Summer in the Solomons

Summer in the Chesapeake can be very uncomfortable with both temperature and humidity registering in the 90’sF. During this time cruisers beat the heat by installing small air conditioners over the hatches of their boats and with frequent sails out into the Bay where breezes cool things down. The very best “summering” months here are actually in the spring and fall--during June and September when skies are still sunny, humidity drops and temperatures hover around 80F.

This year we spent the month of September summering at Spring Cove Marina in the Solomons, Maryland and at various anchorages along the Chesapeake coast. While at Spring Cove we met a group of very interesting people. Our first weekend there, Dorian and Denise aboard “Che Sera” invited us to join them with some of their friends at a BBQ. Like most of the cruisers who actually live and work in the Washington area, these couples escape to the marina each weekend, using their boats as virtual “cottages” where they meet with family and friends to entertain. Their vessels rarely leave their slips with the marina acting in the capacity of “country club” with its members swimming in its refreshing pool, partying on the grounds and socializing with each other. It was interesting to be invited to join this group of professional locals and to hear their opinions on issues currently affecting Washingtonians.

Dorian and Denise themselves are not American at all, but South Africans who sailed here from there several years back across the Atlantic on a small sailboat. They are “liveaboards” on their boat at Spring Cove where Dorian works refitting vessels “on the hard” and Denise is employed as a pharmacist.

This season we also met three other fascinating couples, two of whom keep their boats in slips here. Roger & Donna aboard “Bermuda Dream” are from Albuquerque, NM and Chris & Bob aboard “Thekwini” hail from Boulder Co. Both couples were kind enough to invite us aboard their vessels for “sundowners” and a good visit. And we hope we have made four new friends as we found we all had much in common with each other and have promised to keep in touch. The final couple we spent time with was Emma & Dave from “Five Flip Flops”. They crossed the Atlantic Ocean from England two years ago and have been sailing in the Caribbean ever since. When we met them at the Solomons, they were hauling out at Spring Cove and leaving to fly off to Bangkok for a 3 month holiday away from the boat. They plan on returning to the Caribbean in spring in time for Antigua Race Week where Emma will be chairing the committee for that event. We would never have the opportunity to meet such a diversity of people in our rural life back in Canada. This is one of the reasons we love the sailing life so much.

Apart from spending time with fascinating people, we also managed to sail to some very interesting villages, coves and creeks during this past month. We loved the St. Michaels/Oxford area with its pretty colonial homes and well manicured gardens bursting with colour. There were wonderful restaurants here and lovely secluded inlets and bays in which to anchor. One of our favourites was La Trappe Creek. As we sailed up this waterway past the long sand spit flanking its entrance, it was like going back in time. The banks of the stream were lined with stately old trees--some over a hundred years old, and the only dwellings visible were two breathtaking old manor homes across the creek from each other dating back to the 1700’s! It was easy to imagine colonial ladies in bonnets and crinolined dresses with servants in skiffs running down to the manor house docks to welcome sailing ships laden with goods from England. So unspoilt and yet so close to 21st century civilization. Truly incongruous.

We had wonderful weather this entire month. A bit overcast at times but always warm and whenever we set out for a new destination we had light winds and calm waters. It is good not to be in a rush this year and to have time to spend with new friends exploring new places.