It was another early start for a fifty mile run to Annapolis, MD with expectations of a calm morning on the water with wind increasing and seas at up to 2 feet by midday. We slowly motored south on the Back Creek and worked our way back to the Chesapeake passing big homes on the Drum Point Cliffs. The fog was light and we had a slight upbound tide that made the start of the day easy. The trek itself was uneventful as we passed a few south bound freighters sailboats.
As we turned west into the Severn River towards Annapolis the sailboat traffic increased and the wind picked up to 16 knots making a small chop. We turned south into Annapolis harbor passing the US Naval Academy where the mooring balls were lightly peppered with motor yachts and schooners. Our destination for a few nights was the Yacht Basin Co. which was situated at the west end of the harbor just south of “Ego Alley”. Ego Alley is a thin channel that runs up to the Annapolis waterfront where flashy boats like to cruise in and out like peacocks letting everyone see the colors, playing loud music and creating more wake than necessary.
We were met by Mike and Eva at the fuel dock where we got a pumpout and topped off our fuel tanks. We were assigned a slip in the north basin which made it a short trip to walk into the heart of Annapolis.
We stayed 4 days in Annapolis enjoying the great food and cold drinks with family and new friends. We had excellent mussels fra diavolo at Mcgarvey’s, breakfast at the Iron Rooster. We stopped for cocktails at Pussers which was located in the heart of Ego Ally with full view of the parade of peacocks. Pussers was packed as usual with the local business crowd gearing up for the weekend.
After saying goodbye to Mike and Eva Maria and I ventured off to the Naval Academy for a tour.
Through the efforts of the Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, the Naval School was established without Congressional funding, at a 10-acre Army post named Fort Severn in Annapolis, Maryland, on October 10, 1845, with a class of 50 midshipmen and seven professors. The curriculum included mathematics and navigation, gunnery and steam, chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French.
In 1850 the Naval School became the United States Naval Academy. A new curriculum went into effect requiring midshipmen to study at the Academy for four years and to train aboard ships each summer. That format is the basis of a far more advanced and sophisticated curriculum at the Naval Academy today. As the U.S. Navy grew over the years, the Academy expanded. The campus of 10 acres increased to 338. The original student body of 50 midshipmen grew to a brigade size of 4,000. Modern granite buildings replaced the old wooden structures of Fort Severn.
Congress authorized the Naval Academy to begin awarding bachelor of science degrees in 1933. The Academy later replaced a fixed curriculum taken by all midshipmen with the present core curriculum plus 18 major fields of study, a wide variety of elective courses and advanced study and research opportunities.
The US Naval Academy Museum is a beautiful display of artifacts, and the naval Academy Chapel is a beutiful with its impressive dome and colorful stained-glass windows. Underneath the chapel, you will find the crypt of naval hero John Paul Jones lauded as the Father of the US Navy.
We stayed an extra night due to the weather and met Shirley and Tony of and had docktails on “Puffin” It was a great stay in Annapolis bue we knew we had to move forward and continue our trip on the Great Loop so it was off to bed and rest for a run to Baltimore.