After our final night in Annapolis it was time to move forward and head to Baltimore. There were a few sailboats already in the harbor and the mooring balls were full in anticipation of the upcoming Naval Academy graduation. We turned to starboard to head to the Chesapeake then north towards the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bay Bridge. The weather was great, light winds with one to two foot seas. As we headed north we went under the Bay Bridge which has two spans. The original span opened in 1952 with a length of 4.3 miles and at that time was the longest continuous over water steel structure. The 2nd span was added in 1973 and was officially named after Governor Lane. I’ve driven over the bridge many times and is very susceptible to the high winds.
After a short trip passing old lighthouses and dodging freighters we turned up the Patapsco River towards Baltimore Harbor.
As passed under the Francis Scott Key Bridge and what seems to be a trend for us, we were stopped and boarded by the US Coast Guard as we entered the Harbor for a safety inspection. The young men on the USCG vessel were very friendly and after they were informed that we just got stopped a month ago they did a quick inspection and handed us our second inspection form. Entering the harbor we passed the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. The Valiant defense of the Fort during the Battle of Baltimore on September 13-14 , 1814 inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that became our national anthem.
We turned starboard into the Anchorage Marina located just east of fells Point. It is a large marina with clean facilities, a small clubhouse for the guests and located conveniently near restaurants and shopping. There is a great walkway/promenade that runs along the harbor where you can walk from Point Breeze all the way to through Fells Point and into the main harbor of Baltimore. Over the few days we stayed here Maria and I walked all the way to Baltimore through the Little Italy section stopping at Kneads Bakeshop and Café. On the way back we walked along the waterfront passing Harbor East Marina which appeared very new and then onto Fells Point. We tried to stop at the Thames Oyster House but they were not open so we tried the Slainte Irish Pub for fish and chips and Shepards Pie. It was a very hot day so the cold Guinness hit the spot. We have been to this area in the past and it was pretty run down compared to our last visit pre-covid.
After a good visit to Baltimore we relaxed on the boat watching another great sunset.
On a side note if you stay at this marina and need a pump out you need to make a reservation with the dockmaster at least one day ahead.