Great Loop Blog - Jim & Lisa Favors

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Well, we’re all caught up on boat maintenance and web updates and ready to enjoy summer and the Chesapeake Bay and it appears by the way our calendar is filling up it will be a busy time and busy is good.

As we make this post to our blog it’s the first day of summer so let the fun begin. Because we’re not constantly traveling our summer will be a welcome change and it all begins with a week long trip from Solomons to the Potomac River and up to Washington, DC where we will visit the DC Museums and sights along with Mt Vernon.

First night out we anchored at Canoe Neck Creek just off the Potomac River.

Shortly after we return my sister Denise, her husband Mark and their son Gavin (that’s who we really want to see) will come down from Philadelphia to spend the July 4th weekend with us in Solomons. Pool time, cookouts and fireworks. Mid-July we’ll make a road trip to Michigan to visit family and friends and see if anyone has actually missed us. Mark, Denise and Gavin will return with Jim’s parents towards the end of July, a visit we’re really looking forward to.

August and September will be spent taking short trips from our base in the Solomons to places like Crisfield, Oxford, St Michaels and Annapolis. After the Trawler Fest in Solomons, Power Boat Show in Annapolis and a road trip to the AGLCA Rendezvous in October it will be time to head south on Kismet for the winter.

More to come as each of these visits, events and travels unfold.We feel fortunate to be able to spend the summer in the Chesapeake Bay, it is a wonderful place and it’s another chapter to add to our traveling adventures but it’s not home. With that said we both agree that we miss being with the many people we’ve traveled with on the Great Loop along with our family and friends from home where we have so many fond memories. Lets face it we get homesick!

Yesterday we wanted to leave the dock and head up the Potomac towards the Capitol to do some more sight seeing but the weather just did not want to cooperate. So instead of waiting until we got there by boat we hopped in the truck and made a quick road trip to Mt. Vernon. We thought that it would be more than appropriate to spend Father’s Day at the home of the father of our country, George Washington.

Well, it turns out that we were not the only ones with this idea and we must have waited one-and-three-quarters of an hour to walk through the house. This is long enough to become well acquainted with our neighbors in line. Anyways it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed it immensely. The view of the curvy Potomac from the top of the hill was amazing and the gardens were in full bloom with vegetables and herbs. We walked down to the Tomb and visited the memorial to the slaves of the Washington family.

Before we left we lingered on the porch and tried to imagine what George and Martha must have thought while relaxing and taking in the view long ago on this very same spot.

Way back in January we asked our congressman for tickets to tour the Capitol Building and the White House. So we have been looking forward to a relatively short trip to Washington D.C. from our base in Solomons, MD.

We drove part way to D.C. and took the Metro train the rest of the way in two different days as we could not get the White House tour on the same day as the other tours.

Our favorite tour was the White House. It was very humbling to be able to walk through these historic corridors and beautiful presidential rooms.

Just a quick overnight anchorage up the Patuxent. Calm, quiet and very relaxing.

This week we met two boats from Michigan who were passing through the Solomons.

Photos (above) courtesy of Mary Sarver

June brought us several opportunities to share some fun with friends as they passed through the Solomons area either by land or water.

Andy and Mary Sarver, on Good News, Brad and Patti Salvage, on Salvage Crew and Bob and Deb Koerner, on Headquarters all stopped in the Solomons and we were all invited over to Salvage Crew for cocktails and Good News for dinner.

We were surprised to be the recipients of the traveling wine gift that keeps on giving. Given to us by Brad and Patti, we were honored that they picked us to share this tradition.

Captain Sterling and Judy, Sterling Lady, stopped by on their way through. Captain Sterling was the first person to buy our book When the Water Calls… We Follow. After getting to meeting him while we were in the Keys we have been keeping track of each other’s travels and were happy we had a change to see him again and meet Judy, whom we have heard so much about.

Pat and Craig Holmes, friends from home, stopped by on their way to the Outer Banks by camper. We enjoyed  their visit as we think they are pretty special people who love travel and adventure as much as we do.We got a kick out of this Hot Steamed Crabs sign pointing at this burned down house.

Maintenance, that ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure came together all at once for Kismet, upon our Solomons arrival. First order of business was to change the engine oil and filter, fuel filters, engine zincs and thoroughly clean the engine room. Completed we headed to Washburn’s Boat Yard to have Kismet hauled out of the water where they immediately power washed the bottom of the boat the clean  as much of the barnacles and slim from her underside, boy was it a mess after 4,500 miles of travel. Once blocked up the hard labor of scraping and sanding began, which took the better part of the first day and as I was labor my body was quite sore the first night. I also had Washburn’s take our 5 bladed prop off to send in. Although there was no visible damage my thinking was that after 750 hours of travel it most likely needed to be tuned up to specs for the smoothest possible ride.

Day three the second coat of bottom paint was applied and after 8 hours of dry time I added an additional coat to the leading edges. When the prop was returned on day 4 and looking like new I had the professionals at Washburn’s reinstall it for the launch the next morning. Our Kismet has never looked better!

As the boat was gently set back into the water I opened the seacock’s and started the engine feeling all along how nice it is to have our boat back where she belongs, in the water. It felt great to have a quality bottom job done, new zincs, oil and filters in addition to a freshly tuned up prop. When all was said I had a lot of sore mussels, 5 scabbed over knuckles and my back hurt but I had the satisfaction of a well done job and by doing the work myself we had a savings of 60%, money we can use for cruising.

Today we decided to take a road trip to see some of the countryside while heading toward historic St. Mary’s City, which is the site of Maryland’s first capital. English settlers established the colony in 1634, not long after the founding of Jamestown and Plymouth. The small city flourished until the capital was moved to Annapolis in 1695. Today, the city is a National Historic Landmark and is recognized as one of America’s best-preserved archaeological sites.

The original city no longer stands but many of the 17th century roads and paths, houses, and public buildings have been recreated.

St. Mary’s City is rich in hardships, opportunities and triumph. Many of America’s great ideals, including religious toleration and separation of church and state, were first tested here.

This is the site of the first English Catholic chapel (above) in the New World. It is presently being rebuilt on its original foundation.

The Maryland Dove, is a re-creation of a 17th-century square-rigged ship. Today this replication is an actual working ship that sails to ports-of-call around the Chesapeake Bay to tell the story of Maryland’s history.

Jim demonstrated for me the difference between pulley systems. It’s amazing the difference in ease of use between the three systems displayed (below).

St. John’s Site Museum (above), an actual archeological site, preserves the foundation of the most important historic site in Maryland.

We finished the day with a late lunch at Courtney’s. It’s a popular seafood spot.