The Rendezvous is Well Worth the Effort!

We arrived at the West River Sailing Club just after noon on October 1st. Although we had missed the first night, the program was going strong, and we were welcomed in warmly. We rafted alongside Guy Holbrook and Laurine on Tradition - folks who had befriended us before we even bought Serenade, and encouraged us to go with the Whitby. The group was just completing a flare demonstration and practice session.

We heard presentations about engines, about planning trips, about docking and how to handle the boat in tight quarters. We heard anecdotes about problems and solutions. We had hot showers and good food. Happy hour brought more boat talk with cruisers from near and far. The surprise entertainment after supper was a movie and popcorn: Captain Ron, which was pure fun! We slept well that night.

Breakfast was light and the conversation was heavy. We learned about engine maintenance from the premier expert, Bob Smith. We also learned about navigation software, about safety equipment and heard about the intricacies of the Whitby from Doug Stephenson who worked at the Whitby manufacturing plant. Doug really knows how these boats work, and is extremely helpful.

At last the party wound down. A couple of boats left in the afternoon, and another two departed in the evening. It was a great gathering, and we hope to stay in touch with the friendly and helpful folks we've met. We stayed till the next morning, when we moved Serenade a short distance to the Hartge Yacht Yard where we had secured a mooring for a few days. Unfortunately we missed John and Jen, who were in Annapolis for a wedding. (Retirement is keeping us very busy!)

Roy had signed on to help Terry Temperly move his boat from Atlantic Highlands back to Annapolis, as Terry had been caught by the bad weather, and had left his boat there. It was a fast delivery, and we made the trip in about 57 hours, not counting the drive in a rental car up to Sandy Hook.

Another night on the mooring, and then we took off to find a location from which we could bike to the Annapolis Boat Show. We were heading for the South River when we spied Terry in Island Time and John Cece in Menehune heading out. We fell in behind them, and sure enough, we ended up in the South River, turning into Harness Creek. It's a narrow and winding estuary, with about 10 feet of depth. There around the second corner was Hawk; John and Cindy Hawkins had been there since the Rendezvous ended.

We anchored and Terry invited us all for cocktails on Island Time.

The next day, October 8, we put the bikes ashore in a beautiful state park called Quiet Waters. We biked to the entrance, about 5 miles, and then to a laundromat where we did two loads of much needed laundry. Later we had a very nice supper aboard Hawk, and talked over our plans for the boat show. Since our generator failed we've been having a tough time keeping our refrigerater cold enough, and sometimes we don't have enough battery power to use the laptop. We're planning to purchase a small portable gas generator that will stow in the lazarette. Other items include pricing a dodger re-make that would improve visibility.

Now it's time to tidy up and perhaps read the manual for our battery charger. More in a few days.