Sailing Mystic Hearts

After a productive work week in Onancock, it was time to head further north and cross over the Maryland border. The conditions were perfect for flying the Code Zero most of the way until just outside the St. Mary’s River when we did a sail change for the final few miles. St. Mary’s City is similar to Onancock in a few ways: it boasts a quiet, calm, large, protected anchorage with good holding and beautiful areas to walk in. However, it differed in that St. Mary’s City is a college town. St. Mary’s College of Maryland is a small national public honors college located on the St. Mary’s River.

It’s also surrounded by history. St. Mary’s City was Maryland’s first European settlement and capital. First established in 1634, it remained the capital until 1694, when it was relocated to Annapolis and sadly, the land was converted to farmland. Today, the town is recreated on top of or near the original foundations that were excavated by archaeologists. For $10/person, you can explore the historic city, which includes a replica of the Dove (one of the first tall ships brought over by the Europeans in 1634), the reconstructed 1667 Catholic Church, a Piscataway Native American home, the Godiah Spray tobacco plantation, the reconstructed state house, and Trinity Episcopal Church. The settlement is situated on a beautiful bluff overlooking St. Mary’s River. One of our favorite things to do when we explore a new place is to learn about the local history and find some sites to visit; this town more than exceeded our expectations in that regard.

The restaurant scene in St. Mary’s City is lacking. The one restaurant within walking distance of the anchorage (Enso Kitchen) is closed on the weekends and was also closed on Labor Day while we were there. We had really wanted to try this place because we’ve heard it’s great. Breads are baked fresh daily and breakfast sandwiches are served (exactly our type of restaurant)! The dining hall on the college campus is open to the public, but we opted to cook on the boat instead.

Overall, we enjoyed our time here and will definitely come back when we want a quiet getaway. There isn’t access to fuel, pumpout, or groceries (unless you count limited convenience store options on the college campus), but we didn’t need any of those items anyway.