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 Today the oyster business has been replaced by tourism and everything to do with pleasure boating.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.