Cambridge : "the UP of the Chesapeake"

The sail from St. Michaels to Cambridge was extremely pleasant, the Choptank being a wide and deep river with well-placed buoys. The entrance to Cambridge Creek, however, was something else. As you sail nearer and nearer the bridge which spans the Choptank at Cambridge, it seems you will crash into it without seeing the entrance to the harbor. Then a red "nun" buoy signals the need to make a hard turn to starboard and magically a tiny opening between a yacht yard and the marina turns into a deep channel taking you right to the harbor. The inner harbor is not terribly large, but large enough and square in shape similar to Annapolis. We have been lucky enough to stay tied up to the docking wall in front of the County Office building all week. This is a free-up, which saves us considerable aggravation and resources. The Municipal Marina is wonderful, only $1.25 per foot, gas and pumpout reasonable, and showers are great!

Cambridge itself is a town which has seen far better days. Although there are a smattering of restaurants catering to the boaters and a handful of cute shops and galleries, for the most part the town is economically depressed. The main street is much like our own Washington Street was prior to all the renaissance development zoning and "cool cities" money which has helped us to turn our downtown around. There are vestiges of beautiful old buildings, but many are vacant and in significant disrepair. The library, however, is wonderful and always filled with residents. (They have GREAT wireless too...)

The inner harbor at sunset is really a delight, as the photo illustrates. We can walk to Snapper's bar and restaurant (in this picture) and enjoy a beer and carribean/american food in an lovely air conditioned atmosphere with a very friendly staff. The old elegance of the once-important town is evident in the historic district where grand old homes still stand majestically under a canopy of ancient shade trees. The pictured house here is the Granmar house which dates to 1790. Similarly there are several magnificent churches, this one being the Christ Church Episcopal Church on High Street.

One of the highlights for us has been the municipal tennis court complex. Eight beautiful new courts are open at all times for public play, and are only a 10-minute walk from the harbor. The walk takes you through both wealthy and poor neighborhoods, and it is easy to see that there is a significant working class population here. We met a number of "locals" in the Canvasback Bar, most of whom work in construction or on the water. They enjoy the same types of things as most of the folks in the UP: fishing, hunting, dogs and sports. The combination of a large working-class and an outdoorsman mentality made us feel right at home.

Cambridge may not be the port of choice for upscale cruisers, but it has been an especially good stop for us. I was able to sell my complete current inventory of jewelry (thanks, Melissa!) to Kate at "The Pear Tree" and Wayne has been able to fix a lingering problem with what we will attempt to term euphemistically as "head odor". The people are friendly, the recreational opportunities numerous, and the old-world charm is still there.