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. 
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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! 

A Weekend in August

Bodkin & Bear Creeks
Cheshire Crab & Hard Yacht Cafe
August 6th & 7th


Cheshire Crab

This week was a mishmash of unplanned boating.  We didn't have any plans, other than to stay on the boat for the weekend.  Saturday morning I went to the Farmer's Market in Fells and shortly thereafter received a call from Buddy that we were going on Samantha's Dancer for lunch at the Cheshire Crab in the Bodkin.  When I got there, the engines were running and everyone was standing on the dock ready to pull off the lines.  No time to unload the goodies from the market, so I just climbed aboard and off we went.  It was then that I got a good look at the crew.  Five men and me.  Oh, sounds good, right?  Until they started talking.  The entire trip was boys talking engine parts and bathroom humor.  Perfect. 

Buddy & Doug enjoy the ride



Lexi missed us!

 The weather wasn't fantastic, a little overcast and pretty choppy on the bay, but we barely felt it on  Samantha's Dancer.  There weren't that many boats out for a Saturday afternoon.  We had no trouble docking and walked up the hill next to the huge yellow & white structure and into the restaurant.  It was crowded with several private parties - both adult and child parties.  They have a great deck, both covered and uncovered tables, but this day we decided to dine in the air conditioning.  They had $50 and $70/dozen crabs.  We went with the $70 and they were meaty and good, but not hot.  Most likely reheats, which was a disappointment. One thing that never disappoints there though are the shoestring onion rings - a favorite.  They boys tried to "fix" the tv, made lots of noise, drank a few pitchers of beer, gave the waitress a hard time, made a mess and then left...  But it was all good and everyone had fun and no one got hurt. 


Key Bridge



The weather on Sunday started out better.  We were going with the All In to the Hard Yacht Cafe.  You never know who will be a part of Kevin's crew, so I was pleasantly surprised to see such a nice group for the day, and especially that it wasn't over-crowded.  We enjoyed a nice cruise out to the bridge (my husband likes to say that he's been under that bridge many more times than he's been over it, but growing up in Pasadena, I can't say that's true for me), around Ft. Carroll and in to Bear Creek. 


Rick (he's single ladies!)

We tied up at one of the long docks out in front of the restaurant and headed in.  Once again, we opted for inside dining.  The Hard Yacht hosts an eclectic ambiance, mostly beachy with some sport added in.  It kind of looks like they add on whenever they run out of space with the little rooms, decks, shacks, and what have you.  It's cozy and they usually have music but on this day the musician didn't show up.  The food is delicious.  The crabs were good and local and the beer cold.  I finished up a little early and went back to walk the dog.  I headed straight for the pastel adirondack chairs out on the lawn, where I took the opportunity have a sit and just may have drifted off for a few...  A beautiful thing. 

Hard Yacht Cafe decor



We headed to white rocks for a swim, but as soon as we anchored we saw lightning in the distance.  We decided to make a run for it to get back to shore and we ALMOST made it (almost being the key word).  As we were in position to dock it started pouring.  Captain Kevin did a great job of getting us in the slip in the middle of the storm.   We sat on the boat until the rain subsided, where we sang along with the music and took turns trying on the cowboy hat and Kevin and Crystal indulged in the new summer hit - alcohol infused whipped cream. 


Jill looking good!



Crazy Kevin & Crystal

What a way to end the weekend!

Lazy Days of Summer

Sassafras River
July 29 & 30

We met our friends Bob and Barb over 10 years ago through our good friends on The Illusion and have been boating together ever since.  They keep their boat in the Sassafras River and we have heard time and again how beautiful their river is and how clean the water and on and on.  We've always meant to make it up there but somehow the summers always got away from us and so finally, FINALLY we made it to the Sassafras!

But not without our share of boating frustrations. Buddy has been working diligently all summer trying to repair the dinghy.  He has patched and rolled and inflated and deflated that thing more times than I care to count.  I threatened to order a new one and went so far as to pick it out with the help of a trusted resource, but he was determined (hard headed) to make it last for this season.  So after using fix-a-flat for dinghies a second time, he brought the dinghy to the boat, inflated it just before we were ready to leave, and guess what?  It didn't hold air.  DOH.  No dinghy for us in the Sassafras.  Good thing we have generous friends. 

So we left a little off schedule Friday afternoon with the All In on our stern.  Packed with food and swim toys, we left the Baltimore harbor (and our deflated dinghy) behind.  We had smooth seas and sunny skies for the two hour trip north.  It is a world of difference from the industrialized port of Baltimore to the tall cliffs and green landscapes of Cecil County.  From the mouth of the river, the Sassafras provides lovely, scenic cruising grounds.  It twists and turns and is home to lots of wildlife and many beautiful estates, one of which belongs to the DuPonts of Delaware, with its picturesque green boat house and gazebo. 

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We met up with my birthday twin, Barb (just a few years apart) and her husband across from the DuPont Estate to anchor, making sure to leave plenty of room for the others we were expecting.  It was quite a mix of boats from BMC, Middle River and the Sassafras.   A great, great group of folks.  So we tie up, get settled and start the generator to cool down from the ride, only to hear shouts from the back to shut her down - too much smoke.  Uh oh.  Must the impeller.  Dang it - we don't have a spare.  Off to Georgetown to get a new one.  Over an hour in the sweltering heat of a hot engine room (thanks for fanning the captain, Eric), and we have a new impeller.  Good work Captain.  Guess what?  That's not the problem, it's the water pump.  Hmmmp.  No dinghy, no geni.  Lucky we have generous friends AND like the heat.

Fanatical as some of us are about the sunsets, on this particular Friday night there would be none for us, so we headed over to Signals at the Skip Jack Marina for dinner.  We had planned to dine outdoors on the patio, but the heat and threat of a storm moved us inside.  There were 16 of us seated at two separate tables and we pretty much had the place to ourselves, which was probably best (we weren't exactly quiet).  The meal was reasonably priced and the food good.  I had the Steak & Cake, and the crab cake was fantastic, living up to its name as "Best of the Bay".  Again, the key lime pie was tasty (what I had of it anyway - inside joke).  We made our way on dinghies in the dark back to our raft up, where we disbursed to our respective boats.  Some took dogs ashore, some went up on the bow hoping the meteor shower would start early, some had a night cap and talked quietly with the neighbors. 


First fish*



Strawberry shots

Saturday was a fun filled day of leisure.  The boys did some fishing (caught a few cat fish), we read and swam, went for dinghy rides, made new friends and ate like kings.  This is not a recipe blog, but I have to mention the shot Gary had us doing.  It's not only delicious, but beautiful!  Use fresh strawberries and carve out the inside, pour in some Godiva Liqueur and top with liquor infused whipped cream.  Gorgeous and yummy.  Gary also put up a dance pole on his boat (!).  The only use it got while I was there was by the guys though.  I hear it's good exercise...  Anyway, we swam more, ate more, watched a boat get towed, even dived for a lost necklace (sorry to say no luck).  Unlike Friday night, Saturday promised a fantastic sunset.  We grabbed a blanket and a cocktail and headed out to the bow for the sunset ritual.  The river runs east-west, so you get awesome sunrises & sunsets without having to take the dinghy out.  She didn't disappoint - it was amazing.  Afterwards, there was a huge dance party on the Grateful Escape.  

Noodle swim party*



Even Lexi went for a swim*

Sunday brought more of the same leisurely activities:  swimming, dinking, eating like kings.  A final picture show of the weekend on board One Restriction and the Harbor Shark was heading south.  An enthralling weekend on an enchanting river.  A weekend most of us didn't want to end, and some decided to extend.


Lily Pads*



Waiting for the sun to set*



Sunset in the Sassafras


*Pictures compliments of Sara Ingram

Mixed Company

 Rock Hall
July 24th, 2011

With the temp in the 100's this weekend, we just didn't feel like moving on Saturday and so skipped the relaxing weekend at Still Pond with friends.  Instead, we did something we rarely do and something that Buddy frowns upon strongly.  We mixed friends, family and clients!  We sat at the Dark Horse Tavern Saturday evening and went through our phone list inviting those to whom we've promised trips on the boat.  We're pretty active boaters and usually go out overnight and so getting everyone on board in a summer can be a challenge.  This was the perfect opportunity.

We wound up with six guests on board, plus Buddy and I (and Lexi dog).  We met at the marina gate at 11:30 and set off exactly at noon.  Our mismatched crew consisted of my young cousin and his roommate, two dear friends from MoCo, and a client and his lovely girlfriend - none of which had ever met before this day.  So we had all the generations represented - 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's.  I can see how this could be considered a risky or awkward event, but for some reason, on a boat everything is good.  My young cousin is quite the talker and had everyone in conversation before we even made it out of the marina, so by the time we pulled in between the water towers at Rock Hall, everyone was best friends.  Or something like that.


Harbor Shark Crew



Steve & Ellen hard at work

We pulled in to a slip out front and spent a few minutes debating on whether to sit indoors or out because the heat was still pretty stifling Sunday.  Before we had made up our minds, Michela-MacGyver had already scoped the scene and found the coolest spot on the deck (in the back of the tent between the two fans).  So we braved it and ordered lots of food and drinks and crabs and dug in.  I love it that they are dog friendly.  Our waitress Jodi was fantastic, even in the heat and she loved Lexi.  The ribs were the bomb and the crabs were local.  They only had mediums, but many of them would have been considered large elsewhere, and were oh, so tasty!  They key lime pie was yummy too.



Thanks Jodi!

 We decided to take make a stop at the Tiki Barge on the way back for the city view and some tropical vibes.  My cousin lives in Federal Hill, and just getting near the place we heard his name being shouted from the bar - what a way to make an entrance.  Things were definitely jumping at the barge on a Sunday afternoon.  I must declare that it really is the best outdoor bar in the city on a hot summer afternoon.  I'm not saying that because I'm partial (I admit that), but because up on the 2nd level of the barge, there's always a breeze blowing and it's just such a fantastic view of the city, you actually feel immersed in it.  It's the perfect place to take guests -and they make a pretty darn good orange crush too.

Tiki Barge on a Sunday Afternoon

At this point, my little cousin (well, he's actually late 20's, but he'll always be my little cousin to me) had gone off to find his friends and the rest of us were getting worn out by the heat and the day, so we set off leaving Justin & Kyle behind. 

Donna & Jim (MacGyver)

We returned to our slip, said farewell to our MoCo friends and enjoyed the company of Steve & Ellen on the back deck while the sun set over the marina...  Who says you can't mix business with pleasure? 

The Things People Do...

Aquapalooza & Fairlee Creek
July 16th & 17th, 2011

If I were a better writer, you readers would have quite a field day reading about Aquapalooza.  I'll do my best.  It's everything you envision it to be and more.  Imagine a thousand boats converging on the protected side of an island in the middle of summer with dogs, kids, beer, music and rafts.  And then multiply it by a hundred later in the day when everything gains momentum and the beer is flowing and the heat is steaming and the music is beating...  It's craziness and zaniness and wow - what an event!  Kudos to Marine Max for organizing it. 

Aquapalooza

After spotting the blue hull, we managed to maneuver our way through the obstacle course of boats & bodies to the All In and Premier Ride, who were rafting together along with a few other boats we didn't know.  Once tied up, I took a good look around-  and WOW again, what an event.  We guessed over a thousand boats were there.  I spent some quality time on the bow with Barbie, my old hairdresser, and met some new friends.  Just when things started to get a little out of control (beer bongs and old ladies sandwiched between young boys on a jet ski (she appeared to be either napping, drunk or god-forbid, dead -all I could think of was Weekend at Bernie's), we made our way out of there.  For those that made a day of it, it sounded as if a great time was had by all, hanging out in the water, mingling and meeting new people, listening to music and especially people watching!

I'm such a nervous nelly that it's really difficult for me to enjoy myself watching mayhem unfold.  Plus, I couldn't hear the band because one of the boats tied up with us brought his own generator and speakers and had his dance music blasting off the bow of his boat. 

Generator & Subwoofer on Bow!

And I like live bands, so it wasn't hard for me to leave the scene once the captain gave the signal, except for the getting out part, which is like slolom boating with boats and swimming people and dogs and PWC's (back to the nervous nelly part).  At least I wasn't the captain and all I had to do was bring in the lines...  Thanks captain, for bobbing & weaving us out of there.  

Off we went towards Fairlee to meet some friends of ours that were coming back from a cruise up to Atlantic City and Manhattan (talk about a boat trip!).  I took a nap on the back of the boat and enjoyed the breeze until I felt us slow down at the cut.  It's such an interesting approach in to Fairlee that I hate to miss it.  I like watching us turn the corner and feeling the current under us and seeing Jelly Fish Joel's and the palm trees and babies on the beach.  We found a nice open spot, set the anchor and then INXS was pulling in. 

The Stifflers show purple pride!


 We took the dog to shore and then the four of us went to Jelly Fish Joel's on the dinghy to listen to some music and enjoy a kooky drink.  The frozen drinks are refreshing and the band was playing crowd favorites.  The new bikini crush station and ice luge are a nice addition (I don't remember that from last year), and the attendant was a perpetually happy person that danced non-stop and aimed to please.  I got in to the band (or maybe the kooky drink got in to me) and danced in the sand next to the mermaid, before heading back to start dinner.

Dancing!

We had a combo meal (INXS and us) with steak and sausages, crispy potatoes and grilled peppers painted with olive oil, along with corn on the cob and a nice bottle of wine.  For many years we've been preparing the crispy potatoes, and they're always a big hit.  See below for the recipe.  We had a nice time, enjoyed watching the sunset and quiet conversation. 

Capt Buddy on the grill

The wind was blowing a bit and the sound of the waves hitting the hull and the anchor chain tugging were a little much for me so I wound up sleeping in the aft cabin for some quiet.  This also made for a bit of a chop on the ride home Sunday.  Nothing the shark can't handle!  It actually rocked me to sleep on the back deck, while getting some sun.  Perfect for rejuvenating for Monday morning. 

       Another spectacular summer weekend on the Chesapeake...

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Crispy Potatoes Recipe

• 1 whole baking potato cut in to small squares
• 1/3 of a vidalia sweet onion chopped
• generous portion of butter
• generous sprinkling of old bay
• fresh pepper to taste

Wrap the ingredients in aluminum foil and place directly on the grill for 15-20 minutes (until potatoes are soft and crispy on the bottom).  Enjoy!

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

 

Good Friends, Family, Food and Fun!

4th of July Weekend
Middle River/Kent Island/Rock Creek

Wow - what an enjoyable weekend!  Good friends and family and food and fun!  We stayed in port Friday night to see Trace Adkins.  That's a story in itself, but I won't get in to that here. So we had a drink with Scott & Kim at the Tiki Bar first (marina customers that moved to Utah - always great to see them), and then headed over on Clark's boat to anchor behind Pier 6, where we were able to hear most of the concert before being shooed away...  Called it a night after that.

Cruising (that's All In behind us)

Saturday morning we had lunch at the Bay Cafe, where I was once again impressed by their shrimp salad - SO good.  We left for Middle River around 2:00 pm and WOW - talk about boat traffic!  It was crazy between Ft. McHenry & the bridge and Middle River was just ridiculous!  We were staying at a friends' house, which we like to call the Doovie Del-Mar Marina.  They've had as many as a dozen boats docked on their pier before, but for this visit there were five of us.  The Middle River fireworks were that night, and the neighbors had a HUGE party and were kind enough to invite us over.  Thanks neighbors - the beef was incredible and we enjoyed the music too!  Just before sundown, Cap't Randy from INXS, who was staying at the River Watch, did a drive by and picked up the entire "non-party" to go see the fireworks.  Just 4 of us remained at the house to watch the them from the dock.  I was part of that group and it was nice sitting at the end of the pier and having a quiet conversation before the rowdy party returned in full force.  Middle River did a fantastic job with the fireworks - kudos.  Thanks again Dave & MA for opening your home to us and being most gracious hosts, as always.  Even when not planned!

Doovie Del-Mar Marina


Sunday morning we lounged and had breakfast and talked about the night and  and made new plans and then four of us boats set off for Kent Island.  I had been wanting to get to The Bridges for their $50 dockage to have a nice meal and to check out the music at the Jetty, so here we come!  They have a wonderful outside deck at The Bridges.  It overlooks the Narrows where you can watch the fisherman on the point and the boats coming and going.  Orlando Phillips, Rast-American, was playing, and bonus - they're dog friendly, so Lexi & Mercedes were able to join us.  We had the tuna sashimi and hummus apps which were fabulous.  Later we had dinner there as well, where they conveniently added the slip fees in to our bill.  After dinner, the Jetty was rocking with Hot Tub Limo and our girls were quite popular with the band, having their picture taken on stage! 

Our Sundancers

I woke early and walked Lexi.  Kent Island is great for walking.  The Cross Island trail runs along the Narrows there, but you can also walk over to Red Eyes/Annie's.  We had lunch and crabs at The Jetty (it IS the 4th of July).  They were local crabs and very tasty indeed.  It's been a while since I've been to the Jetty - I like what they've done to the outside beach area.  Kids were playing in the sand, and they're dog friendly too.  After lunch, Buddy and I split from the group to head to a family cookout in Rock Creek.  The bay was beautiful!  It was clear and flat (if a little overcast) and the boat traffic wasn't nearly as bad as Saturday. We stayed for dinner and enjoyed delicious fall-off-the-bone ribs before returning to the harbor in time for the fireworks, where I had fun dancing to my patriotic CD and waving the American flag.  What a fantastic 4th! 



Wine bottle chandelier at The Bridges



We're a patriotic group!

Happy 4th!