Harborview Marina, Baltimore, Maryland

The 1814 powder chamber

The first mate on one water taxi was a real clown

Another hot humid day. We are breaking records for heat in Baltimore. Apparently the temperature is about 15 degrees above normal for this time of year. Caught the water taxi this morning and went out to Fort McHenry. This fort stands guarding the entrance to Baltimore Harbour and the city itself. During the war of 1812, the Americans burned York (Toronto) and in retaliation, the British burned Washington. They then turned to Baltimore and attacked by land and by sea. The citizens had built earthworks around the city, which the troops were not able to get past, and the British warships bombarded the fort for a day and a night. However, the fort had bigger cannon, so the British were unable to get close enough to do a lot of damage. The next morning, the British pulled out and the stars and stripes were raised over the fort. That inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner". The bridge under which we passed as we entered the harbour is named for Frances Scott Key. The fort was used as a prison during the Civil War, and as a rehabilitation hospital during World War I. Since then it has been designated a national park.

A bomb shelter to protect people in the fort from enemy fire, called a Bombproof

Fort McHenry

One of the boats on display and open for tours here in Baltimore. This particular boat is a coast guard boat, and is the only boat still around that  survived Pearl Harbour.

Baltimore is a huge industrial city, with an ethnically diverse population. It was second only to New York as an entry point for immigrants.  The city of about 620,000 entered a period of decline in the 1970s; the past few years the city has begun a renewal project, including a whole new waterfront with a 7.5 mile boardwalk along the water, lots of shops and restaurants, office buildings and condos. They are also selling homes in some areas for very little money, but the purchaser has to prove that they have the resources to renovate, a program that is proving popular with yuppies. The waterfront is a busy place with lots of people out and about, we didn't venture into other areas of the city.

Some of the cannon at the fort

This afternoon did some laundry, got together with Jim and Gloria for dinner on our boat. We plan to move on tomorrow.