BMC Boater Blog

Universal Fun

2012-08-23T15:10:00.000-04:00

Harbor Cruise & Mike's Crab House North

August 18th, 2012

My best friend from Iceland was in town for just 2 nights and Friday was the BMC Customer Appreciation Event and so we just had Saturday to get her and her son out on the bay. (They don't do a lot of recreational boating in Iceland!) Plus, she spent some time in the Maryland area in the 90s and LOVES crabs, so that was also a must do event. As it happened, other great friends of ours were returning from a week at the beach Saturday morning, and so we set out for a harbor cruise with our crew of the day -the Eberhart's with adorable sons Jack & Tommy in tow, Bev & Chase Anton from Iceland, Cap't Buddy, me and Lexi-dog.

Bev & Chase Anton

New attraction at the harbor

The harbor was active with boats on this gorgeous, sunny Saturday afternoon, as we slowly cruised through Fells Point, around the new Harbor East area (a lot has changed since the 90;s), over to the Inner Harbor where the promenade was lively with tourists and pedestrians. The new "Ripleys Believe It or Not" attraction is open now and seemed very popular. We tucked inside the Science Center alcove and checked out Watermark's newest fleet addition - the Raven, and over around the Tiki Barge. It was just at that point the little ones began to get restless and so we headed back to BMC to let the family disembark at the fuel dock and then us four (& our 4-footed friend) set off in search of CRABS!

Tiki Bar at Mike's North

We decided we'd give Mike's North in Rock Creek a go since we hadn't tried it and have heard good things about it. The cruise was easy, no wind and small seas. An easy 1/2 hour ride and we were pulling in past the white rocks and up to the docks. There are plenty of slips available, but it was easier for us to go on the T-head.

The new deck is beautiful with a huge tiki bar and colorful umbrellas, and it sits high so you can look out over the bay. The crabs were mediums and tasty; the clams casino delicious and the beer cold!

After a slice of key lime pie, we were off to do some swimming. The water is the perfect temperature this time of year, and fortunately we didn't see any jellies! Chase Anton had a blast jumping off the front of the boat and lucky for me I still have some upper body strength since we couldn't put the swim ladder down with the dinghy on the back! (A challenge, for sure.)

Fun on the bow!

We wrapped things up before sunset and headed on back towards our slip, the three of us taking time to nap on the back in the bright summer sun. Waking in time to do a little bow riding and a great Titanic impression before sliding back in to the slip and talking about the fun of the day. We weren't even packed up and off the boat before Chase Anton uttered the words so typical of teens the world over: "Can we go to Game Stop now?" I guess some things are truly universal!

I didn't take any pics on this trip. The pics came from the Facebook pages of those mentioned!

Spontaneity!

2012-08-15T14:54:00.001-04:00

Curtis Creek, August 5th, 2012

Buddy was out of town last weekend so I was on my own. Sunday morning after waking up, I rode my bicycle to the Farmer's Market for the fresh peaches I had been craving and then was heading to the pool to work on my tan when I ran in to some locals at the Tiki Bar. As I approached I was asked "Hey, you going on the boat with us?" My immediate response? "YES!". I'm pretty much always up for a boat ride. I didn't know who was going or where we were going, but it was a beautiful summer day, so why not?

Flag at Ft. McHenry standing out & Captain Clark at the helm

Our crew for the day consisted of Captain Clark, Steve & Angie, Billy the Pirate, Scotty, his parents, Danielle, John & Laura on Samantha's Dancer. The original destination was Hard Rock Cafe, but somehow we wound up heading towards Reckless Rick's. It's an easy ride out of the Harbor, Ft. McHenry on your starboard, over to Curtis Creek. This is Baltimore at its most industrial, but once you pass the Coast Guard Station and the army reserve base (where my dad retired as Tug Boat Captain), it becomes more residential and scenic.

Turn right at the American Legion Post 277, where I'm an Auxiliary member and grew up going to Christmas parties and Easter eggs hunts. My parents still go to Friday night fish frys (when they're open). It's on a gorgeous plot of waterfront property with its own Tiki Bar and is on the edge of going out of business - such a shame.

Okay, back to Sunday afternoon... as we approach Rick's, the dockhand had us dock on the neighbor's pier (!), and was there to help us tie up and off we went for lunch. It was SO windy and hot outside, that we opted for inside dining, althought that's a hard call because the outside is all tropical and beachy, while the inside is pretty much a bar. We ordered lots of apps to share - wings & nachos, pitchers of beer, all brought to us quickly by a smiling waitress (if you go, ask about why the waitresses stay so long - it's a good story). The nachos were the best I've had in a long time (that's all I tried).

Beach at Reckless Rick's

My brother lives in the neighborhood so I gave him a call, and just for me, he pulled himself out of the pool and rode over in his jeep. Great to see you Sean!

My Bro

After playing some pool and a taking a photo shoot outside, we were ready to head home, just as a storm approached. As we were debating whether or not to leave, the storm went by and the sun came out, lucky for us! So we enjoyed a nice - crazy (in a good way) may be the better word ride home with lots of laughs along the way. There's a lot to be said for spontaneity. I didn't see the pool that day, but I did get another blog!

Feinstein's Annual Dinghy Poker Run Weekend

2012-08-02T17:01:00.000-04:00

Feinstein's Annual Dinghy Poker Run Weekend

Middle River, July 27-29, 2012

Doovie Del-Mar Marina

So it's called an annual event, although this is the first time in 4 years that they've had the party. And we were so happy to return! You can't beat a party thrown by Dave & MA. You just KNOW it's going to be an event to remember. They live in a gorgeous home on the water, make everyone feel welcome, and think of every last detail for their parties - The Ultimate Party Hosts (UPHs)! It used to be that we all came in to the Doovie Del-Mar Marina & Resort for the weekend, took part in the Dinghy Poker Run and then held a large tent party in the evening. Then we got older and realized the dinghy poker run took a lot of effort and so the UPHs decided to forego the party for a few years. Now it's back in the form of a weekend getaway (lucky for us!) and we watch from the docks as the dinghies go by!

Dinghies going by...

We headed over on a beautiful Friday evening, Lexi dog and Missy as guests aboard the Harbor Shark. We had a nice chat and less than an hour later, were pulling in to our slip. It's amazing how many boats the UPHs can fit on their pier - hence the name Doovie Del Mar Marina & Resort! This year they borrowed three of the neighbors piers and according to Dockmaster Doovie, had 26 boats (21 guest boats, with another 5 stopping by). They started arriving around noon on Friday and the last boat didn't leave until noon on Monday!

Sunset on Middle River

We enjoyed a gorgeous sunset while catching up with friends before heading over on dinghies to meet some others at River Watch for perfectly cooked crabs (thanks for hooking us up Mark!). We came back and all appreciated a nice quiet night at the end of the dock enjoying the balmy summer air and some laughs before turning in. (Translate: saving ourselves for the Big Event on Saturday.)

And what a day was Saturday! The theme of this year's event was a Greek Toga Party (openly admitted to be snatched from BMC's Customer Appreciation Party!) and of course, the UPHs had pre-planned lots of activities. Olympic Games were played where we competed for medals in everything from Hula Hooping and Corn Hole to Who Can Drink Beer Out of a Baby Bottle the Fastest & Tug of War! It's funny to witness the competitive nature of the men (boys) among us. While the women's tug-of-war game was taken seriously and we definitely gave our all, it was comical to watch the men go about it in a completely different manner. They insisted on choosing a captain, picking teams and strategizing before we could begin. And once they started, you should have heard the grunts & groans! Several of them still have bruises and rope burn to show for their efforts. Enjoy that homemade chocolate medal guys!

After a hard day's work, we had some downtime to prepare for the next round: TOGA PARTY! We had all brought/made/bought greek-themed dishes and had a humungous smorgasbord! SOO much delicious food to choose from! Most everyone dressed in costume, some very elaborate. Kudos to those that handmade their costumes - we have some extremely talented friends. It was a difficult decision to decide BEST TOGA, thank goodness for the talents of Lana who took charge as our host and ran the contest. Judging was by audience applause. The Olympic Medal Ceremonies were next. Congrats to the winners - well deserved! Dancing & debauchery followed until deep in the night (or morning as may be the case) , and as Davey put it - if you didn't have a good time, that's on YOU!

UPHs - Dave & MA

Female Finalists

Sunday was clean up and relax day. After the group photo & ironing of the decal, many of us stayed around through most of the afternoon. We were happy to see Joyce when she stopped by since she was unable to make the party. We ate leftovers and got in the "cool" hot tub. And then one by one we were on our way from another fabulous weekend on the Bay. We pulled out around 3:00, the water flat, the weather perfect. Did I mention I LOVE summertime?

Great Friends!

Thanks for a Great Time Dave & MA!

Beach Week

2012-07-25T17:14:00.001-04:00

Chincoteague, VA

July 14 - 21, 2012

Last year Buddy took me to Chincoteague for the first time and I wrote about how it took me back to an era of times gone by. We returned this year and I was once again taken back, but this time to my childhood, when every year we made the trek to Ocean City and usually timed it when aunts & uncles and their families were there too. A week at the beach with family, friends, sandy feet, lazy days, fishing, biking, eating, reading, no plans, no schedule. This year we held a reunion or celebration of sorts with the Koolhofs, Straughans and Hughes families. And what a time we did have!

Jester Wallace House

Cheers!

We left mid-morning Saturday only to hit Rt. 50 traffic near Annapolis. Buddy was surprised. Apparently he hasn't done Saturday-to-Saturday beach rentals. No worries, we took our time and reached T's Corner 10 miles after Mike & Alice. First things first - we met at the Chincoteague Inn for a lunch of fresh oysters. While sitting there, we saw Eileen & Allan arriving at the town dock on their boat, coming in from Cape May. (Congrats to them for making their first circumnavigation of the Eastern Shore on their "new-to-them" 34' Pursuit. They should write a blog on their trip! FYI... dockage at the town dock in Chincoteague is $1.00/ft, including electric) Vanessa arrived not long after. The rest of the clan converged on our welcoming beach house - the Jester-Wallace (same as last year) and we all set off in a whirlwind for 2nd Saturdays on Main St., when the stores and galleries stay open late. With so many of us it was hard to keep track of who was where, but funnily enough we found each other upstairs at Don's (go figure) enjoying icy cold beverages. More fresh seafood for all! (I see a theme here!)

Mophead & Nessa

The next day we beached it. We lounged & swam while Buddy & Vanessa were surf fishing. The ocean was as warm as I'd ever felt it. The wind was out of control though, so I put my chair at the foot of the waves while enjoying my toes in the water and ___ in the sand! Buddy caught a croaker but he was an inch too small.

We enjoyed a special dinner that night as Mike and Alice surprised us with a 10 pound prime rib complete with fixings. Sunday dinner with the fam, lots of wine, over sized baby dolls and a dimly lit attic make for great ghost stories! Buddy was a huge hit with the younger crew with his over-active imagination and stories of Bethany and Shawanda. pitter-patter-pitter-patter...

Chillaxing!

Pretty much the same for the next five lovely days. Beach, food, beach, dinner, fishing, dinner, beach.... One day Allan took his boat 65 miles off shore to the canyon and we all reaped the rewards of mahi mahi three ways - baked, grilled & blackened! (They earned it - 5' to 6' waves all the way out!) We found steamed crabs $30 for 1/2 bushel and ate to our hearts content with enough left over for fantastic crabcakes. We biked to the Blueberry Festival and indulged in freshly made blueberry pie and poundcake. We cooked out. We took the Sand Bar Shuttle where Tug enjoyed his first romp on the beach. We played bingo at the fireman's carnival (and I won - TWICE! Thanks Mom-Mom!). We went for ice cream. We drove through the refuge looking for ponies. We played rummy and told jokes on the porch. We did what millions of Americans do every summer - we were a family at the beach. And it felt so good. I love faraway places and exotic cultures, but sometimes you just can't beat good old fashioned fun!

Wayward herd swam over too soon!

Allan & Tug onboard Solitaire

Sand Bar Shuttle

One Hot Summer Night

2012-07-10T17:04:00.001-04:00

One Hot Summer Night

Fairlee Creek, MD
July 7th, 2012

We debated long & hard over going out this weekend with a forecast of 108 F, but eventually decided to go for it. We had friends that would be there and what were we going to do at home anyway? Once the decision was made, we set in to action packing and packing. It never ceases to amaze me how much STUFF we need to take with us for a single night out. We needed a cart, of course, groceries, water, beer, dog food, swim suites, towels, and the list goes on... To my surprise & delight we added a last minute crew member, none other than Vahle, and we cast off and headed east.

It was a warm cruise, but we had a great time crossing the bay before approaching the Fairlee Creek inlet, about an hour in total time, cruising at a comfortable 22 knots. We had no trouble at the intlet, made our turn in to Fairlee and oh-my-goodness! We had never seen so many boats! Looks like everyone had the same idea. We dodged the rafts, dinghtys, boats & swimmers and made our way to the Feretti, INXS, sitting like a beacon at the back of the creek.

The gang had dinked over to Jelly Fish Joel's so, we tied up with the help of Where To, where we were promptly invited to lunch! Gotta love boaters - so generous in welcoming a soggy bunch on board! Delicious burgers, dogs & sausages, as well as a local (PA, I'm guessing) concoction of cucumbers in a sauce made from melted candy red hots. As Buddy put it "very unique"!

Swimming was next for me, I couldn't get in soon enough with the triple digit temps. I made a new friend in the water, 11 year old Cassandra, and we decided to test our agility by swimming around the entire boat raft! By then the crew had returned, whereupon I was asked the dreaded question - "What happened to the blog?" I was wondering if it would come up this summer, and there it was, hanging out there. I didn't have an answer other than no pics (and laziness), so here we are...

We took Lexi dog to shore and saw that an entire area of the creek had been roped off. After running in to some friends swimming in the shallows, we were informed that there were to be fireworks that night! Hurray! We put the dog below in the air (she finally figured that out), and set ashore for Jelly Fish Joel's. Kooky drinks all around! They serve tasty blender drinks - Mudslides, Rum Runners, Margaritas, etc. and you can add a dark rum floater on the top - if you dare! We met up with some friends there with their daughter and grandson, took a dip in the water, sang along with the band and one of our bunch even met up with a young lady and decided to take a walk on the beach.

Former Raven Michael McCrary was at the bar, having a great time, and very patient with fans. He gracefully took pictures with everyone that asked, including an unmentioned member of our crew that just when the camera was about to snap, pulled out her Steeler coozie (to a bunch of boos!). An hour later we made a few dinghy runs to get everyone back to the boats and once we had dinner started, realized we were down one crewmember - oops! Hmmm, the one that met the lady, what to do? We were about to send out a search group, but just at that moment we heard splashing - what could it be? a dolphin? a school of fish? NO, a swimming Vahle! All the way from Jelly Fish Joel's - and remember, we are WAY in the back of the creek! (Too bad I don't have a picture of our olympic grade crew-member - quite a site!)

Buddy with his long hair

Dinner was delicious, and as always, we had too much food. Steaks and shrimp, kabobs & corn-on-the-cob, even a trifle for dessert. We finished up just in time for fireworks - Amazing and right over our heads! (I love it when they fake the ending a few times!). Most of our group called it an early evening but it was still so warm and humid, I opted for a late night swim before Buddy & I snuggled on the bow to stargaze.

Painkiller at Bo Brooks

The next morning brought more hot temperatures and our friends All In & Premier Ride. They had been firework seeking since the 3rd of July running around the bay (Rock Hall, Sassafras, Chesapeake City & Wharton Creek). We had a nice chat hearing about their adventures on the bay while enjoying an unbelievable mango smoothy courtesy of Crystal. Not long after Buddy and I quietly slipped out of the raft up and headed west again. Once we reached the Key Bridge you could feel the wall of heat coming off the city. Another hot one! We tied up in the slip, had one more drink at the Tiki Bar - Buddy's first Painkiller, with the official Pussers Rum - and were homeward bound. Until next time...

2012-04-19T11:47:00.000-04:00

April 15^th, 2012

Shakedown Cruise

Captain Buddy*

And it begins!

Is it time to boat again already??? Feels like I was just writing these blogs and feeling melancholy over the coming winter…. Alas, Spring has sprung (more like summer) and here we go! With the weather report claiming temps in the 80’s, Cap’t Buddy was all over getting down to the boat to assess winter’s harm. Dirty on the outside, a little dusty on the inside, but otherwise, so far so good. A quick once over, and we were wanting more. It was time to get those engines fired up and see what the old gal could do. A phone call to a couple of friends, and we had ourselves a shakedown cruise ‘n crew.

The HarborShark performed stupendously. She ran great – no smoke out this year, thanks to a little pre-season maintenance, and with the exception of a loose radio wire, all systems were a go. The skies were blue, the temps up, the harbor crowded – one would think it was the middle of summer. We even had the pleasure of our summertime boating friends, which made the illusion that much more convincing.

Shakedown Cruise n' Crew*

Our friends are the ultimate socialites and brought along their “party-in-a-bag”. It wasn’t long before we were munching on olives and fancy cheeses, chicken salad in lettuce cups and more while enjoying the beautiful city vistas. After a ride out to the bridge and cruise around the harbor, we said farewell to our boating crew (see you again Memorial Day!), and headed back to the marina for round two.

Congrats Billy & Anne!

The “All In” was gracious enough to extend an invitation for dinner at the Hard Yacht for his inaugural cruise. A new cast boarded and off we headed toward Bear Creek. This time we had newbie boaters with us, which is always fun! The All In also gave a stellar performance as we drank in the early summer weather conditions. We were joined by two other boats, Premiere Ride and Billy’s Boat. We also saw a group of other BMC customers there – shout out to Billy the Pirate & Scotty – thanks for the fireball! A great day to be out and the place was packed, but they accommodated our large group quickly even though we didn’t have reservations. We had a tasty meal and a champagne toast to the happy couple that had gotten engaged Saturday. That made three betrothed duos at the table. So uplifting to be around all that young love!

As the sun was setting, we re-boarded and set out for home port. A gorgeous evening and a fabulous start to the 2012 boating season. Now I really hope the weather doesn’t turn and make us wait another month or so before we see these temps again. That would be a cruel trick, Mother Nature!

Picture courtesy of Sara Ingram

*Pics by Molly McConnell

Festive December Boating

2011-12-08T15:03:00.001-05:00

BALTIMORE INNER HARBOR
Saturday, December 3rd

I've been very remiss in my writing, even though I've had several great opportunities to blog. I've taken two cruises - a 5 day Royal Caribbean cruise to Bermuda from Baltimore and an MSC cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas, where I could tell stories of big seas, seasickness, and new found friends. We've also taken the boat out on several occasions for short periods of time. I even miss it- I got used to being ever vigilant of good shots, good stories and good quotes). Anyway... last weekend we took a short jaunt to the harbor for the day and I thought this was a good opportunity to put it on paper (or at least in to words).

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and so much to do all over the city that day- bands in harbor east, tubas in the harbor, the boat parade, the light show at the power plant, and I was ready to get in to the holiday spirit. We had lots of friends that would be downtown too. So I talked Buddy in to going to the city and staying on the boat before it was winterized (it wasn't very hard).

When we got to the marina, Clark said he wanted to take his boat out so we unloaded, turned on the heat and headed over to F pier. I immediately noticed something VERY attractive about Clark's boat (not that it isn't a beautiful vessel anyway), but the cockpit was WARM! A HEATED COCKPIT! I was in heaven since anyone that knows me knows I hate to be cold. He fired up the engines, and off we went. We cruised around the harbor and enjoyed seeing how crowded & festive the city was. It was especially entertaining when we pulled up alongside the wall at the Inner Harbor. There were over 100 santas walking from Tir Na Nog, in front of our boat and on in to Federal Hill. (The annual Santa Stumble that benefits inner city schools). We were cracking up - some of the santas were even themed! There were viking santas, elvis santas, geeky santas, skinny santas, fat santas, even a jewish santa! They were certainly spreading good cheer!
We decided that would be a great place to watch the boat parade and tied up in front of the old J. Pauls (didn't even know it was gone!). Right away we had some friends hop on board, and just as the santas were drifting out of site, then what to our wandering eyes should appear? But 200 tubas coming in near. No kidding! Tubas, tubas everywhere. They played beautiful holiday music for an hour and then the tuba parade began again.

Next up? The Baltimore Parade of Lighted Boats, of course! A few more firends came aboard to watch the boat parade, now in it's 24th year here in Baltimore and put on by the Fells Point Yacht Club. Well over a dozen boats of all shapes and sizes were decorated in varying degrees to festively entertain. My personal favorite was Santa's Sleigh, with the Choo Choo Train (and accompanying life-like horn) in a close second. There were two aweome boats from BMC Lighthouse Point (that I know of) there to represent our marinas. And the whole time I was toasty warm in the cockpit!!

So after the fabulously festive day we had, we said so long to our guests and started the engines, made our way back across the harbor to the marina, where I finally had to step out in to the cold night's air. A bonus boat ride in December - LOVE IT!

Beautiful Key Waden

2011-09-29T13:26:00.000-04:00

Key Waden - Naples, FL September 10th, 2011

Shark Bait

There was no boating in the Chesapeake for us this weekend. We went to Naples, Florida to visit Buddy's mom & to celebrate my birthday weekend. We have a 21 foot Key Largo we keep down there because it's just so perfect for that kind of boating. We keep it near the entrance to 10,000 islands so the smaller, faster, more nimble boat is perfect for scooting around the islands and even going out in the gulf.

Bridge to Marco Island

We headed out Saturday morning to do a little fishing and catch some Florida rays, since the sun's strength is waning in Baltimore now. We keep the boat in Goodland, the wayward step-child of Marco Island, in a hurricane rated boatel. The service is great - you show up and they put your boat right in. We loaded up with shrimp and ice and off we went. The water was a little murky around the islands, so we didn't have a lot of luck fishing. A few hits and lost bait, but not even a cat fish on the line! So we moved on (which was my ultimate plan anyway) up the Marco River, under the two bridges to Marco Island, through the Pass, across the shoal and over to Key Waden! I like to call it Hart-Miller South. It's a barrier island that you can only get to by boat, with beautiful crystal clear waters and a white sandy beach. The water drops off quickly, so you can bow in your boat and spend the day on the island, swimming in the warm gulf waters, laying on the beach, shelling the millions of differing shells, cooking out or doing nothing at all. There are dozens of boats there on the weekends, so you have to get there early to get a spot on the beach.

Key Waden

We were lucky and got a perfect spot. The neighbors were playing music. Buddy threw out his line (he's been lucky there before) and I went for walk.

BK fishing

Again, as with earlier summer finds, the beach has changed dramatically since the last time we were there. A small creek has formed allowing a pond to form on the interior of the island. The water there was holding fish & minnows captive until the tide comes in again. But there are still tons of shells to be found. And it seems that the sea birds have found a home here too. There were flocks and flocks of noisy pipers on the gulf side of the island. If something spooked them they all flew at once to the other side in a beautiful, if raucous display. I spent most of the day lounging at waters edge in the 87 degree waters of the gulf, watching Buddy toss his line and reel it in and toss and reel... a soothing routine like the waves coming in and going out . Such a relaxing day.

Lounging in the gulf

We headed out around mid-day back toward Goodland to have lunch at one of our favorite places - Mile Marker 8. It's someone's old house that's been converted to a restaurant. We were greeted by Pirate the Parrot, who was not-so-patiently waiting in a golf cart for his owner to come out of the bar. We talked the waitress in to bringing him in where he ate a cracker out of my hand and talked to us non-stop. Just another typical day in Goodland...

Pirate the Parrot

A few years ago, Marco Island tried to buy up the land in Goodland to no avail, and I'm sure glad they didn't get their way. Goodland to Marco Island is like Key West is to West Palm Beach. It's old school, kitschy, politically incorrect, anything goes and I love it just the way it is. And if you ever get a chance to visit, our favorite festival is the Mullet Festival that happens at Stan's Idle Hour the 3rd weekend in January, where you can learn to Buzzard Lope, watch a mullet tossing contest and enjoy a buzzard cocktail alongside the many cast and characters that make up Stan's. Whitey Schmidt has even been known to make an appearance. And don't forget to stop by the Island Woman Boutique for a kooky hat & sunglasses, it's a must!

House on Marco Island

Home in Goodland

Premier Ride's KC Crew

2011-09-15T13:41:00.000-04:00

Boating season is winding down now so I’m not sure how many more blogs are in the works, but we’ll keep them coming as long as we can. I had a special edition up my sleeve, but will be saving that for next week as Sara Ingram has quite a story that she has so graciously offered to share here. I had asked on her facebook page when we would be boating together again, and this is the response I received. Enjoy.

_____________________________________________________________________________

GUEST BLOGGER – SARA INGRAM

Hard Yacht Café, Bear Creek

September 10^th, 2011 (two days after the Conowingo Dam opening)

"You ask, “when will we boat together again?” and I answer you this way: “when you throw out common sense”. I have to share the story and photos!!!

Last year we went to the playoff game in Kansas City, and to make a long story short we “worked” our way into the best suite in the stadium—50 yard line, double suite, 2 fire places, ex-players, etc. all there. We invited our “friends” to Baltimore for the first regular season game. They arrived Friday. After confessing we didn’t know anyone in Kansas City, nor did anyone from Baltimore tell us to look them up, we enjoyed dinner at Ruth Chris and offered to take them boating the next day since Saturday was expected to be great weather.

KC Crew

We got a nice crew together (see pics!) and while waiting for a few late arrivals, our boat neighbors mentioned that they heard there was a lot of debris from the dam being opened. They warned us to be careful since others had turned back after seeing an RV Trailer in the water. With an adventurous crew ready, Premier Ride departed.

Even before the Key Bridge, there was a surprising amount of debris in the water. As we crossed under the bridge and continued beyond Fort Carroll, we realized that this was no joke—we had two spotters plus the captain screaming “turn right!”, “go left!” , “uh…not sure which looks worse, better just put it in neutral!”. We approached the John Brown, who was out on one of their three “Living History Cruises” of the year, with hundreds of people on board. The ship cleared the way for us beautifully, but then we realized that it would fill back in after we went through and then there would be no John Brown for our return. Moving at this pace, we knew we would miss the bikini contest at Riverwatch, so headed to the Hard Yacht Café instead.

Liberty Ship John Brown

Others must have had the same idea, because Hard Yacht was packed!! Our Kansas City friends had their first Maryland Crab experience at Hard Yacht. There was a great live performance by Mark Alan, and some of our ladies even became his tambourine dancers! We were having a fabulous time, until all of the sudden a storm approached and down-poured. I ran to the boat to cover the electronics and put up the canvas. By the time I got just the windshield canvas up, you would have thought I’d gone for a swim fully clothed. Almost as soon as it started, the rain stopped but the amount of water that fell was worth putting up the canvas, and got me a new Hard Yacht tank top!!

Fun at the Hard Yacht

We returned to BMC, stopped for a drink at Bo Brooks Tiki Bar, then went home to get ready for the Flip-Flop Festivus at Silo Point, benefiting the Life and Breath Foundation.

Floating islands of debris

I tell you, I have never seen anything like it. I tried to take some pictures, but was so worried about the boat that what I have just doesn’t do it justice. YIKES! Always an adventure on Premier Ride! LOL

Next time you DEFINITELY should come with us…and wear your life vest J"

Bittersweet Boating

2011-09-08T12:59:00.000-04:00

Tilghman Island Marina
Labor Day Weekend, September 3-5, 2011

Every year we go to Tilghman for Labor Day weekend. It's one of the boating bookends: Memorial Day anchored in St. Michael's and Labor Day at the Tilghman Island Marina. One of my favorite weekends of the summer with some of my favorite people, and yet I hate looking forward to it because it means summer is coming to an end. This year was no different (although I almost threw a wrench it by trying to coerce Buddy in to going to the Grand Prix - he was having none of that so we compromised. I went to the Grand Prix Friday (great fun, by the way), he got to go to Tilghman and I got a cruise to Bermuda! (I'm a pretty good negotiator.)

Heading for better weather

We headed out early Saturday morning with INXS and All In knowing we would be dodging storms. As luck would have it, we were heading toward brighter skies, so that was a good thing. We got lucky, and though we saw three storms on radar, didn't run in to any of them. Instead we had a lovely cruise on a busy bay. Two hours later we arrived in Tilghman to a welcoming committee of the crew that had come Friday night. They were already fishing on the docks. And we tied up and our blood pressure lowered and the stress melted away.

Fishing the docks

Harbor Shark at T.I.M.

The weather cleared up and we had a beautiful leisurely day of pool time, chatting, reading, munching, chatting, fishing, eating, swimming, cocktails and chatting, even napping before it was time to gear up for sunset dinghy cruise. Our group was 8 boats, which is a little difficult to organize, so half made it out and half did something else. We had lovely colors but no sunset to speak of, but no mind. We tied together and sang Kumbaya and watched the ospreys and seagulls until dark started to settle in and then headed in for the annual festivities of the birthday twins' celebration. A smorgasbord of meats, salads, vegetables and desserts, all home made and brought off the boats. MA's pudding shots are always a huge hit and this year (the first time since I've known him) we had a special treat from Buddy - Square Dance Calling! We all lined up and he taught us square dance tips! Being that it was around midnight at this point, none of us are quite ready for the Chesapeake Squares, but it sure was a pretty great time.

Sunset Dinghy Cruise

Tilghman Sunset*

Birthday Twins - Can you tell who's who???*

We awoke Sunday to the disappointing news that there would be no Buddy Fest this year at Harrison's Chesapeake House. Always the main event of the weekend and our Sunday activity. This left us with an entire day to entertain ourselves. Ha! This crew??? No problem. The girls went for a power walk, the boys went fishing. The girls made brunch for all, the boys put out the crab pots in a small cove around the corner from the Narrows. I walked over to check how the guys were doing at fishing and saw Davy in a dinghy going to check on the crabbers, so MA and I hopped in and went with him. In the cove, we found some of Chesapeake Bay's finest wildlife. A herd of cows cooling off at water's edge. Bulls, mamas and babies, all hanging out. They were curious too, which kind of freaked us out when they started wading out to greet us. Clark & Buddy had only caught about a dozen crabs and were ready to come in, which meant we weren't having crabs for lunch, so we did some dinking and then headed over to Bay 100 to meet the rest of the gang. The Nawlins Shrimp (served with warm bread for dipping in the sauce- mmm) & Fried Oysters were delicious.

Wildlife on the Chesapeake!

Bay 100 Fun

The sunset dinghy cruise that evening was a bit of a debacle. Being dinghyless, we were on All In's, and Buddy didn't want to go to begin with, so he was grumpy. We knew there wasn't going to be a sunset, but headed out anyway to be with the group. We tied together just in time to watch the Carnival Pride cruise down the Chesapeake. When the dinghies started bumping and splashing water, we looked back to find we had drifted far off shore and the wind was picking up. Two footers on the way in, poor Lexi shaking under my legs and me with water dripping from my head. And from Buddy "This is why I didn't want to go" - in deadpan. Kevin was ready to throw him overboard.

Tilghman Island Inn

Not having planned to make another dinner, several us decided to dine at the Tilghman Island Inn as a special treat that evening. The place is a such a treasure. On the web-site, it says this: "A tonic for the soul, a feast for the senses, in one of the most picturesque and magical settings on the Chesapeake Bay". And that's exactly how you feel while there. We had drinks in the chic & cozy bar area (picture zebra striped carpet next to the fire place with a large standard poodle draped across the sofa). before being seated in the dining area. The couple on Beach Music were married here seven years ago and are good friends with the owner, who stopped by to say hello. We took our time enjoying the ambiance, the conversation with good friends and especially the fine cuisine. Favorites at the table: Oysters Choptank: "Plump Mollusks in a Pernod Scented Champagne Cream Sauce in Puff Pastry" and Lavender Ice Cream (!).

Married 7 years ago at T.I.I.

Next to be married

We awoke in the morning to gray skies and the threat of heavy rain and storms. Total bummer. Beach Music was all ready to go. HarborShark was getting antsy, Crown Jewels had her engines running. Wow - not expected. My mood changed to match the weather. I knew this would be the last group boating outing of the summer and it's heartbreaking. This is my summer family. I won't see many of them again until next Spring, and to have to leave so suddenly made me very sad. To quote The Verve, "it's a bittersweet symphony, this life..."

Thanks Ron & Nancy!

We couldn't leave before saying so long to our gracious hosts - Ron & Nancy, which is why we come every year to the Tilghman Island Marina. They're a welcoming couple we love to hang with. Nancy is a foster mom for Tomcat Solutions in Easton and always has kittens when we visit, and being a cat person, I love to help socialize them while I'm there. We went up to the office to pay one by one, and one by one we pulled out. Until next year Tilghman...

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Note: We were fortunate on the ride home that we didn't hit any storms but the boat traffic from the mass exodus of boats from the Grand Prix made for a bumpy ride. Plus, the site in the city was like something out of a movie. We were one boat going toward the harbor with hundreds heading out.

*Photos compliments of J.G.

Troublesome Ms. Irene

2011-09-01T13:38:00.000-04:00

BMC Lighthouse Point
August 27th & 28th

We had been planning a group gathering to St. Michael's at the special request of a friend for over a month for the weekend of the 27th. A friend of ours has been dating a very special someone he's just crazy about and we all had our own ideas about what was going down once we got there (champagne on board, just in case), but as it turns out, Mother Nature took the reigns and instead of finally getting my Ava's pizza, we met Hurricane Irene.

Waking up Saturday morning, I turned on the news and was a little uneasy with the report. I was planning on going to a wedding shower in Montgomery County since the boat trip was ixnayed, but decided against it based on the forecast. So we went to the Farmer's Market in Fells, which was also where you could fill sand bags for free. The mound of sand was at the end of Broadway and traffic was bumper to bumper with last minute fillers. The market itself was busy, considering the impending storm (the bars too, but that's not surprising). We enjoyed a deliciously spicy bloody mary at Koopers before returning to Canton to hunker down for the storm.

Love a good bloody!

We didn't hunker too long before the square called us, so we headed up for lunch, where we found some of our "Smaltimore" crowd riding out the storm. We went to Fins where we sat trance-like at the bar watching Irene's progression. We belly-laughed when the Virginia Beach streaker ran across the screen! (Amazing that within a few minutes it was already on youtube.) After being there a while, we got a little punch drunk, and started playing with our phone apps. The funniest by far was Bald Booth! More and more of the crew started coming in and the place was filling up. Seems a lot of the city had the same idea on how to weather the storm. (Well, it is one of the best perks of city living.)

Round 1 of the Hurricane Party

Bald Booth app!

Almost $100 later, we headed out around dinner time to a friend's house, since we're no longer city dwellers ourselves, where we settled in with a good movie and some wine. It was a LONG, noisy night with the winds howling and the rains pounding, but we never lost power and we didn't flood and the boat is fine and the new interior carpet that was installed on Wednesday didn't get wet. We were some of the lucky ones.

Note: Never afraid of getting hit on the nose, All In actually did head out to St. Michael's Thursday afternoon as originally planned, and I'm happy to say CONGRATULATIONS to the newly engaged couple! I think you two are great together, and wish you every happiness as you begin planning your new life as one!

Congrats to the Happy Couple!

No Plans

2011-08-25T14:01:00.000-04:00

BMC Lighthouse Point Marina
August 19th to 21st

Fire Eater

Hula Dancers

Okay, so another weekend where we don't leave the slip. But it seems that's just what the doctor orders sometimes. Friday night was the big VIP Customer Appreciation Party at BMC Lighthouse Point Pool & Cabana Club, so I spent the day organizing and preparing and setting up and going over lists and worrying about the weather. Once the caterers arrived and everything was done as much as could be done, I went down to the boat to shower and change, and just then the wind picked up and the rain started. Oh no, I thought. Here come the storms... But low and behold, 15 minutes later the rain stopped and the sun came out. We even had a sunset, which is incredible considering that surrounding counties had severe thunderstorms with torrential downpours. The only damage was the loss of a single candle! The party was a huge success with over 400 people coming out to enjoy the authentic Hawaiian cuisine & hula dancers. Many thanks to everyone that made the party possible and for the staff for doing a terrific job in making sure everything was up to par. I slept well knowing it came together beautifully!

The Vortex

I knew we were in trouble Saturday when I walked down the dock after some last minute clean up efforts at the marina, and found Buddy in the middle of an afternoon party on the INXS. Which turned in to a day long party. One by one another boater was coaxed on board and it soon became clear we were staying dockside on this Saturday afternoon. Clark, Kevin, Cheryl & Dave, me & Buddy, all victims of what I came to call the Stiffler Vortex. We did manage to make it up to the Tiki Bar for some lunch, where it was nice to see a familiar crowd - Steve & Angie, Loretta that used to work for BMC stopped by, even Dr. Tom made an appearance. Billy & Scotty introduced us to the shot of the summer -Fireball Whiskey. Thanks Randy, for buying the bar a round. Naptime came not long after.

Saturday night we sat at the picnic table and talked with the passersby (the beauty of F pier). We soon learned what Comic-Con was all about when Rocky & Bullwinkle came strolling down the pier... About 10:00 pm someone had the great idea to ride the bull at PBR, and so off we went to Power Plant Live. Once there, the crowd didn't seem too eager to get in line, but my point was that if we had come this far, why turn back now? So Cheryl and I braved out the line while discussing strategy and decided we would conquer the bull & our fears together. Forty five minutes later, up we went and less than thirty seconds later, down we went! But WE DID IT! (We have the bruises to show for it, but unfortunately, no one got a picture of us.)

Rocky & Bullwinkle & Guests

Cowboy at PBR

Sunday came and I was up with my swimsuit on planning to hit the pool; however, the storms soon squashed those hopes. So we met with Missy & Randy and talked about the good times the day before and made plans for next weekend and called it a day and headed home.

It just goes to show that some times the best times are the times that aren't planned.

Power Plant Live

Guest Blogger Sara Ingram Takes the Helm

2011-08-18T16:44:00.000-04:00

No boating for me this week, so many thanks to Sara from Premier Ride for picking up my slack, and on the perfect weekend too - PIRATE & WENCHES WEEKEND! We've been for the last two years and it's always a great time with good stories to tell, not to mention the perfect excuse to break out the early Halloween costumes to donn a sexy pirate or wench outfit! Thanks again Sara.
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Pretty Sara

Pirates & Wenches Fantasy Weekend

Rock Hall, MD

August 13-14, 2011

I am honored to be a guest blogger this week. We were disappointed that Harbor Shark would not be joining us for Pirates & Wenches Fantasy Weekend in Rock Hall this year. All In and Premier Ride had plans to cast off at 10am Saturday morning…but first, Premier Ride’s Captain and First Mate (wearing my pirate hat) commandeered the air floor from Harbor Shark’s dinghy—our first pirate booty of the weekend! (Karma kicked in, and just beyond the Key Bridge we had to momentarily stop because our dinghy was being hit by our own wake which caused it to shift and fill with water.)

The day was hazy with few boats on the water, making the cruise calm enough that one of the Premier Ride crew studied for the DAT! The plan was to tie up to Grateful Escape who had already found the perfect spot in Swan Creek. Bob & Barb are the pirates who never age—the world would be a better place if more people were like them!

Studying for the DAT

Everyone but the Premier Ride crew, who worked & studied a bit more, set off for the first pirate event on the beach. The land-lubbers returned, just as Premier Ride’s crew, with beads, bandanas, hats, tattoos and swords prepared to venture to land. We docked and ordered our first shots and sandwiches at Haven Harbor—yum!

Premier Ride Crew

The rain subsided and the adventure continued. A Rock Hall Rickshaw (works strictly for tips) approached but was going the opposite direction of Harbor Shack; two minutes later as rain started to fall again, and he returned to give us a ride! More drinks, pictures & shots—thank you to our bartender who kept my secret when she saw me pour most of my shot on the ground…!

We spotted a boat (Impulsive, Severna Park) without fenders getting damaged by the rough waters. The piling to which it was tied had broken and bent the rub rail exposing fiberglass. We and two others tried to reduce further damage by retying the lines and securing a fender on the piling. PFFFT! It had been pierced by the bent rub rail. A passer-by called the Harbor Shack and Waterman’s to request announcements to be made in hopes to alert the owner. Note to self: when tying up to hard objects, use fenders!

Boat damage from busted fender

All that work made us hungry, and amazingly, John at Waterman’s was able to seat us immediately; steamed crabs, Caesar salad, corn on the cob, and of course, shots (What, what, what, what? Pirate Rules!)

Scallywags!

Wench of the Year

I saw the Soggy Dollar, so we walked over to thank them for their flamingo beacon that has guided Premier Ride back to BMC countless times. Noteworthy Sightings include Capt’n Black with his sword, Johnny Depp, a Dundalk Pirate, Justin Beiber, our bartender Carol (thanks for returning the Visa Black Card left behind last week!), and more... A special congratulation goes to Lana who was awarded Wench of the Year!

The weather on Sunday made most our raft up decide to get an early start home. Only All In and Premier Ride stayed a few extra hours. We decided to stop at Waterman’s for crabs before returning to Baltimore. It was a ghost town! Hard to believe the place had been packed full of pirates and wenches just hours earlier. It was a peaceful quiet ending to a crazed weekend of pirate adventures! Arrrgh!

A Weekend in August

2011-08-11T17:41:00.000-04:00

Bodkin & Bear Creeks
Cheshire Crab & Hard Yacht Cafe
August 6th & 7th

Cheshire Crab

This week was a mishmash of unplanned boating. We didn't have any plans, other than to stay on the boat for the weekend. Saturday morning I went to the Farmer's Market in Fells and shortly thereafter received a call from Buddy that we were going on Samantha's Dancer for lunch at the Cheshire Crab in the Bodkin. When I got there, the engines were running and everyone was standing on the dock ready to pull off the lines. No time to unload the goodies from the market, so I just climbed aboard and off we went. It was then that I got a good look at the crew. Five men and me. Oh, sounds good, right? Until they started talking. The entire trip was boys talking engine parts and bathroom humor. Perfect.

Buddy & Doug enjoy the ride

Lexi missed us!

The weather wasn't fantastic, a little overcast and pretty choppy on the bay, but we barely felt it on Samantha's Dancer. There weren't that many boats out for a Saturday afternoon. We had no trouble docking and walked up the hill next to the huge yellow & white structure and into the restaurant. It was crowded with several private parties - both adult and child parties. They have a great deck, both covered and uncovered tables, but this day we decided to dine in the air conditioning. They had $50 and $70/dozen crabs. We went with the $70 and they were meaty and good, but not hot. Most likely reheats, which was a disappointment. One thing that never disappoints there though are the shoestring onion rings - a favorite. They boys tried to "fix" the tv, made lots of noise, drank a few pitchers of beer, gave the waitress a hard time, made a mess and then left... But it was all good and everyone had fun and no one got hurt.

Key Bridge

The weather on Sunday started out better. We were going with the All In to the Hard Yacht Cafe. You never know who will be a part of Kevin's crew, so I was pleasantly surprised to see such a nice group for the day, and especially that it wasn't over-crowded. We enjoyed a nice cruise out to the bridge (my husband likes to say that he's been under that bridge many more times than he's been over it, but growing up in Pasadena, I can't say that's true for me), around Ft. Carroll and in to Bear Creek.

Rick (he's single ladies!)

We tied up at one of the long docks out in front of the restaurant and headed in. Once again, we opted for inside dining. The Hard Yacht hosts an eclectic ambiance, mostly beachy with some sport added in. It kind of looks like they add on whenever they run out of space with the little rooms, decks, shacks, and what have you. It's cozy and they usually have music but on this day the musician didn't show up. The food is delicious. The crabs were good and local and the beer cold. I finished up a little early and went back to walk the dog. I headed straight for the pastel adirondack chairs out on the lawn, where I took the opportunity have a sit and just may have drifted off for a few... A beautiful thing.

Hard Yacht Cafe decor

We headed to white rocks for a swim, but as soon as we anchored we saw lightning in the distance. We decided to make a run for it to get back to shore and we ALMOST made it (almost being the key word). As we were in position to dock it started pouring. Captain Kevin did a great job of getting us in the slip in the middle of the storm. We sat on the boat until the rain subsided, where we sang along with the music and took turns trying on the cowboy hat and Kevin and Crystal indulged in the new summer hit - alcohol infused whipped cream.

Jill looking good!

Crazy Kevin & Crystal

What a way to end the weekend!

Lazy Days of Summer

2011-08-05T09:28:00.000-04:00

Sassafras River
July 29 & 30

We met our friends Bob and Barb over 10 years ago through our good friends on The Illusion and have been boating together ever since. They keep their boat in the Sassafras River and we have heard time and again how beautiful their river is and how clean the water and on and on. We've always meant to make it up there but somehow the summers always got away from us and so finally, FINALLY we made it to the Sassafras!

But not without our share of boating frustrations. Buddy has been working diligently all summer trying to repair the dinghy. He has patched and rolled and inflated and deflated that thing more times than I care to count. I threatened to order a new one and went so far as to pick it out with the help of a trusted resource, but he was determined (hard headed) to make it last for this season. So after using fix-a-flat for dinghies a second time, he brought the dinghy to the boat, inflated it just before we were ready to leave, and guess what? It didn't hold air. DOH. No dinghy for us in the Sassafras. Good thing we have generous friends.

So we left a little off schedule Friday afternoon with the All In on our stern. Packed with food and swim toys, we left the Baltimore harbor (and our deflated dinghy) behind. We had smooth seas and sunny skies for the two hour trip north. It is a world of difference from the industrialized port of Baltimore to the tall cliffs and green landscapes of Cecil County. From the mouth of the river, the Sassafras provides lovely, scenic cruising grounds. It twists and turns and is home to lots of wildlife and many beautiful estates, one of which belongs to the DuPonts of Delaware, with its picturesque green boat house and gazebo.

We met up with my birthday twin, Barb (just a few years apart) and her husband across from the DuPont Estate to anchor, making sure to leave plenty of room for the others we were expecting. It was quite a mix of boats from BMC, Middle River and the Sassafras. A great, great group of folks. So we tie up, get settled and start the generator to cool down from the ride, only to hear shouts from the back to shut her down - too much smoke. Uh oh. Must the impeller. Dang it - we don't have a spare. Off to Georgetown to get a new one. Over an hour in the sweltering heat of a hot engine room (thanks for fanning the captain, Eric), and we have a new impeller. Good work Captain. Guess what? That's not the problem, it's the water pump. Hmmmp. No dinghy, no geni. Lucky we have generous friends AND like the heat.

Fanatical as some of us are about the sunsets, on this particular Friday night there would be none for us, so we headed over to Signals at the Skip Jack Marina for dinner. We had planned to dine outdoors on the patio, but the heat and threat of a storm moved us inside. There were 16 of us seated at two separate tables and we pretty much had the place to ourselves, which was probably best (we weren't exactly quiet). The meal was reasonably priced and the food good. I had the Steak & Cake, and the crab cake was fantastic, living up to its name as "Best of the Bay". Again, the key lime pie was tasty (what I had of it anyway - inside joke). We made our way on dinghies in the dark back to our raft up, where we disbursed to our respective boats. Some took dogs ashore, some went up on the bow hoping the meteor shower would start early, some had a night cap and talked quietly with the neighbors.

First fish*

Strawberry shots

Saturday was a fun filled day of leisure. The boys did some fishing (caught a few cat fish), we read and swam, went for dinghy rides, made new friends and ate like kings. This is not a recipe blog, but I have to mention the shot Gary had us doing. It's not only delicious, but beautiful! Use fresh strawberries and carve out the inside, pour in some Godiva Liqueur and top with liquor infused whipped cream. Gorgeous and yummy. Gary also put up a dance pole on his boat (!). The only use it got while I was there was by the guys though. I hear it's good exercise... Anyway, we swam more, ate more, watched a boat get towed, even dived for a lost necklace (sorry to say no luck). Unlike Friday night, Saturday promised a fantastic sunset. We grabbed a blanket and a cocktail and headed out to the bow for the sunset ritual. The river runs east-west, so you get awesome sunrises & sunsets without having to take the dinghy out. She didn't disappoint - it was amazing. Afterwards, there was a huge dance party on the Grateful Escape.

Noodle swim party*

Even Lexi went for a swim*

Sunday brought more of the same leisurely activities: swimming, dinking, eating like kings. A final picture show of the weekend on board One Restriction and the Harbor Shark was heading south. An enthralling weekend on an enchanting river. A weekend most of us didn't want to end, and some decided to extend.

Lily Pads*

Waiting for the sun to set*

Sunset in the Sassafras

*Pictures compliments of Sara Ingram

Mixed Company

2011-07-28T14:52:00.000-04:00

Rock Hall
July 24th, 2011

With the temp in the 100's this weekend, we just didn't feel like moving on Saturday and so skipped the relaxing weekend at Still Pond with friends. Instead, we did something we rarely do and something that Buddy frowns upon strongly. We mixed friends, family and clients! We sat at the Dark Horse Tavern Saturday evening and went through our phone list inviting those to whom we've promised trips on the boat. We're pretty active boaters and usually go out overnight and so getting everyone on board in a summer can be a challenge. This was the perfect opportunity.

We wound up with six guests on board, plus Buddy and I (and Lexi dog). We met at the marina gate at 11:30 and set off exactly at noon. Our mismatched crew consisted of my young cousin and his roommate, two dear friends from MoCo, and a client and his lovely girlfriend - none of which had ever met before this day. So we had all the generations represented - 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's. I can see how this could be considered a risky or awkward event, but for some reason, on a boat everything is good. My young cousin is quite the talker and had everyone in conversation before we even made it out of the marina, so by the time we pulled in between the water towers at Rock Hall, everyone was best friends. Or something like that.

Harbor Shark Crew

Steve & Ellen hard at work

We pulled in to a slip out front and spent a few minutes debating on whether to sit indoors or out because the heat was still pretty stifling Sunday. Before we had made up our minds, Michela-MacGyver had already scoped the scene and found the coolest spot on the deck (in the back of the tent between the two fans). So we braved it and ordered lots of food and drinks and crabs and dug in. I love it that they are dog friendly. Our waitress Jodi was fantastic, even in the heat and she loved Lexi. The ribs were the bomb and the crabs were local. They only had mediums, but many of them would have been considered large elsewhere, and were oh, so tasty! They key lime pie was yummy too.

Thanks Jodi!

We decided to take make a stop at the Tiki Barge on the way back for the city view and some tropical vibes. My cousin lives in Federal Hill, and just getting near the place we heard his name being shouted from the bar - what a way to make an entrance. Things were definitely jumping at the barge on a Sunday afternoon. I must declare that it really is the best outdoor bar in the city on a hot summer afternoon. I'm not saying that because I'm partial (I admit that), but because up on the 2nd level of the barge, there's always a breeze blowing and it's just such a fantastic view of the city, you actually feel immersed in it. It's the perfect place to take guests -and they make a pretty darn good orange crush too.

Tiki Barge on a Sunday Afternoon

At this point, my little cousin (well, he's actually late 20's, but he'll always be my little cousin to me) had gone off to find his friends and the rest of us were getting worn out by the heat and the day, so we set off leaving Justin & Kyle behind.

Donna & Jim (MacGyver)

We returned to our slip, said farewell to our MoCo friends and enjoyed the company of Steve & Ellen on the back deck while the sun set over the marina... Who says you can't mix business with pleasure?

The Things People Do...

2011-07-21T16:16:00.000-04:00

Aquapalooza & Fairlee Creek
July 16th & 17th, 2011

If I were a better writer, you readers would have quite a field day reading about Aquapalooza. I'll do my best. It's everything you envision it to be and more. Imagine a thousand boats converging on the protected side of an island in the middle of summer with dogs, kids, beer, music and rafts. And then multiply it by a hundred later in the day when everything gains momentum and the beer is flowing and the heat is steaming and the music is beating... It's craziness and zaniness and wow - what an event! Kudos to Marine Max for organizing it.

Aquapalooza

After spotting the blue hull, we managed to maneuver our way through the obstacle course of boats & bodies to the All In and Premier Ride, who were rafting together along with a few other boats we didn't know. Once tied up, I took a good look around- and WOW again, what an event. We guessed over a thousand boats were there. I spent some quality time on the bow with Barbie, my old hairdresser, and met some new friends. Just when things started to get a little out of control (beer bongs and old ladies sandwiched between young boys on a jet ski (she appeared to be either napping, drunk or god-forbid, dead -all I could think of was Weekend at Bernie's), we made our way out of there. For those that made a day of it, it sounded as if a great time was had by all, hanging out in the water, mingling and meeting new people, listening to music and especially people watching!

I'm such a nervous nelly that it's really difficult for me to enjoy myself watching mayhem unfold. Plus, I couldn't hear the band because one of the boats tied up with us brought his own generator and speakers and had his dance music blasting off the bow of his boat.

Generator & Subwoofer on Bow!

And I like live bands, so it wasn't hard for me to leave the scene once the captain gave the signal, except for the getting out part, which is like slolom boating with boats and swimming people and dogs and PWC's (back to the nervous nelly part). At least I wasn't the captain and all I had to do was bring in the lines... Thanks captain, for bobbing & weaving us out of there.

Off we went towards Fairlee to meet some friends of ours that were coming back from a cruise up to Atlantic City and Manhattan (talk about a boat trip!). I took a nap on the back of the boat and enjoyed the breeze until I felt us slow down at the cut. It's such an interesting approach in to Fairlee that I hate to miss it. I like watching us turn the corner and feeling the current under us and seeing Jelly Fish Joel's and the palm trees and babies on the beach. We found a nice open spot, set the anchor and then INXS was pulling in.

The Stifflers show purple pride!

We took the dog to shore and then the four of us went to Jelly Fish Joel's on the dinghy to listen to some music and enjoy a kooky drink. The frozen drinks are refreshing and the band was playing crowd favorites. The new bikini crush station and ice luge are a nice addition (I don't remember that from last year), and the attendant was a perpetually happy person that danced non-stop and aimed to please. I got in to the band (or maybe the kooky drink got in to me) and danced in the sand next to the mermaid, before heading back to start dinner.

Dancing!

We had a combo meal (INXS and us) with steak and sausages, crispy potatoes and grilled peppers painted with olive oil, along with corn on the cob and a nice bottle of wine. For many years we've been preparing the crispy potatoes, and they're always a big hit. See below for the recipe. We had a nice time, enjoyed watching the sunset and quiet conversation.

Capt Buddy on the grill

The wind was blowing a bit and the sound of the waves hitting the hull and the anchor chain tugging were a little much for me so I wound up sleeping in the aft cabin for some quiet. This also made for a bit of a chop on the ride home Sunday. Nothing the shark can't handle! It actually rocked me to sleep on the back deck, while getting some sun. Perfect for rejuvenating for Monday morning.

Another spectacular summer weekend on the Chesapeake...

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Crispy Potatoes Recipe

1 whole baking potato cut in to small squares
1/3 of a vidalia sweet onion chopped
generous portion of butter
generous sprinkling of old bay
fresh pepper to taste

Wrap the ingredients in aluminum foil and place directly on the grill for 15-20 minutes (until potatoes are soft and crispy on the bottom). Enjoy!

Throwing Caution to the Wind

2011-07-14T16:21:00.000-04:00

Rock Hall
Saturday, July 9th on board the All In

We had no plans for the weekend and even spent Friday night at home, but headed down early Saturday for boat chores. Of course once you get there things have a way of evolving... and it wasn't long before we threw caution to the wind and boarded the All In with Captain Kevin and crew members Crystal, Roy, Lynette, Buddy, me and Lexi-dog).

Bay Watch on the Chesapeake

We drifted near the bridge to wait for Premier Ride and his crew who had been at the Hard Yacht, and then headed past brown rocks in Stoney Creek to Nabbs Creek so they could check out the Nabbs Creek Cafe. We ascended upon the place, taking over much of the outside deck. We were a little early for the music - he was still setting up, but once again had friendly service and cold drinks (no meals this time). The Dreamsicle Crush sounded delicious - I'm trying that next time for sure! Premier Ride was planning to cruise to Rock Hall for crabs and an overnight stay, and crazy Captain Kevin said why not ? So we headed out along side them.

Premier Ride Cruising

Waterman's at Rock Hall

The Royal Caribbean cruise ship "Enchantment of the Seas" was leaving at the same time, so we cruised with her for a bit before pulling ahead. She's a beautiful ship. and one on which we'll be on board shortly (we've been watching these cruise ships come and go with wanderlust so often we finally booked ourselves a 5-day cruise to Bermuda!). The bay was gorgeous, not a lot of traffic, and Waterman's had slips waiting for us upon arrival. We were front & center, while Premier Ride was tucked in for an overnight stay. We sat at the high top in front of the bar to accommodate our large party. Roy was first to sit down, and he knows the owner (or a friend of the owner), so he took it upon himself to order lots of food for the table which was perfect since it took everyone varying amounts of time to get there. One of the crew members aboard Premier Ride had dropped her sunglasses overboard, and after several unsuccessful attempts with a hook, finally jumped in and retrieved them - FIRST TRY. Way to go Angel! By the time we sat down we had ribs and corn and soup waiting and crabs on the way. Fantastic! Good food, crazy conversation, lots of laughs and a couple of pops before the sun started to set and we needed to start thinking about making our way back across the bay. First, I had to walk the dog (of course), where I found an interesting jalopy.

I think it's either from the set of Water World or left over/in preparation for Pirate Weekend (always an experience!). The band was setting up, Buddy tried out his first "plank" to submit to BMC Plank Wars on Facebook, and then we headed out toward the sun.

Years ago we did a lot of day boating and would see the most incredible sunsets. This day was just like that. The inner harbor is directly west of Rock Hall and sets up an unbelievable ride home. It's mesmerizing to watch the sun go down on a warm summer day from the water. It was cloudy as the sun was setting and we didn't think we'd get a sunset, but the last few minutes, she dropped down out of the clouds. It's quite an experience, and if you've been boating at sunset, you know what I mean.

Setting Sun on the Chesapeake

Good Friends, Family, Food and Fun!

2011-07-06T16:25:00.000-04:00

4th of July Weekend
Middle River/Kent Island/Rock Creek

Wow - what an enjoyable weekend! Good friends and family and food and fun! We stayed in port Friday night to see Trace Adkins. That's a story in itself, but I won't get in to that here. So we had a drink with Scott & Kim at the Tiki Bar first (marina customers that moved to Utah - always great to see them), and then headed over on Clark's boat to anchor behind Pier 6, where we were able to hear most of the concert before being shooed away... Called it a night after that.

Cruising (that's All In behind us)

Saturday morning we had lunch at the Bay Cafe, where I was once again impressed by their shrimp salad - SO good. We left for Middle River around 2:00 pm and WOW - talk about boat traffic! It was crazy between Ft. McHenry & the bridge and Middle River was just ridiculous! We were staying at a friends' house, which we like to call the Doovie Del-Mar Marina. They've had as many as a dozen boats docked on their pier before, but for this visit there were five of us. The Middle River fireworks were that night, and the neighbors had a HUGE party and were kind enough to invite us over. Thanks neighbors - the beef was incredible and we enjoyed the music too! Just before sundown, Cap't Randy from INXS, who was staying at the River Watch, did a drive by and picked up the entire "non-party" to go see the fireworks. Just 4 of us remained at the house to watch the them from the dock. I was part of that group and it was nice sitting at the end of the pier and having a quiet conversation before the rowdy party returned in full force. Middle River did a fantastic job with the fireworks - kudos. Thanks again Dave & MA for opening your home to us and being most gracious hosts, as always. Even when not planned!

Doovie Del-Mar Marina

Sunday morning we lounged and had breakfast and talked about the night and and made new plans and then four of us boats set off for Kent Island. I had been wanting to get to The Bridges for their $50 dockage to have a nice meal and to check out the music at the Jetty, so here we come! They have a wonderful outside deck at The Bridges. It overlooks the Narrows where you can watch the fisherman on the point and the boats coming and going. Orlando Phillips, Rast-American, was playing, and bonus - they're dog friendly, so Lexi & Mercedes were able to join us. We had the tuna sashimi and hummus apps which were fabulous. Later we had dinner there as well, where they conveniently added the slip fees in to our bill. After dinner, the Jetty was rocking with Hot Tub Limo and our girls were quite popular with the band, having their picture taken on stage!

Our Sundancers

I woke early and walked Lexi. Kent Island is great for walking. The Cross Island trail runs along the Narrows there, but you can also walk over to Red Eyes/Annie's. We had lunch and crabs at The Jetty (it IS the 4th of July). They were local crabs and very tasty indeed. It's been a while since I've been to the Jetty - I like what they've done to the outside beach area. Kids were playing in the sand, and they're dog friendly too. After lunch, Buddy and I split from the group to head to a family cookout in Rock Creek. The bay was beautiful! It was clear and flat (if a little overcast) and the boat traffic wasn't nearly as bad as Saturday. We stayed for dinner and enjoyed delicious fall-off-the-bone ribs before returning to the harbor in time for the fireworks, where I had fun dancing to my patriotic CD and waving the American flag. What a fantastic 4th!

Wine bottle chandelier at The Bridges

We're a patriotic group!

Happy 4th!

Aloha, Mahalo

2011-06-29T14:01:00.000-04:00

BMC HarborView Marina, Inner Harbor
June 25th

We made the arduous journey across the harbor to BMC HarborView for the Inner Harbor Yacht Club Luau this week. And while we didn't chalk up many nautical miles (nor use a lot of fuel - bonus), it is like going on vacation to stay in a marina that's not your home base. We set out around 4:00 pm to do a harbor loop, and it always makes me feel good to see the Inner Harbor teeming with tourists. The paddle boats were all out with a waiting line, the outdoor cafes were full, boats lined the wall, and people were parading on the promenade. We pulled in to our slip about 15 minutes later and tied up on I dock, just at the foot of the luau tent. We could see them setting up and it made for a colorful display with the tableclothes, decorations, flags and palm trees. HarborView is looking great these days.

First order of duty is to walk the dog as usual (no matter how close or far, we always have to walk the dog). And I may complain about the chore it is, but I am always happy to get my bearings in new surroundings. I walked out through the main gates at Harborview and took a left toward the parking lot and around the townhouses on Key Highway and back down Harborview Drive to complete the circuit. It's a friendly and attractive community, with lots of places to walk. Little Havanas was packed, and Tabrizis was setting up for a wedding. Lots going on in the city on a Saturday night, and it was time to get where I was supposed to be. I headed back to the boat to change in to my hawaiian attire and up we went to enjoy the festivities.

My Sister & Me

The food was catered by the Tiki Barge and was absolutely delicious. Pulled pork, seasoned beef, hawaiian rice and HAPPY SALAD (my favorite from the days of the Tiki Bar at Lighthouse Point). The Dancing Dockmaster (Christos) struck again and had Diane, the IHYC President dancing away. Many of us won prizes in the raffle. Never belonging to a yacht club before, it was a good experience. We're looking in to joining this fun bunch where we saw some old friends and met a few new.

The Dancing Dockmaster & Diane

Knowing a few locals in the area, we invited them to visit us on the boat. So after the luau, we headed to the boat with our friends for Buddy's famous Dark n Stormies, which led to a visit to the Tiki Barge (a MUST when you stay at HarborView). It was Saturday night and it was crowded. A mixed crowd, a beautiful view, good company and a cold drink! Nice... The younger of our group then took the party to Federal Hill for dancing, while Buddy and I decided to call it a night.

In the morning it was nice to walk the dog and have a dog friendly establishment right in the marina. Sorso Cafe had a hot cup of coffee, fresh fruit and granola, and clean water for the dog.

I must say, it's been years since we've had a party on board, and it's nice to entertain. We've lived next door to the marina for a long time and recently moved away. It's a completely different boating experience when your boat is your weekend home. You get the full "marina experience". I think we've both missed that and are very much enjoying this summer.

A Fine Farewell

2011-06-23T12:50:00.000-04:00

FAIRLEE CREEK
Saturday, June 18th, 2011

In Memory of Cheryl Lightner

For Cheryl,
By Cheryl

"It was official. I was a boat owner. Holy crap. Some may call it impulsive, others, just plain crazy, but it just felt like the right thing to do at the time. It wasn’t like I had planned it. How was I to know that an invitation to a party would end like this? Actually, it was one of the best things I could ever have done for myself. It was a gift. An expensive one, granted. But, it was MY gift. From me – to me. And that gift was a 34’ Sea Ray. I am her She Captain and she is my freedom – freedom from work, freedom from every day life, freedom from land, freedom from crowds, freedom from pain, and most importantly – freedom from fear. She is my escape and she is my refuge. She has been my salvation and she has been my teacher. She has taught me to listen to my inner voice, follow my instincts and trust in my self. She has taught me to grow, she has taught me to let go, she has healed my spirit and enlightened my mind. She has allowed me to dream without interruption and listen for guidance from above. She has ignited my passion and deepened my soul. She has saved me, mostly from myself, and allowed me to heal in the physical sense as well. She is truly a gift, and one for which I will be eternally grateful. Everything for a reason.

What is it about fear? Why are so many afraid? Afraid of just about anything. “Aren’t you afraid when you leave the dock?” I have been asked on more than one occasion. Hell no! I am excited! Fear doesn’t enter into my mind. Does that make me strange? Does that make me different? Does it make me wonder? Well, I suppose I can answer yes to all three questions. Does that bother me? Again – hell no! I know no different, and for that I am glad. When I leave my slip, I leave behind all of my worries (not that I am a big worrier, but that’s the best way I can describe the sensation). I am free. Just breathing in the freshness of the sea air lifts my spirits. It’s like an explosion in my lungs that permeates throughout my body resulting in the awakening of all of my senses – it is quite exhilarating. I am ready to receive. I am at peace with all. All I can do is smile and express my thanks for being fortunate to be given this blessing. The wind blows through my hair and I press on. Gently nudging the throttles to rise to plane – there’s nothing like it. It is my passion, and I have no fear."

-Cheryl Lightner

Landlubbers Back in Time

2011-06-17T11:52:00.000-04:00

CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND, VA

No boating for us this weekend, we drove to Chincoteague Island, VA instead. But since you CAN boat there, I figured I'd write about our experience. Buddy and I were the lucky bidders at a silent auction on a house in Chincoteague. We headed out early Friday morning for the 3 1/2 hour trip. It's an easy, pretty drive through the flat countryside. A left turn at T's Corner means you're on approach and once you get past the daunting/fascinating Wallops Island you begin the long, beautiful, marshy approach in to Chincoteague and over the new bridge and there you are on Main Street. A charming downtown populated with a couple of restaurants, some shops and bookstores and B&B's. We stayed in the Jester Wallace House on Jester Street. A truly charming beach home with 3 1/2 bedrooms, 2 baths and well equipped with everything you need (minus a few modern amenities like TV/internet). (The owner is accommodating and friendly and to her credit tried to have the cable hooked up before we came, but it's not quite season there yet and she wasn't able to get it done).

Jester Wallace House

My husband spent many summers on the island with his family as a child camping, fishing, crabbing and clamming; however, it was my first trip to the island (we were an Ocean City family). We unpacked the car and Buddy was anxious to go exploring the island he had once known so well. We drove out to the inlet as he talked and reminisced about his childhood, then down Maddox past the ice cream parlors, bicycle rentals, crab shacks and seafood houses to the entrance to Assateague Island. Not much has changed and he knew the names of the businesses and told stories about locals he had met and things they had done as kids. We paid the $8.00 weekend rate (it's $5.00 daily) and drove through the refuge all the way to the ocean. To me it looked like an expansive, beautiful beach with lots of room to spread out (unlike Ocean City in the summer time when you have to hunt for your spot). According to Buddy though, the dunes were washed out and the beach was half the size it once was. There are nice eco-friendly facilities across the parking lot.

Chincoteague ponies

Chincoteague Island Lightouse

When we got back to the house, Buddy was a little anxious about what we were going to do there with no internet or tv... No worries here though - it's a dream to me. We spent three lovely, quiet days exploring the island, tasting lots of salty Chincoteague oysters and clams, fishing and biking around the island. We played rummy on the screened porch at night and window shopped on Main Street in the evenings, chatting with the friendly locals. Our house didn't have a radio, but I got the feeling that if it had, I would have turned it on to hear doo-wop playing and wolf man jack as dj.

Buddy catching flounder

Day Boating

2011-06-08T13:28:00.000-04:00

Nabbs Creek Cafe

Friday, June 3rd was our 11th Wedding Anniversary and so Buddy and I stayed in port to enjoy a quiet evening out instead of heading to Still Pond with our other boater friends. We had been debating on going to The Bridges on Kent Island Saturday night ($50 to dock overnight!), but since we had the dog with us, we decided to day boat instead! We called family & friends and set off for Nabbs Creek Cafe in Stoney Creek with our crew (Molly, Trisha & Monica) to enjoy lunch.

We set off around 1:00 pm, did a harbor loop, passing the crowded inner harbor ampitheater, saw the Sea Dog going out completely full and cruised by the Tiki Barge, which had nice crowd (no one shot us with the water guns though!). Nabbs Creek is the old Maurgale's and the new owner has revamped it. It has a nice outside tiki bar atmosphere, and this week KIX was playing outside. There was a cover, but since we were only there for lunch we didn't have to pay. (Who knew KIX was even still around???). The food was good - the burger especially!

Buddy loved his burger!

We devoured the nachos app, the burger was HUGE and fresh, my jerk chicken wrap was very spicy! Our waitress was friendly and the bartenders wore Hammerjacks t-shirts! (I think that was in honor of KIX). We explored a little of Stoney Creek, which is very active with water skiiers, tubers, PWCs, beautiful lots and some beaches too, before heading back to the marina just in time for twilight, my favorite time of day. Trisha and Monica took off, Buddy took a nap on the back of the boat while Molly and I enjoyed a glass of wine.. Another beautiful day on the bay!

My beautiful neice

Spectacular Summer Start

2011-06-03T12:49:00.000-04:00

May 27-30, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend

About mid-week the weather started looking better & better and we started getting super excited about the first trip out for the season. We had 6-8 boats that were planning to come and it’s always a mad dash to see who can raft with who because we usually get too large for the inside cove at St. Michael’s. Turned out we (Cap’t Buddy, me & Lexi-dog) couldn’t get out until Saturday morning (five of the others left Friday). The “All In” followed us out, and it was a beautiful cruise, mostly sunny, 80’s - a perfect start to the 2011 season. We got a spot inside the cove, where we tied up along side four other boats that were already there. There was another raft up across from us that were part of our group too (the big boys), so we were 9 boats in total. It’s going to be a good weekend!

We got settled, said our big seasonal hello’s with lots of hugging & kissing, had a drink and set out for Big Al’s Seafood for crabs, clams, shrimp, salads (no claw meat crab cake though). Our large group took over every outside table and had to sit in shifts and the weekend was officially started! Big Al’s not only serves great food, but it’s a tradition in our group for Memorial Day weekend. We made it back in time for a cocktail or two and some conversation before heading out for the infamous sunset dinghy cruise. We all got a little wet with the 1 foot waves in the harbor, but that didn’t stop Bobby from heading on out to the open sea! His poor crew was soaked when he finally realized we weren’t following and he came to tie up with us. That night was to be our big night in town with dinner at Ava’s (pizza & wine – what could be better?), but unfortunately our group was so large that they couldn’t take us all together, so half us split off and agreed to meet at Characters for dancing after dinner. I was part of the group that tried the new place in town – Marco’s (Italian/Asian). Interesting combination, but the food and service were impressive (my Thai Salmon was excellent), and they had live music inside. They recently built a large deck outside which was perfect for the early summer evening. As planned, we all met up later for dancing, but were sadly disappointed at both Characters & Carpenters for their choice of musical talent on the Saturday of Memorial Day. No live music at Characters and the band at Carpenters wasn’t our taste so we decided to throw our own party back at the boats…

Sunday morning brought lots of sunshine and the perfect opportunity for the girls to take their power walk. We discovered walking trails that we hadn’t seen on previous visits to St. Michaels. The looked brand new, are dog friendly and point out the local watershed & wet lands information. The girls did a little window shopping along Main St. (the winery didn’t open until noon), while I waited with my poor dog resting in the shade under a tree after the 2-mile walk. (She’s a little out of shape after a long winter).

We spent the day going to the beach across the Eastern Bay in Leeds Creek. We’ve been doing this for years and it has always been a large, deserted beach we have all to ourself. This year there was quite a bit of erosion, but we managed to fit our large crew on the beach with enough room to set up some games. One good thing – our trip this year didn’t coincide with horseshoe crab mating season, so the beach was free of the doubled up prehistoric looking creatures! Also, the water temperature was quite mild considering its still May. Some even went swimming. The ride back was adventurous – taking some waves over the bough, but at least Lexi didn’t break her tail this year. No damage and the water was warm.

The winds kicked up a little more around the time of sunset, so we rebelled against David’s sunset dinghy tradition and held a deck party on the Grateful Escape. Think of 20 people singing & dancing on top of a boat in the quaint St. Michael’s harbor. Those poor patrons at the Inn at Perry Cabin! At least we toned it down after dark. We all cooked out that night and you can’t imagine how creative our group can get with a grill. They serve up some dishes that the restaurants would be proud to have on their menu. Rack of lamb with rosemary and olive oil, bar-b-que ribs, pork chops, steaks, you name & we can fix it. All the trimmings too.

Monday, Monday… woke up to some high temps today. There will be no walking, that’s for sure. Buddy and I went in to town for some last minute shopping and breakfast at Carpenters (great Eggs Benedict). I picked up a nice gift at Mind, Body & Spirit and an adorable 2^nd birthday present at Chesapeake Outfitters before heading back to start the leaving process. It’s always a drill – put everything away, get the dinghy up (although the Hurley davit is awesome!). We like to do what Buddy calls “swiss cheese” it – a little a time. We were ready to pull out around noon and off we went. We had planned to stop at the Bridges for lunch, but it’s so hot we’re going to head straight back and sit by pool at the marina.

What a FANTASTIC weekend. It’s going to take a few days to recover from this one!

Until next week...