For the second year in a row, the elegant, 160-foot long, three-masted 20-cabin sailing schooner Arabella will cruise the Chesapeake Bay, sailing from Annapolis, Maryland, and heading to the charming Colonial-era Eastern Shore towns of Oxford, Solomons Island St. Michaels and ending in Baltimore’s vibrant Inner Harbor. Along the way, we had a chance for a unique Spa experience at The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, where we virtually "sailed" up to the Spa!

Last October, I joined 19 other guests aboard this regal luxury yacht, skimmed the Chesapeake Bay, marveled at the still-pristine towns along the way, and ate not enough luscious Maryland crab cakes. Our crew quickly became part of the fun, and our captain earned our admiration with his deft, smooth sailing style. During a rain shower, he and crewmates donned yellow slickers and manned the helm as we lucky passengers sipped wine and nibbled on cheese and crackers inside.

On the mostly sunny days, our entertainment included sunbathing, reading, snoozing or chatting on the stern cushions provided. Sumptuous breakfast buffets began our days, with lunch on board and dinners ashore in some of the best Eastern Shore dining spots. Nighttimes, cocktails and more chit chat, card games and reading filled our no-cruise-director programs. Dress was informal aboard ship, but a bit dressy for our dinner at the elegant The Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels. Before dinner some of us -- me, too -- booked appointments at the new Spa at the Inn, for a treatment including views of the boats bobbing at the pier, and the gorgeous Chesapeake Bay.

This four night cruise (we skipped Solomons, which is on the five night cruise) stopped at some of the most historic and beautiful ports on the Chesapeake Bay, giving a peek into a still-vibrant sailing, oystering, fishing, and yachting culture. I had arrived early enough to wander the hilly streets of the historic port, poking through nautical stores, boutiques and stopping for crab cakes at a Harborside restaurant. Stunning brick Colonial-era architecture line the cobblestone streets and hilltops, leading to the Maryland State House and nearby US Naval Academy. This was typical of the cruise. We dropped anchor in fascinating Chesapeake Bay ports and plenty of time ashore to stroll through the shops, museums, ice cream shops, cafes and bars.

Day One: Around 4 p.m., everyone gathered at City Dock. We boarded the sailing yacht’s Zodiac, met our captain and a crewmember, and then motored out to the Arabella. I hurried to my cabin to discover discovered it was not only spacious, but had an in cabin satellite TV, telephone, and private bathroom with shower. No roughing it on this cruise. The deluxe large “salon,” or common area, featured comfy sofas, chairs and tables, along with the bar, and was lined with large windows on either side of the room. After our welcome cocktail hour, back ashore to dinner at the Harborside Canter’s for a traditional Crab Feast. Big baskets of fried crabs, French fries and cole slaw, served on long wooden tables introduced us to the best of the Chesapeake Bay catch. Back on board, we slept at anchor.


Day Two: We set sail into the middle of Chesapeake’s sheltered waters, where the fisheries of America’s greatest estuary have attracted fishermen for centuries. As we cruised past wooded shores, we looked for crabbers hauling their catch and for sailing oyster dredges. We sailed for four smooth, sunny hours, reveling in the blue bay and waving at passing boats, as we headed to the mouth of the Choptank River, and the Tred Avon River. Oxford, our port-of-call, is a tiny village of history and charm. Sea kayaks for exploring the marshes upstream, or rental bikes allowed some to take a short trip across the river to Bellevue, the oldest privately operated ferry service in the county (since 1683), and ride along the quiet wooded lanes. Boat aficionados reveled in a tour of the Cutts & Case traditional boat builders and restorers. After a few hours ashore, we all changed for dinner at the historic Robert Morris Inn. The wooden lined dining rooms were full of historic scenes; the crab cakes we had were a rave, too.

Day Three: While the crew raises sail, we head to the Maryland Eastern Shore.By lunchtime, we're dropping anchor off the Eastern Shore seaport of St. Michaels, where we spent the day ashore exploring this historic seaport. The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has a collection of 85 vessels and the restored Hooper Strait Lighthouse on display. St. Michaels main street, offered terrific browsing, shopping and ice cream; the narrow streets lined with 17th and 18th century houses delight. We dined at The Inn at Perry Cabin, an Orient-Express Hotel, which has a bay view, lovely grounds, and just opened a spa.

Day Four: In the morning, we sailed sail past the wooded shores of Kent Island, passing under the impressive span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which joins the Eastern and Western shore of the Bay. Our final destination is Baltimore. We cruised past Fort McHenry looming over the Harbor, past the 18th Century warship USS Constellation, to the new waterfront science museum. Ashore, I strolled around the harbor front, and then headed to the old settlement of Fells Point. Back on board, we cruisers made a final toast to fair winds and calm seas at our cocktail party on board collected our luggage and headed for home.

The Arabella’s Chesapeake Bay cruises are offered in spring and fall, then, move to Newport, Rhode Island for summer cruise to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

IF YOU GO -- Visitcruisearabella.com. for rates, reservations information. Call Classic Cruises of Newport, 800-395-1343 for more information. For The Spa at The Inn at Perry Cabin, visitperrycabin.com>/a>.