Posts In The “Chesapeake Bay” Category
Norfolk is home to the world’s largest naval base with ships ranging from aircraft carriers to destroyers to nuclear submarines. Navy ships are moored on both sides of the the channel into Norfolk, with security patrol craft in the air. The city also has a large and busy shipping port. As a fitting envoy, we…
We found winter boating in Chesapeake Bay to be surprisingly similar to the Pacific Northwest, with the same advantages and disadvantages. The main disadvantage of course is the weather. Storms are more frequent and fierce, so we need to watch the forecasts more carefully, the days are shorter, and the temperature is colder. The temperature…
In this 21st edition of the Dirona Technology Series, we get an opportunity to explore the CS Responder, a trans-ocean cable-laying ship operated by TE SubCom. TE Connectivity is $13.3B global technology company that specializes in communication cable, connectors, sensors, and electronic components. Their subsidiary TE SubCom manufactures, lays and maintains undersea cable. TE SubCom has a base in Baltimore…
Annapolis is the capital of Maryland and has more 18th-century buildings than any American city, including the homes of the four Maryland residents who signed the Declaration of Independence. It also is home to the US Naval Academy, a four-thousand strong four-year officer training program. The campus, open for tours, is a National Historic Landmark…
Baltimore is considered the birthplace of American railroading. The first regular passenger railway began here in 1830 from Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Mount Clare station. That station and its adjacent roundhouse now is the B&O Railway Museum, housing the largest collection of 19th-century locomotives in the country and one of the most significant collections of…
The 178ft Washington Monument in Baltimore was completed in 1829 to honor George Washington. A 227-step climb to the top leads to a deck with sweeping city views. And if that isn’t enough, more great views can be had along the inner harbor from the top of Baltimore’s World Trade Center. Trip highlights from December…
We’d been moored across from the National Aquarium for over a month and had passed the eye-catching facility many times. Part of the multi-story main building is glass-enclosed with waterfalls and jungles visible, and looks especially dramatic from the outside at night. We’d heard many great things about the aquarium, but James has been pretty…
During the War of 1812, the British occupied and burned Washington in August of 1814. They next sent a 19-warship fleet to invade Baltimore, a key American trading port. Starting at 6am on September 13th, the fleet pummelled Fort McHenry outside Baltimore with over 1,500 rockets and mortar shells. Twenty-five hours later the British gave…
One of the reasons we came to Baltimore was for a place to prepare for and attend the annual AWS re:Invent conference in Las Vegas. We ended up getting a lot of boat projects done too, as well as enjoy some real fall weather for our first Thanksgiving back in the US since leaving Hawaii…
We were expecting Baltimore to have more of an industrial feel, but the Inner Harbor at least has been transformed from a commercial working harbor to a vibrant destination popular with locals and tourist alike. Restaurants, museums, parks and pedestrian walkways ring a harbor that is a constant hub of activity. And within walking distance…
From Newport, RI we made a 350-mile 3-night trip from Newport, Rhode Island to Baltimore, Maryland. This run had more than the usual timing considerations. Frequent weather systems were in play this time of year. A front passed through the day after we arrived in Newport and another was expected 3-4 days later, but we…