Days Events:

Wx - hot and humid!! 77/95, winds NNE 4-5mph, sunny.

Travel - left at 08:20 after a wee shock when the stbd engine wouldn't start???!!! checked the battery switches, the fuel solenoid switch, the ignition switch, etc.; had power to the key/switch but no engine turnover. Hmmm. Panic city appeared on horizon! Called the boatyard office and he said to first check the Neutral Safety Switch - a common cause, and one I completely forgot about! Moved the gear up & down and back to confirmed neutral and.... bingo, it started. Oh, happy days. Many thanks to Graeme in boatyard.

[FYI - for those unfamiliar with the Neutral Safety Switch, they are indeed for safety - they keep the engine from being started in gear; one would not want to suddenly jump forward or backward unexpectedly when starting.]

Traveled 4.2 hrs, 37 miles, in sun, and some wind/waves ~1' on the bow after we turned up the Bay and into more fetch, but not at all uncomfortable. Saw 3 large cargo ships anchored just outside Annapolis harbor/Severn River mouth, just before the big cross-bay bridge; the one looks like a huge 'box'; couldn't get a half-decent photo unfortunately.

Avoided a likely mid-channel collision with a ~28' runabout traveling easterly who didn't seem to see us and would have collided if I hadn't slowed considerably. Either that, or he was just plain ignorant of the rules-of-the-road.

Marina - arrived at 12:25 and couldn't raise them on the radio, so telephoned and she said they didn't have a spot for us!! I said we had a paid reservation and a "Welcome to Horn Pt. Harbor Marina" email this a.m. telling us how to get there. She said they had someone who hadn't left due to some problems, but could put us on their 'bulkhead' between a sailboat and another cruiser if she had the cruiser move back to the end so we had about 70 ft between them to dock. They did, and so we did dock easily, port side to the face bulkhead, into the wind. Worked out great.

After tying up, covering the PH windows [to keep the heat out], connecting the power cord and water, a duck on the dock hissed at me! He apparently has a nest close to our power pedestal and the locals put a shade there for him.

Photos - a couple of Oxford as we departed - nice homes next to the marina and its renovation; one of a red marker with a 'squatter' - no wonder we have trouble seeing markers sometimes. [both are in the 'Oxford' collection]

One showing the Horn Pt. office, a small yellow shed in the parking lot, well kept, with paddle boards and kayaks stacked beside it; and one of the marina sign and homes next to it - nice looking places with a great view of the big harbor.

Admirals Desk:

A good day on the water, including some very skillful docking by the Captain. Like parallel parking into a really tight spot only with a 50' boat in moving water. We are again tied up on the outside face dock in a busy river entry to Annapolis. Lots of rocking.

I finally appreciate our weird, angled shower. You can have a shower and not fall over when the boat is rocking. Some entertaining stances required for leg shaving.😁

Keeping up with my interesting boat list; express salons seem a curious model. No flybridge, no pilothouse, only an interior helm. Forward visibility would seem limited. I noticed a very nice 48'Sabre Salon Express today so I finally was interested enough to do some searching. They have a sleek low profile and the interiors/layouts are very nice. A $$$boat but the helm seems odd.

No big plans for tomorrow other than avoid the heat and the usual chores. I looked at some tours of the historic ares but none are running until later in the week. Phooey.

That's all.

Maintenance:

Holding tank update - reading is 55%; hopefully will continue to rise with daily additions!

Strainer for a/c pump -

Voltages - the charger and alternators appear to be working great; all batteries are well charged after a day of travel and then settle back the next day - e.g. from 14.4v for the starter batteries to 13.8v, and from 13.6v to 12.8v for the House batteries.

Oils, etc - all ok.

Tomorrow - will be here.

Covid19 - no distancing noted at this marina. But, everyone is outside usually and no indoor spaces other than the office, and we paid via email, and received all our marina info via email also.

Please continue to practice staying safe.