September 6                          North Beach, Maryland

We had to find a suitable marina for storing the boat during the month that we would be in Texas.  Referring to the Waterway Guide, we started making telephone calls.  We soon learned that the size of our boat considerably limited our choices.  Many area marinas could not accommodate our electrical needs (two 50 amps connections), draft (five feet) and/or size (58’ with an 18’4” beam).  Herrington Harbor Marina South in North Shore, Maryland had a slip that was suitable but short.   It was only 55’ in length.  We decided it would have to do.  Herrington Harbor South was a marina we had visited on our trip in 2009. We had been impressed with its size, accommodations, and location.  It was in a sheltered area and was near Washington, D.C. and National Airport, where we would catch our return flight to DFW.

Shortly after leaving Solomons, the wind increased considerably and we were buffeted by high waves.  We looked forward to reaching a marina and having time to rest, eat dinner, and prepare the boat for our departure.  Although the facilities at Herrington Harbor South were acceptable, the dockhand was untrained.  We were fortunate to have the help of other boaters who expertly caught our lines and helped us to tie securely to the pilings.  David was livid and heartsick when he discovered he had brought the bow in too far and had scarred the paint.  This easily could have been avoided if the dockhand had been observant and warned David in time to stop forward motion. 

Ironically, after securing the boat, we noticed that the boat we had looked at last year was in a slip just opposite our own.  We had remembered it as being a beautiful 54’ Hatteras in excellent condition.  It was and is today, but we immediately concurred that we had made the right decision in choosing our beautiful The Bottom Line.  With considerable forethought and tender loving care, we secured our “baby” for our absence.  As we walked down the dock on September 7, we looked back many times at our orphaned boat and acknowledged that we were already eager to return.