Some of our wonderful friends live in the Annapolis area, Lisa and Blair Keithley, along with their two kids, Aden and Talia. They have been so generous in letting us stay at their house many times along this adventure, including Eric’s first trip east to check out boats when we were in that stage of the process. Ava and I went to the Taylor Swift concert with Lisa and Talia, and Lisa was the one who found and arranged the private dock for us (at their friends the Operts) to keep Night Music while we were traveling the previous week. And the added bonus? The Keithleys love to sail!
Saturday, August 8th, is the annual race to Oxford from Annapolis. The Operts have a racing/cruising boat they entered in the race so the people who wanted to race went on their boat, Orion, and the rest traveled on Night Music. Another boat, Reveille, met us there. It was a 6 hour sail to Oxford, about 30 miles south of Annapolis. We had a dinner at the Tred Avon Yacht Club – they were hosting a BBQ after the race – and then anchored out in a nearby creek. The four boats rafted up together so the kids and adults could easily move between the boats. Reed had two other 9 year old boys and Talia to play with and Ava had a 14 year old girl, Hannah, to hang with, as well. Happy kids, happy adults! The stars were amazing in the isolated anchorage, it was a late night with a lazy morning the next day before Night Music sailed back to Galesville.
On Monday, Aug 10th, we moved the boat to an anchorage in downtown Annapolis area - Back Creek. A short dinghy ride to shore and all the amenities of Annapolis are right there. One afternoon, we left Night Music and anchor and met up with the Keithleys to sail the bay on a J105 - it was a treat be on a fast racing boat for the day! We didn't have a lot of wind but we had a lot of fun!
Saturday, August 8th, is the annual race to Oxford from Annapolis. The Operts have a racing/cruising boat they entered in the race so the people who wanted to race went on their boat, Orion, and the rest traveled on Night Music. Another boat, Reveille, met us there. It was a 6 hour sail to Oxford, about 30 miles south of Annapolis. We had a dinner at the Tred Avon Yacht Club – they were hosting a BBQ after the race – and then anchored out in a nearby creek. The four boats rafted up together so the kids and adults could easily move between the boats. Reed had two other 9 year old boys and Talia to play with and Ava had a 14 year old girl, Hannah, to hang with, as well. Happy kids, happy adults! The stars were amazing in the isolated anchorage, it was a late night with a lazy morning the next day before Night Music sailed back to Galesville.
On Monday, Aug 10th, we moved the boat to an anchorage in downtown Annapolis area - Back Creek. A short dinghy ride to shore and all the amenities of Annapolis are right there. One afternoon, we left Night Music and anchor and met up with the Keithleys to sail the bay on a J105 - it was a treat be on a fast racing boat for the day! We didn't have a lot of wind but we had a lot of fun!