One Last Run?  
With the Army Corps of Engineers threatening to close it down, the Dismal Swamp Canal beckoned to contributing writer Paul Clancy, who made the trip from Deep Creek to Elizabeth City in early spring. We hope it won’t be his last.





St. Michaels Under Attack  
Early one August morning during the War of 1812,
British ships opened fire on St. Michaels with orders
to destroy any military vessels lurking in the harbor.
Writer John F. Ross tells the story, and it had
nothing to do with lanterns in the treetops.




Deck Boats, Buyboats—What a Show!  
Editor-at-large Connie Bond and
photographer Michael C. Wootton
take a loving look at some of the
older ladies of the Bay, when the
buyboat fleet gathers in Rock Hall, Md.,
for a first-ever rendezvous.

From the Editor 
Point and Shoot—You are cordially invited to enter the Chesapeake Bay Photography Contest.

Off the Charts 
The Dark Side—Owning a zippy little Bertram offers unthinkable options to diehard sailor Wendy Mitman Clarke.

Good Boatkeeping 
Haul Away, Joe—Contributing writer Frank Lanier scopes out the ups and downs of installing an anchor windlass on your boat.

Time Tested 
Scottish Miss—Contributing writer Tom Dove takes a Tartan 30 through her paces and finds the seagoing vessel as tight and saucy as ever.

Marina Hopping 
Take That, Isabel—Writer Jody Argo Schroth pulled into the all-new Solomons Yachting Center (formerly Town Point Marina, before Isabel washed it away). The new facility is all a cruising boater could ask for.

Cruise of the Month 
Water Music—Anchored on her boat in Annapolis harbor, writer Diana Prentice listens for the guns of August—the U.S. Navy Band’s traditional performance of The 1812 Overture.

Reader Rendezvous 
Time Lapse Photograph—Rick Monty reconnected with an old sailing buddy and chartered a boat on the Chesapeake to relive the good old days.

Angler’s Almanac 
The Details—Pay attention the first time, and you can find that great little fishing spot over and over again, says John Page Williams.

Stern Lines
The Dusting Habit—Checking on a boat is no simple task—there’s so much to do! By Jane Meneely

On the cover: A sailboat travels the Dismal Swamp Canal Photograph by Steve Earley