Day 1 - Annapolis, MD to Portsmouth, VA

After a delightful "last supper" with Bob and Carolee Duckman in Annapolis, we got a good nights rest in our secure and deep water dockage at the Annapolis Yacht Basin.

When morning came, the cold Fall temps were in the mid 40's but the wind and seas appeared calm -- always a good thing when traveling by boat. As we got underway for what would be long day heading south, I felt a certain pang of melancholy leaving our Maryland home behind after such a wonderful summer on the Chesapeake Bay. But as tradition requires, we lowered the Maryland burgee from the bow and hosted the Florida Longboat Key flag to signal our final destination.

The 160 mile run from Annapolis to Norfolk (Portsmouth) was a perfect final ride down the Chesapeake. Seas were mostly on our nose but only 1-2 feet which Endless Summer handles without issue. The sky was perfectly clear as the sun danced and sparkled off the water.

We arrived in Portsmouth 6.5 hours later, tied up for the night at the Tidewater Yacht Marina and enjoyed a leisurely dinner (and congratulatory cocktail) at the nearby Fish & Slips Restaurant. All in all, a good first day.

Tomorrow looks like we might get some rain on our parade but with a relatively short distance to go, shouldn't be all that bad (he said with a wink and hopeful smile).

Official lowering of the Maryland State Flag burgee

And the raising of the Florida Longboat Key burgee

Heading South!

160 miles, 6.5 hours

The day is done - Tidewater Yacht Marina, Portsmouth, VA

Looking back over the harbor to downtown Norfolk

Cheers to a great first day!