Days in Annapolis

Bridge on Spa Creek

     On Sunday we moved to a private dock outside the condo of a friend Dad met kiteboarding in Cape Hatteras. They are such generous people letting us stay here for as long as we like and giving us use of the condo, which is up for sale. It’s a lovely spot towards the end of Spa Creek. Early Sunday morning we passed under the small lift bridge in downtown Annapolis and wove between the multitude of boats anchored and on moorings along the creek. We squeezed into another dock with pilings to settle in for a few days. It just so happened that we came in at high tide. This was lucky because at low tide the boat ends up sitting on the bottom! So it looks like we’ll have to time our departure with the tides yet again. 

      The last few days Dad has been in and out of West Marine while working hard to install our new wind generator. On Sunday Mom and I went on a long walk through downtown Annapolis exploring the numerous artisan shops scattered between clothing stores. It’s a smaller city and the downtown is beautiful with red stone streets and well-maintained buildings dating back to the War of Independence. We almost forgot it was Thanksgiving back home that day! We had a great Skype session with our awesome family who had gathered in Kingston and then had sausages for a very low key Thanksgiving dinner.  

Spa Creek

      Sarah and I have kept busy going on dinghy rides, baking, reading and catching up on some tv shows. On Tuesday Raftan moved onto a mooring right beside our dock on Spa Creek. The plan as of today is to leave Annapolis on Thursday to traverse Chesapeake Bay towards Norfolk, Virginia. We are hoping to find a secure marina in the Norfolk area to leave the boat for a few days to meet up with friends in Cape Hatteras for some kiteboarding. It looks like the road into Rodanthe reopened this Monday after the damage caused by Hurricane Irene. 
 

The oven doesn't brown things so our baked goods look white!

      I’m currently trying to convince Mom to write a post since she’s the only one who has not contributed. So if you want to hear from her about life onboard please bug her with lots of emails and comments!

Until next time,

Nicole.

Sarah Speaks

     Sarah here. I have been persuaded into writing a blog post for today, so I hope you enjoy.Today is Dad's 48th birthday so we will be celebrating with a nice homemade cake tonight! Today we remain anchored beside Block Island, Rhode Island. The plan as of now is to leave tomorrow night and hopefully be able to travel south aided by some nice weather for the next few days. Hopefully we will be arriving in Annapolis, Maryland for the Sailboat Show by Saturday or Sunday.

     We have been swimming here and the water is so salty that we are able to float without kicking at all. It's pretty fun just being able to float there with your head staying above the water. The bay we are anchored in is called Great Salt Pond so we think that may have something to do with it.

     Showering is a real treat when we are able to. Mom and I tried our solar shower a few days ago and it worked well. It consists of a black bag which you fill with salt water and lay in the sun for a few hours to warm up. Once you have hot water you can hang it up high and have a nice little shower. We used it in the bathroom where the water pools in a shower grate on the floor and then goes out the drain. I made brownies yesterday and we ate them all during our Harry Potter marathon. Nicole and I watched the first four movies! It was a wonderful day of rest and delicious treats!

Sarah