Annapolis – 2 kilometres walked
It does not feel like November. There hasn’t been rain in weeks and nearly every day has been sunny and warm. We couldn’t have had any better luck with the weather.
Annapolis today was full of people. I am guessing mostly day trippers from other parts of Maryland or neighbouring states, but the shops and streets were all buzzing. I had Ben and Kate over for pancakes and peameal bacon at 10 and we sat for a very long time in the cockpit watching the dozens or may be even hundreds of boats out sailing as the water too was full of action. Sailboats under sail were threading artfully between and around the moored boats like a slalom racetrack, and I was sure several times one was going to crash into us, but they never did.
I went for a walk into town and found an Adirondack chair outside of the Helly Hanson store calling my name so I sat down and stayed for a long time enjoying the sun on my face, watching the people passing by, and enjoying the divine luxury of free time and choosing to spend it like this. Four young kids came by, joined by who I expect was their grandmother. The youngest boy walked over to his sister, wound up, and kicked her in the back of the leg. They started arguing. He came over in front of me, sat on the ground, and started playing with some little stones he found as his sister berated him and ratted him out to Grandma. Grandma pointed at me and said, “You take him. You just take him with you,” as she shook her head, eyeballed the boy and turned to walk away. I looked around me and there was nobody else there so she was definitely talking to me.
The sister then looked at me and said, “He won’t be a problem. As long as you don’t have any other kids,” then they all began walking away, leaving the little bugger sitting on the ground looking up at me, his new papa. He seemed up for it until I shook my head and motioned to his family walking up the street. He jumped up and left. I got back to enjoying the sunshine, glad I wouldn’t have to explain to Ana how a feral child came to be incorporated into SeaLight’s crew.
The remaining daylight hours were consumed by reading and pottering around on the boat in a lazy Sunday fashion. Ben and Kate came by at 5 for pre-drinks drinks then at 6 we dinghy’d over to one of their buddy boats from the Erie Canal who had finally arrived – Wayne and Gwen, and we joined them in the cockpit of their boat along with Kevin and Ana from Domino, and a couple from Quebec I hadn’t met yet – Jean Francois and Gina. It was Gina’s birthday and this was her birthday party. I had brought over a Yeti cup of peppermint tea which was the perfect beverage to go with the banana nut bread Ana and Kevin had bought at Costco, which they dished out to everybody then we sang the birthday song. The only thing missing was my Ana, and I couldn’t wait to see her tomorrow.
This little get together was exactly how I had imagined cruising to be – meeting new friends, sharing stories, and - as we’ve learned with Kate and Ben - being there to help each other out along the way. I think I’d like to have this same group to SeaLight for a sundowner before everybody starts heading south again.
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