Rock Hall to Tilghman's Island

Day #286; Loop Miles to Date = 3,905

We left Rock Hall on Monday, anticipating that the day might be a little rough, as the winds were forecasted to be in the 15mph range, but we planned to stay in the East Bay, and utilize both Poplar Narrows and Knapps Narrows to avoid going out into the main Bay. And it paid off, as we never experienced rough seas at all and had a very pleasant cruising day. Poplar Narrows was really no problem at all...just a few fish pots to dodge. Knapp's Narrows on the other hand was indeed narrow, and a bit shallow. It was fine for us, but if you were to catch it at low tide with the wrong wind condition, it could certainly be a problem for boats with drafts deeper than ours.

The payoff was that we found an absolute gem of a stop at Tilghman's on Chesapeake Marina. It is just a gorgeous spot...quiet, peaceful and reasonably well protected. It has a gorgeous pool setting, free laundry, floating docks, passable wifi, and very reasonable rates. The only downside is that it is a bit isolated, with only a couple of eateries close by, and only a small country store within walking distance for some bare essentials if needed. But, the dock master offered us the use of his personal car to run to St Michaels if we needed provisioning, and did everything he could to make our stay an absolute pleasure. We expect to come back here for another stay...it was very enjoyable.

Sandy also found some entertainment options while here. On a marker near the dock there was an osprey nest that had 3 full grown babies in it. This provided hours of enjoyment, watching the parents both feed and start flying lessons. There was a level of concern when we had a front roll through with some 40 mph gusts...but of course, it all turned out fine...these guys knew what they were doing and were all hunkered down and safely weathered the storm. As we depart, it is a very crowded nest...these birds are basically full grown, but still have more lessons to learn about fending for themselves...they must be sleeping on top of each other at this point!

Osprey babies waiting for a snack from Mom and Dad.

 So...today (Thursday) we are off to Cambridge to check it out, and then from there we plan to go to Oxford for a couple of days. Then, we'll decide what's next...

At a local restaurant, we found this display of oyster serving dishes on the wall, a testament to the rich fishing history of this area. This specific area is home to one of the most vibrant fisheries on the Chesapeake. And every day we saw dozens of watermen entering and exiting the harbor plying their trade (clams, oysters, crab, etc.)

Panoramic view of the marina...it doesn't do it justice really.

Did we mention that it was quiet??

Elevated pool with a 270 degree view of the Choptank River. About half the time we were there, we had it to ourselves!

Glad we're not swimming in the bay...the jellyfish population is very healthy. We literally saw 100's of these right next to our slip.

Evening pic of the clubhouse with a hazy moon.

Sandy found these Barn Swallows to be quite cute resting on our bow rail. Rob on the other hand wanted to shoo them away with vigor to avoid having a mess to clean up.