Maryland’s far Eastern Shore may soon be a quick trip from Baltimore, thanks to a ferry being developed by Maritime Applied Physics Corporation and A. James Clark School of Engineering researchers through the Maryland Industrial Partnerships Program. The plane-like boat, which could be in service year-round as early as summer 2007, will fly passengers 18 miles over the water from Rock Hall to Baltimore or back for potential shopping trips, coastal touring, evening dinners, Orioles games, cultural events, and commuting to work. “Since the steamship days the Eastern Shore has held a certain allure for Baltimoreans,” said P.A.M. Schaller, Director of Economic Development for Kent County. “Rock Hall has the flavor of a waterman’s town. Nearby Chestertown has loads of 18th century architecture.