Yesterday we left Solomons early to beat the heat. We didn’t. The heat and humidity hung over us like a wet blanket. The sailing part was easy. But when the wind decided to drop, oh my it was hot!

Heading north we sailed past the Point Cove lighthouse. It is on land so we could only see it from afar. It also has lighthouse keepers accommodation which can be rented out for holidays. Close by is a huge LPG container port.

Further along the west coast of the Chesapeake the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Station stealthily came into view. I thought at first it was a submarine base (in the James Bond style) but Mark assured me subs would need deeper water. So, after searching Google Maps, which did not have the nuclear station image (that’s where stealth comes in), I asked Siri, and Viola! We discovered it!

There seems to be more large shipping around in the northern part of the Chesapeake. Bulk carriers and container ships ‘whizzed’ past, but surprisingly did not create wakes to rock our boat.

Oxford is a cute little town tucked away on the Choptank River. The homes look like they belong on a movie set. We rode our bikes all over the town – bearing in mind it is little and the heat was abominable. Oxford is on a spit of land, surrounded three sides by water. Every three to four blocks and you have waterviews. A very pretty place with late 19th century architecture.

We rode past the Robert Morris Inn, where James A Michener had his morning coffee and wrote part of his novel, Chesapeake. We both read Chesapeake when we were first married – may have to revisit it, now that we have spent a bit of time in the bay.

And of course, the important stop was the Scottish Highlands Creamery for that well earned icecream. It cooled my core temperature. And yes, it was good.

The heat got to us. All we could think about was a swim back at the marina. So off we pedaled. Stowed the bikes. And hit the pool. Didn’t surface again for a couple of hours. Gotta love marinas with pools. Marinas with swimming pools are now part of our selection criteria.

Such is Life!