IT'S PERFECT IN WASHINGTON, DC

JUNE 17, 2016

FLAT WATER ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY

After 8 days at anchor in Fishing Bay we have moved on.  The weather is suppose to improve and be fair for a week.  On June 6 we were at the dock early to refuel, dump the tanks and take on water.  We were underway before 9am.  Our first stop after leaving Deltaville was Horseshoe Bend in the St Mary's River.   Our day on the Chesapeake Bay was beautiful.  The sky was bright blue, there was not sign of a breeze, so we motored all day.

STORM BLOWING THROUGH ST MARY'S ANCHORAGE

It was about 5pm when we dropped the anchor off St Mary's College of Maryland in the St Mary's River.  There were not many boats in the anchorage and there was a cool breeze rolling across the water.  Time for dinner and a glass of wine.  The next morning we took the dinghy to shore to see what the college was all about. 

HISTORIC CHURCH IN ST MARY'S

St Mary's is a public college built in 1840 on what was the sight of the town of St Mary's City, the 17th century capitol of Maryland.  Much of the original town has been rebuilt or restored and is filled with the history of it's beginnings.  We walked the grounds of the college and saw some of the historic buildings.   The school has a large sailing club and there were windsurfers keeping us entertained in the harbor.

After two nights we pulled the anchor up and headed back into the Potomac River towards Washington, DC, about 90 miles away.  There was little wind or current helping us along so on we motored.  As the day drew to a close we tried one of the designated anchorages on the chart.  To our dismay it was full of crab traps and the water was very shallow, under 8ft.  We soon turned around and headed further up the Potomac toward Washington.

Our destination was Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA about 30 miles out of Washington.  We arrived as the sun began to set and were careful to anchor well clear of the Restricted Zone.  This is not an anchorage that is designated in the charts, but turned out to be perfect.  We were soon anchored in 15ft of water and dinner was on the stove.  We sat in the cockpit as the sun set watching all the activity at the base.  The 4 presidential helicopters are based there and helicopters were taking off and landing.

ROWING CLUB IN THE WASHINGTON CHANNEL

The next morning it was on to Washington to be tourists extraordinaire.   We arrived mid afternoon to anchor within sight of the Washington Monument in the Washington Channel.  To our surprise we were the only sailboat anchored in the anchorage and it was days before another joined us.  We spent some of our days doing chores on the boat and others walking the streets if the Capitol.  The museums are so plentiful you cannot possibly do them all justice.  Everything is within walking distance and we spent hours enjoying the Smithsonian, the Botanical Gardens, the Museum of Art, the Capitol Building, the White House and the National Mall.

Ralph, Rods brother was here on business and we spent a day with him.  We saw the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the World War II Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial.  It's a very emotional thing to stand in the Vietnam Memorial seeing all the names, hard to explain the sadness.

VIETNAM MEMORIAL

After a full day of sightseeing with Ralph we all settled in at The Shiner, a small dinner on the water overlooking It's Perfect in the anchorage. As we returned to the boat Marine I flew up the Washington Channel right over It's Perfect, heading toward the White House.  It was the end of a good day with family.

SUNSET IN THE WASHINGTON CHANNEL

After a week in this great city it is again time for us to get underway.  Tomorrow we will leave the anchorage here in the Washington Channel and return to anchor for one night off Quantico Marine Corps, VA.  Then on to the Chesapeake Bay to turn north once again.