Cruising the Chesapeake Bay

Last weekend, we bought some fresh peanuts from HMart, our favorite Korean supermarket in Duluth, north of Atlanta. This time, I got a little more adventurous with my boiled peanuts, flavoring them with Old Bay seasonings. The smell transported me back to the Chesapeake Bay. The iconic spice mix hails from Baltimore, and is now available in major grocery and seafood stores nationwide. Whenever you order blue crabs or shrimp from a restaurant in the Chesapeake Bay area, you can bet the seafood is cooked, steamed or dusted with Old Bay.

Yummy blue crabs at our favorite crabhouse - Sandgates Inn, Mechanicsville

This time almost ten years ago, we were cruising the Chesapeake Bay. It was our second time cruising the 200-mile long estuary, and we were determined to explore all the major rivers that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. After spending about two months crisscrossing the expansive bay, getting as far north as Georgetown on the Sassassfras River, we finally tied up at Anchorage Marina for the month of August.

Many cruisers we'd met along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) also stopped at Anchorage Marina, so we had lots of companies! The marina had  wonderful facilities - clean restrooms and showers, laundryroom, boater's lounge with a big TV and a ping pong table, and a pool overlooking the Patapsco River. We couldn't have selected a better location. Across the street were stores, restaurants and a Safeway supermarket. Located in Canton, the marina is within walking distance to other wonderful neighborhoods like Fells Point, Little Italy and the Inner Harbor.

Inner Harbor, Baltimore

Southbound Cruiser's Reunion

Every Monday night, boaters would round up a group of people to dine at Coburns; the food was superb, and  the crab dip and crabcake were to die for! I was surprised to learn the restaurant is now closed. Other memorable events included the free O'Malley's March concert (Celtic rock band leader Martin O'Malley, now governor of Maryland, was the mayor of Baltimore at the time) at Patterson Park and the 3-day Southbound Cruiser's Reunion.

A pagoda at Patterson Park in Canton

We frequented the ubiquitous crab houses every chance we got. The blue crabs here were meaty and so delicious! Sometimes peppered with so much Old Bay seasonings that your lips would go numb on you after eating dozen or more of the blue crabs. Several friends who visited said that they had never eaten so many crabs in their entire lives! Have you?

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