Annapolis, MD

September 30 - October 3, 2012  Monday - Wednesday

We did not plan on making the Annapolis Sailboat Show a priority, if we could make it in time, great, if not, it would not be a huge disappointment.  We completed the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal transit September 30,  and anchored in the Sassafras River's Turner Creek.  Early October 1, Monday we pulled up anchor and headed to Annapolis, MD.  Chesapeake Bay was calm the entire way and we reached Annapolis by mid afternoon.  We called several marinas underway, knowing it was going to be difficult to find space.  This was the week of the boat show and anyone on and off a sailboat were here.  Fellow sailors ahead of us let us know that  the moorings were already taken.  We did not want to anchor for a week.  Even the anchorages were "packed".  We were lucky to find a marina.  It was only 3 miles from downtown Annapolis with a free shuttle.
Tuesday was a great day to "catch" up, paying bills, cleaning and planning the next several legs.
Wednesday we spent the entire day at the U.S. Naval Academy and Museum.  The campus, landscape and architecture are beautiful.  The pride and heritage at the Navel Academy is palpable.  We took a delightful guided tour and met a friendly group, 4 sisters and one husband, Larry and Karen Hardesty from TN, Donna McAdams, AL, Sally Fagan, TN, and Lisa Swaffar, VA., they have been to Annapolis before and knew exactly where to eat.  We joined them for lunch at the Federal House Restaurant and "crabbed" out.  Karen considered herself a crab cake expert, and claimed that this was where we should go for the best crab cakes.  We could not get enough crab, we all had cream of crab soup, crab dip, and the crab cakes-YUMMM!  We admit Karen was right, the crab cakes were as they should be, ALL lump meat, delicately broiled, and sweet!

Thursday and Friday we will be attending the largest "in water" sailboat show in America, along with 1000's of other sailors,  This is THE sailing mecca!!!

"A good navy is not a provocation to war.  It is the surest guaranty of peace."

President Theodore Roosevelt

Naval Academy Dorms

Inside the dorms, built from materials from every state in the nation

Wright Plane B-1 Flyer, exact duplicate, original plans and materials, reconstructed by the Smithsonian

Largest, most powerful torpedo of WW II , built by Japanese, range 17 nautical miles

Ships Bell, U.S.S. Enterprise, WWII fighting ship

Academy Chapel

Chapel Dome

Inside Chapel

John Paul Jones Crypt, below the Chapel

Academy tours partners and lunch friends

Navy goat vandalized by Air Force for weekend game, it was clean and bronze again by Saturday afternoon, like to know how they get past security????

This is the original flag, its a bit used, Commodore Perry War of 1812 in Put-N-Bay

300 year old ship model in it's original case,  Naval museum second floor all ship models

Another of many ship models