The "Baltimore Bash"

White Rocks??

Sunday Sept. 12, 2010 - An early morning shower delayed our departure from the Chesapeake basin. Once the rain stopped we untied from the dock and headed for our next destination Rock Creek anchorage just a few miles south of Baltimore. The trip to the anchorage was uneventful. It was a muggy, dull and  very damp day. This was our first time into the anchorage and we were a little leary when we read 'be aware of white rocks'. Well we discovered that the area is well marked and the rocks were above water, so they were easy to spot.

 The bottom of the anchorage was heavy black mud and once we were able set the anchor she was set in good, but what work it made to clean off the anchor, YUCK!This anchorage was a great jump off stop to get into the Baltimore Harbor for the Northern Rendezvous of the MTOA (Marine Trawler Owner's Association).

Anchorage Marina, Baltimore, MD

Monday Sept. 13-17 2010 - Woke up fairly early and excited that we were heading for Anchorage Marina in the Baltimore harbor. The MTOA was having a National Northern Rendezvous and its their 20th Anniversary Celebration. We always have a great time with this very active cruising group. There were over 80 boats participating and over 200 people in attendance. Believe it or not there were 6 Nova/Heritage East boats and  seven couples, we had our own little mini rendezvous.

Nova/HE Owners' Group

Each morning most MTOAers congregated for a wonderful breakfast and then spent the rest of the day in seminars.  One of the highlights of the week was the Dinner Cruise aboard the Spirit of Baltimore. The cruise took us through the Inner Harbor of Baltimore and there was an outdoor concert being held  at Pier Six Pavillion by Crosby, Stills & Nash. Unfortunately we couldn't convince the captain that hey this would a great place to drop the anchor for a while! Oh well, we ate, drank and danced the night away, what fantastic fun! As usual the captain was very curious about the bridge and it was open for anyone that wanted to come have a look. 

Friday was supposed to be our day of departure but the winds were blowing on the bay. The sun was shining and the temperatures were warm despite the wind so we decided to take a side trip to Fort McHenry. It's a star shaped fort that survived the British invasion. Scott Key wrote the tribute to the Star Spangled Banner that is now the American anthem. There is a 'Star Spangled' buoy that marks the spot where the British prison ship was stationed just above the Scott Key bridge.


Fort McHenry