December 04, 2005

Boating around Washington, D.C.

Let's not sugar coat it. Boatin' in D.C. amounts to coming out of the marina and heading North on the Potomac River for about a mile. All roads, or in this case, waterways, lead to Georgetown. Luckily, both the ride and destination to Georgetown are rather pleasant with various Washington landmarks within view. The exception is that there are fireworks in Alexandria twice during the season and we all take our boats and throw anchor and raft up for the fireworks … then we fire up the boats and go North again where we are sure to see a familiar face and chilled refreshments right on the waterway we love so dearly.

Yes, you can theoretically motor your boat to and from the Alexandria City Docks but that is most likely the extent of the whole experience. Typically, one of two scenarios will occur. The BEST scenario is that you are miraculously offered a transient slip, you dock, and then you promptly leave your boat as the waterfront doesn't offer any reason to stay on or near your boat. Taking a car or taxi to Alexandria is a heck of a lot easier as a transportation vehicle than a 47 foot boat …. or any size boat for that matter. The second scenario is what has occurred to us 'every' time. After contacting the Alexandria City Dock Master anywhere from a month in advance to no prior notification, the answer is always that they cannot accommodate a vessel that large. We all know that we have seen larger vessels than mine there. At first you may think that I don't get a space because I pissed them off before. Au Contrare! I haven't received dock space ONCE, so I'm still waiting for an opportunity to piss them off.

So, 90% of the boating season ends up being at the wall at Georgetown Harbor or anchored at three-sisters island above Georgetown. The other 10% of the season is an occasional trip to Mattawoman, Tim's Rivershore, or Fairview Beach. Luckily, there is always a friendly face waiting to help tie you up and hand you a drink. Its pretty much a summer-long Friday night party with 90% of the boats going back to their marinas after the party. It is definitely the place to sit on your boat, people-watch and socialize. Saturday and Saturday night typically have a different crowd. I guess after the blow-out on Friday night, the majority of folks are in recovery mode. Sunday you will see a lot of the Friday night characters tied up together up at Three Sisters Island, with an occasional foray down to Georgetown Harbor.

The Captain and Crew of Livin' Nauti' typically do not go back to Washington Marina training session at Gold's Gym Saturday morning. If the cops haven't thrown everybody off the wall around 1 or 2 am, Livin' Nauti' will stay overnight on the wall. Otherwise, Livin' Nauti' will pull off the wall and throw anchor and spend the night on hook. You would think that the crew of Livin' Nauti' would be awakened earlier by people at Georgetown Harbor, but alas, the 'crew' boaters and the sculling canoe people seem to get up 4 hours before dawn. The best is that goofy guy on the megaphone at 6 a.m. Saturday morning while he ignores the no-wake zone zooming past us. Oh well, we didn't need more than 3 hours sleep anyway.

And the canoe people are just plain dangerous. One day a couple hours AFTER the sun came up, a woman literally ran right into the bow of my anchored boat near the shore across from Georgetown. I was preparing breakfast and by the time we got outside, SHE yelled at US that we should have warned HER! I guess she wanted us to warn her that we were an anchored, non-moving, non-swinging 47 feet long by 14 feet wide by 18 feet high motoryacht that happened to be in fairly close proximity to 5 other motorboats and a large outcrop of rocks behind us that she would eventually have hit if she hadn't hit my boat. Stupid me, I was expecting her to apologize for running into my boat.

So, other than a few folks that seem to live in oblivion, Georgetown Harbor and the surrounding anchorage spots are a great place to find your other boating friends or strangers that quickly become 'boating-weather' friends. Most of the boaters both at the 'wall' at Georgetown and at Three Sisters will not only welcome but also aggressively encourage you to come on board and socialize. The international flair is always ever-present at the wall. Plus if you want your boat in thousands of pictures across the world that would be the place to go.

Of course, you need to either stay close to your boat or take some precautions when you are at Georgetown Harbor. Some people will literally walk onto and into your boat for less than admirable or legal reasons. However, most of the damage and/or mishaps occur with both boaters and non-boaters that have obviously lost most common sense while intoxicated. My favorite: boaters jumping onto and/or walking across my newly waxed (slippery) 1/8 inch (thin) fiberglass swim locker top rather than walk on any of the '3' viable non-skid large walk areas RIGHT next to the locker. Since this is my first boat, I'm sure I will stop cringing after a couple of years.

One of the great things about Georgetown is that most of the boaters will let you tie up next to them and treat you like you were an expected guest. Most of us have figured out we just need some big bumpers and good use of spring lines to ensure that everybody gets a spot AND keep all the boats undamaged. And yes, there are some notorious jerks that do not allow anybody to tie up to them at the wall … but what goes around comes around. The other aspect that I find especially cool is that there is really not a 'class' system amongst most boaters in DC. We all know the value of the boats around us because we have all gone through that evaluation process before buying our own boat. Plus most boaters can't help but look at other boats in the magazines, in the boat shows and /or on the internet. I know I am just as concerned about damaging somebody's $25,000 boat as somebody's $1,000,000 boat and I believe most other boaters are the same.

Three Sisters and the anchorage areas across from Georgetown provide an avenue for both swimming in somewhat cleaner and safer water as well as a good atmosphere for sunning and socializing in a fairly quiet and tree-lined waterway. There is a bit of a current so you might want to tether your float to a boat just in case you fall asleep, but I'm pretty sure you won't be left out there floating alone long enough to fall asleep anyway. And typically somebody will even bring you a refreshing cocktail.

Posted by Kimberly on December 4, 2005 11:48 AM

November 26, 2005

Boating around Baltimore, Maryland

In June, I decided to take a position in Baltimore, Maryland so that I could live on Livin' Nauti' and walk to work from the Baltimore Marine Center. Several months before, after searching and visiting several marinas, BMC seemed to the best as far as amenities and location. So, when a new Technology Quality Management Director position was offered with a national Long-Term Care Pharmaceutical company 3 blocks from the marina, I decided it was obviously meant to be.

The position started on July 6th, so I worked for about a week and a half and then the NPYC 10 day long cruise started. At the end of the long cruise, I brought the boat to Baltimore. I had taken a year's lease as I didn't plan on leaving. No more stressing over commuting in the DC area. No more getting up at 5:30 in the morning to try to beat traffic. Everything that I needed was within walking distance. Even the Safeway was literally between the marina and the work place. Everybody was nice and asked if I needed something. People would actually go out of their way to open doors.

At the marina, there was always somebody around somewhere so I never felt 'alone'. There were several restaurants and bars on the premises, 2 of which are well known for outside bands. So there was literally something going on all the time if you wanted to partake of it. However, once I was on the boat, I could either be available for socialization or not. Living on the boat afforded the opportunity during the week to do those little chores that take up precious time on the weekend. I typically went back to my house in Alexandria on Tuesday and Thursday evenings because I had a personal fitness client that I trained those two nights plus I have cats at the house that haven't been trained to live on the boat.

Well, sometimes you just have to wonder. Our competition bought our company through a hostile takeover (in order to get our customers) and started laying us off. By the end of August, I was no longer employed in Baltimore and it's not the technology, quality, or regulatory mecca that DC is, so I took a position back in DC to start after Labor Day. I brought the boat back to DC on November 13th.

We took a few trips while I had the boat in Baltimore. However, my observation is that Baltimore is actually too far north on the bay to get to most of your destinations in a normal weekend. Therefore, you need to be able to leave on Friday morning or come back on Monday. Having a new job obviously did not afford that option. We went down to the Inner Harbor quite a bit with the boat, but people do not hang out on the boats like they do in Georgetown. It's more like a place to dock your boat while you do Inner Harbor activities. It's also a very long haul out of the Baltimore Harbor to get to the Chesapeake Bay.

I actually did enjoy living in Baltimore though. There is so much to do within walking distance. There are also lots of activities and festivals to go to all the time. There are also lots of places to go and be outside. In the DC area, that is limited to a few choice areas. I also enjoyed living on the boat and being around the boating community all the time. Baltimore is definitely better situated for more northern bay trips than mid-bay, so it definitely is a personal preference and lifestyle decision. If it is a weekend-only boating lifestyle, Baltimore is actually a little difficult because you can never pre-determine the commute. Some days would take an hour and some days would take 3 hours because of some mishap or construction somewhere. But I think it's a good destination for boaters and a good place to actually live on your boat and still be in the city atmosphere.

Posted by Kimberly on November 26, 2005 11:44 AM

August 22, 2005

Trips to Rock Hall

Rock Hall is one of the closer destinations as it takes about 2 hours to get from my marina in Baltimore. It is basically just across the Chesapeake Bay but slightly south.

On the first trip, we stayed at a marina and took the shuttle trolley bus to and from the various destinations. It was 100 degrees and you could stay on your air conditioned boat, go sit in the pool, or go tour around Rock Hall on wind-only cooled trolley bus. We decided that we would take our chances that the trolley bus would travel fast enough for some wind movement on the inside. It actually was a very quaint little trolley with very large open windows and a very personable 'conductor' that must work 18 hour days.

Rock Hall has both large and small restaurants/bars, antique shops, ice cream shops, fudge shops, etc. as well as various scheduled activities. There are a few places that have nightlife including local bands that keep both locals and transients entertained. Our favorite was Waterman's Crab House. They had both inside and outside drinking and dining in a casual atmosphere. Half of the outside deck on the water is covered if you need refuge from either the sun or rain. On Saturday night, they have a local band playing on the outside deck area.

On our second trip, we called Waterman's ahead of time to ascertain the current situation with the slips around Waterman's. On some weekends, the boaters get there early on Friday night, so showing up at 2 pm on Saturday is already way too late. But on other weekends, you may be the first one there at 2 pm on a Saturday. We had a slip right next to the outside deck area and we paid to spend the night. They even had electrical hookups. Within a few hours, the other slips were filled and we had new transient friends all around us. In addition, the atmosphere is one in which the customers from Waterman's felt comfortable stopping and talking for awhile.

In addition to conversing, eating or drinking with new-found friends, you can also dance under the stars on deck or on your boat to your heart's content. The band seems to play as long as people want to be entertained. In our case, we had the opportunity to enjoy both the atmosphere and our boat at the same time. Even if you did not get a slip at Waterman's, most of the marinas are within walking distance of every place that you want to get to.

On our second trip, we actually took our bicycles and traveled around Rock Hall via bicycle. The 'local' folks seem to be very aware of the 'transient' folks that are walking and riding around town, so in addition to watching out for you crossing the roads, they will also offer assistance on both locations and venues for activities.

The crew of Livin'Nauti' found this to be a very comfortable destination for a weekend trip.

Posted by Kimberly on August 22, 2005 11:42 AM

August 14, 2005

NPYC Long Cruise

July 2005. The 10-day long cruise was a trip starting from the Washington Marina down the Potomac to the Potomac River Yacht Club Float-in and then to continue with the NPYC for the next week at various destinations on the Chesapeake. We decided that we would take the 3 year old with us on the trip and unfortunately she was not feeling well.

We left late Friday afternoon and spent the night on anchor at Fairview Beach on the Potomac. Then we left early Saturday morning to arrive at Crisfield Maryland around 11 am just in time for the activities.

Crisfield, Maryland

Crisfield is basically a destination for another reason. In our case, it was the destination for the Float-In. There are a few places to get food within walking distance to the marinas. But on the whole, there's not much to go see or do in the town. However, if you like to go crabbing or fishing, this may be the location. The Float-In has a combination of social events, classes/instructions, and competition between the Yacht Clubs. Some years are better than others and unfortunately, this year we had 100 degree weather and an already limp 3-year old. We left on Sunday for our first destinations as part of the NPYC Long Cruise.

Cambridge, Maryland

So far, Cambridge is the only 'resort' that I have visited on the Chesapeake Bay. There is a pool with a water slide, a pool geared towards people sitting around conversing, and a heated inside pool should you decide you are not an 'outside' person. There is also a small beach area with various water sports. There are multiple areas for eating both formal and casual. There are even facilities for getting some exercise, such as the workout center and playing golf …. although the latter isn't really exercise, but you COULD walk around the greens.

There are activities on the resort or it's a short ride into town for shopping. There are two problems with Cambridge. The marina is very far from the main hotel and it is a very long hot walk in the summer. You can ask the marina store to send a cart, but they were at least honest and told us that it probably will not happen as since both an underutilized employee and cart must be available. By the time you get to the main area for dinner you have walked a mile in 100 degrees. In addition, after two years, they still do not have a working pumpout at the marina.

Since it was 100 degrees, we spent most of our time mid-day in the pool. The yacht club got together several times for meals and had a great time. We did not go golfing but this would be the place to bring your clubs.

St. Michaels, Maryland

This quaint destination is a must for most boaters on the Chesapeake at some time or another. St Michaels provides various marinas all within walking distance of the various restaurants and shops. If you aren't in the mood to walk or ride your bike, they have made it pretty easy to get around with the air conditioned shuttle vans or the ferry boat. There are a multitude of quaint little shops for you to peruse as well as some good eating establishments right next to your marinas. Our marina had a small swimming pool and all the hotel facilities were literally about 20 steps from the boat. The only negative was that for some reason our Yacht Club decided this destination would only require one day. In retrospect, I would have opted for 2 days at St. Michaels and 1 day at Annapolis since I have been to Annapolis quite a bit by land.

Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis has a lot to offer year-round to tourists. There are many restaurants and shops within walking distance of most of the marinas. Annapolis isn't necessarily quaint since it caters to both transient boaters as well as the land-based tourist industry especially with the academy in Annapolis. We stayed at the Annapolis Yacht Basin, which did not have a pool and since it was 100 degrees out, a lot of the boaters spent the afternoons in their boat. You do have a much wider selection of eating establishments and the area definitely has a lot of foot traffic even during the middle of the week, so it has that 'people-watching' perspective that some of the quaint destinations do not have. And, of course, there are more nightlife alternatives. We actually left this destination after one day as it was too hot to stay another day just sitting inside the boats. Theoretically, the other option is to sit in all the watering holes all afternoon but not really a great place for a 3-year old.

Baltimore, MD instead of Solomons Island

Solomons was supposed to be the last destination before going back up the Potomac. However, I had recently taken a new job in Baltimore and would be docking the boat at a marina 3 blocks from my workplace. So, we decided that we would not travel all the way down to Solomons since 1) we were already close to Baltimore, and 2) the weather was still going to be 100 degrees. My new marina, Baltimore Marine Center, had a nice pool area including the pool, Jacuzzi and children's pool as well as good restaurants both on the premises and within walking distance in every direction, so we decided we would be better off just going to Baltimore. Baltimore actually has a lot of activities for singles, couples and families even during the middle of the week. Between the tours and activities at the Inner Harbor, outdoor festivals or bands, eating and nightlife establishments, as well as children-oriented activities, you can keep pretty busy in Baltimore.

Posted by Kimberly on August 14, 2005 07:53 AM