After a great visit with Tony and Shirley it was time to move forward and move forward heading north up the Chesapeake towards Havre de Grace, MD. We left early with expectations of 10 knot winds and light rain on our 40 NM trip. After leaving the Swan Creek the and turning north west we ran into heavy fog with no visibility. I stayed on my Navionics track and trusted my instruments. That being said the track took me towards Baltimore instead of north up the eastern channel creating a little confusion, but I corrected the course to head north returning to the preferred channel. the boat traffic was light and most of the ships we went by were at anchor awaiting there shot at entering Baltimore Harbor. After the fog cleared we settled in for our six hour run as the wind stayed steady out of the north. There were several announcements on VHF 16 about a speed boat race on the western shore which we were able to see run by off of Cherry Tree Point. turning west out of the channel we headed in the shallow and tight channel towards Havre de Grace past Spesutie Island on the western shore. The winds had increased to 15 knots and the small fishing boats littered the edges of the channel. This area of the Chesapeake leading to the Susquehanna River you need to stay in the channel, just outside the channel it immediately goes to depths of 1 to 3 feet.
Our destination was the Log Pond Marina located in the center of Havre de Grace. The entrance to the marina is a tight opening between a wooden and rock barrier. The wind was still strong out of the north but with our slip assignment a north facing slip made docking simpler that expected. We squeezed into our less than 16 foot wide slip leaving just enough room for our small fenders to protect us from the dock. We were assisted by a slip owner as there were no dock hands in the marina. The marina is not protected against the wakes of passing boats that forget about the no wake signs in the channel so we were rocked pretty well on several occasions.
During the Revolutionary War, the small hamlet known as Harmer’s Town was visited several times by General Lafayette, who became considered a hero of the war. He commented that the area reminded him of the French seaport of Le Havre on the English Channel. It had originally been named Le Havre-de-Grâce. Inspired by Lafayette’s comments, the residents incorporated the town as Havre de Grace in 1785.
George Washington stayed overnight in the town in 1789 on the journey to New York City for his first inauguration. During the First Congress in 1789, Havre de Grace missed by only one vote being named the capital of the fledgling United States.
Everything is within walking distance along the main street. There are alot of painted murals showing the history of the area including the history of horse racing. This was the weekend of the Preakness horse race so maria and I went to the Tidewater Grille which overlooks the river. There is a nice outside patio area where we had a late lunch then we headed into the bar to secure a good spot to watch the race. The bar was quiet up to 20 minutes before the race then all the locals showed up and the patrons got into the race with raucous cheers and money flowing on the race pools.
during our visit to Havre de Grace we visited the Concord Point Lighthouse and the Bomboy’s Homemade Candy Store and Ice Cream Shop. There is also a bike path along the river that leads you to the the replica of the pivot swing bridge that was part of the early canal system.
It was time again to rest up and get ready for a run for the C and D Canal.