Annapolis, MD

Monday, June 22, 2015

I was told before that no journey to Annapolis is complete without making a trip up Ego Alley, and turning around in the narrow basin to strut back through, kinda like walking the runway in a fashion show.  We ended up in Ego Alley, but, for another reason!  We blew a water line off the water heater yesterday, and I didn't catch it until we'd pumped out our remaining fresh water supply.

The Harbormaster told me that those on mooring balls (as we were) could come to their bulkhead in Ego Alley, during certain morning hours on certain days of the week.  I think the boats are tourist attractions when things are slow, before the shops open up in the morning.  We went in to the bulkhead, and filled our water tank, and made the extra few hundred yards down the alley to make our strut... before returning to our mooring.  

The pumpout boat was going by, and he said pump-outs are $5, which is nice.

We launched the RIB, and I ran into the Annapolis Sailyard, where I had purchased MERCY almost four years ago.  Carey got a slip for us to attend the memorial for Scott Heckard on Tuesday afternoon.

We came into the slip, very cautiously.  There were two sailboats facing each other whose anchors were possibly closer together than our beam.  Wisdom being the better part of valor, I was barely moving when I reached them, and figured out we just couldn't do it.  Unfortunately, it is really difficult to back out once you are in that far...  My rail brushed the anchor of another sailboat, and we stopped and did everything by hand, with four of us heaving on lines to keyhole the MERCY into a slip.  I'm hoping the sailboat in front of me leaves before I do!

I went with Carey to the store to pick up some supplies for the reception, and Ellen walked around Annapolis and took a lot of great pictures.