Stir Crazy Sailing and Adventures - Episode 24 - Solo Sailing the Chesapeake Bay

Single-hand sailing a Catalina 42 sailboat down the Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis and Galesville, Maryland. Tips on places to stop where George Washington and Benjamin Franklin drank beer together. AIS gets installed in time to help navigate the busy waters near Annapolis. Maryland Blue Crab cake is finally acquired at Pirate's Cove, while Hartge Marina provides quaint and professional atmospheres, all in a great place to stay on the Bay. Rosaryville State Park has hiking and biking worth visiting when you are in the area - and staying in shape becomes a growing priority after making the boating schedule the goal over the past two months. Fun sailing in a picturesque corner of the sailing world - a mecca for every sailing Crew member - and a place sure to raise a smile. The Chesapeake Bay is sailing heaven.
Middletown Tavern middletontaver...
Hartge Yacht Harbor hartgeyachthar...
Rosaryville State Park dnr.maryland.g...
Pirate's Cove www.piratescov...
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal delawarebaysho...
U.S. Naval Academy www.usna.edu/h...

[@Huggybear101]

One thing Pirate's Cove has been known for, for decades, is their cream of crab soup. Great place.

[@dennismckee7934]

Great with a bit of sherry, Huggy Bear 😊

[@agentdouble-osoul158]

Hi Stir Crazy :) great video. I’m very much hoping to do some cruising around Chesapeake Bay in the future. Can you please tell me the name of the Marina where you had your AIS installed. Cheers.

[@LawrenceWells]

Thank you for tagging Hartges website. Hope you enjoyed the donuts this morning! This is Brad from the marina.

[@dennismckee7934]

Hey, I won't forget to give Hartge the highest marks on Google, as well - thank you folks for being my home away from home.

[@agentdouble-osoul158]

Dennis, enjoy those crab cakes, they certainly beat the ones you’ve been devouring out of a box while cruising down there :)

[@dennismckee7934]

Yep - they were great - Hartge in Galesville. Good luck!

[@danettebutcher4865]

Love this! Jealous of the crab cakes! I love crab all the ways. Enjoy some for me.

[@dennismckee7934]

Trust me, in the next video you will see a crab consumed in a manner you would NEVER pursue, Danette. Yuck.

[@nunsandcanssailingadventur9951]

Just binge watched your journey up to this point. I keep my 32 ft sailboat on the Chesapeake. I am also a solo sailor. I would encourage you slow down and experience more of this miraculous estuary. Western shore and Eastern shore towns are drastically different from each other, but shouldn’t be missed if time allows. My guess is your trying to get further south before it gets too cold - but please don’t overlook the treasure that is the Chesapeake. C& D to Annapolis - you passed some wonderful anchorages and towns.

[@dennismckee7934]

Yes! Havre de Grace was on my list but Annapolis was my goal in the time allotted. I did head up the Bohemia River after the C&D and hit Chesapeake, MD - but I didn't get any good video. My mistake was not attempting to catch the drama of a couple miles in the very, very shallow Bohemia motoring as fast as I could before the tide made the trip impossible. Sometimes, I focus on the business of sailing and miss points that would be of interest for some. So . . . Your point is valid and well taken. Any favorite places after St Michaels and Rock Hall (I think I will head north before turning south)? Your local knowledge is appreciated. Thanks

[@dennismckee7934]

BTW - Nice short form imagery on your channel.

[@SocialStylesAust]

I don't eat seafood but you make me want to try a crab cake!!

[@dennismckee7934]

Bummage on the pescatarian pass, Luke - but I will share that in the next episode I will eat something that will make people never want to eat crab again . . . So it all works out. ( ; )

[@jennifercharles-lm4dm]

I bet the woods smelled incredible. Like Yankee Springs in Hastings, MI. Not sure if you went there with the scouts. That was a great video Dennis. Thanks (I would have picked the yellow T-shirt)

[@dennismckee7934]

Yankee Springs was my first campout!! Mr. Toman probably had a nip or two and taught us a dirty limerick. Yikes. I have mountain biked there many times - funny that my video reminded you of Devil's Soup Bowl ( : )

[@jennifercharles-lm4dm]

⁠Yes!!!The Devil’s Soup Bowl!!!! My sister and I saw our first Sassafras tree that weekend. Good memories and smells 😊

[@dennismckee7934]

Sooooo coool. Thanks again for the trip down memory lane. Good times.

[@jennifercharles-lm4dm]

And 😂😂😂😂😂😂 on the dirty limerick comment. Of course, if my Dad saw Mr Toman taking a nip he would have went all “Scout Master” on him!! He walked up on a few fathers over the years. One guy (not a father) got out of his car with a 6pack. My Dad says “WHOA!!! You can’t do that here” !!!!!!

[@dennismckee7934]

Could have been my dad!!! The ooooold boozer!

[@John-Nada]

I was wondering about the viability of a full sized bike aboard.

[@dennismckee7934]

That bike is saving my life - more ahead on exercise, injuries, rehab and trying to maintain good health. Thanks again for being part of the adventure, John.

[@John-Nada]

I'm interested in doing the same thing with my bike but will it fit through the hatch without scratching up the boat? I'm not that keen on micro bikes.

[@dennismckee7934]

My bike rack is for a Jeep spare wheel mount - it works great . . . Salt will be a challenge but I'll try to keep it rinsed and lubed. Lighter bike is better - my first was steel frame - carbon is more expensive but much easier to handle, of course.

[@BrianW-xl6fk]

The history you share can be interesting to learn, which I would not have known, but I hope the research you do is more for you than for us viewers because it probably adds more work to your video. And, if you keep going to bars for crab cakes then you may become solo sailor no more.

[@dennismckee7934]

I get it - but I think the background is worth sharing. The "claims" can be a but shaky, sometimes, I think. So, I wouldn't base a masters thesis on my factoids. ( ; ) Thanks again for joining the Crew!

[@dennismckee7934]

. . . base . . . Not but ( : )

[@dennismckee7934]

Ha! Solo sailor status is not hard for me to keep - do you have any idea how hot Maryland is right now!? I sweat from sunrise to sundown; and I never imagined how much I can smell when my boat shoes get wet. Seriously, it's a problem that I have to address Yuck.

[@I_Hate_Pulling_Out]

Another great episode! I love the sound of your voice and your huge vocab! I mean most people don't use the same words you do on a daily basis! It makes it that much more interesting! Keep up the great work, Dennis! ❤️💋

[@dennismckee7934]

Hah! You should hear the vocabulary I use that isn't fit for publication - plenty of bashes and bruises. Thanks again for being so great, Beth!

[@I_Hate_Pulling_Out]

So lots of beeped out words?!? 😂

[@dennismckee7934]

Yes - good thing I control the editing . ( : )

[@RogerMorgenstern]

I agree Beth! Rarely is Dennis at a loss for words…of course we used to get paid to talk nice to folks ;)