Family and Friends

After running hard aground on our way to a fuel dock at The Glebe, at the mouth of the Potomac, we headed up the river to Washington. On the way, we went by Mt. Vernon, but decided to save it for another trip. We had a little nasty weather on the way up, but had made a date to see The Captain's son and his family and didn't want to miss him. (The only times that we have encountered foul weather while underway were when we have had a schedule to keep. As a result, we try to avoid schedules.)

At Washington, we docked at Gangplank Marina for a week. The marina is right in the middle of the city and there are many liveaboards who set off for work every morning in suits and high heels. A number of the slips are filled with houses built on barges (like the one in the picture), but most are normal boats -- trawlers, sail, and regular houseboats. The marina is under the control of a "quasi governmental corporation" which is cleaning up the waterfront and seems to be doing well. There are restaurants along the pier and a large outdoor fish market at the end with all kinds of fin and shell fish -- including blue crabs!

The marina is a couple of blocks from a Metro station and we pretty much figured out the system so that we could get around quite handily. The Metro stations are quite magnificent.

We played tourist all over the place, not having been in DC since we taught in Stevenson, MD many moons ago. We went everywhere by both tour bus and Metro from the Jefferson Memorialo to Arlington Cemetary and many other sights we had never seen before or had seen so long ago that our impending senility had erased them from our failing minds.

But the highlight of the trip was meeting up with Allen's kids and their families:

Bill took us to a neat outdoor restaurant on the river in Georgetown and a quick walking tour. We're sorry that we missed Alison, who was home doing a major project for school, but we got to meet Liz's mother and get caught up with Emily.

A couple of days later, Ginger came with her entire brood. We met husband Dave for the first time and were delighted to see Nina, Sam, Julia, and Zeke as well as Nina's boyfriend. We spent a great day with them all.

On the way back down the river, we stopped to see Judy's sister-in-law and her husband Buddy who have a great house right on the river in Nanjemoy, MD. We also saw two of Paula's three boys and their families. It was a great reunion for everyone with the added attraction of an "All you can eat" crab dinner at a local crabhouse.

On the way out of the Potomac, we stopped at St. Jerome's Creek again to meet up with brother Jock (who we hadn't seen since November) and have a meal with his friends Tim and Jean who are restoring a small motorsailor.

From there we travelled back to the great old-fashioned boat yard in Kent Island where we had our trim tabs installed last fall. We had the boat hauled for a thorough hull cleaning and new bottom paint as well as new zincs. Everything was in very good shape! However, back in the Potomac, the alternator stopped charging the batteries. We were able to make do by running the 110 belt-driven generator off the engine and using it to run the 110 battery charger while we were underway. The boat yard first thought the alternator was bad. (That would have been a GOOD thing because it could have been repaired or replaced.) Unfortunately, a bench test showed that it was OK. So we're back to square one and are looking for the problem so we can continue on our way.

Next stop should be Chesapeake City on the Chesapeake and Deleware Canal. Then off to Cape May and other points in New Jersey, before the jump across to Manhassett Bay or somewhere in Long Island Sound.

In the meantime, we can be emailed at: Sesame@snet.net

Additional photos can be seen at our photo site.