Rosborough rf-246 "Blue Heron"

I'd been living aboard at least part-time for the past three years, first on a Ranger Tug 21ec and then on "Blue Heron", my Rosborough RF246, It was while at my new slip on Crab Alley Bay on Maryland's Eastern Shore that I decided I had enough of living on boats. The change of mind happened over a period of two days--the marina was nice, Crab Alley Bay was ideal, but I started to feel confined. I made the decision to list "Blue Heron" for sale. I packed as much stuff as I could into my Jeep Patriot SUV, and within a day I was back at my condo in Vero Beach, Florida. "Blue Heron" sold within a week and settlement was a few weeks later. So that's the end of my boating adventures! Upon return to Florida, I decided to buy a convertible sports car as my new "cruiser" to visit all the nice Florida destinations at 60 mph in the car instead of 18 knots in the boat, and getting 20 mpg instead of 2 mpg. It was liberating to be out from under

So I stayed at Anchorage Marina on the Patapsco River in Baltimore about a month. It was very convenient with a 24-hour Safeway grocery store across the street, lots of restaurants, a West Marine -- all within walking distance. What finally pushed me to leave was the foul water. The boat was floating in what looked like pea soup with a yellow tinge. The last night I was there I slept in my car. The wind had died down, and the odor from the foul water was making me sick. The next day I decided to make my departure. I try not to think of the prepaid 6-months of slip rental I forfeited. Kent Island, just across the Chesapeake Bay from Annapolis, looked promising. I drove there to check out a few big marinas that allowed liveaboards, but they were all close to the highway with constant traffic noise. On a whim, I called some of the smaller marinas on Crab Alley Bay and got lucky. One allowed a few liveaboards, had wi-fi at the dock, and clean showers. I arranged with Sharon, the manager,

The plan was to motor down the Patapsco River from Anchorage Marina just east of Fells Point, Baltimore, Maryland, and meet my friends to do some Rockfish fishing on the Bay. I was a day early, and decided to anchor on the Magothy River just north of Sandy Point State Park where I was to meet my fishing buddies. During the day on the Magothy, the NOAA weather forecast turned real ugly -- winds 20 to 25 knots with gusts to 35. Reluctantly, we decided to postpone the fishing for a few days, and I hunkered down for an extended stay at anchor. I might add that "Blue Heron" is well equipped for chillin' out at anchor. There is a week's worth of food and water, and plenty of electrical power from the solar system. The first thing I noticed was the boat's tendency to tack back and forth in the wind while on the anchor. This was a problem because not only is it annoying to be constantly moving, but it results in the anchor dragging. I had experienced this before and

Anchorage Marina on the Canton, Baltimore, waterfront is situated in an up-and-coming community. The waterfront is fringed with new brick, 3-story townhouses and trendy shops. There is a Safeway grocery store across the street, a Subway sandwich shop, and a Starbucks. A few hundred feet to the east is a West Marine. Throughout the Canton community, there are small restaurants, and old row homes, all lovingly maintained.  As I write this, the city of Baltimore is into a second night of racial violence. Canton, so far, has been spared the destruction. As the sun set yesterday, the sounds of distant police sirens filled the night. There was a 10:00 PM curfew, and the sirens started winding down as the curfew took a tenuous hold. This morning the extent of the destruction was revealed -- hundreds of cars and dozens of buildings burned, and a dozen police officers injured. The sun has just set a few minutes ago, and while there is still the occasional police siren, the hope is cool

April 24, 2015 I noticed that 23 northern cities had snow yesterday. The boat is headed north to Baltimore aboard Brandon Horn's trailer, and I'm committed to a summer of cruising the Chesapeake Bay. But I'm wondering if I should have done this next month (May 2015) when it will be a bit warmer. Not looking forward to nighttime temperatures in the low 40's! I had enough of those temperatures this past winter in Vero Beach, Florida. After meeting Brandon Saturday morning at the Canton Waterfront Park boat ramp, I'll motor to Anchorage Marine, a 1/4-mile west. I'll be able to check into my slip there between the hours of 9:30 AM and 4:30 PM. I'll  be leaving for Baltimore this afternoon and driving all night. I prefer sleeping a few hours in the car to checking into a motel.

My sister, Janice, and her husband, Neil, took time off from their busy work schedules in Indiana to visit our condo here in Vero Beach, Florida. They have been staying here the first week of April (Spring Break week) for several years now. They are in the process of deciding retirement plans and are leaning toward staying here in sunny, warm Florida for the winter months. That would suit me just fine as I enjoy living on the boat for the winter months here in Vero Beach. It would be nice to have them close for a few months each year. The weather has been perfect this week -- warm, sunny, and not a drop of rain. I had originally planned to be aboard "Blue Heron" all week, but found I had to haul the boat and have the bottom painted. The boatyard said they needed a week to do the work (I'm also having the fuel lines replaced), so it is on the hard in Fort Pierce at the service yard, and I've moved in with Jan and Neil in the condo for a few days. Before turning