Bay Dreaming
By Elizabeth Bastos
Marrying and boating have a lot in common. You may not see the link immediately, but it’s true. Anyone who has ever successfully navigated a vessel through choppy waters knows that boating, like marriage, is a commitment that requires work, respect, creativity, and patience—especially if you should have to make it around a sandbar! (And on the notoriously shallow Bay this undignified experience is a matter of when, not whether—and of how many people are watching from shore, cocktails in hand.)
There’s also the love part. You must really love and be passionate about what you’re doing to shove off from terra firma into uncertain waters, be it on a boat or in a marriage. With all the great analogies—and an abundance of Bay at your disposal—why not consider tying the knot on the water? Get married on a boat and the wind will be at your back—not just figuratively, as in the famous Irish toast someone’s bound to recite at your wedding, but also literally. You’ll feel it: strong, warm, and pushing you forward. What a great way to begin your life together!
Making Waves
There are a few things to consider as you begin your “sea-search.” First, you can incorporate a nautical setting into your wedding in any number of ways. Not limited to being used for wedding sites, boats are also ideal for onboard proposals, a bridesmaids’ tea the day before the wedding, a fun outing for your visiting friends and family, or whisking the two of you away to your honeymoon—now, that’s romantic.
Second, there are vessels for hire that fit every taste, budget, and experience desired. Size is one of the most important factors, however. Depending on which boat you select, the “big” event may be more intimate than anything held at a vineyard or in a hotel ballroom. On others, such as the Catherine Marie, Watermark Cruises’ 240-passenger yacht, you won’t have to edit anyone from the guest list. (Your brother’s wife’s second cousin’s grandson can totally party with you—that is, if you want him to.) If the size of the boat suits your needs, forge on.
Keep in mind that some charters do their own catering, but most do not. Typically, you will be asked to choose from a list of recommended caterers or hire an outside caterer (which many couples prefer to be in control of, anyhow). Or you can bring aboard your own tea sandwiches, cake, and champagne. The same options hold true for many other types of venues as well, so don’t let that dissuade you from living out your nautical notions?
Dream Boats
If you prefer old-fashioned lines to modern fleets, an antique motor yacht may do the trick. Captain James Silva runs a classic 1963 Trumpy from St. Michaels to anywhere on the Bay, the Intercoastal Waterway, or the Florida Keys for day trips, weekends, or weeks. And this one comes with a multitalented first mate—Dale Fetterolf oversees a menu to make you swoon, including glazed tenderloin of beef japonnaise with wasabi horseradish sauce and a sherried au jus reduction and a chocolate decadence cake.
Or how about a leisurely cruise down the West River on a famed ferryboat? West River Cruises, out of Shady Side in Anne Arundel County, now charters the 65-foot Richard Lee, a wooden craft that ran between Reedsville and Smith Island for 25 years.
Speaking of days gone by, Washington, D.C.’s got a great option available for history buffs: the USS Sequoia, another Trumpy-design motor yacht—but this one’s presidential in scale. For $12,500 you and your guests can spend four hours cruising the Potomac on the yacht where President John F. Kennedy had his 46th and last birthday party, where Gorbachev brunched, FDR fished, LBJ lobbied for civil rights legislation—you get the picture. This is a great choice for the bride and groom who want everything in “shippest” possible shape: the crew has prepared for your event by practicing on a dozen U.S. presidents.
There’s also the possibility of bending time and getting married on an exciting day in 1944. Board the World War II–era Liberty ship John W. Brown, docked in Baltimore Harbor—one of only two Liberty ships still floating—and you’ll be entertained by reenactors, swing to toe-tapping music, and get buzzed with fly-bys of World War II aircraft. In a nod to that era, the bride might want to wear her hair in a snood, with a gardenia behind her ear, a la Billie Holiday.
Want to slip the dock and head out into the open water under sail? Book a “Boat & Breakfast” on Woodwind, a 74-foot schooner out of Annapolis. Up to four couples can stay overnight—what could be a more unusual and fun get-to-know-you for willing in-laws-to-be? There is also an identical sister ship, Woodwind II, so the next day the two “teams” could go head-to-head in a good-natured, his family vs. her family race. If you’d rather your boat set sail from the Eastern Shore, the Selina II, a vintage catboat out of St. Michaels, specializes in romantic wedding sails and its captain, Iris Clarke, is happy to officiate, if you so desire.
Every family has a fishing fanatic—maybe more than one—and fishing charters are an experience that could yield a unique photograph of the groom holding a trophy rockfish by the gills. At Harrison’s on Tilghman Island it’s $125 a person and BYO-everything except for bait and tackle. But this might be the perfect bachelor party: on the water, with your best buddies, trying to catch wild things.
“Most of our brides and grooms are fun-loving, outdoorsy types,” says Ann Rosswork, who runs a 36-foot sailing catamaran out of Cambridge. “As luck would have it, many of our wedding sails have occurred on windy days. So the ceremonies are often pretty exciting, with lots of wind-blown dresses and hair.”
Captain Ed Farley, who skippers a majestic, full-sailed skipjack out of Tilghman Island, agrees—funny things can happen. “On a beautiful, windy afternoon the bride and groom finally had me heave-to [slow and steady the boat] for the exchange of vows. All went well, but the wind was still pushing us. Afterward the minister turned to me with some trepidation in his voice and asked quietly, ‘Captain Ed, please tell me that you have not sailed out of Talbot County waters?’ I assured him that I had not and that the couple’s vows were bound and true, as we had not crossed over any county lines.” Talk about excitement—how often do you worry that you’ve accidentally been pushed by the wind over a county line while on land?
To make another point, how often in your married life will your spouse surprise, amaze, and confound you? Answer: frequently. Boating, which is full of surprises and lurches and joys big and small, will prepare you. And your photographs will be fabulous.
For a full listing of local nautical charters, refer to our Ultimate Wedding Guide on page 59.
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