Cold & Wet in St. Michaels

5/15/2019

Waiting until the afternoon to travel is typically not our mode of operation, but Saturdays weather called for a delay in departure. The Chesapeake Bay is a large body of water and like any large body of water it can be ugly. Tom had been following the weather for days and knew the wind coming from the northeast was suppose to start dying down by mid-afternoon from 10-12 mph to 4-8 mph and waves were suppose to be 1-2, so definitely doable on the Chesapeake. We took off about 1pm and it was rough, but we were heading to St. Michaels on the East coast of the Chesapeake in Maryland and figured we could handle it. It did eventually flatten out a little and since we got up on plane, we got there in about 2 1/2 hours. There are definitely benefits to being able to get up and run.
As day turned to evening on Saturday in St. Michaels, the clouds grew darker and it started raining and blowing. Typically, we check out our new ports right away, but we decided to stay onboard instead with hopes that Sunday (Mother’s Day) would bring better weather. It didn’t. However, it did bring calls from two boys, one from MN and another from CO, that brightened my cold, rainy Mother’s Day.
Monday wasn’t much better, but we still got out and wandered around town. To call St. Michaels quaint is an understatement. When everyone you talk to recommends that you stop in St. Michaels, they are right. It truly is a gem on the Chesapeake. We loved our time in St. Michaels even though the weather didn’t cooperate.
Here’s a few thoughts from our time in St. Michaels……

It’s known as “the town that fooled the British”. Look it up. It’s a fun story and we actually saw the Cannon Ball House. Just like all the other places on the Chesapeake, it’s steeped in history. Most notably, it was home to Frederick Douglass, when he was a slave.
It’s the home of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. We spent an afternoon wandering the grounds and many buildings learning the history of this little community (pop. 1100) and how both boat building and fishing, specifically oystering, helped it thrive.
Surprise! I ran into Mike and Melissa (not loopers) on my morning walk in St. Michaels. They are a couple from the Chesapeake Bay area that we met way back in Fort Pierce, FL on our way thru. They were on C dock and very sweet to us. Now how does something like that happen? Crazy!
Our dock boy, Cole told us that he LOVED Minnesota! (Most of the people we meet on the Loop don't even know where Minnesota is. Seriously). He ironically has attended hockey camps at Shattuck-St. Mary’s. We asked if he knew Tyler or Dylan, but no ☹
It’s not a good idea to lift a 170 lb. cannon ball on display at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Sometimes you drop it…..right Tom?
Even the most “arduously opposed to eating raw oysters person”, that would be me, has finally succumbed to the slimy, fishy, smelly crustaceans. I NEVER would have believed it. Must be all the salt air. I’m actually digging them! Hopefully I won’t get the gout like someone else I know….
We met a nice couple and their daughters from Virginia, Wayne and Lisa. They came over Tuesday night to talk about the Loop. They are considering it. We shared our little bit of experience with them and they shared a rootbeer tasting with us!
Full confession….neither of us like crab and we are in the land crab. Crab soup, crab cakes, lump crab, soft shelled crab, crab fritters, steamed crab, crab pots 😉
Rain, rain go away…..and when it doesn’t visit the St. Michaels Classic Car Museum. We had a fun time on a rainy afternoon checking out all the cars.

Below are some shots from our time in St. Michaels~

Downtown St. Michaels - a Mermaid made out of drift wood

The Episcopal Church in St Michaels. The church bells rang daily on the hour, quarter and half hour. We could hear them in the marina perfectly.

One of many beautiful historic homes in St Michaels.

They are definitely not prohibitionists in St Michaels. We found the Lyons Distillery and now know what Larry Lyons is doing with all of his time.....