Guest Blogger Sara Ingram Takes the Helm

No boating for me this week, so many thanks to Sara from Premier Ride for picking up my slack, and on the perfect weekend too - PIRATE & WENCHES WEEKEND!  We've been for the last two years and it's always a great time with good stories to tell, not to mention the perfect excuse to break out the early Halloween costumes to donn a sexy pirate or wench outfit!  Thanks again Sara. 
___________________________________________________

Pretty Sara

Pirates & Wenches Fantasy Weekend

Rock Hall, MD

August 13-14, 2011

I am honored to be a guest blogger this week. We were disappointed that Harbor Shark would not be joining us for Pirates & Wenches Fantasy Weekend in Rock Hall this year.  All In and Premier Ride had plans to cast off at 10am Saturday morning…but first, Premier Ride’s Captain and First Mate (wearing my pirate hat) commandeered the air floor from Harbor Shark’s dinghy—our first pirate booty of the weekend! (Karma kicked in, and just beyond the Key Bridge we had to momentarily stop because our dinghy was being hit by our own wake which caused it to shift and fill with water.) 

The day was hazy with few boats on the water, making the cruise calm enough that one of the Premier Ride crew studied for the DAT!  The plan was to tie up to Grateful Escape who had already found the perfect spot in Swan Creek. Bob & Barb are the pirates who never age—the world would be a better place if more people were like them! 

Studying for the DAT

Everyone but the Premier Ride crew, who worked & studied a bit more, set off for the first pirate event on the beach.  The land-lubbers returned, just as Premier Ride’s crew, with beads, bandanas, hats, tattoos and swords prepared to venture to land.  We docked and ordered our first shots and sandwiches at Haven Harbor—yum! 

Premier Ride Crew

The rain subsided and the adventure continued.  A Rock Hall Rickshaw (works strictly for tips) approached but was going the opposite direction of Harbor Shack; two minutes later as rain started to fall again, and he returned to give us a ride!  More drinks, pictures & shots—thank you to our bartender who kept my secret when she saw me pour most of my shot on the ground…!

We spotted a boat (Impulsive, Severna Park) without fenders getting damaged by the rough waters.  The piling to which it was tied had broken and bent the rub rail exposing fiberglass.  We and two others tried to reduce further damage by retying the lines and securing a fender on the piling. PFFFT! It had been pierced by the bent rub rail.  A passer-by called the Harbor Shack and Waterman’s to request announcements to be made in hopes to alert the owner.  Note to self:  when tying up to hard objects, use fenders! 

Boat damage from busted fender

All that work made us hungry, and amazingly, John at Waterman’s was able to seat us immediately; steamed crabs, Caesar salad, corn on the cob, and of course, shots (What, what, what, what?  Pirate Rules!)



Scallywags!



Wench of the Year

I saw the Soggy Dollar, so we walked over to thank them for their flamingo beacon that has guided Premier Ride back to BMC countless times.  Noteworthy Sightings include Capt’n Black with his sword, Johnny Depp, a Dundalk Pirate, Justin Beiber, our bartender Carol (thanks for returning the Visa Black Card left behind last week!), and more...  A special congratulation goes to Lana who was awarded Wench of the Year! 

The weather on Sunday made most our raft up decide to get an early start home.  Only All In and Premier Ride stayed a few extra hours.  We decided to stop at Waterman’s for crabs before returning to Baltimore.  It was a ghost town!  Hard to believe the place had been packed full of pirates and wenches just hours earlier.   It was a peaceful quiet ending to a crazed weekend of pirate adventures!  Arrrgh! 

Throwing Caution to the Wind

Rock Hall
Saturday, July 9th on board the All In


We had no plans for the weekend and even spent Friday night at home, but headed down early Saturday for boat chores.  Of course once you get there things have a way of evolving... and it wasn't long before we threw caution to the wind and boarded the All In with Captain Kevin and crew members Crystal, Roy, Lynette, Buddy, me and Lexi-dog). 


Bay Watch on the Chesapeake



We drifted near the bridge to wait for Premier Ride and his crew who had been at the Hard Yacht, and then headed past brown rocks in Stoney Creek to Nabbs Creek so they could check out the Nabbs Creek Cafe.  We ascended upon the place, taking over much of the outside deck.  We were a little early for the music - he was still setting up, but once again had friendly service and cold drinks (no meals this time).  The Dreamsicle Crush sounded delicious - I'm trying that next time for sure!  Premier Ride was planning to cruise to Rock Hall for crabs and an overnight stay, and crazy Captain Kevin said why not ?  So we headed out along side them. 


Premier Ride Cruising



Waterman's at Rock Hall

 The Royal Caribbean cruise ship "Enchantment of the Seas" was leaving at the same time, so we cruised with her for a bit before pulling ahead.  She's a beautiful ship. and one on which we'll be on board shortly (we've been watching these cruise ships come and go with wanderlust so often we finally booked ourselves a 5-day cruise to Bermuda!).  The bay was gorgeous, not a lot of traffic, and Waterman's had slips waiting for us upon arrival.  We were front & center, while Premier Ride was tucked in for an overnight stay.  We sat at the high top in front of the bar to accommodate our large party.  Roy was first to sit down, and he knows the owner (or a friend of the owner), so he took it upon himself to order lots of food for the table which was perfect since it took everyone varying amounts of time to get there.  One of the crew members aboard Premier Ride had dropped her sunglasses overboard, and after several unsuccessful attempts with a hook, finally jumped in and retrieved them - FIRST TRY.  Way to go Angel!  By the time we sat down we had ribs and corn and soup waiting and crabs on the way.  Fantastic!  Good food, crazy conversation, lots of laughs and a couple of pops before the sun started to set and we needed to start thinking about making our way back across the bay.  First, I had to walk the dog (of course), where I found an interesting jalopy. 

I think it's either from the set of Water World or left over/in preparation for Pirate Weekend (always an experience!).  The band was setting up, Buddy tried out his first "plank" to submit to BMC Plank Wars on Facebook, and then we headed out toward the sun.

Years ago we did a lot of day boating and would see the most incredible sunsets.  This day was just like that.  The inner harbor is directly west of Rock Hall and sets up an unbelievable ride home.   It's mesmerizing to watch the sun go down on a warm summer day from the water.  It was cloudy as the sun was setting and we didn't think we'd get a sunset, but the last few minutes, she dropped down out of the clouds.  It's quite an experience, and if you've been boating at sunset, you know what I mean. 



Setting Sun on the Chesapeake