September 1, 2009
Solomons, Maryland

The Simple Pleasures
By Jim Favors

One of the pleasures of being in the Chesapeake Bay for an extended period is all the amazing anchorage possibilities. In the three short months we’ve been making Solomons our summer home for 2009 the reoccurring comment we hear from long-time residents is “we’ve been boating here for over 25 years and we still haven’t seen all there is to see.” So it’s no wonder that you don’t have to travel very far to find an exceptional anchorage. The quiet and solitude experienced during a night on the hook is something Lisa and I thoroughly enjoy.

Late one Saturday afternoon we released Kismet from the dock, freeing her to embrace the undulating current and gentle breeze as we made way to try out a new anchorage nearby. It felt nice to be unencumbered again as the dock traffic and marina yard noises faded away behind us and the marina disappeared from sight. Our goal was to get as far up Mill Creek as we could, find a well-protected area, drop our hook and secure a spot for the night.

From the bow of Kismet you can see how well protected our Mill Creek anchorage was and the good news is this only one of thousands of choices in the Bay.

We left Solomons Yachting Center, which is situated at the mouth of Back Creek, and navigated around the busy weekend boat traffic moving into and out of the harbor. We’ve come to realize what a very popular boating destination this is, because of all the amenities and its centralized location off the Chesapeake Bay. We made our way out of Back Creek by Ma Leg Island, passing Bow Cove, Lusby Point and Pancake Point as we worked ourselves into the far reaches of Mill Creek. We cruised slowly so we could absorb the beauty of the homes and cottages, moored boats, and gently sloping tree-lined shores. A short while later we arrived to our little piece of paradise, new territory for us. We’d worked our way back as far up the Creek as our depth finder told us was safe. Around a couple more bends in the Creek and we found the perfect spot, giving us wind protection from all sides. We’d found a spot with six feet of depth and plenty of swing room. The anchor was lowered along with 60 feet of chain and we set it snug into the muck. Finally it was time to relax.

The seabed in the Chesapeake and surrounding tributaries is mostly a dark brown muck substance on the surface with a slightly semi-hard underlayment. We’ve found that as long as you get a good set with your anchor, by backing down the boat, there are usually no problems maintaining a solid hold. The more troublesome issue is the oozing muck that attaches to your ground tackle when you bring your anchor up. We’ve found our bow’s fresh water wash down is essential to keeping things clean. As Lisa slowly raises the chain and anchor I take the hose and spray Mother Nature’s ooze off the chain before it has a chance to get onto the front deck and into the chain locker. We sure miss those clean sandy sea bottoms of the Great Lakes, however the “Bay” makes up for it with its abundant and scenic anchorage possibilities.

This Mill Creek early morning shot shows the water so calm we could see a perfect reflection of the shoreline.

We spent a relaxing afternoon reading, playing games, and taking a nap. In this case nap is code for whatever you want it to be, but today it was a nap and just time to spend together being lazy and enjoying the boating lifestyle we both love so much. Local fisherman, jet skis, and water skiers seemed to interrupt the tranquility of our anchorage paradise, but they soon disappeared as the sun began sinking behind the surrounding hills. As dusk made its appearance, we found ourselves alone, and the water returned to being a calm reflection of the nearby scenery. We moved up to our flybridge with a glass of wine, enjoyed the quiet surroundings as darkness descended. A cook-out on the grille followed and we discussed how it always seems that food tastes better when anchored out. A romantic afternoon and evening on the hook in a quiet cove with calm waters and a star-littered sky. It doesn’t get much better than that.

When we’re on the move, traveling from one location to another, we typically don’t have the luxury of a leisurely morning on the hook. In most cases we’re up and on the move, so we found it pleasurable to stay on anchor a little longer. The quiet morning slowly eased by as we had coffee and breakfast all the while thinking how fortunate we are to be in the Chesapeake Bay. Once we did pull anchor we retraced our route back to the marina making our grand total of miles traveled less than four. Yes, you read correctly, we traveled only two miles to reach a secluded anchorage. You just don’t have to travel far to enjoy Mother Nature and that’s what we like best about the Bay area.

After Kismet was once again safely tied up to her slip we started preparing for our first road trip back home. It’s been 10-and-a-half months since we’ve started our journey and this was our first trip home. It was way overdue. The excitement of our boat travels has been slightly overshadowed by the gnawing guilt of not being close enough to drop in on our parents, kids, and friends. So it was with great anticipation that we packed up our truck, secured our boat, and left for visits in Ohio and Michigan, a two-week whirlwind trip.

Lisa’s brother Ken (with beard), Bart, Skyler, and me doing manly barbequing in Michigan.	Jem, another of Lisa’s four brothers and family getting ready to chow down at Lisa’s mothers.

In 10-and-a-half months we’ve averaged 8.5 miles per hour while traveling on our boat, with 50 miles traveled being a long day. So we approached the highway mode with caution as everyone is zipping by us driving around 80. First we’re going 50, easing up to 60, and before too long we hit 70. For us to travel at this speed seemed like being in a rocket ship. In the first hour we’d traveled as much as we typically travel in Kismet for an entire day. As we got close to the DC/Baltimore area the traffic started to back up, we were still traveling at 70 MPH, four to five lanes wide, bumper to bumper. I’m wishing that we were back on the water, it seems much more relaxed there. Can you imagine traveling on your boat, four abreast, anchor to anchor at even 30 miles per hour? This is crazy! Get me back on the water!

Lisa and I had wonderful, long overdue visits with my parents in Ohio, Lisa’s mother in Michigan, and we spent time with two of our sons, Bart and Skyler. We spent time with our friends Mike and Lynn, went to the doctor and dentist, and enjoyed being back in the comfortable surroundings of Traverse City, Michigan, our hometown. On the way to Lisa’s mother, we were driving by Torch Lake and spotted some old friends just going out for a boat ride. As luck would have it they saw us and came back to pick us up to join them for a sunset boat ride on our favorite inland lake. Torch Lake is so clear you can see 20 feet into the water, to its sandy bottom, and think the water is only an arms length deep. Torch Lake is where Lisa and I started our boating life together, so it has a magical pull for us. We were grateful that Jim and Cindy took us out for a ride through the lake and into Torch River, while we visited with them and their two daughters Khaki and Elizabeth.

Our friends and family all dressed up with nowhere to go during Charlevoix’s Venetian Festival.

Our final destination was a return to our homeport marina in Charlevoix, Michigan, for the last two days of their annual Venetian Festival. This waterfront event is a celebration of summer with most of the activities in or near the marina. We left on our second Great Loop adventure on September 5, 2008, from Charlevoix and were happy to be back there amongst all of our boating friends and dockmates to help them celebrate the much-anticipated Venetian Festival.

Our friend Rick let us stay on his Fathom 40, so it felt just like old times being on a boat in our homeport. After visiting with friends Gary and Jean, Jeff and Denise, John and Jan, Scott and Angie, and our beloved harbor master Hal, Lisa and I ventured out around town. Before we left on our boat trip we had a daily walking routine we had to revisit, along with a dinghy ride around the harbor and a walk through town. I guess what we’ve really missed is the companionship of our friends and family and the familiarity of home.

Life’s too short not to have fun. I hope you don’t think we wear these hats every day.

Friday our son Skyler and his girlfriend Sarah came up to enjoy all the festivities in Charlevoix and spend the night on the boat with us. Drinks with friends, Friday night fireworks, crowning of the queen, a potluck dinners, and several concerts in the band shell at the marina park, all right at the waters edge – all had a more poignant connection for us this year, as we’re just visiting rather than a regular part of the community.

No festival is complete without a parade.

Saturday is the Venetian Festival finale. A big parade and town barbeque starts the day off with a bang but the two big events are at night. Once the sun sets a caravan of boats are lead in a lighted boat parade followed by arguably the best fireworks in the Midwest. What makes them dramatic is that the barge they’re shot from is moored only 200 feet from our boat slip. The crescendo of our two-week road trip seemed to coincide with the impact of the choreographed fireworks display over the water on Round Lake.

After spending time sleeping in four different beds in three different houses and one boat, Lisa and I were anxious to return to our home away from home on Kismet in the Solomons. It was a grand trip, we had a tremendous amount of fun, we miss our parents, kids, and friends already, we had lots of hugs, kisses and I love you’s but it felt good to slip into our own bed, on our own boat in the middle of our two-year boating adventure.