October 19-20
When the Albacore races were cancelled, we were able to spend an enjoyable afternoon with Captain John discussing our travel plans through the Chesapeake. We joked that we were embarking on the ‘Cece Tour’, and it has been quite a trip.
Our next stop was St. Michaels via the ‘back door’ – San Domingo Creek. Along the way we passed many crab type boats, but they were all anchored closer to shore. At first we wondered if they were taking a break, but as we got closer we discovered that they were 'drudgin’ arsters'.
The Chesapeake Bay is facing ecological challenges in much the same way as Lake Winnipeg. Urban development is claiming large areas of natural habitat. Fertilizers and pollution are flowing into the bay at an alarming rate. This onslaught has killed off thousands of acres of underwater grasses. As a result, the crab population has dropped precipitously.
Even more disastrous, the oyster population has crashed to the point where they are now 1% of their 1950s numbers. They are important to the bay because of their ability to filter impurities from the water. At their peak, oysters were capable of filtering the entire volume of the bay’s waters in less than a week.
St. Michaels is the home of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, a great collection of historical and participatory displays housed in over ten buildings. 
Greg trying his hand at drudgin' arsters
Corinne crewing on a skipjack
What Captain John didn’t tell us is that Dick Cheney has a cabin on San Domingo Creek, less than one-half mile from where we were anchored. If you look carefully, you can see the little white guard station on the left side of the grounds.
While this is interesting, what made it spectacular was that George Bush was actually in St. Michaels on Saturday to make an announcement at the Maritime Museum.
Helicopters were flying intermittently over the creek in the morning, so Corinne and I went into town to see if we might see something.
The highway was blocked off early in the afternoon on either side of the museum and a crowd gathered in anticipation of Bush’s departure. There was a large group of state troopers and town police, as well as other official-looking individuals also waiting in anticipation of said departure.
In the picture you can see some of the cars blocking the street just after a convoy of vans and assorted vehicles have roared up to the landing area. Reporters ran out of their vans, had about one minute to take pictures, and then the cavalcade departed as quickly as it had arrived.
Shortly afterwards, the helicopters could be heard warming up before they took off. Someone told us that there are always four identical helicopters which leave one after the other, 
and one never knows which one is carrying the President. If that is true, there may be one still sitting there, as I am not sure that four departed, but certainly there were a number.
A couple of minutes later, just when everyone thought it was all over, two Blackhawk helicopters arose over the trees and quickly disappeared from sight. All in all, a very exciting day in St. Michaels!
Oxford is on the Tred Avon River, a short sail from St. Michaels, but a step back in time. It is a lovely little town with enough to keep both of us happy – lots of boatyards and a great ice cream store.
We walked down to the docks of this modest operation and were struck by the pretty boats - both old and new. Cutts and Case builds only wooden boats with a very high standard of craftsmanship. They also do refits of vintage wooden boats. 
said, “Come and see these.’ and took us through the office building. The boats were more beautifully finished than most furniture. He spoke passionately of the art and the science of boat-building, and it was a great afternoon.
