the tea party

The British are coming, the British are coming.  And so are the plans for the spring sail on Chesapeake Bay.  Soon after I posted about ending the trip in Chestertown I heard from friends Mary Lou and Seth.  The weekend of our arrival is the annual Chestertown Tea Party.  No, not those tea party guys - these folks are out for fun.  It is a waterfront celebration that apparently takes over the entire town, from the river to the marinas and hotels.  Maybe not a great time to arrive at the Chestertown Marina.  Thanks for the heads up Mary Lou and Seth.

There are two ways to look at this - "Man, it will be too crowded!" or "Hey, party time!"  Bruce and I are choosing "Party Time!".  The plan still stands as below, starting in Onancock, ending just shy of Chestertown.  Straight line distance is just over 180 miles, which make me think it will end up at something over 200 miles - just right for eight days on the water.  Those white lines are short cuts that we can take if we are slowed by weather.  I like to build in an extra day or two or at least a short cut so we can keep to our schedule.

What makes Chestertown a practical destination for the trip are the good folks at Rolph's Wharf Marina just three miles downriver of Chestertown.  (That came from another suggestion by Mary Lou, thanks again).  I talked to a woman named Sandy.  Yes, they had an opening at the marina and at the River Inn.  Breakfast is included, they've got a ramp we can use to haul out Spartina and they also have a courtesy car to drive into town.  Sounds perfect.

Below you can see the marina and Chestertown.  Who knows?  We may arrive early enough in the day to sail right up the festival and see the event from the water.  Or maybe dock at Rolph's, clean up and drive into town.  Or maybe just kick back at the marina and relax.

For dinner Sandy suggested their Sandbar down on the beach.  Burgers, hot dogs and maybe a cold beer or two.  Does Memorial Day get any better than that?  She said being a holiday weekend it "will be hoppin'."  This place is sounding better by the minute.

Bruce and I are still working out other details for the trip.  One of the topics has been food.  Oxford is just at the halfway point on the trip, just the right spot for a resupply.  We can stop at The Oxford Market and pick up whatever we need.  There is a list of their groceries below, but when I stopped in there on the sail last September they had much more than that available, including lamb chops.  Hey Bruce, do you have a good recipe for lamb chops?

steve