Century Club: Tom Dean

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Number of days:

1 day

The forecast was for some nice winds.... right around 10 knots or so for most of the day so I headed off to the marina for a fun day. Got to the marina about 10 and was out of the slip by 10:30. Temperature was 67, winds were 10 knots with some gusts and the barometer was 30.00 and steady. Sunny to partly cloudy skies. There was a small craft advisory until 11 - which was extended to 1 pm.

Headed out, got the sails up before daymark 7 and headed down Langford creek to the Chester. Decided to go for a longer sail - so I headed right down the Chester and kept going around Eastern Neck Island. After 2 hours of sailing I was right at the entrance to Kent Narrows which is when I decided to turn around and head back. I was averaging about 5 knots most of the way down with a close reach/beam reach. Had to go to close haul once around eastern neck though.

Heading back - all was good. Was first on a broad reach until I made the turn at the Chester river buoy 11 and then I was between a close reach and a beam reach most of the way up. When I got parallel to Eastern Neck Narrows, the winds started to pick up significantly - was seeing 16, 17, even 20 knots.... so it got a bit exciting. I reefed the headsail which made everything a bit more comfortable and I was able to keep the sail up all the way to daymark 7 in Langford creek before turning, dropping the sails and heading into the marina.

A lovely 4 hour sail!

Saturday, September 16, 2023 to Sunday, September 17, 2023

Number of days:

2 days

Great Weekend Sail with First Mate. 100th sail of the year for me!

Moving along!!
Back of first mate handling the helm.

Spent the entire weekend sailing with the first mate. Got out early on Saturday, throwing off the lines about 10 on a beautiful sunny day. Winds were forecast to be 10 knots out of the north with waves of 1 foot. Ended up with less waves since the tide was going out - but the winds were a bit more than 10 knots the entire day. First mate took the helm as we sailed around the Chester River basin from Langford creek to Eastern Neck Island, back up the Chester, around Grays Inn Creek, over to Reed Creek and the Corsica before repeating several times. Mainly stayed on reaches - close and beam, but also some close hauling! This was really the first time the first mate had really taken the helm in heavier weather and she did wonderful. Sailed up to Cacaway and anchored there. On Sunday morning, I saw that the forecast had changed and they were predicting some wind (and rain) starting at 11, so we had the sails up and were heading out by 10! It was a bit windier than what the NWS had predicted. We had winds well above 10 with some gusts getting close 20. First mage still at the helm doing another fine job. We added running to her sailing arsenal along with practicing close hauls, beam and close reaches. REally a great sailing weekend - and on Saturday a lot of other sailboaters evidently though so too - haven't seen that many sailboats in the Chester all year!

Had two crabbing episodes... On Saturday, didn't notice and ran over a waterman's marker. It evidently got caught on our centerboard (that I had forgot was down). He was very forgiving and cut his line instead of having me jump int he water.

Sunday - had two knuckleheads out there start yelling and screaming at us because we sailed by their marker - even though we were well over 100 feet from it and them - guessing they were having a bad day with their catch. Just two total jerks who evidently don't know the rules or have any courtesy at all.

Hit my 100th day of sailing on my boat for 2023 on Saturday! I have really learned a lot in those 300+ hours

Friday, September 15, 2023

Number of days:

1 day

Friday, September 15 - Solo Sail

There was a Small Craft Advisory with projected winds out of the North 10-15 with gusts up to 25... but I noticed it was projected that things would ease off a bit in the afternoon, so did some other projects before taking off from the dock at 1 pm and I found that it wan't nearly as bad as it had been called for - but I still reefed the Genoa and put 1 reef in the main and was very comfortable the entire time! Sailed in 70 degree weather heading up the Chester so that I had some land blocking the wind. Very comfortable and fun sail! Got the sails up quick (as usual) and sailed all the way back up the creek to end up a great sailing day!. Got back to the marina about 4:30 - just in time to run into town for some groceries and then cook dinner for the first mate.

Thursday, September 14, 2023

Number of days:

1 day

Fantastic sail with a SCA!!

Headed out at noon with a temperature of 73 degrees (eventually got up to 78), barometer at 30.00 under sunny skies. Winds were out of the north 10+ knots with some gusts up to about 20. Got the main sail up by day beacon 7 and gently sailed down Langford creek. When I got out in the Chester, I decided to stay on a beam reach - first on a starboard tack and then a port tack. On the port tack, I headed up the Chester and made it all the way up to conquest beach before turning back - again on a starboard tack. After a bit of fooling around out there, I decided to try and sail back to the marina - which was going to be tough since Langford creek is basically due north! I did make it all the way up the creek - even past the day beacon #7 before I dropped the sail.

it was a fantastic day out there and I am looking forward to tomorrow - supposed to be a bit gnarly out there!!

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Number of days:

1 day

September 13 - Solo Sail

I was planning on this being a work day on the boat, but when I checked the forecast in the morning and then was monitoring the real time wind, it seemed like a wonderful day to head on out - and it was. Wind was out of the NNW at 5-10 knots - dropped off a bit in the afternoon. Barometer was 29.93 with sunny skies and a temperature range of 73-81. Left the marina at 11 and got the sails up right away in Langford Creek and headed down to the Chester. Saw the two Maryland School for Sailing boats - Scholarship and Acadame heading up the Chester and back to the marina. Scholarship was under full sail (as was I) and heeling nicely (as was I) with Acadame with the main up and under power. Had a grand time - staying mainly on a beam reach out in the Chester going back and forth in the basin. Wind started to die off a bit about 2:30 and I started to head back to the marina. Managed to keep sailing all the way up to the #7 day beacon in Langford creek. An unexpected sailing day - but a nice enjoyable one. The next coupl of days look really exciting!!

Saturday, September 9, 2023

Number of days:

1 day

Saturday September 9 - Full Crew

Well, it has been a hot week. Got the boat short hauled on Tuesday - cleaned her off and got the centerboard back in operation - but too hot and no wind for the rest of the week. Finally got out on Saturday with the first mate - let her take the helm and we were able to sail in some really light winds - but enough wind to keep us moving along. Wind was swirling a bit, so it was good practice for her. Got the asymmetrical up for our journey back up Langford creek to the marina. All in all, spent about 5 hours out sailing around in the Chester river - and except for a few crabbers.... had it to ourselves. Very hot though - up in the 90's! So when we got back, jumped in the marina pool - which we were happy was still open!!

Saturday, September 2, 2023 to Monday, September 4, 2023

Number of days:

3 days

Labor Day Weekend Sail - Full Crew

September 2 - full crew sail

Headed out at 10 am after getting everything set for the weekend. Temps ranged from 70 to 81, and the Barometer was 30.22. Sunny skies, with a few clouds and winds out of the SW 5-10. First mate took her out nicely, and we had sails up quickly after rounding the first day mark in Langford Creek. First mate took the helm, and I managed the sails for the majority of the sail. Had a few wind shifts, and coached the first mate with her control of the helm. Pretty much on a close haul down the Chester with the thought of flying the kite back-which we did. In fact, flew the asymmetrical up the Chester, up Langford Creek, up into the east fork of Langford creek until it finally collapsed and we brought it down. Anchored for the night back in Lovely Cove on the East fork - which was indeed lovely!!

September 3, 2023

Put up the mainsail before raising the anchor a little after 10:30 am very warm day starting out and was getting warmer. Sunny with a SW wind between 5 and 10 knots… not sure it ever got up to 10 knots. Sailed around in the basin again with the first mate at the helm again practicing with me taking care of the sail trim. She continued to have good success with 45 and 60 to the wind, so then we tried 90 - beam reach and it seemed to confuse her - as she kept turning the helm the wrong way when she would get off 90 degrees - either way. After about 5 hours of sailing we headed up Grays Inn Creek to anchor for the evening, we went up to sycamore point and dropped the hook. Lovely place, had a nice evening… albeit a bit warm.

September 4, 2023 - full crew again.

Well, awoke to gunshots and saw that a homeowner had shot several geese over the water - off his pier. He took a SUP out to pick them up! After a nice breakfast decided to go for a kayak paddle and check out the creek. Didn’t get too far as I noticed that my inflatable kayak was deflating! Didn’t sink, but there wasn’t much air in it when I got back to the boat. Again, put the mainsail up prior to pulling anchor which happened about 10am. Made our way down the creek motor sailing and found a nice little breeze - out of the WNW not much more than 5 knots but it was enough to move along. First mate was back on the helm and she wanted to really try the beam reach again… and this time she did a superb job. We meandered around the Chester for 4 hours and then headed back up Langford creek to our marina. A wonderful end to a wonderful weekend!

Friday, September 1, 2023

Number of days:

0 days

September 1, solo sail

A little cooler today - 73 - 80 degrees. Barometer 30.26 and falling. Sunny with winds, at least at the start 5-10, but they fell off quickly. In fact, the winds were better up in the creek than in the river!. Got to the marina a bit late - as I had to provision for the long weekend. Talked to dock neighbor Dave about problems with his auto-helm, then filled the water tanks under the settee on the port and starboard side.First mate showed up about 5 for the long weekend.

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Number of days:

1 day

August 30 - Solo Sail

A little warmer - temps 78-83 degrees. Barometer was 29.75 falling slightly. Was cloudy, then turned partly sunny as the day went on with winds out of the NW at 5-10. Flew down the Chester on some nice winds on a broad reach - jibing back and forth. Had to work a bit harder coming back! Took a side trip over towards the Corsica before heading on back. Left the dock at 10:30 and pulled back in at 3:30… so a nice 5 hour sail where I got to practice all the points of sailing!

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Number of days:

1 day

August 29 - Solo Sail

Temperature 75-81 degrees. Barometer 29.92 and falling slightly. Cloudy skies with winds out of the ENE 5-10. Left the marina at 10:15 for a nice 5 1/2 sail. Got the sails up rather quickly in Langford Creek and slowly sailed down to the Chester, where everything picked up quite a bit. Had fun sailing around in that large basin before turning back for the marina. Was nice getting back on the water after my little trip to Florida!

Century Club: Tom Dean

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