May 3-May 5                          CAMBRIDGE, MARYLAND

Knowing we had a very long day of cruising to reach Cambridge, we arose early to be ready for departure by 9:00 AM.  Onancock was a lovely town but there was not much action in the downtown area and we were eager to continue northward.  The Querreys left the dock only minutes before us and we were soon following them through the snake-like river to the bay.  They had decided to go only to Middle Hooper Island, which was about a four hour cruise instead of the seven-hour journey that we had charted.  My information on Middle Hooper indicated that the dock at the one marina there would not accommodate a boat as large as ours.  If we wanted to stay on the eastern coast of Maryland, we had no choice but to continue to Cambridge.

The weather was cool and sunny, but the wind was quickly escalating from the calm breeze we had enjoyed when we had breakfast on the aft deck.  After reaching the bay, the wind was much stronger and the sky became very cloudy.  For an hour and a half, we were in fifteen to twenty knot winds (Ideally, we prefer winds less than ten knots.). We had to lay down everything in the boat that could be broken or become a flying object as we were tossed in three foot waves.  David turned on the windshield wipers but the steady stream of water often made visibility difficult.

As suddenly as it had appeared, the winds abated, the sky began to clear, and we were cruising along beautifully.  David left the helm to me and retired for his late morning nap.  Although the rain seemed to have ceased, there was a continual deluge of water streaming down the windshield.  Since I was occupied with the GPS and staying on course, I waited until David returned to begin questioning what was causing this excessive water from above.  Within minutes we discovered that we had inadvertently turned on the windshield washers (We didn’t even know we had such an accessory!) along with the wipers.  Our water tank was almost drained from the hours of needless washing.

The rest of the journey to Cambridge was uneventful and we soon docked at the lovely Cambridge Municipal Docks.  Weather reports indicated that another storm was on the way for the evening and the following morning.  Noting that the Cambridge Yacht Club was nearby, we checked for reciprocity with Fort Worth Boat Club and made reservations for dinner.

The CYC, organized one hundred years ago, has a small, casual facility with an impressive display of sailing trophies and is located adjacent to the city docks. The dining room looked out onto the water and the view of the lighted bridge across the river was spectacular.  The wait staff was welcoming and accommodating.  David never misses a chance to have lamb and declared it to outstanding.  My crab imperial was the best I’ve ever had—light, fluffy, and packed with delicious morsels of flavorful crab.  I am not trying to audition for the food editor of the Star-Telegram—but we do enjoy food and like to find new dishes or methods of preparation we might want to try.

 Afterwards, we hurried through the wind back to the boat and soon fell asleep to heavy rain.  I was delighted that the weather forecast had been correct—now I wouldn’t have to wash down the boat tomorrow to remove all the salt from our cruise.

The rain and wind continued through the night and into the afternoon.  We were concerned about Dan and Judy who were enroute from Middle Hooper Island to Cambridge.  They finally arrived at 3:00 PM after a very rough day cruising on the bay.  One of their bow porthole covers had blown off in the storm and the stateroom had become swamped with water.  Dan finally solved the flooding problem but beds, carpet, and everything in the stateroom was wet.  They had to spend time after docking to get it out, dry it, and clean the mess.

We were delighted they agreed to join us for dinner at the Cambridge Yacht Club.  Again the service and food were outstanding.  Dan and Judy will leave their boat at Oxford for a month, return home for a wedding, and then return to continue their journey.  We are hopeful that we will have another opportunity to visit with them this summer.

Thursday was windy but sunny.  After spending the morning completing SGA work and boat projects, we unloaded our bikes and toured the nearby historic neighborhoods.  Cambridge is rich in stately eighteenth and nineteenth century homes.  The downtown area, only a few blocks from the marina, shows evidence of architectural grandeur but, unfortunately, economical factors have emptied many of the buildings and little opportunities for shopping could be found.  The one grocery store, an establishment almost one hundred years old, is small, crowded, overpriced, and stocked with a limited number of provisions.

Cambridge has wonderful old churches, large and architecturally significant.  Obviously, the town has had a very prosperous past and there is evidence that current leadership is striving for revitalization.  Its location and reputation as one of the most important destinations on the Chesapeake may be a great advantage for future growth.  We loved seeing it by bicycle and were warmly greeted many times by locals.

We had a late lunch at Coolighan’s Pub on the main street of Cambridge.  Our waiter was a former chef and first mate on the 84’ Hatteras yacht belonging to John Glenn, the astronaut and later U.S. senator.  Since he wasn’t busy at that time of the afternoon, he entertained us with stories of his six month cruise on that incredible boat.  The Pub was located in a former Woolworth’s and the owner had decorated it with beautiful bird prints, highly polished wooden furniture, and lovely accessories that made it seem like a well-appointed private club.  The food was simple but very good.

We returned to the boat and resumed work on our boat projects.  The wind completely died and we enjoyed a lingering sunset while viewing the Choptank River and the marina from our aft deck.  We are hopeful that this calm will continue through tomorrow for our journey to Baltimore.