Crab Creek, Annapolis

Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Thu 14 Jun 2012 23:06

38:57.41N 76:31.82W

 

 

Tuesday & Wednesday – 13th & 14th June

 

Tuesday was perfect weather for the stainless cleaner to work (ambient temperature of 70+ degrees) so Rob and I painted on the cleaner and sprayed off with fresh water for all we were worth and completed the whole job within the day.  The more we have used Spotless Stainless (ie the less residue clinging from previous cleaners used) the quicker the whole technique (previously it would have taken about a week to get all our stainless polished and waxed) has become and the result is astonishing.  We just wish West Marine stocked it, since as yet we haven't actually found it any chandleries here in the USA!  (It is available online to all those of you with an address to have it sent to… www.rochemarine.co.uk   )

 

Mid-morning on Wednesday we dropped our lines and set off in hope out of the marina:  when we had arrived there were Force 5 winds creating a nice surge of water into the creek which has a dredged channel of only 7' plus tide (we draw 7ft 3”).   We had literally towered over the dock we were on but since then, the wind swung round to the opposite direction and the middle of the day high tide is considerably lower than that at night (we are talking inches here but every little counts in the Chesapeake!) so we really weren't sure we would manage to leave the harbour without going hard aground.   In the event we had 0.4m under us and were able to enjoy seeing baby ospreys in their various nests on buoys and marker posts on the way out.

 

We motored up to South River just 8 miles away (very little wind as ever) and turning into Crab Creek were presented with a tiny ‘gate’ between a red and a green buoy, at such an angle that the buoys looked reversed, requiring us to glide right up to the port creek bank and then dog-leg into the creek itself.   Once inside the depth fell away again (to a grand 2.5m) and we were waved at and had welcomes to Crab Creek shouted to us by several boats, all then telling us how to find Wolfgang further up the creek.   We dropped the anchor where the creek widened out a bit, just below Wolfgang's house, surrounded by bluffs with tall trees and rather grand houses, all with docks and sail boats rather than motor boats on them.   This creek is used as a hurricane hole, so it is incredibly protected and calm - actually silent and still, except for the birds.

 

We rowed ashore and introduced ourselves to Wolfgang.   He has been very welcoming by email and phone since Rob first contacted him and other fellow volunteer OCC Port Officers regarding our entry into the US, but had not mentioned that he is quite ill so we felt a bit of a burden to him, although he seemed delighted to meet more sailors.   He has his own boat moored to a short private pier at the bottom of his garden and hadvinvited us to visit him and simply moor alongside his boat. Sadly there is probably not quite enough depth there for us, but we are very happy swinging to our anchor just 50 metres away.    Tomorrow we are borrowing bikes from him to cycle the 3 miles into Annapolis and have a mooch round.   And over the weekend we are meeting up with my cousin, Brooke who has offered to drive us around and show us the sights.