Share your slip while you explore new waters
We have been living, cruising and racing on Chesapeake Bay for almost 25 years. We love our Bay and its many creeks, rivers and harbors. The “Eastern Shore” can sometimes seem like another country with its small towns and agrarian history. The Western shore where we live has small maritime towns as well, but also has Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and the Norfolk/Hampton area near the mouth of the Bay. We lay claim to “America’s Sailing Capitol,” Annapolis, and there is a tremendous variety of cruising destinations within a few nautical miles.
It’s not that we’re bored or feel like we’ve even scratched the surface of local adventures, but last summer we discovered New England. Not by boat (except for the Block Island ferry), but by car and 737. While we love our warmer water and softer bottom, we really caught the fever for wanting to explore the Northeast by boat. Having seen Gloucester, Newburyport, Rockport, Norwalk and Greenport in addition to Block Island, we can’t wait to sail our 34’ cruising catamaran to your waters. We’re not sure how far north we can travel, so Long Island Sound seems ideal.
Our problem is the usual one of time and money constraints. How far north can we expect to go before we need to U-turn back to Maryland…unless we could leave our boat at someone’s dock for a few weeks until we could return by car or 737 to continue the adventure…in exchange for the same privilege at our dock on the Bay? Is there a couple or two living in the Northeast interested in “slip sharing”? Trying steamed blue crabs and grilled rockfish while we sample your lobster and scallops?
We live on Bodkin Creek about a mile off Chesapeake Bay; 10 nm from Baltimore and 15 nm from Annapolis. We’re only 25 minutes (by car) from BWI airport. Our slip is a little snug for our 14’ beam, but we’ve kept her there for the past five years with no problems. Bodkin Creek is a great hurricane hole and jumping off point for short or long cruises on the Bay. Rock Hall, a small
waterman’s village on the aforementioned Eastern Shore is less than a 2-hour sail! It can be a day trip or the beginning of a week’s or months long cruise.
We hope to find kindred spirits in this next phase of our sailing adventures. We’ve never left the Bay in our own boat and can’t wait to venture north. Does anyone up there want to venture
south?
Sincerely,
LouAnne and Rich Loeschke, via email
LouAnne and Rich – Slip sharing is a great idea, and we know you’ll enjoy cruising on Long Island Sound. Don’t miss the Thimble Islands, and be sure to sample some Connecticut lobster rolls!
If any of our readers want to swap “slip time” with LouAnne and Rich, please email WindCheck at contactus@windcheckmagazine.com
using the title “Slip Sharing” and we will forward your message.
