And Even More Exploring and Boat Chores in Annapolis, MD

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The dawn on Monday, October 20 wasn’t dramatic. But one of the things that makes dawns special was that they were rarely the same.

We were pleased to report that it was calm in marina today, which was a huge relief. We needed to rent a car to stock up on supplies for our upcoming trip to the Caribbean. The marina was going to charge us $40 per night for parking. Eric did a little searching and found another marina just outside of town that was less expensive and had free parking — the marina fee and car rental fee together would be the same as what we were paying now for the slip here in Annapolis Yacht Basin. Eric made arrangement to move Kosmos to the other marina on Wednesday and rent a car on Thursday. We decided to fuel up during the move. 

In anticipation for the fuel up, Eric checked all the raycor filters and added the fuel additives Biobor and Stanadyne to the tank. Eric forgot there was back pressure in the new pump and spilled some fuel when checking the filters. He got fuel all over himself.  

After we finished school and chores, we walked to Picante for lunch. Eric hadn’t eaten there yet, and he loved it. Eric hadn’t really done much sightseeing in town yet, so we walked by the State House and took side streets back to the City Dock, including several that none of us had been on before. While most of the trees were still green, a few were changing colors.

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Rolly Marina and The Wicked Corn Maze in Maryland

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Sunday, October 19 — Yesterday’s sunrise was colorful.

Yesterday morning, Eric changed the oil and O ring on the main engine. While he was doing that task, It was slightly rolly. As the day went on, it got rollier and rollier. Sauvage came over in the late afternoon. By the time they arrived, the rolling was so bad that it was somewhat uncomfortable to be onboard. We had a nice visit with them none-the-less.

One of the concerns was that we were on fixed docks, and it was a king tide right now. Adjusting the lines properly was tricky, as the lines tended to be too tight at high tide and too slack at low tide. Eric was concerned about crashing into the pylons and/or dock. He spent a lot of time readjusting the lines and fenders, and eventually came up with a fender set up that he was happy with.

The motion continued to worsen throughout the night. By morning, it was so rolly that we felt like we were at sea. None of us slept well. In addition to the motion being uncomfortable, the lines were creaking like crazy from all the motion — and the noise wasn’t only from Kosmos’s lines; the lines on the nearby boats were making a lot of noise, too.

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Keith’s Perspective on Our Second Week in Annapolis, Maryland/Le point de vue de Keith sur notre deuxième semaine à Annapolis, dans le Maryland

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On Saturday, we had lunch at a restaurant. For three burgers and a cup of cream of crab it was 52 dollars! Ridiculous! After lunch we played D&D with Blue Heeler, then we went to a big gathering of boat kids. I had such a good time. 

Samedi nous avons mangé au restaurant. Pour trois burgers et un pot de crème de crabe c’était 52 dollars! Ridicule! Après ça nous avons joué à D&D avec Blue Heeler, puis nous sommes allés à un grand rassemblement d’enfants matelots. J‘ai passé un très bon moment. 

On Sunday, Dad went to the boat show and mom and I went to lunch at Picante. In the afternoon we walked around Annapolis with Blue Heeler. 

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Annapolis Back to Normal, Boat Maintenance and Socializing

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continued… On the walk back, we marveled at how different the town looked now that the extra infrastructure for the boat show had been cleared away. This entire street had been part of the show. Only the sidewalk in front of the stores had been open to the public. Even yesterday, the road was open, but the parking spots were still closed off, and so was pedestrian traffic along the waterfront.

The Market was to the right, on the other side of the street.

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Tour of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis

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continued…

The security guard said the last tour of the day was just beginning, so we rushed into the visitor’s center to get tickets. We passed a group that was standing near the entrance; an older gentleman was introducing himself, so we figured that was our group and they’d already started.

It looked like there was a film that showed every few minutes and a small museum in the visitor’s center, but we obviously didn’t have time watch the film or to look around. Tickets were $18 for adults and $16 for ages 5 – 17. The man at the register tried to charge Keith for an adult ticket. When we said he was a student he said “Oh, here for a college tour?” When we said he was only 13, he looked disbelieving.

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