Sat, Aug 7 2004 - Sailing and Dinner in Annapolis (View Original Event Details) Event Organizer(s): Shelley Sanner, KC Yi Participants: KC Yi, Shelley Sanner, Cheryl Hamilton, Katry Harris, Ian Preuss, Robert Koeckert, Ronit Fix, Kevin McCarthy, Brian Loughery, Laura Loughery, Margie de Marcaida, Rebecca Firoved, Aaron Firoved, Laura Hustead, Amy Pickwick, Steve Ehrman

Write Up:
The Skipper quickly gets to work, steering people effortlessly from one side of the boat to the other as he weaves in and out of the crowded Annapolis harbor. Ginger lounges against the railing, looking fantastic in her dark shades and recently perfected tan. 'Watch yourself,' warns the Professor as he wraps his fingers around her slender waist and steadies her. 'That's not really a railing, just a loose rope. A figment of your imagination, really.' The Howells brush some dirt from the worn Minnow, hoping to find a smooth place to sit, regretting their decision to take this damned three-hour tour. 'Hey there young man,' Mr. Howell calls to the fidgety Gilligan, 'Do you happen to have any bubbly down below?' And then, finally, there's Mary Ann. The enchanting, unassuming girl next door who never once takes her eyes off the crystal blue horizon.

Hey, wait a minute-Mary Ann? The Howells? Three-hour tour? Something sounds suspicious here.

Okay, so maybe we weren't hapless castaways on an uncharted desert isle. In fact, maybe we never got much beyond the crowded Annapolis harbor. But we did relive the life of an 18th-century sailor, helping to raise the sails and steer the Sultana's huge tiller as we set off under a crystal blue summer sky. We toured the authentically reproduced crew quarters below deck and imagined sleeping inside the dark, narrow bunks (much more challenging than a night in the backcountry, in our opinion!) We saw the original wood burning stove and the redesigned kitchen (complete with a mini fridge) and we looked out proudly as other boats slowed to get a better look at our unique schooner. After an hour or so, the crew luffed the ship, came about, and set us back toward port.

As we now know, hard work and salty air can make for hearty appetites, so we headed over to the famous Buddy's Crab House for dinner. Aaron and Laura H., always good sports, graciously offered their empty crab and crayfish shells to Ronit as mementos of our sailing trip. Ronit, a true vegetarian, convinced us that her greasy garlic bread was adventure enough for one night. Brian and Laura R. seemed delighted to be back on solid ground, which they confirmed with several enthusiastic hugs (or maybe Brian was just expressing his gratitude that he didn't have to jump overboard to save Laura). Laura P., an expert on the Annapolis social scene, started plotting our after-dinner engagements as Kevin listened patiently. Katry and Becca showed up a few minutes late after a mad dash for the ATM and a last-minute birthday present, respectively. Cheryl looked out at the setting sun and crowds of Annapolis tourists from her lucky window seat. Margie and Robert, our delightful newcomers, learned the inside MOC scope from Amy and Steve. Ian enjoyed his microbrewed beer (probably still envious of one crew member's plans to head out to an exotic location for the Peace Corps). And KC and Shelley, ever the responsible hosts, kept debating the meaning of the word 'salubrious,' which they saw on the side of a boat earlier that evening.

In the end, all's well that ends well. The two-hour tour really was a two-hour tour, and while we all thought it might be fun to spend a few nights aboard the 18th-century schooner Sultana, we agreed there's nothing as good as dinner with friends, followed by huge ice cream cones for dessert. All on land, of course.

--Shelley Sanner

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