Cruising the waters of New York City: oh, what a ride!

Here is a map referring everyone to our cruising route into New York City. Freedom's Turn and Queen Ann's Revenge stayed the night before on a mooring ball at Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island via the Richmond Yacht Club. The next day we entered the New York Harbor!

We began our day by cruising under the Verrazano-Narrow Bridge getting a first look at Coney Island, the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline straight ahead. We then cruised over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, as indicated by our yellow star on the map. They are located on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.


Then we passed Manhattan on our port and headed up the East River to the Brooklyn Bridge, then turned around to go back to the tip of Manhattan, known as the Battery, to pay our respects to where the World Trade Center Twin Towers once stood. The Twin Towers were once the first landmark as you entered from this location, we had read. The area is known as Ground Zero today. Charlie and I had a mixture of feelings on this day that went from excitement, pride, and personal acomplishment to sadness when we saw the gaping hole in the Manhattan skyline.

Last, we headed north up the Hudson as indicated on the map.


Both boats chose not to stay in the city for a variety of reasons. We both have been in the city before and wanted to keep moving. It is very expensive to stay in a marina here and the wakes from the ferries and other watercraft can produce choppy anchorages and moorings.


We could have taken a bus and a ferry into the city from our Staten Island mooring spot by going ashore in the tenders that come back and forth to the moored boats staying with the Richmond Yacht Club. But with mixed feelings, we wanted to get ahead of the June 6-13, 400 year celebration of Henry Hudson's trip up the Hudson River. A flotilla of at least five Tall Ships and several hundred pleasure boats boats were about to journey up the Hudson and we wanted to get ahead of them because we heard the places to stay on the water were going to be packed. We read that there were many activities planned along the Hudson River to Albany for the entire next week.

Luckily for us, in the next few days as we headed northbound on the Hudson River, we got to see three of the Tall Ships in the Floatilla when they passed us, making their way southbound to New York City for the Blessing of Boats at the Statue Of Liberty on June 5.

First, an explanation of our present location.

At this writing, it is Monday, June 8 and we have completed a three day stay in Albany New York at the Albany Yacht Club, right on the Upper Hudson River. We have been on the Hudson River for eight days now total. We have been on the go since Baltimore and needed a place to tie up, do chores, rest, and take in a little more sightseeing by land.


Arriving in Albany, we worked for two days straight promising ourselves a free day on the third day. We rented a car for the three days to run around in and it was great.


Linda caught up on her chores consisting of basic cleaning inside of the boat, six loads of laundry, major grocery provisioning, Walmart, journal updates, washed the exterior of boat along with a cleaning and polishing of the strataglass on the upper helm bimini and last, cleaned and polished all the external stainless steel.


Charlie also caught up with speciality chores because of now going from saltwater to fresh water. These items included changing zincs, cleaning the bilge, changing the transmission fluid, cleaning out the shower sump, cleaning the sea strainer for the air conditioner and the engine.


But today was our free day! About an hour ago, Charlie and I returned back "home" to the boat from a 12 hour sightseeing day back south along the Hudson via land with our rental car. It was a very satisfying day to see the land side of the water scenes we saw from the past three days. The next blog will be about our experiences and observations from June 2-8 on the beautiful Hudson River, both on and off the water!



June 1, 2009, Day 300, Staten Island, New York

Here is the view going into mooring ball night in the Great Kills Harbor at Staten Island. "Great Kills" means "Great River" in Dutch. The Dutch were primarily the first settlers in the entire Hudson River area.

We wanted to go ashore so we called the launch service and this young man came to pick us up in only five minutes. The service runs every day from 9AM -11PM taking boaters back and forth to shore. The service is included in the cost of the mooring ball.

We called our friends Lew and Florrie who live close by in Key Port , NJ and met for a delicious Greek dinner nearby. Charlie and I shared the same dock with them for several weeks at our marina at Elbow Cay in the Abacos. Florrie is an accomplished acrylic painter of animals and landscapes and Linda has enjoyed keeping in touch with her new found artist friend. Lew and Florrie have a sailing catamaran and are experienced sailors.

Charlie checking the oil from the engine; getting ready for the trip up the Hudson river.

This photo shows how we tied up to our mooring ball. We use an old line for this, not our regular lines.

June 2, Entering the NYC Harbor!

Oh, what a ride we are about to experience! This view is showing the west side of the Hudson River with New Jersey in the center of the picture. You can just barely see the Statue of Liberty in the distance on the left but there she is! Ellis Island is not shown in this photo or on the map but is just north of the Statue of Liberty; the same side of the river (the New Jersey side.)

Queen Ann's Revenge is ahead of us. The Narrows Bridge is behind us.

There are five boroughs of New York; Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. Queens is the only borough not shown on the map above. It is located north and east of Brooklyn.

The following paragraph is taken from Dozier's Waterway Guide Book; Great Lakes 2005.

New York City is the largest city in the United States with a population of more than 8 million people. The City is the world's most important center for global finance and communications and is unrivaled in cultural events and entertainment in the western hemisphere.

Hank and Charlie planned carefully to go in with the currents and tides flowing out. The wakes from the many boats made them require their full attention. (except when Ann and Linda directed them to pose for a quick photo while the boats kept moving in the busy harbor!)

Since 9-11, if this day would have been a high security day from the department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard could have required us to call in ahead before entering the harbor.

New York Waters are deep and well marked here which helped our captains greatly.

Linda and Ann took the pictures and at the same time watched for any potentially bad floating debris. Cruising this harbor was exhilarating to say the least.

The Statue of Liberty. Our lady of liberty stands for democracy, freedom and opportunity and is breathtaking to see whether one is on land or water. We got the lump in our throat and felt very proud to be an American.

The Statue of Liberty is 152 feet high and sits on top of a 98 foot pedestal. Her official title is "Liberty Enlightening the World." French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi is her creator and in 1886, France presented her to the United States as a gift for the friendship the two countries had shared since the American Revolution.

Since 9-11, no one can go up inside past the height of the pedestal and no vessel can get closer than 300 feet to her in the water.

Freedom's Turn navigating the busy NYC harbor. A Staten Island Ferry whisks behinds us.

What a view of the tip of Manhattan. The very tip is known as the "Battery." In 1693, there was a British battery of 92 guns placed on this tip to defend the city from the French. You can see the opening in the skyline in the left of the photo where the Twin Towers once stood.

Just past the Statue of Liberty going north, we cruised past Ellis Island. Millions of immigrants have come through here for a new life; including my maternal great grandparents from Germany! Another proud moment for us. The Moorish towers and minarets have a kind of fairy castle look!

Below, we are going past the Battery (the low greenish building in the front) in Manhattan. Notice the gap where the 9-11 bombing took place. (on the left in the photo) It made us feel very somber and sad.

Now called "Ground Zero," there is a 16 acre work site here with a two story, "see through" work fence we could see but it is not visable in this photo.

Freedom's Turn going past Pier 17 on the East River going north towards the Brooklyn Bridge. Wall street buildings in the background.

The Brooklyn Bridge with the city of Brooklyn in the background. Do you see the smallness of Freedom's Turn in the center! We are coming back from going under the bridge here; heading back towards Manhattan.

A majestic view as I looked back for a close up photo.

Going north on the Hudson River near the Bronx. A pretty red tug. Hoboken, New Jersey in the background.

This photo was taken last of the next three pictures. This one shows us leaving the City, heading northbound up the Hudson River. We are looking backwards and seeing the George Washington Bridge. This is the location on the water where the pilot of the plane that crashed into in the Hudson approached as he flew south, just before crashing his plane in the water on the other (north) side of the George Washington Bridge. He safely landed his plane and it was considered a miracle.

The photo above we took of the southern side of the G.W.bridge BEFORE we cruised under it, to show where the plane actually came down. The photo below we took first out of the three, and it shows Pier 90 where the authorities moved the plane afterwards.

We know these facts because while we were on the radio with Hank and Ann wondering where the plane went down, a captain from a commercial boat heard us and radioed us back with the information.

Before we left the City, we were all delighted to see the first of the Tall Ships that would parttake in the floatilla celebrating Henry Hudson's historic voyage; 1609-2009 later in the week. This ship is known as the "Clearwater." Henry Hudson's ship was the "Halve Maen" in Dutch or "Half Moon' in English. We actually got to see the authentic replica of the Half Moon the next day during our cruise up the lower Hudson River.

The next week would be on the Hudson River with our destination to Albany, NY.

Sincerely,

Linda and Charlie

On the Ocean Again

May 31 Atlantic City casinos!

Thursday, June 4, 2009 - Day 302


Greetings from a one night stay in Norrie Point State Park, New York. Currently Freedom's Turn is traveling the beautiful Hudson River about forty miles south of Albany, New York. She is joined by her buddy boat Queen Ann's Revenge. About a week from today the two boats will be going through the locks on the Erie Canal! Yesterday the two boats entered the New York City harbor and both sets of crews had breathtaking views with plenty of oohs and ahs and photo taking. Charlie and I are eager to get the photos ready in a few days and send them in the blog to everyone!

This blog will begin with leaving Baltimore, Maryland through Mannasquan, New Jersey. This leg of the trip was traveled in six days for a total of 237 statue miles.

May 27 Chesapeake City, Maryland, the western end of the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal(C&D)

May 28 Delaware City, Delaware, at the eastern end of the C & D canal and north two miles

May 29-30 Cape May, New Jersey

May 31 Atlantic City, New Jersey

June 1 Mannasquan, New Jersey


The map below shows the route to Cape May from Baltimore on the Chesapeake Bay, going through the C & D Canal and the Delaware Bay out to the Atlantic Ocean.




May 27, Chesapeake City, Maryland

Chesapeake City is a city on both sides of the C & D Canal. It is a small village with a story to tell in their wonderful museum, about the building of the canal, which we visited. The tourist part of the town is on south side of the canal where we stayed at a marina and the regular business of the city is on the northern side.

It was interesting to tour the C & D Canal Museum. In the early 1800's this man made canal began being dug and by 1829 there was a four lock system in place to better handle the changes in elevation. This waterway provided boats to take a short cut from Baltimore to the Atlantic Ocean and Philadelphia, or the other way around. In 1927 the canal was converted to a sea level waterway and the locks were removed.

Below is a old time photo showing the making of the "deep cut"canal as it was originally named.

Notice the name of the old time tug in the wording below the photo.

Here is the way the C & D canal looks today. It was a pleasant passageway of about 18 miles.

Many boats were coming and going both little and big. When a U.S. Coast Guard boat passed us we sat up a little higher in our seats smiled and waved, acting like we had everything under control.

We were glad to have had our current sticker displayed on our port side. This sticker shows them that we have invited them on board already this year and have voluntarily been inspected and approved. So now they are more apt to go on by with just a wave. We have always had the current sticker displayed and have never been stopped to date. (if they see something questionable or just feel like they want to stop you, however, they have every right on the world to stop you and request to come aboard, sticker or no sticker)

Chesapeake City is a quaint city. It was a bright and warm afternoon by the time we got on land to walk about. Here is Ma and Pa.

Here, Ann and Hank and Linda walk to an old home converted to a B & B. Charlie is taking the photo. Below, Ann and Linda sit on the steps and pretend we are charming guests staying here with our afternoon sun hats on like ladies do.

Coming off a day of looking mostly at water scenes, there were colorful flowers galore for our boater's eyes to delight in.

This man is a long time resident here and gave Ann and I several tidbits of information about the town. He and his son have a business here. "What do you sell?" we asked. "Everything," he said. Notice the sign indicating the name of his business. It was not the same as his name. How weird would that have been?

When we woke up to leave the next morning, we noticed a boat being towed into our marina. It is being towed by a tow boat designed to help boats about our size. This boat's batteries were dead.

This towing service is from Boat U.S. which is the towing insurance we have. Boat U.S is the main towing service for the Great Lakes.

The marina we stayed at here was called the Chesapeake Marina and Inn. It was a bit costly for what they had to offer. We met up the boat Izzy R who we first met in Annapolis and later saw in Baltimore. While tying Izzy R up, first mate Izzy fell into the water head first and the dock hand pulled her out. "Glad you are OK and welcome to my club," I said after recalling my fall off the dock at St. Pete Beach back in December.

May 28 Delaware City, Delaware

Freedom's Turn along with Queen Ann's Revenge and Izzy R arrived in the early PM at Delaware City Marina. Above, you can see the tip of our pulpit and the AGLCA flag showing. Our traveling boats were tied at long dock wall for the night.

We all can't say enough about this wonderful marina. It has a ship's store, nice laundry, clean restrooms and showers and is a short walking distance from the shops and restaurants of the town. The owner, Jim, and his dock master, Charles greeted us as they helped us tie up in a swift current that was bringing us in rather quickly. We were given a welcome packet with much enthusiasm and Jim even offered to give us a ride in a golf cart if we would like a quick tour of the town. I recall it was a hot day. While Ann and I did laundry Jim brought a fan for us to cool down the room a bit. When I told him I was writing a blog, he went and copied an article about the area for me to read. He was proud of his facility and it showed on his face. Charlie walked on his own to look around. I know he secretly was looking for the ice cream places.

Going out to dinner was definitely an option for all of us so upon a recommendation from Jim, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Crabby Dicks downtown Delaware City. Jim and the manager of the marina, Steve, went there also for dinner and came over to our outdoor table to say hi. It was a lovely evening.

Beginning on the left: Hank and Ann, Queen Ann's Revenge; Izzy from Izzy R; Jim, owner of the marina; a Izzy R guest, Jeff; manager of the marina, Steve: Jeff from Izzy R; and us!

The next morning, we all wanted to leave with the tide going out so the three boats left at 5:30 AM!

Delaware City is off the C & D canal by two miles but it was well worth it to take a few extra minutes and stop and enjoy a terrific marina in a very nice town. Good ice cream store, too, Charlie added.

May 29-30 Cape May, New Jersey

After careful planning from all, we took the Delaware Bay waters with no big surprises. Our run was 55 miles out in fairly calm seas of 10-15 k and waves 2 ft. Our main goal was accomplished by timing our trip for the right day and time to go out to sea to the point at Cape May. We wanted the current and the winds to not fight each other. We had ebb tides; the water approaching low tide going out to the ocean which gave us a boost. In addition to the tide, we got our preferred winds coming out of the north and west and not the worst, which would have been the east and south.

Our stay at the Utsch Marina in Cape May was extended for an extra day so we all could rest, do chores and some provisioning. The facility and the people who own and run the facility is first rate. The dock master, Ernie, made us a reservation for dinner for the well known Lobster House Restaurant. The folks from the boats Theresa and Frankly Terryfic, and a man named Morris traveling solo on a 21 ft tug; all doing the Great Loop, joined us. There were eleven of us in total that night eating together and sharing our boating stories. We had lobster, shrimp, scallops, mussels, crabs and clams. What a feast!

Ernie, the harbormaster of Utch's Marina is on the right and is Ernie the III. His father, Ernie, (or Poppy as he is affectionately known) is on the left. Poppy and his father, Ernest, started the marina in 1951. Ernie was kind enough to offer a ride for Ann and I into the downtown of Cape May for a little shopping, groceries, and lunch. We split some fish tacos, a first for me, and they were delicious. We took the taxi back.

Ann and I enjoying the little shops and water fountain in downtown Cape May, New Jersey.

This is the dock post we had to tie up one of our stern lines to at the Brielle Marina in Mannasquan, New Jersey. It was ridiculous. Someone had nailed fish tails into it which made it almost impossible to wrap a line around because it got caught every time. Finally, Charlie got it done.

When we left Cape May on May 31 there were eight boats heading out at the same time going the same direction; three traveling with us. We all took the outside route up the New Jersey Coastline. The inside on the NJ ICW was an option but the outside was more compatible for our boats and less congested from the smaller pleasure boats. Also many inconsiderate sport fisher boats throwing big wakes inhabit this part of the ICW. A fellow Looper had their radar mast broken by the wake of one of these large boats and it cost over $1000 to repair!

Extra careful planning was needed again as we went on the outside into the Atlantic Ocean. Our 50 miles trip was choppier than we had planned and by the time we arrived in Atlantic City, Charlie and I did not feel like getting a ferry to the casinos. He and I were really beat. We had actually gone to the Atlantic city casinos for our 25 wedding anniversary more than 10 years before!

The winds that next day were predicted to be 10-15 knots and gusts to 20 with winds out of the NE in the AM and to more favorable 5-10 k and out of SE in the early afternoon. It was our best day in several to get out there and so we did. Even though we could begin to see a slight change by noon, it was a extreme challenge for the first mate to get our noon time cereal with bananas to the upper helm that day. We were hungry so I told my captain, "sure thing, I can do."

Thinking that I am very efficient as first mate, I prepared to do the cereal. Hanging on with one hand on the galley counter, I open the refrigerator with the other hand and held it open so that the door did not bang open for the eggs spill out as I pulled the milk out. Of course everything shifts in the frig whenever I pull anything out and in this case, a red pepper falls out. My legs are in an open stance for balance. I put the red pepper back in and a lime falls out. The boat takes the 3 -4 ft rolling waves up and down and side to side very well as I scramble to unlatch the drawers containing the bowls and spoons. I get the cereal ready and take one bowl up at a time keeping both feet firmly planted and one hand holding on. Surprisingly we can tolerate the waves OK to eat. One small example of the crazy day.

June 1, Mannasquan, NewJersey, Brielle Marina

We needed to get to our marina to unwind after 50 miles of rolling waves. Freedom's Turn and Queen Ann's Revenge split up from the other boats and the two of us cruised into a private yacht club offering us a good price but when we got into our slips, we discovered there was not enough water depth when low tide came, so we moved on.

We then headed over to nearby Brielle Marina. We did not get clear information as to where and how to tie up from the woman in the office on our radio. Luckily we got help from Izzy R and Theresa who were already there. Then we have that crazy fish dock post to tie up. The dock hands were just standing around. We don't think they spoke any English from the way they were looking at us. Upon check in we were handed a list of 'thou shall nots.' Our showers required putting quarters in to work and I ran out of water with the creme rinse still on and no more quarters. Charlie had extra quarters for his and said to me afterwards, HA HA, told you so. And to top it off, the cost to stay here there was very expensive. We were beat so we stayed. Needless to say, we left early the next day.

The next day, June 2, we finally made it to New York Waters!

It is time to give the computer over to Charlie. We want everyone to know we are doing just fine. Charlie seems to have a knack for getting scrapes on his knuckles and knees (boat bites we call them) and Linda's knees get stiff from little walking to stretch out the legs.

We are going to have a little happy hour now and then some stir-fry shrimp in a red pepper sauce over pasta and a spinach salad.

Thinking about you all and hope all is good.

This week is being spent going up the calm waters of NewYork's Hudson River. Freedom's Turn and Queen Ann's Revenge must be thankful to be off the ocean and it's rolling waves. And no more salt water.

Sincerely, Linda and Charlie

Annapolis and Baltimore Here We Come!

May 20, 2009, Annapolis, Maryland


Charlie and I and our friends Les and Judy, from the boat Voyager II, toured The U.S.Naval Academy. It was a fabulous day!


When our tour of the Naval Academy ended, we were able to watch a ceremony known as the Noon Meal Formation/Brigade Change of Command Ceremony (above). The building in the center background is Memorial Hall. In this hall, we saw numerous plaques on it's walls honoring all men and women in military services who having died in the line of duty. The wings on either side of Memorial Hall are the dormitory halls of Bancroft Hall; the largest dormitory in the U.S. with over 4,000 midshipmen living there.


There were also many special events and many visitors on campus while we where there because it was graduation week. More of our Naval Academy day further down in this blog.


Before we give an overview of our visits to Annapolis and Baltimore, we'll give you our current location.


Today is Friday, May 29 and the crew of Freedom's Turn just tied her up in a slip for two nights at Utsch's Marina in Cape May New Jersey. To back track, last night she stayed along the main dock at Delaware City Marina, Delaware. The night before that, she spent one night in Chesapeake City, Maryland after leaving Baltimore that morning, May 27.


To get from Baltimore, Maryland to Cape May, New Jersey, Freedom's Turn traveled on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. (the C&D Canal is a man made shortcut dating back to the early 1800's that connects the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware Bay and is about 15 miles long)

When we leave Cape May, we'll cruise on the outside of New Jersey in the Atlantic Ocean for one day to Atlantic City, then cut into the New Jersey ICW to Sandy Hook. From there we will take a loop around Staten Island, New York then head up the Hudson River to Albany!


Freedom's Turn is traveling with two Great Loop boat buddies these days; Queen Ann's Revenge and a new friend, Izzy R, who Linda and Charlie met while in Baltimore.


Annapolis, here we come


We entered the historic port of Annapolis on May 20. We read that Annapolis is known as a museum without walls. It is a modern day city in an antique setting; dating back to the American Colonial period in the early 1700s. One of my pamphlets stated that Annapolis boasts of more 18th century buildings continuously used than in any other city in the U.S. Pictures from the colonial days show the docks and city much like it is today. The roads of the city come down to the waterfront like spokes on a wheel with the state capital in the center of the wheel. There are no skyscrapers or big condo developments here. The highest buildings that we can remember seeing as we entered the harbor were the Naval Academy's Chapel dome, the State House dome, and the steeple of St. Anne's Episcopal Church.


In 1694, Anne Arundel Town was made into a capital city and rechristened Annapolis in honor of the heir to the British Throne, Princess Anne.




Tobacco farming thrived here and farmers began to rely on the work of slaves in the 18th century. Annapolis was a main stop for the slave trade boats from Africa. There is a bronze sculpture near the city docks in Annapolis of Pulitzer prize winner Alex Haley reading to a group of children out his book "Roots." The sculpture commemorates the arrival of Haley's ancestor, Kunta Kinte to Annapolis aboard the slave ship Lord Ligonier.


Below, we are just entering the harbor. There are sailboats everywhere, all eyes looking up at a practice of the the Navy's Blue Angels. You can see the dome of the Naval Academy's Chapel in the distance.

We read that Annapolis is the sailing capital of the world. A beautiful sailing vessel entering the Annapolis harbor.

Below is the Annapolis Yacht Club finishing up their Wednesday evening regatta. They were on the other side of a bridge from our slip.

Above, our slip at the Annapolis Yacht club. It is a private club but we could stay there with a reciprocal agreement between the yacht club and with an organization we belong to called the Marine Trawlers Owners Asocition. (M.T.O.A) We have used this privilege three times so far on the trip, saving money and getting great marinas to stay at. I took this picture of Charlie as I walked back from the bridge. He is partaking in his own personal happy hour complete with a cigar.

Behind us at the dock is the boat Voyager II with our friends Les and Judy.

Annapolis is Maryland's state capital. Here is front side of the State House, our nation's oldest capital building in continuous legislative use.

As stated on the plaque, Annapolis was the Nation's capital city briefly for nine months from 1783 to 1784.

This dome (a side view of the state house here) is a one of three landmarks we saw entering the harbor.

Right after we got settled into our slip, we changed our boat shoes for our walking shoes and took a lovely walk to the nearby historical part of the town.

Above, everywhere we looked, there were navy midshipmen walking; dressed in their whitest of whites. The building in the background is very famous as it is the Maryland Inn where the restaurant "Treaty of Paris" is still in operation since the early 1800's. John Adams, John Jay, and Benjamin Franklin came to eat here just after returning from France where they signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the War of 1812.

We had hoped to eat in the restaurant but it was not open during the week. Luckily, we found a door open and went in to sneak a peak. It was an elegant American Colonial dining room done in mostly golds.

When in the Bahamas with no TV service, Charlie and I watched a DVD set of the HBO miniseries "John Adams" which got us primed for this area of the country. We would heartily recommend watching the miniseries.

Speaking of the midshipmen walking around, here is a photo of me and the guys......

It was a spur of the moment and I took the opportunity to pose with these first year midshipmen.

This gentleman is a retired Navy man and he was our wonderful tour guide. Here he shows us with great pride, the footballs depicting all the Navy over Army victorieson a display in Ricketts Hall, the NCAA Athletic Building on campus here. The football stadium is nearby and seats 40,000. Their mascot is a goat!

By the way, this great two hour tour costs us only $8.00 apiece. We had to show a photo ID.

In 1845, the War Department acquired Fort Severn and adjoining land to house the newly established Naval College, now the U.S. Naval Academy. The campus has 338 acres and borders the city of Annapolis and the Severn River.

Getting accepted into the Naval Academy is very tough but once accepted, it means getting a four year scholarship paying for room and board and tuition plus a monthly allowance of $900 to use for books and other things like uniforms. There is an additional monthly allowance for their funny money of $100 for the 1st years,$200 for the second years, $300 for the third years and $400 for the fourth years. Our tour guide informed us that the enrollment each year averages between 4,000 and 4,500 with about 20% females to 80 % males in the first year and by graduation, 10% of the females and 20 % of the males that began, have dropped out. The females have a better sucess rate!

The Academy offers twenty-two academic majors, mostly technological degrees.

It was great fun to learn about the rituals and rules of the academy. For instance, a first year midshipmen is never supposed to be seen on campus sitting down; they always have to stand or be walking!

Beautiful Memorial Hall. We could not go up these steps because there was a ceremony pertaining to graduation going on but we could look at the top of the stairs and just make out the words of a famous Navy slogan: "Don't give up the ship."

Above, the inside of the Interdenominational U.S. Naval Academy Chapel with an original Tiffany window. It was a magnificent building. The chapel houses the crypt and sarcophagus of Revolutionary hero, John Paul Jones. He is credited with being the leader of the first Continental Navy for the American Colonies even though he was born in Scotland.

The outside of the chapel.

After our tour the four of us decided to stay on campus and join the several other folks to get a first rate view of the Navy's premier Blue Angels pilots demonstration; a special event for graduation week.

We were awed by their performance which lasted a little over an hour. There were six jets in all doing unbelievable swoops and dives and even upside down. (see below)

And the sound they make is a show in itself.

We hit it just right to be on campus this day! We could have spent more time in this wonderful city but the next day we had reservations in Baltimore so we said good-bye to Annapolis; hoping to come back here again someday in our future.

Welcome to Baltimore, founded in 1729

Here is our spot on the city dock finger pier in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. We had a delightful six day stay. As mentioned in the previous blog, the price was one half of a normal per ft. charge of other marinas in the area and we were right in the middle of the action! In a panoramic view, we were surrounded by sights and lights.

Then there were the sounds of this big city which engulfed us and somehow made us feel like we were a part of it all; like the welcoming sounds of numerous church bells and the chimes coming from an obscure city clock, with chimes heard every hour.

And what really made us stop and listen was the city playing patriotic songs in the Inner Harbor during the mornings.

We took this photo above from our boat. Pictured above is the U.S.S. Constellation, the only remaining ship from the Civil War still floating in the water. She is also the last all sail ship the U.S navy built before steam replaced wind as the standard source of power. The ship was used to help fight the transatlantic slave trade.

There are three other ships as part of the Baltimore Maritime Museum in the harbor as well: a WW II submarine, the USS Torsk, that sank the last two Japanese warships in the war of the Pacific, a Coast Guard ship named Taney,the last suriving vessel from the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and a lighthouse ship, the "Chesapeake" used to provide a safe passage to incoming ships into Baltimore. All four boats are open to the public. We heard the live cannon firings of the USS Constellation in the Inner Harbor.

Charlie and I have gotten so much information when visiting several cities on our trip by taking a tour. The Visitors Center was located right next to our dock so we signed up for a Baltimore trolley tour with them. Our tour guide was excellent. For entertainment, he put on a special hat depicting different periods of history as we went along.

We learned that Baltimore is a city of "firsts" for the U.S. First factories for the following: umbrellas, tin cans, straw hats, gas lights, and the making of chrome. It is also the city of the first regularily published newspaper, the first senior citizen apartments, first Catholic Basilica, first Unitarian church, first Evangelical Lutheran church, the first YMCA, first Church of England in the U.S. which is dated from 1692.

While on the trolley tour, we saw several neighborhoods within walking distance so later in the week we explored more by foot. Among the many attractions on the tour were Federal Hill; quaint streets with open markets and little street cafes, Fell's point nautical heritage, Little Italy restaurants, Edgar Allen Poe's home and burial place, and the historical Fort McHenry.

Later Charlie and I went to the Cross St. Market in Federal Hill and strolled down the open booths filled with fresh produce, flowers and seafood. Charlie went on his own to buy an ice cream cone and on a later trip, he purchased cigars in a cigar shop, and lingered there to join other smokers in their smoking room.

I went to a fantastic used book store and stocked up on more reading material and toured the Visionary Art Museum which is a museum of self taught, contemporary artists.

On another day, Charlie walked to the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards and the Babe Ruth Museum.

Fort McHenry was a highlight for us to see. The flag flying at the fort shown below is a replica of what was later known as the Star Spangled Banner flag. It flew here during the War of 1812. Americans turned back the attack of the great and powerful Britian here. Fort McHenry and on the land side, east of Fells Point, is where our Nation was saved.

Our tour guide informed us that this flag is only flown on special days of the year. Because we were here on Memorial Day weekend, we were lucky to see it, our guide said. The flag is flying in the exact location where Francis Scott Key saw it on the night he wrote our national anthem.

We first saw the flag and the fort as we entered the harbor. It was a thrill for us to see the spectacular view from our own boat; first the red and white blue bouy marking the location of the British ship holding Francis ScottKey prisoner, and then following the direct line across the harbor to the Fort to see flying the exact replica of our county's Star Spangled Banner. You can see the bouy in the top photo.

This experience was probably in the top ten of all sights we have seen on the trip to date. Both the flag and the buoy are only put out by the city on very special days and weekends and we were there to see them both!

Above, Fort McHenry and an exact replica of the Star Spangled Banner flag.

The Star Spangled banner, a giant 30' by 42' flag, was sewn in this house by Mary Young Pickersgill. The orginal flag is in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. You can see a sign in the background of the flag in it's actual size.

Baltimore and Fellspoint served as a hotpoint of underground railroad activity. Charlie and I visited the Civil War Museum which was known orginally as the President Street Railroad Station; one of three railroad stations in Baltimore during the period just before and during the Civil War. This train station was a hub for providing a means to freedom for escaping slaves.

Through a series of photos inside the museum, we also learned that outside the doors of the President Street Station, the first death of the Civil War occurred. On April 19, 1861, a volunteer militia from Massachusetts arrived here on a train on their way to Washington D.C. and was attacked by a mob of angry southern sympathizers. One man was mortaly wounded and his picture is up above. He is the first death of the Civil War. As I write this, I cannot find his name in my notes. I remember he was only 17 when he died. History tells us his picture was put in the northern papers after the attack and ignited a rage among the northerners.

Fort Sumter near Charleston was the first battle of the Civil War but there were no deaths there.
From our boat, we took this photo of the Chesapeake lightship and the submarine USS Torsk in the background. We spent an afternoon touring the National Aquarium which is the modern looking cube you can see in the background. There were water taxis taking people to and from places on the harbor and for the children, these fun dinosour paddleboats came out everyday.

Once a shipping harbor, Baltimore's Inner Harbor is a now definitly a recreational harbor welcoming visitors of all ages. This 'pirate" ship was a frequent sight from our spot on the dock.

On our last day here, we visited the National Aquarium. It was very well done with special exhibits including an awesome jellyfish exhibit.

Above, this is my friend Ann from the boat Queen Ann's Revenge, which is another Great Loop boat staying here at the city docks the same time we were. In the background is the hill that gave the neighborhood of Federal Hill it's name. Before the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, Federal Hill once hid escaping slaves in tunnels made inside the hill. Before that time, in 1788, 4,000 patriots celebrating Maryland's ratification of the U.S. Constitution, climbed to the top of the hill for a picnic and fireworks. Charlie walked over there and said it was beautiful and peaceful up there.

Seeing some of our country's early history from the water has been so wonderful. But we'd have to say that it is making friends like Ann and her husband Hank and many other friends we have made since we left home nearly ten months ago, that puts this trip over the top.

To all our friends out there on the Loop and our friends back home;

we appreciate your friendship very much.

Sincerely,

Linda and Charlie