Sometimes, when the weather is particularly unpleasant, or I’m sitting in the office wishing I were sailing, I reach into my pocket and pull out my Patuxent River. Look, here it is, let me show you. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Yes, yes, I know, you can’t actually see it. It’s my metaphorical Patuxent River, assembled one experience and one memory at a time this May during a cruise down the Bay from Annapolis. It took me nearly a week to put together all the pieces, but now I can pull it out anytime I want to and admire its lush green shoreline and revisit its amiable creeks and anchorages and just remember . . . See, there’s dirt on that part. (C’mon, just play along; pretend you see it too.) That’s where I joined a group of enthusiasts at Jefferson Patterson State Park for a public dig at the site of an old plantation. And see, over here, a few crumbs left over from a jumbo Stoney’s crabcake sandwich on Broomes Island. Oops, there’s an empty Sam Adams bottle tucked in behind Vera’s that somebody missed. Oh well, it’s a fine looking river anyway, though I can’t seem to get that coffee stain out of St. Leonard Creek, no matter how hard I try. Wait, I’ll tell you about that in a minute. First, I want to show you my favorite place on the river. Let me hold it up so you can see where it is. Okay, now we’re looking at the mouth of the river, as if we were out in the Bay looking in. Straight ahead there is Solomons Island. See it? Now forget Solomons, because we’re not going there. I’ve been there; you’ve been there. So, no, we’re not going there. Instead, look across the river to the left, just where the Route 4 (Governor Thomas Johnson) bridge comes back down to earth in St. Mary’s County. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘beach’
A Pocketful of Miracles
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009The Cascada Salta Ride At Puerto Vallarta
Sunday, September 20th, 2009Puerto Vallarta in many ways has it all. It can even be termed as the star of Mexico because of the marvelous and ravishing activities and events that it offers to its people. Amidst the throng of the blinding cities and their fast paced life, Puerto Vallarta presents a change that is both special and much appreciated. There are great canopy tours, cruises and then there are rides.
Have you ever had a ride that got your heart pumping and your mind reeling? Well, there is a ride which gets your heart pumping and your mind reeling and much, much more. This ride is for all those advanced riders who crave for thrill and excitement. It is a single track ride which slithers over a suspension bridge. This ride then cuts loose and the ride tosses up and ends at the waterfall. At the waterfall all the riders can take a long breath and dip themselves into water and cool off! It would be both refreshing and will put your quickened heart pace to rest! This ride will open your eyes to an ecstatic adventurous side of Puerto Vallarta which is untamed and most enjoyable!
But folks, this is not the end! The ride continues and you can go back on down the trail. This awesomely wicked ride takes place from Monday till Saturday. On these respective dates this ride takes place at 8.00 a.m. This fabulous ride is about 4 to 5 hours long depending upon its speed. This ride includes a bilingual naturalist mountain biking guide who will be with you and will constantly show you around. You will also be given a front suspension mountain bike. Moreover, gloves, water and a tasteful snack will also be provided to you.
Koh Samui Villas and Lamai Beach
Friday, September 18th, 2009Koh Samui, Thailand continues to yield engaging options for would be property speculators and stockholders looking to do more with their portfolio. Koh Sami villas are now the newest hot investment with its Big Bro, the island of Phuket becoming more crowded and increasingly expensive. On top of a more laid back atmosphere, Koh Samui offers much better value for money and still retains some of the famous Thai charm that has made the kingdom so famous.
With the majority of Thailand property being bought with money, as bank finance being almost impossible to get, the underlying valuation of property and land is being maintained, though due to most backers being foreign speculators with a portfolio of assets, there are now some nice prospects for those with investment capital who are prepared to consider enlarging their property portfolio. For the medium term this Island and top 10 holiday destination is still a favourite investment centre for major branded hostels and spa resorts.
there are several plush villa resorts being planned by major property companies, seeing a bright future in the lush destination market. Popular destinations like Lamai Beach continue to draw in tourists from across Thailand and across the world. There are a few options available, both new off-plan and resale properties that now are providing buyers with heavy cost advantages. With apartments and houses on the market, it is continuously Koh Samui villas that are the tops of visitors to this tropical heaven.
Heaven Above, Heaven Below – That’s sunny Pattaya
Thursday, September 10th, 2009When you’ve had your fill of the frenetic pace of Bangkok’s street markets, luxury malls and bustling walkways and crave the peace and tranquility of a beach paradise, Pattaya is the last place you should consider. If hoping from jet-ski to surf-board, partying until dawn and fountains of Mai-Tai are more your style, make a beeline to this tropical cove about 135 kilometers south of the capital.
Located in the Chonburi Province of peninsular Thailand, Pattaya rose to fame during the Vietnam War as the troops’ preferred furlough destination. Today, Pattaya boasts of being home to every Five Star Hotel Chain, Fast Food Franchise and entertainment option in the world.
It seems that in Thailand, most all roads lead to Pattaya, so getting there is never a problem. 2 hours from Bangkok by road, or half a day’s drive from Koh Samui, an impulse trip will serve you as well as a well-planned vacation.
Bullfighting In Puerto Vallarta
Friday, September 4th, 2009Puerto Vallarta prizes itself because of its rich cultural and historical value. It is also one of those cities of Mexico that try to indulge in historical and cultural traditions in order to keep them alive. Some of these traditions lie in the depth and heart of the colonial Spanish culture which is extremely rich and grand. One of these classic traditional activities is bullfighting.
This glorious experience takes place at Plaza de Toros, which is very close to Cruise Ship Pier situated in Marina Vallarta. The spectacle includes the finest four matadors which take the place of the center ring. These matadors then battle it out with the fierce and unruly bull. The bullfights in Puerto Vallarta are not just an exciting sport but they have abundant splendor. Its history also lies in folklores and it carries abundant symbolic significance of Mexico. The roots of this tradition lie in ancient history which dates all the way back to 711 A.D. This amazing spectacle displays and is a testimony to not only the valor and bravery of the matador but it also magnifies the strength of the bull and how this bullfighting is a tribute to the bull’s spirit prior to its death. Moreover it also marks and celebrates the machismo culture. You can all enjoy this spectacle with its vibrant costumes. Live music will also be present to provide entertainment to all those who attend. But above all else you will be able to enjoy a thrilling battle which is fought between man and a beast.
However, the important thing to note here is that these bullfights are real and not the ones which are bloodless. Therefore the bulls that are involved in the show are actually killed. Hence, this spectacle should only be watched by those who do not have a faint heart and it is not for children. It is also advisable for you to gain prior knowledge about bullfights before attending, which you can always check online on Wikipedia.
Beating The Inner Bimbo
Saturday, August 29th, 2009By Jane Meneely
When Clint brought Escort, a 42-foot Kadey-Krogen trawler, home one day, I knew it was way too big a boat for me to handle. Ever. I couldn’t even imagine being a capable first mate. There was just no way I could decipher a boat like that. “Clint, my love,” I said. “You’re going to have to take that boat back to the store and get your money back.” “Fat chance,” said Clint. And the boat stayed. So we made a deal, Clint and I. He could keep the boat if I could be the boat princess. He would do all the work and I would do my nails and eat bonbons. And that worked out just fine. For about three days. Then I started to get antsy. I was antsy because deep down inside, I really didn’t like being so completely dependent on someone who isn’t me. And that’s when I began to look long and hard at the idea of running that trawler. Why in the world couldn’t I?
Because I was a powerboat bimbo.
There’s simply no other way to say it. I could have taken our 38-foot sailboat to the moon and back, but put me on a powerboat and I’d turn into a complete moron. Sure I could drive it from point A to point B, but never through a bridge or, heaven forbid, into a slip. I was a real wuss about it, but I wasn’t alone. In spite of the fact that more women than ever are buying their own boats, taking the helm and applying for their captain’s license, I know plenty of seasoned seagoing ladies who still feel completely upwinded by a powerboat. It’s as if we smack our heads on a glass hatch at the very thought of running an engine. We’re perfectly capable of handling a powerboat. And most of us agree that we should learn how to operate at least our own boat. We just don’t want to. We suffer the agonies of Reluctant Captain Syndrome. Something holds us back from actually taking control and being captain of our ship. It could be a girl thing. It could be a cultural thing. It could be a fear thing. . . .
Jamestown’s Big Bang
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009[05.07 issue]
by Jody Argo Schroath
By the time 2007 takes its own place in the past, there will be perhaps two or three people in the Chesapeake area who have not been touched by a Jamestown 400th-anniversary event—they’ll be the ones wearing Pampers. And even then. . . .
There are so many special events marking the quadricentennial of the landing at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, that they spilled over backward into last year. The replica ship Godspeed, for example, made a tour of the East Coast before returning to Virginia to prepare for this year’s first landing re-enactment on April 26. Jamestown Live! allowed a million students across the country to watch an hour-long webcast on Jamestown’s legacy that featured questions from students to a panel that included Chickahominy Chief Stephen Adkins, Jamestown’s chief archaeologist William Kelso and former astronaut Dr. Kathryn Thornton. The Virginia tribes held a conference last October on 400 Years of Survival. And last month, radio host Tavis Smiley hosted a 2007 State of the Black Union event on the Black Imprint on America. Smiley asked a panel of 36 notable African-Americans to discuss the role that Blacks have played in the development of America, from the arrival of the first slaves at Jamestown in 1619 to the present.
But don’t worry, there are plenty of special activities still on the 2007 event horizon, including the biggest and brashest one of them all. That would be America’s Anniversary Weekend, May 11 to 13, at Jamestown, a mega-celebration that will feature three days of special events and all manner of famous folks—James Earl Jones, Ricky Skaggs, Chaka Khan, Sandra Day O’Connor and, of course, the Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra (they grow their own instruments). To help you make sense of all the Jamestown 400 hoopla—which will include a visit May 3 and 4 by Queen Elizabeth II—we’ve ruthlessly marshaled these activities into several neat groups— Jamestown events, all-around-the-Bay-events and (our readers’ favorite) events with boats. Finally, you’ll find two related stories—the first, how our understanding of what happened at Jamestown has changed over the years as we have changed; the second, information on cruising the Jamestown area.
Jamestown Events
When we talk about Jamestown, of course, we are talking about not one Jamestown, but two. For Jamestown newbies, here’s how we went from zero to two: Since Jamestown had all but disappeared as a town by the middle of the 18th century, 1907’s 300th-birthday celebration was held in Norfolk instead. But organizers of the 1957 event moved the 350th birthday party back to Jamestown—to a facility constructed for the purpose, called Jamestown Festival Park and located adjacent to the original site. Jamestown Festival Park is now named Jamestown Settlement, while the site of the 1607 landing, early forts and town is called Historic Jamestowne. Hence two Jamestowns and three sites for the 400th Anniversary Weekend (the third is Anniversary Park, across Route 31 from the settlement, and where many of the weekend’s concerts will be held).
The Cascada Salta Ride At Puerto Vallarta
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009Puerto Vallarta in many ways has it all. It can even be termed as the star of Mexico because of the marvelous and ravishing activities and events that it offers to its people. Amidst the throng of the blinding cities and their fast paced life, Puerto Vallarta presents a change that is both special and much appreciated. There are great canopy tours, cruises and then there are rides.
Have you ever had a ride that got your heart pumping and your mind reeling? Well, there is a ride which gets your heart pumping and your mind reeling and much, much more. This ride is for all those advanced riders who crave for thrill and excitement. It is a single track ride which slithers over a suspension bridge. This ride then cuts loose and the ride tosses up and ends at the waterfall. At the waterfall all the riders can take a long breath and dip themselves into water and cool off! It would be both refreshing and will put your quickened heart pace to rest! This ride will open your eyes to an ecstatic adventurous side of Puerto Vallarta which is untamed and most enjoyable!
But folks, this is not the end! The ride continues and you can go back on down the trail. This awesomely wicked ride takes place from Monday till Saturday. On these respective dates this ride takes place at 8.00 a.m. This fabulous ride is about 4 to 5 hours long depending upon its speed. This ride includes a bilingual naturalist mountain biking guide who will be with you and will constantly show you around. You will also be given a front suspension mountain bike. Moreover, gloves, water and a tasteful snack will also be provided to you.
Aye Aye Skipper
Sunday, August 16th, 2009It was six o’clock on a steamroller-hot Saturday evening at the tail end of August, and Skipper the ship’s dog was eating bait hotdog pieces as fast as the seven-year-old fisherman-trainee on the dock could pull them out of his ziplock bag. Clutching his fishing rod in his left hand, the young angler, clearly enjoying the interaction, would reach into the baggie with his right and bring out a new piece of bait, ready for the hook. Skipper would wait until it was halfway to the hook, then snatch the hunk of wiener out of the boy’s fingers and gulp it down faster than you could say Oscar Mayer. Not that I approved of this, but while Skipper was concentrating his every fiber on putting a dent in the catch of the day, I was still aboard Snipp finishing up the dock lines.
The ship’s dog and I had just returned from a sail on the Potomac that had become a motor back from the Potomac after the wind began its late-summer offshore-to-onshore do-si-do and the long, windless intermission had settled over us like a heating pad. Skipper had sought permission to debark as soon as we caromed gently off the finger pier. I didn’t really mind. He had been aboard all the long lazy day, dozing on the relative cool of the cabin sole or trying to stay within the dodger’s shifting Band-Aid of shade. Besides, he wasn’t much good yet at stowing things away and he was completely hopeless at tying a half hitch. Then too I thought he might have, you know, “business†ashore. Instead he simply returned to his everyday job as dockmeister/doofus, consulting briefly with Molly and Blacky the boatyard dogs—who were themselves busy supervising a do-it-yourselfer’s rudder repair—then running off to escort a mildly apprehensive visitor down A dock. He paused on the way back to clean up after a powerboat Westie, who had unwisely chosen to save a little bit of his dinner for later, before streaking back out B dock, and finally braking hard at the sight of young Izaak Walton and his bait baggie. I smiled indulgently from the foredeck and called him back onto the boat. Hey, I’m no Captain Bligh.
Six months earlier I would have reveled in such a happy outcome—grand theft hotdog not included, of course. From a winter of repairs on the hard through an early spring splash and recommissioning, I had watched enviously as other boat pups came and went, mingling amiably or passing each other in quiet disdain. Not so Skipper. While he was content to wait meekly in the open rear end of the station wagon while I worked for hours aboard, up the inaccessible ladder, he transmogrified into a snapping, snarling Baskerville hound at the first sight of another dog. Whoa, I thought as I struggled to bring him under control, this is going to make cruising—not to mention life in general—pretty tough!
Oldies but Woodies
Saturday, August 15th, 2009by Jody Argo Schroath
I walked past the covered slips of a certain marina on the Northern Neck of Virginia, and this is what I saw, not skipping anything. Minnow, a lapstrake Chris-Craft cruiser; an old wood Citation;Ole Chris, an old Chris of about 30 feet; Therapy IV, an old Chris cruiser; a wooden Carver; a Chris-Craft Cavalier; a big wood something; an old Egg Harbor; and a 1965 57-foot Chris Constellation named Good Spirits. This latter is the marina’s unofficial clubhouse, and, with its awning, soft chairs and wicker settees, its flybridge deck feels like the veranda of an old pillared plantation. Moving on, there was Encore, a 58-foot Elco that once was named Do-Ho and belonged to Howard Johnson; an empty space usually filled by a 55-foot Chris Constellation that is currently out for repairs (always a word with dangerous overtones when used in reference to an old wood boat); and a 1949 46-foot Chris-Craft Double Cabin Flying Bridge listing slightly to port. This one’s mine. With some work she could be a real beauty, I said to myself yet again. This has been my mantra for the past five years. And indeed the long soaring curve of her cabin is pure Art Deco, by way of the Jetsons. Inside she has a large mahogany saloon and aft cabin, a full kitchen and a nifty turquoise linoleum bathroom—not that it actually works, of course. The bilge pump clicked on and water began to gush out the starboard through-hull. I smiled ruefully, remembering that my husband Rick calls her our $2,000-a-year decorative fountain.
I looked back up the dock. Nobody. All these lovely old boats and nobody to talk to. I turned back to my own boat, leaning quietly and gathering dust, and I was overtaken by a wave of helplessness. Frustration. Loneliness. I needed to talk. I needed to talk Chris-Craft. What I needed was to find owners who actually come down to their old Chris cruisers, who take them out of the slip and out onto the Bay. I needed to sit in their saloons and feel like a glamorous Chris-Craft owner of the past—Katherine Hepburn or Eleanor Roosevelt, for example. I needed to see the brightwork at the end of the tunnel.
Over the spring and summer that followed I pursued my resolve. I attended every antique and classic boat show and rendezvous I could find on the Bay. I chatted up the owners. I oohed and aahed over restorations that left me avocado with envy and fairly popping my rivets with resolution. And I insinuated myself into boatyards where old cruisers were likely to be under the saw and fine china brush. Finally, I contacted the Mecca for old-Chris owners, the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, Va., which houses the 200,000-piece Chris-Craft collection, and I talked with Jerry Conrad, who curates the collection and is himself the author of Chris-Craft, The Essential Guide.