A Mid Summer’s adventure.

C’mon guys, hurry up.

We needed to be on the water by 10 o’clock at the latest. There was always a fleet of cabin cruisers that would depart the marinas around northeast and head down the bay to there party destination. All up and down the upper bay are small sand bars or protected coves and creeks. The weekend navy all had there spot and by mid morning the traffic really picked up. Our spot was wild duck cove and its neighboring flats. We would load as many as we had in my little boat and away we would go. Four or five friends, a cooler of snacks/drinks and a dog. We would go to wild duck cove and explore the corn fields behind or continue on and travel up the Susquehanna river. I remember feeling so cool, out on another adventure to conquer the bay.

Dad would gift my first power boat for my 8th birthday, six months early because you can’t boat in November… It was an eleven foot military inflatable. The story that came with the boat was it started out life as a special ops boat used for training purposes. It had distinctive patch marks down one side. Looked like it had been shot with a machine gun. It was made by zodiac boats, I always called it the zodiac and it became very much a part of our make believe real adventures. (I also had a telescope and my father had nurtured a curiosity for astronomy.)

So there we were, traveling the high seas of the Chesapeake Bay. Using our sturdy vessel the zodiac and navigating by the sky. We would make our way up and down the shorelines that form the head waters to the Chesapeake Bay. exploring different coves. making our way up into the numerous creeks and backwaters, Our final destination most days would be the Susquehanna flats. At low tide there would be acres of exposed sand. There was no other place like it, we would play catch and tackle football. There were always other people there to do similar activities. Most days out we could find other kids and people to play with. Becoming part of the scene happening on the flats. We thought we were kings in our time. The endless party there was always accompanied by boats tied together as far as you could see. I often imagined I could walk to Havre de Grace across the boats and never get wet.

We would leave on any given day between 8 and 10 in the morning. The only rules dad had for me were to be home before dark and I had to take my dog L.B. along with me. I would fill my gas tank up with fuel and oil, load up the gear and all my friends and away we would go. We had to be across the channel by 10 or face the beating that came from the cabin cruiser waves. Three and four foot rollers coming from 40 foot and bigger trawlers and sportfish type boats. waves so big they looked like you could surf on them behind the boat. These waves ravaged my little zodiac, air filled pontoons meant it could not be sunk without deflating, one of the reasons dad chose it. But boy would those waves rock the boat, throwing gear and people around and often getting somebody wet. Getting wet would usually end the trip early. Crossing the channel before ten o’clock in the morning was always my goal. Once across and into open water we would choose our destination. Heading towards the Havre de Grace side of the bay we would explore the areas around Perry Point and the mouth of the Susquehanna.

I remember taking my friends to the rope swing on the island where the route 40 highway bridge crosses the Susquehanna River. My dad would take my brother and I there while our family still had a boat. We would pull the boat up on shore and be in inches of water, you could swing out twenty feet and be over your head and have to swim back. Swimming to fight the current and making it back to shore for another turn. Everyone would swing until we tired out, then we would take the time to enjoy our snacks and rest in the shade. The entire Island is covered in trees and this would just be another adventure. Explore for pirates buried loot, or out on expedition to discover a unknown creature of the bay. We would always let our imaginations take over and the fun was endless. Along the Susquehanna River are a wide variety of abandoned buildings from times past. The steel buildings and sunken barges between Port Deposit and Perryville were always an attraction for me and still are to this day.

Behind the abandoned buildings are the railroad tracks and they would be just another stop on our summer of adventure. I would grow up without supervision and explore the world on my own. Starting out at about age 8 or 9 I would find my way around Cecil County all by myself, or in the company of my best friends and always a dog. Exploring and causing mischief, no one ever got hurt and we always came home safe. Those days are far behind me now, but I never forget that group of friends I spent my childhood with. We have all grown up now and taken different paths in life. Those early days still bind us together to this day and many times when were together someone brings up a memory from those days.

I’m taken back to a past that seems unimaginable had I not lived it. The world has changed a lot since those days and I hope you enjoy reading about them and you will return to read more.