June 29 - Delaware City to Cape May, NJ

We left during high tide, resulting in a fast current in the direction of Cape May. This added at least 3 to 4 miles per hour to our speed. The weather was great and the ever widening river was smooth. About two hours before our arrival at Cape May, wind picked up and the tidal 

change slowed us down by two to three miles.  Around 1:30 p.m. we entered the Cape May Canal that took us to the well protected waters of Cape May. Arrangements had been made for a two night stay at the Utsch's Marina. Before docking, we wanted a pump out. Since the  

pump out system was not working, we were sent to another marina. Here the system was also out of order. At the third marina we were in luck. After tying up the night, we washed down the salt from the boat, and got ready for dinner at the nearby Lobster House. It has been a great day!

June 28 - Baltimore to Delaware City, DL

Neil Kraay joined us today for the trip to New York City. Due to the last minute cancellation of his flight, he ended up arriving a few hours late. At 12:00 Noon we were able to finally depart and returned to the Chesapeake. As we cruised to the north, it became more windy and the clouds became darker. It was the making of a good thunderstorm. We were very fortunate that the storm passed by quickly. We were headed to the small town of Delaware City, our overnight stop. This small town is located along the shores of the Delaware River, just north of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. When the C&D Canal opened in 1829, Delaware City was the eastern terminal of the canal and site of one of the four locks (see above). Teams of mules and horses were available to haul the boats through the narrow canal and locks. The canal became too small and in 1929 a new canal was dug with the entrance 2 miles south of the old canal. Across the river of Delaware City is Fort Delaware on Pea Island.During the Civil War it was used to hold Confederate prisoners - the last ones to be released in 1866. The fort was reactivated during World War II to house German prisoners of war.

June 27 - Baltimore, MD

It was a very hot and humid day. This morning Thressa did the laundry, I did some office work and brought the blog up-to-date. During the afternoon I went to Home Depot to purchase a microwave - the old one had given up the ghost. Also stopped at West Marine to purchase some additional lines - they were on sale - 40% discount. Later we took a long walk that included a visit to Barnes and Nobles and a stop at Panera Bread. The area around the Inner Harbor is very interesting and worthwhile a visit. Be sure to visit the Aquarium.

June 26 - Annapolis to Baltimore, MD

Even though we had quite a rain storm during the night, the sun was out, we had blue skies and it was already around 80. As we departed Annapolis, we had a good view of the Naval Academy. Soon after leaving, we passed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Our next stop was Baltimore. One of the first historic views was Fort Carroll, an abandoned fort in the middle of the Patapsco River. Nearby is the star-spangled buoy marking the approximate spot where Frances Scott Key,while imprisoned on a British ship, wrote the "The Star Spangled Banner." Just a bit further is Fort McHenry where the US flag still flies to this day. We headed to the Inner Harbor where we will tie up at the City of Baltimore

Public Docks for two nights. We are within easy walking distance from shops, restaurants, museums and various other attractions. Right after our short walk, we had a heavy rain and thunder shower. Great sleeping weather!

June 25 - Annapolis

The david pad was about to come off my dinghy. To fix it, I had to take off the david pad, sand off the old glue and apply three coats of new glue with 20 minutes drying time in between coats. After the fourth coat and 3 minutes waiting time, I was able to but the pad back on the dinghy. 24 hours of curing time and all was fixed. The place was quite busy with "pirate ships" filled with children to Navy Rowing Teams. It was very hot - great for ice cream. This afternoon we went to explore this historic city. Among the visits made was the State Capitol where George Washington submitted his resignation as Commander in Chief. 

June 24 - Solomons Island to Annapolis, MD

,Yesterday we had rain on and off all day long. Today was sunny, hot
and humid. With a southwest wind, the Chesapeake was very calm. As we left the Solomons, we enjoyed a good view of the Calvert Cliffs, 30 miles of fossil-laden clay strata and beach. Here we also saw one of the many light houses. Marking the entrance to the Severn River, which leads us to Annapolis, is Thomas Point Light, one of three remaining screwpile lighthouses of the original 45 on the Bay. As we passed part of the Naval Academy, we saw some very young sailors
being instructed in the finer points of sailing. We had not made slip reservations and planned on tying up to a mooring ball. However we got lucky and found the very best place to dock, at the foot of Main Street with all the shops, restaurants and historic streets just a few steps away. Thressa's most favorite store is across the street - an ice cream shop.

June 22 and 23, 2013 - Solomons

On Saturday we left Reedville and continued along the west coast of the Chesapeake to Solomons Island, a distance of 42 nautical miles. We passed the mouth of the Potomac River which is marked by Smith Point on the south side and by Point Lookout on the north side.

At times we could see the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake. In the distance we could see the outlines of a very old freighter, World War II vintage. The ship was not moving and as we got closer, I could see through my binoculars large holes cut in the sides of the ship. A number of small boats were nearby to witness the planned sinking of what will be a diver's paradise and home to many fish.

Around 2:30 p.m. we came to Solomons Island, just inside the mouth of the Patuxent River. As can be seen from the picture to the right, the island is connected to the mainland by a very high two lane bridge.

Back in 1865 a Baltimore businessman, by the name of Isaac Solomon, purchased 80 acres, known as "Sandy Island", and set up an oyster cannery and housing for the workers. By 1880, more than

500 locally built boats made up Solomons fishing fleet. Today the oyster business has been replaced by tourism and everything to do with pleasure boating. A total of 8 marinas can be found on the

island with a capacity of more then 1600 berths. In addition there are

a number of mooring balls. One of the major attractions is the Calvert Marine Museum.

This was to be the last night on board for Thressa's sister Win and her husband John Hall. Arrangements had been made for a car to take them back to Virginia Beach. We will miss them. 

We had planned to continue on to Annapolis so that we could meet up with David Kramer, our nephew. David just finished his first year at the Naval Academy. We were to arrive the day before he was to report for sea duty in San Diego. His flight to the West Coast was scheduled earlier then planned and we therefore were unable to have our rendez-vous. Instead we decided to have a free day in Solomons Island. Tomorrow we'll set sail for Annapolis, Maryland.

June 21, 2013 - Gwynn Island to Reedville, VA

We had a very peaceful night, no storms, calm waters and the anchor held. Thressa had wanted to get an early start by getting up at 5:30 a.m. Our boat clock runs faster when the generator is the source of power. As result she got up at 5:00 and was ready to go at 6:00 when the rest of us were just having our last dreams of the night. After our cereals with Michigan blueberries, we started another day of boating. The Gwynn Island swing bridge master was called and he had the bridge open by the time we arrived. From what I understand, this bridge has the most openings of any moveable bridge in Virginia.

As we entered Hills Bay, we could see the remains of the Islander Motel which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Today's weather was similar to that of yesterday, winds out of the east, but not as strong. We arrived at Reedville, our destination for the day, by 11:30 a.m. This small town was a busy place during the heydays of the menhaden fishing industry. One can still see the great Victorian homes built by the captains and owners of processing plants. Most of the processing plants have closed with just a few still
operating. The largest is owned by Omega Protein and they process

100,000 metric tons per year of these small inedible fish. The final product is used for fertilizer, vitamin pills and fish oil capsules. We were docked in front of the Reedville Marina and Crazy Crab Restaurant, located at the foot of Main Street. After washing the results of salt water spray from the boat, Thressa, John and Win took a walk into town. With the exception of a small ice cream parlor and the town's Post Office, there were no stores to be found. Henk spent part of the afternoon catching up with some office work. The highlight of our day was dinner at the Crazy Crab Restaurant. What a

feast. Thressa's choice was the famous crabcake, Win chose a combination of crab on Portabello mushrooms, John had the fisherman's plate and Henk had shrimp stuffed with crab. That with a good glass of wine is what the doctor had prescribed. After returning to the boat, I had a long discussion with son Henry about the finer points of blogging.

June 20, 2013 - Looping Again

In March, 2012, we left the Marco Polo II at Ocean Marine in Portsmouth, VA. Plans were to continue the trip around June 15 of that year. Quadruple by-pass heart surgery changed of all of those plans. Here we are, one year later and we are ready to start the last part of our Great Loop trip. We left Grand Rapids on June 12 and drove to Portsmouth, VA. A number of items had to be completed before we were ready to start the trip. This included cleaning the interior, water proofing the canvas, some minor repairs, stocking the boat with all sorts of food and drinks, etc. The day has finally arrived and today we are ready for our trip northward on the Chesapeake to an anchorage at Gwynns Island, VA. Thressa's sister Win and her husband John Hall are joining us for about four days.

Before leaving, we had to fill up on water and fuel and of course a group picture had to be made. From let to right are John and Win Hall and Thressa and Henk Witte. Wind was out of the east, not something I prefer, but when we heard that the waves were estimated to be a round 2 ft, we decided to proceed. Below you can see some of the Navy ships stationed in Norfolk. After bypassing the Navy fleet, we headed straight north and at about 6:00 p.m. we reached our anchorage. Dinner tonight was a ceasar's salad, a delicious lasagna, and peaches for desert.