May 21 - June 2 Yorktown to Eastern side of the Chesapeake

Jim at Solomon's Pier Jim, Judy, Jack and Sue at Yorktown


Week of May 21-28 Yorktown, VA to East side of Chesapeake


Sunday May 21 . The four of us, Sue & Jim and Jack & Judy drove first to Jamestown. 2007 is their anniversary and much construction was going on – a new visitor’s center, etc. It was interesting that it was only 1994 when archeologists discovered where the walls to the town had been. They found many artifacts in the area and now have a museum displaying them. There was an old church still standing and a picture of the how the settlement once looked. Then we moved on to Williamsburg and decided not to buy the ticket for the whole tour – houses, etc. We just bought a bus pass and could walk around the town. We did go to the Kings Tavern and had an “authentic” lunch. The waiters were in costume and the lunch was pretty good. The guides in the town were also all in costume and as we came out of the Tavern, a re-enactment was going on as the colonists discussed England and the upcoming revolution.
Monday May 22 37 miles today, Dozier's Regatta Pointe Marina, Deltaville VA 3 nights $166.95
We discovered that the water heater wasn’t working and it kept discharging water through the overflow pipe. We started off for the marina in Deltaville and arranged for a mechanic to look at it when we got into the marina. As luck would have it, the water heater was working fine when we arrived. He did sell us another overflow valve in case we have this problem again.
May 23 & May 24 were both very windy so it’s just as well that we’re staying here. Jim planned on doing on oil change so we used the courtesy car to go into town for some additional groceries and to the West Marine store. I also went to the local hair salon and had my hair cut. Tonight is American Idol final and the boaters lounge has a big screen TV so we watched it along with a group that is cruising together from the Chesapeake area. Also had a diver come over and check out our zincs. Good thing we did this since one zinc was almost gone and we had crab pot line on the props. Also, watched Travis win American Idol.
Thursday May 25 MM 136, 24 miles today, anchored Cockrell creek
Time to move on; even though it’s still windy it’s now coming from the south so it’s going with us so it’s easier to travel. We got into the anchorage in Reedsville about one and since we are near the town, we went to the Seafood deli and I had a soft shell crab sandwich. Jim had a hamburger that he raved about. Friday and Saturday May 26 &27 We headed toward the Solomon Islands. A Warship 57 called us on the radio to say he was crossing our bow (he is pretty big – we did see him!)
May 26 MM 97, 39 miles today, Solomon, mooring ball $25/night
Arrived at Solomon’s for the Memorial Day weekend. Now this is how one imagines the Chesapeake. Solomon’s is an island and must have a dozen marinas here – lots of boats everywhere. We elected to take a mooring ball at one of the marinas so we could use their dinghy dock, laundry, etc. It was a short walk to the stores and we used the marina’s bikes to do a little grocery shopping. The town is small with a nice pier and river walk. Check out the pictures Sunday we left and headed across the Bay to the eastern shore of Maryland to check out the towns of Cambridge, Oxford and St Michaels. We haven’t seen this many sailboats actually sailing!
Memorial Day Now we are anchored in LeTrappe Creek, MM81, 36 miles today – a very pretty area just south of the town of Cambridge. Since it’s a holiday weekend, there are lots of other boats anchored here. The weather is warm and sunny.
We explored the creek with our dinghy and I went swimming. This is nice so we’ll staying here another day. On Monday most of the boats started leaving so we had a quiet anchorage for the night.
On Tuesday, we moved on to the town of Oxford , MM 81, about 10 miles away. We anchored near the town and took the dingy to town. The guidebook says it’s a quaint town and but also most things are closed. Not much here. We walked around town, went to the post office and took some pictures. Then back to the boat to enjoy the day.
On Wednesday May 31 we just went over toward Knapp’s Narrows and anchored in Duns Cove. Another quiet anchorage. Sailboats seem to come in late; we had the anchorage to ourselves till about 5 when three sailboats came in for the night.
Thursday June 1, on to St Michaels, MM 63, 20 miles today, 1 night $115.25
we went through Knapp’s Narrows and Poplar Island Narrows. Once we got to St Michaels Marina and got settled we walked into town for some groceries. Then we took our bikes off the boat and went to the hardware store that was outside of town a bit. This town is much more “happening”, lots of cute little stores and nice restaurants. Went out to the Crab Claw and had crab legs tonight. Wonderful!
Friday June 2, we moved to the Wye River, which is an area that Bruce (another looper) recommended for nice anchorages. This is a pretty area, some homes but also the island is natural and kept up by the Maryland DNR. We even saw mute swans and a posted sign that said not to kill them. We took a dinghy ride and checked out the area. Stayed here on Saturday since storms are predicted that never materialized. We did enjoy our week on this side of the bay, it’s more like I imaged the Chesapeake to be like – loved the little towns and quiet anchorages. Planning to go back across the Bay on Sunday and next week see Annapolis and then Baltimore