President Obama & Maryland Blue Crabs

Serafina
Rob & Sarah Bell
Tue 5 Jun 2012 13:54

Fri, Sat, Sun & Mon – 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th June

 

We got up early on Friday so that we could get in the queue for timed tickets into the Holocaust museum, arriving there for 0830 hrs- opening time 1000 hrs !   We were (surprise, surprise) one of the earlier ones and got a ticket for 1015 entry into the main museum.

 

We have already been to the Vad Yashem museum in Jerusalem (see previous blog for July 2010), but the Washington DC museum has a very different feel and a far more political slant - not surprising I suppose in the western world's political capital, with a huge Jewish influence.   It very much concentrated on how the political situation allowed Hitler to come to power rather than the actual way people survived within (and without) the concentration camps.   It was still horrific.   I think we must be here during schools' prime visiting time:   many of the kids really were not very interested/affected.....

 

After that we went to their cafe for a coffee (well, I had a hot chocolate - am not coping with the air-conditioning and I had a fleece on, not sure how Rob survived - but it’s not a place to discuss tiny discomforts!), where we still had to go through security - a security guard was killed by a white supremacist here recently and they are very careful with all their checks now - to our first disappointing food experience.   We followed that with what we hoped would be a nice roll at the Safeway’s cafe, but it turned out to be (and we only had a small one) a vast and impossible to handle roll thing, overstuffed.   So a write-off day where food was concerned.   And so we did a bit of food shopping and wandered home.

 

We had kindly been invited for supper by one of the residents, but as we anticipating another storm we decided to stay on board in case we dragged our anchor.   In the event this was a good decision:   it absolutely poured with rain (I managed to collect a full bucket of rainwater in quarter of an hour by placing it under the runoff from the bimini (only 2 square metres if that) for several hours and would have made it impossible to dinghy back and forth.   In one lull I bailed out the ankle deep water from the dinghy and we hauled it up alongside in the harness, with the bung out - and inspecting other dinghies the next morning this also proved a good idea!   It was inevitably accompanied by spectacular lightning, so we shut away all electrical goodies especially computers in the oven - and wondered what to do next.

 

Saturday we took a day off from culture and went to the Eastern Market.   This is a proper market which the farmers bring produce into the city for - we bought veg from an Amish couple who looked distinctly out of place surrounded by all the other stalls of Mammon selling jewellery, clothes, artwork etc etc.   In the evening we were invited to join Scott and Freddi on-board for a pot luck supper.   They, poor things, had set off the previous day to Alexandria to prepare to scatter Scott's father's ashes - the proposed BBQ had not happened in the downpour and so they had meat to eat up.   We had a wonderful night getting to know other cruisers and particularly Jean, Scott's incredible mother.

 

Sunday was a day mainly spent on board.   Scott came out to start the ever-present job of looking at the damn SSB giving Rob a few initial things to check out.   In the afternoon we had arranged to be given a lesson in eating Maryland Blue Crabs.   There is a fish market right next door to the yacht club which mainly sells shrimp and crab.   Freddi  took us along and we bought half a bushel of large male crabs (and they arrive live at the market in bushel baskets made of a lattice work of wood strips) which were then steamed, funnelled into a box and very liberally doused in Old Bay seasoning - a seasoning that you consider carefully once it is on your hands, ie proximity to more delicate parts of one's personage apparently.   Once cooked the beautiful blue claws and backs all become bright orange. 

 

We gathered outside Capital Yacht Clubhouse and the crabs were dumped on a newspaper covered table and Scott gave us a lesson in consuming these things.   Basically it is an incredibly messy business, with lots of effort for little (but very delicious) gain requiring crackers and little sharp knives - and lots of kitchen roll.   Sorry we forgot the camera but wouldn't have been able to pick it up anyway.  Clearing up involved shovelling the mountain of shells and debris into a huge bin and then hosing the area down with a fire hose. Freddie, Scott and Jean then shot off to the theatre - David, Candy (S/Y Endeavour), Rob and I more sensibly adjourned to the bar.   We are a little trepidacious as all our (well mainly Rob's) drinking is going on a tab, together with our daily access - the bar is very expensive and there is just a small worry that the bar bill will be bigger than the access one....

 

Monday back to the museums:   Rob visited the Air and Space Museum and I went to the Hirshhorn (sadly in the middle of setting up a huge exhibition so not much open), the Freer and the Sackler - ie modern paintings and sculpture, Whistler, and oriental art especially some beautiful jades.

 

We then moved the boat over to the quay to take on water:  the CYC generously allow you to have this and pump outs free.   And apart from wonderful showers, there is also a very professional laundry you may use with many washing and drying machines, all taking $1.50 for a complete run (as we were having such a good time at the bar, our washing is looking a little tighter for many reasons now....) which is amazing value.

 

Whenever Rob or I set up our computers, members start offering very helpful advice.   I am now just ‘way-pointing’ any destination, particularly anchorages which are being pointed out - and the iPad is just perfect for this.   I really can't emphasise too strongly what a useful tool it is:  ours is loaded with Navionics $15 for all North America plus Active Captain (a sort of Wikipedia for sailors in that anyone can pinpoint locations and add details about hazards, anchorages, facilities etc  - although this system is checked by two incredibly hard-working cruisers who run the website) giving us very up to date information - almost making pilots null and void.   Together with the Radio Shack VHF weather radio which gives up to the minute information for wherever you are at that moment (thank you again to Scott-Free who kindly gave us their old one) - this is alarmed to draw your attention to any further weather updates.   And when the storms were over us, went off endlessly with the progress of said storm and tornadoes crossing our path!

 

And finally this afternoon (Monday still) we had a flying visit from President Obama!   As we have mentioned we are directly under the very narrow and low air corridor for the helicopters on their way from the White House and Pentagon to Andrews Air Force base and when the President is being flown to confuse any attack he is in one of five helicopters being flown, and he has just zipped over our mast twice - I am sure he was mightily impressed with the beautiful Serafina and I am quite certain he was looking directly at us from the window of the 5th helicopter! They have an absolute flight ceiling of 200ft which means they cannot fly higher than that because of the civil airport nearby, but given that our mast is just under 70ft high, this must be the closest we get to the man himself.