Amazing 4 day cruise around the area getting 3 nights of fireworks, grilling at anchor, a provisions stop at grauls for crabcakes and peaches, dinner at a scarily shallow Donnellys, lots of exploring and always sleeping at anchor.
day 1- DSC to Little Round Bay. Not much wind but weather was nice. Motor sailed a lot.!SD anchored and we rafted up. Set up charcoal grill for burgers and hotdogs. Anchorage got CRAZY crowded after we got there and it was a real party scene. Fireworks show was very good. I did not love how loud everyone was being with the party continuing on very late, and also lots of wake from people coming in after us and leaving late at night. Hammock swings wildly every time. :-/
day 2- started motoring back towards bay bridge but turned right into the first creek after the first bridge and grabbed a mooring ball so we could dinghy to the boat launch, walk a few blocks to Graul's and get crab cakes and peaches. Continued mostly motoring (jib out when that was helpful, added almost a knot sometimes) past naval academy and bay bridge and then swung a left into the Magothy River. I do not like how shallow it gets on the south edge, and I like even less the entire situation in "deep" creek. Of course, depth gauge stopped working exactly then, and only for the time I was most stressed about it. It fluctuated from no data, to 130+ feet. Pretty sure it was actually around 7. Ugh. SD anchored, we rafted up, then made a couple trips in the dinghy to get everyone to Donnelly restaurant. Was so stressed out and tired and dehydrated I had an intense headache most of the time. Tremendously relieved when we were out of there and heading for Eagle Cove (which is absolutely lovely, saw horses) AND it was a beautiful sunset as we went, with periodic fireworks already starting. It was just getting dark and more and more fireworks were picking up all around us as I turn into the pretty narrow channel into the cove, which was a bit stressful, but also spectacular. We anchored right inside and watched the Gibson island show, and also several others to the west of us. Absolutely lovely and also the cove was not crowded at all. I really liked that spot. Super sheltered as well. After all the shows, we picked up anchor and moved over to raft up to SD to sleep and breakfast the next day. Almost zero wind so was easy even though it was dark.
day 3- motored to middle river. The head kept backing up into the bowl so I decided to do a pump out diesel top up at Baltimore yacht club which sucked. I went there instead of bowleys marina because they were supposed to be closed, but they weren't and I wish I had known that. BYC has a super narrow shallow channel to get in, and freaking too too many power boats. Also active captain said they monitored 69, so inhaled them on that and 16 and got no response ( they say it's actually 72 so, ugh) and headed in all set up to pull in with fenders on my port side, then I see a power boat blickubg the front of the fuel dock so I switch and start to pull in for a pivot turn, but get cut off by a stream of half a dozen power boats, one of which pulls past me, goes ahead and pivots, and snipes to fuel dock. Then the attendant gives me shit for not coming in port to because the pump out hose had to come across the boat. Hate that place. Headed over to the Anchorage in front of bowleys Marina and did a practice anchor and puttered around waiting for SD. Eventually rafted up to them and had another spectacular 360deg show for an hour. (Lots of different shows.) Oh first we swam a bit and dinghies to rescue a couple pool noodles, experimented on ooor James as our POB victim. (Halyard hoist with life sling, elevator line on winch, etc) and then I fried up the crab cakes in butter on the camp stove and then the peaches with butter and brown sugar, and also some crème freche. Pretty rocky anchorage, would not like to be there with serious wind. Absolutely worth it for the show though.
day 4- motored back towards home but was able to get the jib out eventually and even shut the engine off entirely for the last bit. Finally! Nice downwind sail at around 4.5 kts jib only. Stopped at rusty scupper for another pump out and water top up.