So, we thought Oxford was hot! Nah – today St Micheals is hovering around 41C / 110F.

Yesterday was a cool 37C / 102F.

As we sailed out into the bay, the only thing that stirred was the wake of our boat.

On our port side, we passed another abandoned lighthouse, tilting to the north.

To starboard we passed Poplar Island where we noticed earthworks were underway to build up their sea wall.

As we sailed closer to St Michaels, the big expensive boats with clueless drivers raced to overtake us. There are some seriously large ego heads and courtesy deficient drivers out there. We were waked badly, even though Mark had radioed to ask them to do a slow pass.

St Michaels! It is a charming colonial town which has historic homes dating back to the Revolutionary War and unique shops all within easy walking distance. The picturesque streets are perfect for strolling along. There are hidden gems around each corner from cannons used in the defence of the town in the Revolutionary War, to the quaintest of homes, to the kaleidoscope of colourful gardens, in the maze of narrow streets. This town is where James Michener did research for Chesapeake, 40 years ago.

It was too hot to explore by the time we arrived yesterday (12.30pm) so a little siesta and pool time was in order. Today is a whole new day, albeit hotter. We played it smart… we asked to be dropped off at a point in town for exploration by foot.

We did some serious shopping at Simpatico – an Italian gourmet outlet. We crisscrossed the main street, stopping for coffee in an incredibly old inn, then made our way to the Crab Claw for lunch, (popping in and out of shops en route). No prizes for guessing what we had for lunch. After an icecream stop, we again asked for a pick up from the marina.

We started the self-guided walking tour, but then decided to just enjoy our surroundings.

Such is Life!