The creeks of the Chesapeake eastern shore are peaceful, lush, and home to large wealthy home owners interspersed with farms and woodlands. San Domingo creek had a fair number of homes, but offsprey and herons were also to be found around every bend, as well as crab fishermen. In the morning, we took the dinghy up the creek about a mile to a dock used by crab boats. This creek is known as the back door to St. Michaels giving easy access, uncrowded access to the town. We walked ten minutes to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum that focuses on boat building and the Chesapeake livelihoods of oystering and crabbing. It was great to be here on a weekday morning as we just about had the place to ourselves. We toured an original screw pile lighthouse that had been moved to the museum, saw their wooden boat building shed where they were preparing to make build a new replica of the Dove, and we saw more wooden skipjacks, log canoes. The log canoes are much like the sailing canoes of the Bahamas. Here the larger ones are made from three hollowed out trees with hiking boards on which 6-8 crew sit as ballast. There was a great show of women in sailing from the Rosenfeld photography collection. We saw one photo with a Snipe sail, and another with a possible relative of a Mystic, CT sailor friend we know. While Sarah finished the day shopping, Harry found a brewery, winery, and rum distillery in former canning complex. Wanting to be able to walk back, Harry narrowed his tastings a few of the rum offerings.
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| The back way into St Micheals up San Domingo creek |
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| Log sailing canoe |
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| Wood being seasoned for use on a new 17th century sailing ship |
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| Larger boat built in the log canoe method |
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