From Deltaville we got an early Sunday5/11 morning weather window to make the run north up the Chesapeake Bay to Reedville, VA where we tied up and sat out several days of gales with our friend, Ann Ringland. Lots of wind and rain, but we stayed in the boat warm and dry and reading all day. The next day we visited the Reedville maritime museum and the Soft Shell Crab company. Reedville was the wealthiest town in America in the early 1900's due to the Munhaden fishing industry. Today it is a quiet little town that time forgot with a rich history.

On Wednesday 5/14 we sailed to juncture of the Potomac and anchored at St. Mary City, Maryland. There are archeological digs and recreation of the colonial settlement of 1643 and their ships. The rolling hills of Maryland and the blossoms of Spring make this beautiful country. Adjoining the Maryland State historical site of St. Mary City is the state honors college, St. Mary College with 1900 students. The summer session was on and we were invited to have dinner in their dining room. The students are very impressive young people and dining at college is a different experience for our days at college. There was a wide selection of excellent gourmet choices in a beautiful setting.

Thursday 5/15 we sailed up the Potomac and tied up at Colonial Beach, VA marina. We did boat maintenance and rented a car to visit Stafford, the Lee family plantation and then the George Washington birthplace plantation. It is challenging to imagine the days when this area was largely wilderness with European colonial settlements and agricultural industry, a ferment for independence and debates about how to structure the new government. In the evening we discovered that Lewis and Clark traveling tent circus. We felt like children laughing at the clown show and enjoying the highwire act and the circus animals!

Saturday 5/17 we continued sailing North up the Potomac and found a place to anchor in a remote place at Mattawoman Creek, Maryland. On Sunday 5/18 we sailed past Mount Vernon on a bluff high over the Potomac on the Virginia side (West) and into downtown Washington, DC where we tied up at the Capital City Yacht club. Sandpiper is facing the Washington monument. Our friends Gordon and Mary Ann Young came to the marina for drinks and to catch up on friendships from college days. We will spend the week in Washington and explore the city.