Docks

The Brazilian warship has traveled around the globe the past quarter century, but it was pelted by pirates for the first time Sunday. The naval ship — a sort of floating classroom for Brazilian midshipmen — is spending a week in Baltimore as part of a tour that began in early June. It is docked near Harborplace, where costumed privateers and wenches on the city's pirate cruise sail by with taunts every hour or so. Throughout the week, the 420 Brazilian sailors are extending their gangplanks to visitors for free tours of the ship, The Brazil.

City officials plan to raise fees for docking boats in Baltimore's Inner Harbor in hopes of generating about $35,000 in added revenue. With that money, officials say, they could reduce the amount that taxpayers spend to operate the city-owned docks. Barry Robinson, the city's head of transit and marine services, said officials are working to make the program self-sufficient. "This is the first step in that direction," he said. The Board of Estimates is expected to approve increases to the Inner Harbor docking fees Wednesday.

The tugboats that pull Patapsco River fuel barges for Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s two coal-fired plants in Pasadena have moved to refurbished docks near Cox Creek.The boats moved from BGE's Riverside Power Plant in Baltimore, where they were docked for 11 years, to be closer to the utility's two largest coal-fired plants, Brandon Shores and Wagner off Fort Smallwood Road, said John Garrison, a power company supervisor.The outmoded oil-burning Riverside units were closed last year, but the boats remained berthed there even though they were no longer needed.

More than 250 bicycles would be available for short-term rentals at 25 stations throughout Baltimore by this time next year under a bike-sharing program similar to those in Washington and London, city officials said. The city's financial oversight panel approved an agreement with the state Wednesday to establish Charm City Bikeshare. Stations — much like the drop-off and pick-up spots for "Zipcars" — are planned for downtown, midtown and Southeast Baltimore. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the rental bikes build on the city's effort to bolster its renewable transportation system, including on-street bike lanes and bike parking in Charles Village.

Oddly enough, the country's oldest and largest in-the-water powerboat show is held in Annapolis, which terms itself America's Sailing Capital.But for four days this month -- Oct. 14-17 -- the United States Powerboat Show will fill the city dock and adjacent harbor with more than 400 of the newest and best vessels offered by U.S. and foreign builders.Nearly a half-mile of floating docks will be packed with multi-boat displays, including a special trawler section formed in response to consumer interest in these easily handled, economical vessels.

Thousands of sailors and landlubbers alike have traveled to Baltimore's Inner Harbor -- and thousands more are expected in Annapolis this weekend -- to get a close-up look at the Whitbread yachts.In the middle of the fanfare, C. Thomas Miller hopes that a few people take a moment to admire something else that floats -- the docks.The nine Whitbread teams are mooring their boats in the two cities to docks designed and constructed by Eastern Floatation Systems Inc., an upstart company operating in Canton.

Baltimore's two competing water taxis will stay afloat into the next century, if city officials can persuade the operators to share several landings in the Inner Harbor.That proposal doesn't please Ed Kane, owner of Water Taxi, who is refusing to dock at any landing that his competitor is allowed to use."The city's recommendation raises very severe safety concerns," said James P. Gillece Jr., the lawyer representing Kane. "The idea of having two boats going to one landing, which they are to share, to try to pick up passengers -- it would be a prelude to disaster."

Watching the U.S. Boat Show "changeover" from the crowd feels a bit like seeing the changing of the guard at Buckingham Place. Nearly every spectator is there - at least in part - to see if anyone messes up. Hundreds lined Annapolis' dockside bars Monday as about 250 sailboats motored away from their temporary slips to make room for the powerboats, which will be on display tomorrow through Sunday. Getting out is tricky. The boats, many longer than 40 feet, must be maneuvered through a maze of docks before reaching the open harbor.

Things are tough out there on the mean streets of Blocktimore, or so we find out in the newest spin on "The Wire" -- done this time entirely with Legos. Yahoo gets the credit for Baltimore redone like Lego-land, a funny bit just released online Wednesday. Just about everything from "The Wire" is in the four-minute short. The drugs. The corruption. The cops that enjoy a few drinks. There's Omar, with two guns. There's McNulty toting a very big bottle of something alcoholic.

Leisure Boat Show docks at Convention Center Cruise on over to the annual Baltimore Boat Show being held from noon to 8 p.m. today at the Baltimore Convention Center, Pratt and Howard streets. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for ages 13-15, and free for those 12 and younger. For information, go to baltimoreboatshow.com.

A proposal to reshape City Dock in Annapolis is drawing criticism from traditionalists, who say taller buildings and other ideas to spur economic development could spoil the Colonial-era character and Chesapeake Bay views of the historic waterfront. The dock is among the most prized pieces of real estate in Annapolis. But as the city considers the draft master plan for the area, the question of how to blend its past with the present-day desire for economic vitality is sparking controversy.

A $1.5 million federal grant will help pay for rebuilding the downtown Annapolis City Dock, including upgrades to stormwater management controls to reduce frequent flooding. "City Dock is arguably the city's most important asset, and first and foremost, we need to be responsible stewards of the assets we have," said Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen. An overall $12.5 million rehabilitation project for the dock involves stabilizing and rebuilding 700 linear feet of City Dock's bulkhead, as well as the stormwater measures and upgrading slips used by transient boaters who visit Annapolis.

Dock workers and the management of 15 East Coast and Gulf ports reached a tentative agreement on a new master contract late Friday night, averting a threatened walkout on Wednesday. The six-year deal between the International Longshoremen's Association, which represents 14,500 workers, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which negotiates for ports and shipping companies, is still subject to ratification by both sides and to agreements between local unions and port managers. Details were not released.

Two Annapolis streets closed Friday morning due to flooding: Compromise Street between St. Mary's Street and Memorial Street. Dock Street is also closed, said Annapolis Police Sergeant Eric Crane. As of 8:45 a.m. Friday, Philadelphia Road near Maryland Route 136 in Harford County, remained closed in both directions for debris in the road, according to state highway officials. Also in Harford County, Maryland Route 165, north of Dooley Road, was closed in both directions for debris blocking the road.

First, it was the silverware. For more than six years, Moe's Southwest Grill has been selling its burritos at Annapolis' historic City Dock, the waterfront store among the few "fast-casual" restaurant chains to successfully set up shop despite the historic district's ban on fast food. But when Chipotle wanted to open a store a block away, Moe's owners hired an attorney to fight the application, contending the competing burrito joint was unequivocally a fast-food joint. Moe's first piece of evidence: Chipotle's environmentally friendly, compostable utensils.

Phillips Crab Deck is now open in Annapolis. The 140-seat terrace restaurant, which opened very quietly Aug. 16, marks the return of Phillips to Annapolis - in the same Dock Street location it left in 2009. It was replaced there by Hell Point Seafood , which shut its doors in late February. Phillips Crab Deck, which is open daily for lunch and dinner beginning at 11:30 a.m., occupies only one of three buildings - 14 Dock St. - that used to house Phillips Annapolis Harbor Restaurant and then Hell Point Seafood.

Baltimore's familiar Harbor Shuttle, scuttled for a week, resurfaced yesterday in the Inner Harbor.With little fanfare, the city has negotiated a new agreement with Ron Morgan, operator of the water taxi service. The deal puts Harbor Shuttle back in business, a week after Morgan accused city officials of giving his only competitor favored treatment and filed a $2 million lawsuit against the city.According to Morgan, the new agreement will allow Harbor Shuttle to land at the Maryland Science Center and the Harborplace Amphitheatre, between the Pratt and Light streets pavilions.

The kid on the dock put the old towel in the net, dipped it in the creek, retrieved it and wrung it out before carefully arranging it over the top of the 5-gallon bucket."

A 40-foot cabin cruiser was completely destroyed Wednesday, when it caught fire, while berthed at the Anchorage Marina in Canton. Multiple fire units responded at 3:40 p.m. to the pier in the 2500 block of Boston Street, city fire officials said. Crews isolated the boat in the water to prevent the fire from jumping to other nearby boats and brought the blaze under control by 4:05 p.m., said Chief Kevin Cartwright, a fire spokesman. No firefighter was injured. No one was on the boat at the time and no other boats at the marina were damaged, officials said.

Kevin Marshall and Buddy Evans, like many cousins, are close. They keep in touch regularly and enjoy talking over a cup of coffee when they can get together. The two, who have spent much of their lives on the Chesapeake Bay as watermen, even took their cordial relationship to land to play in a softball league together. But when the 41st annual Crisfield Boat Docking Classic takes place Sept. 2, none of that will matter. Asked whether they were on the same team, Evans laughed at the thought.