Monthly Archives: September 2009

The 8th annual Solomons Watermen Festival is a great taste of the local culture and one we’re glad we were able to attend. Scott, Angie, Lisa and I went by dinghy to the county docks where the competition was being held, so we could witness the standing room only Watermen Docking Competition.Here’s how it works... one at a time a watermen boat backs into a slip to wait for the signal to start. After the signal the waterman’s goal is…

We have had some interesting neighbors while spending the summer at Solomon's Yachting Center especially Ron and Suzy Striegel on their beautiful Hatteras yacht, Reel Estate. Ron and Suzy invited us over for Happy Hour while Scott and Angie were here and we were all captivated, not only by the spread of hors d'œuvres and Golden Margaritas, by their boating stories and experiences.They showed us photos of 9/11 as they were transiting down the Hudson River past Manhattan during the…

We were out in the dinghy when this storm moved over us. Very dramatic with the dark clouds and rain off in the distance. We made it back to the boat just minutes before that big downfall. Last night Scott and Angie treated us to a fabulous dinner at the Dry Dock just down the road from our marina. Thanks guys!

Jim and I celebrated our seventeenth wedding anniversary last Saturday then on Sunday afternoon we welcomed our friends Angie and Scott Way, Waterways (above, right), who flew in from Charlevoix, Michigan, for a brief stay on Kismet.I think we would all agree that the highlight of the visit was, after waiting for a calm day, going up the Patuxent River to St. Leonard’s Creek to anchor out for the balance of the afternoon enjoying grilled hamburgers, a little deep breathing…

MTOA (Marine Trawler Owners Association) is a member driven cruising club that Lisa and I joined earlier in the year. We joined as a means to meet like type boaters as we travel and through their national and regional gatherings. As luck would have it MTOA was having a National Rendezvous in Crisfield, Maryland... a short 45 miles southwest of Solomons on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The mission of the group is to share, compare, help and…

On our way to the MTOA Rendezvous we planned an overnight stop at Tangier Island.Tangier Island, Virginia is a set of low lying islands, first settled over 300 years ago, that sit off the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. We had heard and read good things about this watermen (men and women who make their living fishing and crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay) town and because we had never been we needed to go. Tangier Island is not a…

It was time for a complete overhaul of my little herb garden. I had to cut the thyme and parsley way back and hope it comes back with some fresh soil and a little loving care. Boating just wouldn't seem right without being able to dig in some dirt once in awhile. Jim is a sweetheart to go along with my herbal obsession, most captains would not allow anything this messy aboard.