Corsica River, Chester River, and Chestertown

Thursday, 25 June, 2015

This morning I woke up about 0400, writing yesterday's blog.  There wasn't a breath of wind.  It was about 67 degrees!  The bird songs were already starting!

As the light began around 0500, the chorus of birds was like a crescendo.  I saw a large bird in the dim light, flying in a strange pattern.  I picked up the binoculars and realized it had some animal in its talons that was almost larger than it could carry.  It was dark enough I couldn't even identify the bird.

We cruised up the Chester River to Chestertown with the Dessert 1st, our friends, Casey and Mary.

The Chester River is beautiful from the point it narrows down.  There are beautiful woods, farmland, houses on acreages, and a camp, though we didn't see folks there.

I love the osprey nest on the duck blind.

We anchored across from Chestertown, and took the RIB into the free down dinghy dock.  The dock is a little hard to find.  If you see the big marina and restaurant, go to the bridge side of those docks.  Don't be daunted by the No Docking signs, just go around those docks, and you will find a floating dinghy dock, marked for kayaks, canoes, and transient dinghies.  That was great.

Casey, Mary, and Ellen walked to the grocery store while I made a couple of dinghy trips back and forth to the boat, shuttling dogs, and retrieving mail we'd forgotten.

I scurried through town to meet them at the Arby's across from the Acme food store.  

The walk was gorgeous, the historic town is full of well restored houses from the 1700's and 1800's.  The campus of Washington College is in Chestertown, and I enjoyed seeing the labels on the trees along the walkway, identifying the types of trees.

The beautiful sidewalks and walkways ended somewhat abruptly just a little before a major intersection with no crosswalks.  Talk about bad city planning!  We wondered if all the college kids had cars, or if anyone was apt to walk in that direction.

The trip up the Chester River, and our visit to Chestertown were great! I enjoyed the signage around the town, and especially around the town square, with its monuments, fountain, and shops.

We returned down the Chester River with the tide, and anchored in the same spot as yesterday evening.  Storms were forecast for the night, and I opted with the well-proven rather than explore Langford Creek.  If I hadn't been as tired as I was, I would have liked to.

The evening on the hook made me glad I was here.  I sat on the bow with the binoculars and listened to birds while I spotted, with one sweep of the horizon, 7 adult ospreys, 1 blue heron, 1 eagle, 3 baby ospreys on nests, 3 buzzards on the beach, and more smaller birds...  I watched an osprey dive and yank a fair sized fish out of the water in front of us, and stop on a piling nearby to eat.

We went to bed with about the time the wind and rain hit, snug in our sweet little anchorage.

Annapolis to the Chester River

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

This morning, the temperature was cooler, and we walked the dogs, who were really enjoying the not quite as hot weather.

I took advantage of the cooler time of day to walk up to West Marine, and then over to Fawcett Marine, where I found a replacement hose for the shower, and a ladder that I think will work on the swim platform on the Nordic tug as well as the inflatable.  Then, back to West Marine, to purchase a new PA/Horn to replace the one on the boat that had recently died.  A marine electrician was leaving West Marine as I was, and he gave me a ride all the way back to the dock, for which I was grateful!

We got underway, key-holing the MERCY through the 90 degree exit from the slip to the raceway.  Ellen and I had a VERY detailed line handling discussion before undertaking it, and managed to pull it off flawlessly.  You really can't appreciate it unless you've been there!

We cruised out of Annapolis Harbor, into the Chesapeake Bay, and under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  This curved bridge is quite an impressive structure.

We passed the Sandy Point lighthouse before angling to cross the Bay towards the Chester River.

We cruised up the Chester River, as it began to narrow from the entrance bay, we turned into the Corsica River.  We ducked around a bend or two, finding a couple of great protected anchorages before returning closer to the entrance for a little breeze.  None of the crazy thunderstorms we've had earlier this week are forecast for tonight, but, it is nice to know you could get out of almost any weather, right around the corner.

Our friends, Casey and Mary, on the Dessert 1st came and tied off with us for a bit to visit, before tucking around the bend to anchor.

We are anchored at N39 04.628'  W076 07.043'