we attended a reception for the Ocean Cruising Club at CRAB (Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating). This is an amazing place, helping thousands of people with disabilities access the water. On the evening we were there, an extraordinary boat, Impossible Dream, was visiting, and we were able to tour it. This catamaran is designed to be entirely accessible and sailed by people in wheelchairs, although there is only about 4′ 6″ headroom in the sleeping cabins since they’re not designed for people who stand up!

We had a day exploring the boat show and managed not to buy a new boat! There seemed to be a lot of rather un-seaworthy catamarans although I’m sure they are lovely for cocktail parties. We poked around the stands, ran into friends, and took in the view from an outdoor bar. In the evening we joined a Salty Dawg Rendezvous and ran into fellow Marbleheaders Lucy and Doug Halstead and Kelley Braun (who was boat shopping!), as well as many other friends from our previous rally three years ago. At this same event three years ago, we walked into a room full of people, not knowing a soul, and wondered how we would ever make friends. Now we know that it’s easy, and we’re getting excited for the trip south!

We had plenty of errands to run, and numerous packages being delivered to Amazon pick-up points, so we rented a car for a few days and soon learned the routes between the marina, West Marine, Whole Foods, Ace Hardware and the UPS store! The weather turned stormy so it was time for inside jobs. Jeremy decided to replace our starter battery, which took over the entire inside of the boat for a few days. For those wondering what is going on in the pictures below, starter batteries are extremely heavy and not particularly easy to maneuver into or out of their spot! This is some kind of pulley system. For the record, the two wine bottles in the corner were nothing whatsoever to do with this project.

Finally the weather improved so we enjoyed one last sunset under the bridge.

The wind was still blowing hard from the north, so we left the marina and tucked into nearby Harness Creek for the night in preparation for an early start the next morning. Although only 3 miles from the marina, it was a lovely peaceful spot with plenty of birdlife. It felt good to be at anchor again. Geese flew by, the wind blew through the rushes at the waters edge, the leaves were starting to turn, and it felt like fall. We admired the evening as long as we could before a chilly night drove us down below.