We stopped here at Solomons Island last year, and again this time. One of the larger boating centers in the central part of the bay.  It is an appealing place to stop because it is one of the few places we can easily get to that has a supermarket AND a West Marine within walking distance of the dinghy dock.

Solomons Island is right across the river from the Patuxent Naval Air Station, and around the bend from the Naval Mine Warfare Center, so there are frequently “interesting” things floating or flying by. Not the least of which are the numerous bald eagles and ospreys that call this stretch of the Chesapeake home.

Osprey are very common birds here on the Chesapeake Bay

Yesterday’s “entertainment” was excursions to West Marine and the Grocery store.  Today was a bit more interesting, we took the dinghy over to the Calvert Marine Museum. An excellent small museum.  A lot about the natural history of the area, including a good selection of aquaria, an outstanding fossil collection, an excellent selection of historic boats, and even a light house. All with expository material that was aimed more at educated adults than attention deficient 10 year olds.  Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

The docks and lighthouse at the Calvert Marine Museum

The small boat shed.

The weight driven mechanism for striking the fog bell in the lighthouse

The lighthouse lens

Gathering oysters in a traditional working boat. Hard, lonely work.

Tomorrow we will be heading further north, about 40 miles to the general neighborhood of Annapolis.  We are forecast to get some rain and modest winds as Jose meanders past offshore, but nothing to worry about.