Saturday, December 10, 2011

Annapolis. A Drinking Town With A Sailing Problem.

We were told that Annapolis is like the Hotel California.  You can check out, but you never leave.  We arrived in Annapolis almost a month ago.  While we have no plans, no destination or schedule, I had thought that we'd stay a week or two and then head south.  Then we decided to stay for Thanksgiving with our friends Kate and Chuck, which we enjoyed immensely.  One thing led to another and here it is December 10th.

We will  drive back to upstate New York for Christmas with family.  It's an all day trip from here.  If we head any farther south, it becomes a two day drive, so now we're thinking we'll stay until after the holidays.

No, we won't spend the winter here.  Mears Marina is a great place, nice facilities and friendly people.  I recommend it.  But they made it clear that we can't winter over here, so that option is off the table.   Of course, we could stay at another marina in the area, but once we cast off the dock lines, we might as well head south where it will be a bit warmer.

Maybe that's one problem with not having any plans.  Without plans, you just wander aimlessly and without purpose and find yourself in places  much longer than you should be.  But then again, why not stay as long as you're having a good time, which we are? 

I guess cruising is different things to different people.  There are those who make a mad dash from points north to Florida, going as fast as they possibly can to escape old man winter, and there's nothing wrong with that.   But we prefer to dilly dally along, taking in the sights and exploring along the way.  

There's much to see and do in a boating town like Annapolis, and it has a very fine assortment of pubs for a town this size.  Sailors love to race and then meet at pubs to lie about it with their friends.   We have many friends here too, good folks we've met on internet message boards over the years.   Yesterday, Pam and I went Christmas shopping in Annapolis' quaint downtown, and then it was to Dock Street pub where we met up with Kate and Chuck, Pat, and old friends we met for the first time in person, Justin and Chris.   Justin and Chris live in Madrid now, but they just bought a J120 sailboat here in Annapolis.  They plan on sailing it to Maine this summer and then shipping it to the Mediterranean.  They were on their way to Seattle for a conference but stopped here to check on their new boat.  They plan on leaving on Sunday.  Bwa ha haaa.....  so they think...

The Eagles - Hotel California, live performance

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