To be anchored (free) in the centre of an American city is amazing - the famous waterfront is a kilometre or two along a waterfront path but we usually just get a water taxi that runs twice an hour. There is a supermarket, a hardware store and a yacht chandlery near the anchorage which has a free public dinghy dock. Excellent!
We arrive from the McGothy river which is the next river south of Baltimore
Up the shipping lane, past a major container port (remember "The Wire"?) the lower parts of the channel are busy with large commercial boats, but this lessens as you get near the city centre when the bulk of the traffic is water taxis, ferries, tour boats and pleasure yachts.
We reach the designated city anchorage - between two large marinas, but good holding for the anchor and easy depths of 16 feet to anchor in. Plus good public dinghy dock. There is a street drain nearby and the water is sometimes a bit smelly. There is garbage too - but they do try and collect it - meet Professor trash wheel
No, not me - the machine to my right
The main dock centre has a silly machine that chomps its way around the harbour - one good man with a oyster tong pole and bucket would be 10 times quicker,
It looks like something out of robot wars - the black things at the front close together and we see it chase a coke tin around the harbour and finally capture it.
As befits people of a certain age we use hot water bottles when our backs hurt - here is shirley's
Also showing our anchorage
We see lots of yachts go by - you can hire a trip in the inner harbour or pay for a different type of trip "up the town" perhaps? ( I knew we shouldn't have researched Baltimore by watching "The Wire")
We celebrate being in the city as best we can
And then have an outstanding feed of Crab (and hush puppies) at Captain James
The waitresss explains how to dissect the hard shell crabs - they supply a knife and a wooden hammer, none of the french system of a complete set of operating implelemnts which we had supplied when we ordered Fruit de Mer in West France. It gets a bit mucky
We get 6 between us - they have dipped the crabs in a powder of spices and you get the spices all over your fingers and hence into your mouth - this does work very well and the crabs are delicious. Their hush puppies are superb as well - corn balls deep fried maybe with batter? Nice.The crabs were very expensive, but well worth it. A good place to eat Baltimore Crab.
The next day we have a brunch of french toast (Banana and Maple Syrup!), one shared between two.
Portion control anyone? Every meal should be the size of your fist. Not the American way.
And then to the touristing; The inner harbour is surrounded by tourist attractions and a good visitor centre. The real town is a couple of blocks up from the gentrified docks. We discover this when I have to venture inland to find my mobile phone store Not at the inner docks but half way along from the anchorage (you have to change water taxis here) - within two blocks you are closer to a grittier city - beggars ask for money, I found one a bit aggressive when I shake my head and he complains he hasn't even asked me yet. Which is maybe fair enough as he might have just been about to enquire what time was it... my bad. I am glad to get back to the bright lights of the docks.
Our water taxi (which is really a ferry as you have to go to the ferry stops) takes us past housing development on stilts - you don't need building land to make loads of money out of property development. Docks are great!
We also see a cyclist or posh tramp? with a hammock, clever!
And then into the inner harbour
There are 4 ships to see - we see two and leave out the Submarine and a US coastguard cutter.
The entire dock is a pedestrian precinct, some people need to walk a lot...
Kids of all ages can take pirate boats out for a paddle.
We refrain, but maybe Castleward should get some of these?
As well as seeing people enjoy themselves on the water the plaque is interesting, a fifth ship, bit one that is not here is described
The President Warfield tried to take holocaust survivers to what was to become Israel - by running a british blockade. Its failure and Britains actions caused an uproar that led to the creation of Israel. Never underestimate what a government can do, or not do.
You may have spotted the lightship in the photograph above, we visit it and an old tall ship (the Constitution)
I shall compare this to the Down Cruising Club's Lightship when I get home.
I also spot part of the lesson plan for sailors - how many of the questions below can you answer?
And then on to the tall ship
Lots of room here - not like the Mary Rose that I dived on - although to be fair it was 400 years old.
I learn something new; no..........
I like hammocks
Of course in real life the hammocks double as coffin bags for burial at sea, the supposed dead body gets stitched up in their hammock - the last stitch has to go through the sailors nose - to check he is actually dead and not bluffing.
Shirley gets out safely.
We also learn what they ate on this ship - makes Shadowmere's corn beef hash sound rather good!
Food matters - vital to crew's moral.
Nice wheels!
After touristing we head to Barnes and Noble and the Hard Rock Cafe to feed our minds and bodies.
We spot an old building nestling between the new, and also spot this rather quaint houseboat
All too soon it is time for Shirley to return home, it rains on the last day to let her acclimatise and we walk to a most convenient train that runs the 8 miles to the airport for $2.80. The BWI airport is most definitely better thought of as Baltimore airport.
I am to continue on my own to New York a few hundred miles further before Pearse joins me as crew.