M/V Island Hopper's Log

Debbie & Bryce on the Bridge

Island Hopper departed the dock in Baltimore at 9:30 AM headed to Havre de Grace, MD. Travel distance today was 40 miles. They arrived at Havre de Grace City Yacht Basin at 1:00 PM.

It was an easy 3 ½ hour run. The weather was very hot with temperatures in the 100’s during the day and only lowering to the 80’s at night. It actually felt cooler moving over the water. The heat became quite noticeable during docking and riding bikes into town. After ice cream in the afternoon, Kevin and Debbie decide that would not only be a snack, but dinner too. Just too hot to eat.

Havre de Grace Yacht Basin

Havre de Grace (www.hdgtourism.com) is is the city that almost became the nation’s capital. Havre de Grace’s fate was decided by one vote – that of the Speaker of the House. With that, Havre de Grace turned to life as a “river city” along the mighty Susquehanna River. Over recent years, the city has reinvented itself as a destination for tourists, but a place where everyday life is evident as well. Beautiful Victorian homes sit a along the waterfront. There, the wood boardwalk called The Promenade stretches along three-quarters of a mile of the Susquehanna riverfront starting at the Decoy Museum. Much of the Promenade was rebuilt after Hurricane Isabel came through in 2003.

The Ritz Restaurant at Havre de Grace

The Town Center

A Beautiful Home

HISTORY

Like many Chesapeake towns, Havre de Grace traces its roots to the Bay’s 1608 exploration by Captain John Smith. He apparently encountered a group of Susquehanna Indians in this area. It took 174 more years before the Marquis de Lafayette, noting that a proposal had been floated to build a city here, suggested “Havre de Grace,” or “Harbor of Mercy” a nod to the French town of Le Havre. Like many bay towns, Havre de Grace also saw the arrival of the British during the War of 1812. The opening of the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal and the railroad’s arrival contributed to the city’s 19^th century growth as it became an industrial city. Susquehanna Flats famously hosted huge flocks of of ducks, as well as numerous hunters – whether market hunters or sportsmen – making the city’s decoys just as well known.