Welcome to the latest edition of Henderson's Wharf Marina Scuttlebutt, bringing you updates, news and goings on around the Marina, Hotels and beautiful Baltimore Harbor.
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Whew, We made it through July 4th... Next Comes the Star Spangled Spectacular!
The Star-Spangled Spectacular is a free festival that celebrates the 200th anniversary of our national anthem. Tall ships, Navy gray hulls and the Blue Angels will come to the Inner Harbor to celebrate The Star-Spangled Banner. Landside festivals include living history demonstrations, a family fun-zone, live musical performances, and Chesapeake food and beverage. Events crescendo on September 13th with a star-studded patriotic concert and extraordinary fireworks display over Fort McHenry and the Baltimore harbor. And, YES, you should reserve dock slips ASAP. More Info...HERE
Activities and Fun Things
to Do Around Town
Baltimore Improv Festival July 29th-Aug 3rd 2014
Baltimore Theatre Project
45 W Preston St.,Baltimore, MD21202
The 8th Annual Baltimore Improv Festival returns with the best talent on the east coast. This year features 6 nights of world-class comedy shows and 2 days of improv workshops for students of all experience levels, all held at Baltimore's Theatre Project. The Baltimore Improv Festival showcases a variety of local, regional, and nationally-known improv groups in shows and workshops in Baltimore. Click HERE
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Fells Point Farmers' Market - Saturday Mornings
More than 40 vendors gather on Saturday mornings in Fells Point's Broadway Square to offer a variety of fresh and organic products. Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
An evening of amazing music, featuring performances by banjo greats Dom Flemons and Tony Trischka.
Dom Flemons is known as the "American songster," and has played before over one million people in the past three years. As a solo artist and as a founding member of the Grammy award winning band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dom has brought traditional music to new audiences.
Tony Trischka is "the godfather of what's sometimes called new acoustic music." (New York Times) For over 45 years, he has inspired new generations of bluegrass and acoustic musicians in the roots music world. Tony's international reputation is as a consummate banjo artist, innovative player, and sought-after banjo instructor.
Gates open 5:30 p.m., music begins at 6:00 p.m. Tickets $20 per person and may be purchased online or at the gate.
Friday, July 18, 11:00 am to Sunday, July 20, 9:00 pm Mount Royal Avenue | North Charles Street
America's largest, free arts festival features continuous musical performances by local, regional and national talent on multiple outdoor stages, indoor and outdoor visual arts exhibitions, film, theater, opera, dance, street theater and special activities geared towards children.
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First Thursdays Concerts in the Canton Waterfront Park
August 7th Concert with JD McPherson, The Whigs, and Moon Taxi
Getting your boating friends together for a raft-up? Here are some suggestions and links to articles that will make your weekend raft-up a fun and safe success.
Note: Following rafting etiquette will get you invited back. It is generally expected when you join a raft up that you will have friends and "new" friends visiting, so be ready to share your floating toys, snacks, food and drinks. Common courtesy rules... if you visit another boat, lose your shoes or make sure they're clean. Some boaters get finicky about things like red wine, glassware (and children), so inquire before boarding. Some owners are happy to lend a dinghy when needed, but always ask.
One trick is to have all boats tune to the same radio station and keep the volume low enough to carry on a conversation (unless you plan on turning the anchorage into the newest floating dance club). Make sure your batteries are charged up, and keep your generator off to curb noise and keep fumes from bothering adjacent boats, especially if people are in the water. Always use your own boat's head! Sailboats should also offset their masts so as not to hit when the boats rock.
For a serious look at one club's rafting protocol, Click HERE
Is it Unlucky to Rename a Boat ?
Renaming a boat is, of course, not something to be done lightly. Since the beginning of time, sailors have sworn that there are unlucky ships and the unluckiest ships of all are those who have defied the gods and changed their names. So, is there a way to change a name and not incur the wrath of those deities that rule the elements ?
Can it be done without a ceremony ?
Will the lords and gods of Sea and Wind be offended ?
We try to answer those questions....
A quick Google search turns up 83,900 results in 0.29 seconds
and a Bing search, 193,000 results, so the answer must be yes...
Here's some of what we found: Remember, everything you read on the internet is true, right ?
There are several steps involved in the naming or renaming of a boat, not the least of which is choosing the name itself. It's important to take care with this step because the name will probably stick with you. You, your crew, and the boat herself will probably all be known simply by the boat's name. You can choose a name for the attributes the boat herself seems to have. If I had a particularly snazzy and happy little sailboat, I might dub her Snappy. Or you can name her for attributes you'd like her to have; as Puritan parents used to name their daughters Charity or Chastity, you could name your boat the Dauntless (as in the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean) if you wished your vessel to be brave, and, well, dauntless on the waters.
There are other conventions to choosing a name as well, including naming the boat for your wife (if you happen to be a married man), or for characters out of mythology; for celestial beings, or for the wind, sea, or sun; for some unique favorite of yours, such as a storybook character or hobby. Endless variations of the above conventions find their ways into Neptune's (and the Coast Guard's) ledgers. Unconventional names work as well, just take care that it's something easy to pronounce over the radio, in case of trouble.