MD: St. Michael's

Day 356
July 14, 2016
NM Today: 30
NM To Date: 5844

Before leaving Oxford, Maryland this morning we decided to ride our bikes to the Cutts and Case Shipyard to request a tour of the wooden boats located there. We met the owner / manager in the office and he took us around for a tour.  He started the tour right at his office, which is an extension of the home located at the shipyard dating back to 1695. It is the oldest house in Oxford.

Byberry House c. 1695
in Oxford, MD

The manager showed us a number of vessels at the shipyard including some with interesting history.

Skipjack - sailboat designed for fishing on the Chesapeake

 Another boat, Foto,  was owned by a 1950s photographer who took numerous pictures from this boat that were published in popular boating magazines. Years later the boat was found rotting in the swamp. After a total rebuild, Foto looks like a new boat.

Foto

Our tour of the shipyard lasted a full thirty minutes, and we both found the restoration and "bright work" on the wooden vessels amazing. The owner said, "It is a labor of love because it is hard work and not too many people are willing to do it."

As soon as we returned to the boat, we pulled in our lines and heading on our way to St. Michaels. We took a shortcut through Knapp's Narrows to save a little time. The Mainship, Chesapeake Pearl, that was docked next to us in Oxford followed us as far as Knapp's Narrows where they dropped off to visit a restaurant they enjoy that is located there.

Bridge at Knapp's Narrows

Knapp's Narrows Marina

 We went slowly through here, and it was hot and humid!

Knapp's Narrows

Our trip to St. Michaels took almost exactly four hours. We had stifling heat for a portion of the trip, but at the end of our journey we had a wonderful breeze to blow away the heat. I was reluctant to dock at the marina because I knew our breeze would disappear.

Approaching St. Michaels in Maryland

St. Michaels, Maryland

St. Michaels has gone down in history as the town that fooled the British during the War of 1812. In August of 1813 the British starting shelling the town. The citizens of the town put lanterns up in the trees and fooled the British into shooting at the trees instead of at their town.

By the time we docked the boat, I felt too hot to do anything - even too hot to change for a dip in the pool to cool down. All I wanted was air conditioning, so we turned on the air in the boat and hung out for a while. I entertained myself by reading my latest novel. Clark decided he needed a nap!

Late afternoon we ventured off the boat to have a look around the resort where we are staying for two nights. We found the pool, gift shop, and laundry facilities. While there, we requested a shuttle at the hotel front desk to take us into town for food shopping. We got door-to-door service to the Acme in town.

Clark suggested we walk around a bit to get the "lay of the land" before buying our groceries, so we walked up and down Talbot Street and checked out the sights.

The Sign on the Door says "Saloon"

The Old Brick Inn c. 1807

Ice Cream Shop
(Clark got an orange creamsicle cone)

Christ Church Founded 1672
Building erected c. 1878

 We walked back to Acme and bought our few provisions then called the Harbour Inn shuttle to come collect us. The drive only took five minutes, and if it were not so hot, we surely would have biked into town. When we got our cold food stowed on board, we changed into swimsuits and took a dip in the now mostly empty pool. Earlier in the day the pool was full of screaming kids. Clark did not care for the depth (< 4') or the shape (odd-shaped pentagon) of the pool. All I cared was that it felt wonderfully cool!

Pool at the Harbour Inn Marina in St. Michaels, MD

We relaxed in the pool until about 7:30 when we decided to take our showers and head back to the boat (only a few feet away) so I could make dinner. While I was setting up to cook, Clark went in search of tonight's sunset picture.

Sunset at St. Michaels, MD