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Posted April 28, 2009 By admin

Sailing in the Company of Saints

It was quiet in the land of saints. As calm as hell. First, it was as hot as the ring Hell session (in case I lost count, which is where the great seafarer Odysseus eternally slow roasted for his involvement in the Trojan War). Second Instead, it was humid enough to bathe in third place, was no wind. And fourth, I was beginning to quote poetry. Santos,
help us!

What had started quite well. My husband Rick and I, along with our friend Hal, had decided to hold a kind of summer All Saints Day by the river cruise St. Marys and visit their sanctities associated nominal-St. Mary's College, St. Mary's Historic Names of cities, St. George Creek, St. George Island and St. Inigoes Creek-more sanctified be crucial to the history of the founding of the State of Maryland. Maryland's first settlers landed at San Clemente Island, but learned Yaocomaco that Indians maintained a sort of going-out-of-business sale along the St. Marys River (not your name, of course) because the tribe wanted to build their numbers upstream as protection against attack by another organization of the most fearsome Native American. In addition to land, the Indians also launched in their old houses and all of their fields, so that newcomers got nice chest and closed the accounts treatment. Then all you who called the hearing to various saints and prepared to make a new colony.

Turning the morning before the official cruise was to begin, Rick and I sailed down the Potomac River from the Yeocomico (Indians very different side of the river) and then the idle time away, still afternoon with drinks and good books under the old oaks at St. Mary's races Creek Center in Cartagena. (Cartagena was named by William Hebb II for a spectacularly unsuccessful 1741 battle fought to the Caribbean port of Cartagena during the War of Jenkins' Ear by the British, with the help of settlers such as Hebb and Lawrence Washington, against the Spanish. Nothing came of the war, and Jenkins's ear was finally in vinegar.)

Hal was in his boat the next morning, which dawned clear and bright, but calm, compels us to opt for a cruise of the Saints by the power instead of candles. The three of us went by boat from Hal with the rising sun and a second cup of coffee. We begin our cruise with a perfectly enjoyable trip St. Inigoes Creek, "the stream to the right as you come up the St. Marys. (Inigo is the Spanish of Ignatius, so the creek was actually the name of Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. A Jesuit priest with the first settlers arrived in 1634, and the order of the Jesuits in the years that followed thousands of acres held in this area, well as the entire island of St. George, which then was more impressive than it is now, as it used to be considerably higher.)

Serena? Very. Until one arm and then another went, enjoying the tranquility, has wrought, the wooded character of the houses that lined St. Inigoes, as many lake cottages Maine while commenting on the dozen new piers, steep stairs and long corridors of the new construction of the stream. It also noted several possible anchors in fine – particular place in the upper forested Lucas Cove who already had a temporary resident, a single cruiser who resolutely refused to look over his book as engines the slowly waving uselessly. During this time, however, kept a watchful eye on a military helicopter that was making dramatic touch-and-go in Webster Field, part of the naval air facility war priests Point. There is no welcome mat at the door of his house for cruises, of course, but the air show accident was free for viewing. Beside the Navy, in Molls Cove, St. Inigoes Coast Guard station was as peaceful as its neighbors in Maine home, this order weekend mornings. The facility serves the Potomac and its tributaries from point No Point and Smith Point, near the river mouth all the way to Route U.S. 301 bridge.

Two houses along St. Inigoes Creek is worth special note. Rose Croft through the point of the same name at the northern entrance of the gorge and was the seat the first collector of the colony of Maryland income. (Shipping is for the Potomac, was supposed to stop here to be taxed guns pointed toward the river to foster cooperation. But the vessels bound for ports in Virginia, just hugged the opposite shore, and thus kept well out of reach of the guns and tax collection.) Saint Inigoes Above, on the other side, Cross Manor is probably the oldest house in Maryland, original parts dating to late 17th century. It is now owned by journalist Ted Koppel and his wife.

Things were still as serene as Buddha when we left St. Inigoes Creek work to leave the confines of the St. Marys River waterway. Chancellor Turning Point, we were theologically neutral and Pagan and points of the Church in half. (The two points protruding from both sides of the river, offering the new settlement of excellent protection of St. Mary of potential enemies, like the Spanish, Dutch and Protestants from Virginia.) Beyond these points, we went to Horseshoe Bend, where the river changes direction from north to northwest.

Once we had gone as far upstream as we could, about two nautical miles, surrounded himself with caution Tippity Wichity Island-an area known to surface with the added threat power lines crossing the northeast coast outgoing. (This geographical modest once was an interesting spot on the local landscape known as Happie Earth, established after the Civil War by a smuggler Howgate behalf of the Confederation, which changed the name of the island of Lynch's house for drinks and house Witchery of the island, hence Tippity Wichity. Or at least that's the story.)

Aboard Serenity was running out as we begin our return journey downstream, the points last long and short, and came in Horseshoe Bend once again. The light morning breeze had failed at 10:15, punctual as a Swiss train, and had entered the purgatory short breath before the temperature rises and the day is well and truly downhill.

Hal was a director with us and clear shallow water horseshoe that point just when the sun passed out during the day. The humidity and the temperature remains neck and neck in the 100 and idle through Horseshoe Bend. It was at this point that the serenity flew out the window.

Sweating and moodiness, I found myself questioning the very nature of cruising, you know, the whole "Why Why are we here? "and" What's the point? "revisionist talk. Since Rick and Hal looked on helplessly, I began to recite the Edna St. Vincent Millay of unexplored, glad to know you is very short because I'm going to quote:
There was a road passing in front of our door
Too beautiful to explore.
I asked my mother once told me
That if you followed what was
He has brought the dairy door
(That's why I have not traveled more.) Maybe Mother was right, I complained. Maybe all we are doing is the engine of hundreds of Elsie and Elmer houses, he said, referring to the famous spokescows Borden. Dubuque course, all is nice and pretty, but it is also true. And so on. . . .

Well, as it turned out, was not the fault of television bovine star but in my stomach. I do not hate cruise was suddenly very hungry. And fortunately, there are few things that a good $ 6.50 all-you-can-eat buffet of the university can cure.

At Horseshoe Bend, Hal went straight to the docks of St. Mary's College, carefully avoiding a fleet out of athletes Special Olympics on the way and went ashore. Providentially, a sophomore political science major in the DC area, and materialized quickly, taking us figuratively in hand, led us in the shortest possible path to college commissioner. Half an hour and four slices of fresh veggie pizza later, life was great and Elsie and Elmer had reestablished themselves as fascinating reasons to explore the world.

Call it a small miracle if you will, but then St. Mary's College of Maryland, has been always on the side of the angels in regard to cruises. Not only the university invite cruise moored in the docks college during the day (no nights, however), but also welcomes them to use the sports facilities at $ 5 a day and use the showers, and the cafeteria, cafeteria and bookshop. If the docks are full college, no problem, there is enough space for all Horseshoe Bend Pacific Fleet to anchor (well, some carriers may have to wait outside) and throw dirt. There is plenty of sand on the beach near the boats.

"School has always looked toward the water," college President Jane Margaret O'Brien, told me when we talk next week. "All the old buildings facing the river because that is the way the school students saw the water, until 1934, when the steamer stopped working. "It'sa question Hospitality in a very rural area, O'Brien continued. The school continues to maintain close relationship with water, and his sailing team, with 13 national championships, is the number one in the country.

For a place that is more or less the last stop before the end of the road from St. Mary hummed on this day summer. The Special Olympics had found the way is part of a weekend of racing in a variety of boats for the state championship Special Olympics. Next to the university, the historical town of Santa Maria hosted the annual Archeology weekend, which allows visitors to filter for themselves among pottery fragments and get once a year to search the site filing system of artifacts housed in climate-controlled basement of an old house.

All this brings up another benefit of the enlightened attitude of the university towards the cruisers. Because coupling is available, cruises can easily visit the first capital of Maryland, is fascinating, a feat rarely possible in other parts of the historic nation, which have their origins back to sea. All this makes our visit to the Archeology weekend hike in the park. . . then a short walk through Trinity churchyard, a journey beyond Indian village forests, and a walk up the hill to the Visitor Center. At the end of everything, including a short drive van only a spit in the road-stayed Silas fast healer, quiet-spoken, thoughtful and full of the goodness of milk of good public relations. He had an enthusiastic audience. A few took notes. These are Cliff's: All samples from each excavation are clearly marked, sifted, sorted, stabilized, marked, computerized and stored. Now pay attention, because it will be at its end:

Archaeologists are now leaving both the land as best possible team for future archaeologists quiet as it is predictable who know more and have lots of today, as we all alumni who made regrettable things like pulling all the land that had been delivered regularly in the cultivation soil, it actually contains most of what is now considered good things. And, as oyster shells, it seems, are important indicators of health Bay, because you can measure its rings (such as trees, apparently) and the thickness and so on. Because the oyster shell fragments were as common like cucumbers pickled in a factory, nobody ever thought worth collecting them, except Archaeologists Historic St. Mary of the town, who cling to them and can be excused for feeling a bit smug about the whole affair. So, never throwing anything, no matter how it seems silly, but only if you are an archaeologist. End of lesson.

After entertaining encounter, with dirt and historical waste our steps, more slowly this time, to visit the historic city St. Mary's. The city, founded in 1634, was briefly a thriving community that was relegated to the dustbin of history just 90 years later, when the Protestants won power and clout to insist that the power center of the colony was moved north to the city's most malleable Annapolis. The pumpkin capital soon faded in memory and plow their fields, homes, businesses and government buildings forgotten. (The university, in fact, was established as a sort of consolation prize for lost capital, starting life in 1840 as a seminary for girls and finishing as the state's public honors college. So over the years, the school and the city loss have maintained a special unique relationship with its property, interests and activities very coincidental.)

City of Santa Maria was never a city in the sense of a downtown, suburbs and business. Even in its heyday was only a few dozen houses, a couple of tavernas and a house in the state. The state house was rebuilt in 1934, but most of the other original buildings have been reconstructed only in outline form called "ghost boxes", which gives the impression of bankruptcy 17th century housing development.

An important feature of past reconstruction of Santa Maria is the pigeon-the maritime cargo van that accompanied the first settler Greyhound bus, the Ark of When not showing elsewhere, the general Doveis parked at a dock, not far from the original destination and the bottom of a sharp fall in the ravine where the "city" stood up. The weekend after our visit, the dove of being in the river, which acts as the finish line of the 34th annual Governor's Cup, a perennially popular sailing race overnight from Annapolis to St. Mary (one capital to another)-a distance of sixty miles, if you do not have all the extra miles required in the many occasions when a blow to windward is the only way across the bay. The race is sponsored by St. Mary's The university, culminating in what has been called one of the best sailing in 10 games.

It was time for us to move on still had one more saint waiting in the wings So it took a final look at the river stage from Margaret Brent roundabout. (Brent was appointed executor of the will of the colonial governor Leonard Calvert, son of Lord Baltimore. In 1648 he attended the General Assembly to ask for two votes, one as executor and one as master of his own right, and received nothing in return, But contempt grumpy male.) Back to college Waterfront, inelegant dance of all coal, hot sand and Hal returned to the ship. Special Olympics sailors were just out of the water and met with friends and family in the shadow of the notices of awards. The sound of cheers and applause were staggered moisture through the spring to follow.

Once in Horseshoe Bend, Hal opened the throttle a little more careful that tourism may recommend but we are delighted with the resulting breeze and headed south of St. George Creek. We made two concessions to speed along the road. The first was to admire the Porto Bello, the heritage landmark built in the 1740s by William Hebb II and restored in recent years by former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee and his wife, writer Sally Quinn. The farm is located on a cliff above the western bank of river. (Porto Bello, as Cartagena, was appointed by Hebb for another battle in the War of Jenkins' Ear this a British victory.) Our second tangent to track past Josh Cartagena Point Creek where the stream seems to end before it begins, around the dogleg to right which is embodied in the flashing red "4" Dennis point, beyond the private docks and comfortable cabins, and finally go back, shallower as the stream beyond Walnut Point.

Now it was simply a matter of maintaining the three green balloons (two local and flashing green "1") to our right and then resisting the urge to do our part in St. George Creek before we had arrived at red "A". You can get away with the shortcut if you know what you're doing, but we did not. So we played with the numbers and divide the difference between "A" and flashing green "1".

St. George Creek feels nice and wide for much of his four and a half nautical miles, and that separates first and then St. George Island Piney Point Maryland mainland. Waterway is a busy job, too. As decelerated before reaching green "1" to try to take a look at Camp in the southern Merryelande the island of St. George, workboats and fishing vessels rushed around us and kept us afloat and binocular beaten. Merryelande, now a private school with bright cabins Rental colored with different degrees of civilization and tents, a sandy beach and a fishing pier, was for many years a girls camp summer led by Roman Catholic nuns. (The Jesuits were the first inhabitants of the island of St. George's European. Elsies followed herds on the island and Elmers Because of its abundance of tasty grass.)

The dominant feature in San Jorge Arroyo is the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education and Harry Lundeberg Nautical School. This training complex can be viewed from either side of the island of St. George and, on a clear day, from very far into the Potomac River. The school, which enables the merchant seamen for employment in the U.S. flag commercial vessels, is usually closed to visitors, but a slow shift in the springs is a good alternative.

In St. George Creek small and slow to keep down our passage aboard the temperature began to rise as fast as cumulonimbus clouds to the west. Soon Now, should we go down the river. " By afternoon in midsummer is not the time to be Lollygagging tourism along. So we made a quick trip next Tarkill Cove in the mainland of the ravine and then headed home-St. Yachting Mary's Medical Center, in this case. We have had enough time to put the awning over the cockpit the boat and pull three environmentalists from the fridge before the first storm barreled through. As you put your feet up and saw the falling rain, we set according to generations of sailors that the discussion before us a day in the Bay over a cold beer in the sudden coolness of an evening the end of shower is very close to heaven. Yes, all was quiet here in the land of saints.

About the Author

By Jody Schroath, Senior Editor for Chesapeake Bay Magazine. For more great articles and photos on boating, sailing, fishing, and cruising, visit http://www.ChesapeakeBoating.net

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