Blue Turtle Cruising

Wine making and thankfulness in Middle River, MD

Finally, after a month on land we were cruising again! We left Kent Narrows and headed north, passing under the massive Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We cruised about 34 miles that day and found a nice little anchorage near Dobbins Island in the Magothy River. Randy dove in to check the growth on the prop and bottom while I went for a quick swim (a little too cold for me!). The next morning, we pulled up and cleaned a very muddy anchor and chain and headed to Middle River.

We decided to make a stop in Middle River when friends of ours offered their dock for us to stay. We know Tony and Nancy from our home port marina, Salty Sam’s where they kept their boat, Thankful, in a slip just across from us. After cruising 25 nautical miles, we made it to Middle River and found their home and dock. They came out and helped us with the lines and get settled in. To say they were so kind and welcoming is an understatement. We caught up over wine (did I mention they make their own wine? More on that later) and dinner the first couple of nights and shared our plans for the coming week with them. We planned to leave Blue Turtle for the long Labor Day weekend to rent a car and visit Randy’s family and friends in nearby Lancaster, PA. After that, we would come back and continue our cruising journey. Of course, things don’t always go as planned.

On our way to Lancaster, Randy gets a call from work and is needed for a job in Howard, PA. So after Lancaster, we head to Howard, PA for the rest of the week. The day before we are to head back to Middle River, we notice Sophie in pain and dragging her left hind leg. Knowing immediately what it was, we put her in her crate the rest of the day. On our way back to Middle River, we stopped at an ER Vet to get pain meds. They did x-rays and confirmed what we already knew: she was having another bout of IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease). Dachshunds are the poster child for IVDD but it affects many other smaller breeds. IVDD affects the spine with ruptured, bulging or herniated disks causing pain and mobility issues. Sophie first battled it in 2017 when she had to undergo surgery in Louisville while we were evacuated for Hurricane Irma. This time, the discs directly next to the ones operated on in 2017 were effected. We knew we had to get her seen by a specialist and possibly have surgery and we managed to do this in nearby Baltimore and it would mean delaying us another week in Middle River. What should have been a week and half quickly turned into 3 weeks. Thankfully, our pup Sophie came through surgery great and THANKFULLY we had super understanding friends who let us stay at their dock longer than expected.

During our stay in Middle River, Tony and Nancy were nothing short of amazing hosts. We enjoyed getting to know them more and even got to meet their wonderful family more than once. They took us on a sunset cruise on their son-in-law’s Grady White and showed us around Middle River and across the Bay. We were welcomed as “neighbors” to their annual neighborhood block party held at their home. They even invited us to participate in the family’s annual grape crush for making wine. As a third generation wine maker, Tony and his family makes enough wine to last one year. This year was special, however, and they made an extra barrel for their granddaughter’s upcoming wedding. This was such a fun experience to learn the process they use year after year for making very delicious wine. We also very much enjoyed the camaraderie of their neighbors and family. We felt extremely welcome here in the Chesapeake. THANK YOU Tony and Nancy for your kind and generous nature. Boating friends are truly the BEST!

Kent Narrows to Magothy River  = 34.5 nm
 Magothy River to Middle River = 25 nm

TOTAL miles to date: = 1,580.5 nm

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