Cooler day - temps 74 - 80 degrees, barometer was 30.08 and falling winds were out of the NW 10+knots with some nice gusts to the higher teens. Mostly. Lousy, but the sun came out. Got the main up quickly - right outside of Davis creek, but waited for the Genoa until close to the Chester.decided to go up the Chester since the wind was good - and headed off that way. Had to do a couple of tacks to get through the narrow area that opens up into comely[s blight on one side and conquest beach on the other. There was another sailboat out who forced me to tack a few time prior to when I wanted to - but all was good. Pretty much on a close reach most of the day - a few times a close haul. Turned around after well past conquest beach and headed back for the basin outside of Langford creek. Made it part way up the creek before I had to start the iron sail... just not enough room with a wind that had shifted and was coming almost due north! Got out of the slip at 10:30 and didn't go back in till 3:30. For what it is worth, according to my calculations - this was my 89th sail of the year so far - woo hoo. Not only will I make over 100 days in the water - but also over 200 days of sailing!
Century Club: Tom Dean
Dock neighbor out for a spin
First mate
Sunset
Gennaker
Left the marina at 10 am on the 19th under sunny skies, cool temps (70 degrees) and a barometer at 30.2 headed for no where in particular - just using the wind to guide our adventure, which was out of the NW - WNW at 5-10 knots... with some little gusts. Made it down to the Kent narrows area pretty quickly- an hour and a half - and decided to keep going. Wind slowed a bit, but we were still moving and got up to the entrance to the Chester and started to make the cut across love point - but the wind went with us (at this point thing]king about heading to the Magothy). Didn't want to turn on the engine, so we headed back up the Chester and decided to drop the hook in Reed Creek. Ended our 8 hour sail a bit after 6pm in this serene setting - only two other boats in the anchorage!
on Sunday the 20th I first went exploring on the kayak for an hour or so following the creek back behind some houses. Saw a couple of eagles and there was a craine that I kept bothering. Ate a quick lunch got the gennaker ready and we pulled up anchor and headed out of the creek a little after 1. Got the genny up outside of Reed creek and had a nice little sail back up to lankford bay marina, not dropping the sail until inside Davis creek outside the marina. Had some issues with this, discovered that I was because the sail had been twisted up in the dock - fixed that when we got back to the marina. A lovely weekend and since I will be in Florida next weekend - it is the last weekend sail in August for me! Cooler nights are starting to happen - looking forward to some great fall sailing!
Dark clouds coming in!
Duck
Lovely sunset
Another lovely sunset
Pirate Boat!
Decided to go off on a little trip - no agenda, no real destination... wherever the wind lent itself is where I was heading. Got to the marina a bit later than I wanted on the 15th - had to provision for not only the four days, but also the weekend... which took time. Pulled out of the marina at 11:45am under partly sunny skies, temp of 83 and barometric pressure at 29.77. Winds were out of the South 5-10. Meandered my way down the Chester and was just outside of Queenstown Harbor where I would normally turn to head over towards Love Point when the weather (and the sky) indicated that bad things were coming. Thinking about possibilities for anchorage or safe areas and knowing there was none, I turned and headed back up to find an area to hide out from the storm. Got sails down and prepped for what was going to be bad... and it was. Upon reflection, should have anchored, but instead kept moving and when the storm hit - motored into the wind.. just enough to keep me safe. The Bimini suffered some tears, but otherwise everything ok. Went back to the marina, repaired the Bimini and got ready to leave the next day.
Day 2 - Got out at 9:45 - still no idea where I would be headed. Partly cloudy, winds out of the WNW at 5-10, but diminishing as the day went on. Started out 76 degrees, got up to 83. Made it down to outside of Kent Narrows in good fashion, but only averaging about 4 knots or so, and then because of wind speed and direction, had to turn on the engine. Winds never picked up so outside of Love Point, made the decision to go to Swan Creek as it was the closest. Got into Swan creek and anchored in the normal area - there was a trawler, catamaran and another sailboat there also. Dropped anchor and had a very nice, but warm night!
Day 3 - Pretty much a chore day and then a kayak day since there was little to no wind. Kayaked all around Swan Creek - down by the marinas and further up the creek. Found all of the dinghy docs and other places that a tender could be put ashore! Very rocky and windy anchorage overnight - winds picked up mightily, but the anchor held!!
Day 4 - There were calling for W winds 10-15 with gusts to 25 and seas 2 feet - and they weren't kidding. Had at least that - except the wind seemed more from the WNW than just west. Got the Main up at anchor because didn't want to be out on the deck in what was predicted. Engine off right outside of swan creek - and rocked and rolled all the way down into the Chester. Decided to furl in my headsail outside of Kent Island (was going almost dead downwind) and got it wrapped on top of itself - so when I turned to go up the Chester - really into the wind (winds were really out of the NW at this point) had to motor the rest of the way, but easily fixed the headsail at the dock.
Wonderful little outing - a bit of everything... Storms, Light Winds, No Wind, and Heavy weather. Fun, challenging, and engaging!
Well, the first mate was feeling better - got her sea legs back I guess, so we headed out at 10:30 and she took the helm for about the entire day! Barometer was 29.9, temps ranged 83-89 under partly cloudy skies. Wind was out of the West - or North West at 5-10 early and then 10-12 later with gusts.
I controlled the sheets and let the First Mate really have time on the helm, tried to help her through it, but experience is always the best teacher! She did a great job, learned a lot that she was able to communicate back. Learned how to deal with the gusts too. Now she just needs to relax and enjoy it! Had to come back in because she still works! Lovely,, fun, and educational day for all!!
Headed out at 10 am with the full crew under sunny skies - hot... temp was 87 at 10 am. Winds were out of the south 5-10 knots... Barometer was 29.9. Unfortunately, the first mate got a little bit seasick so wasn't able to participate much, but I still had some fun! Stayed in the basin area where Langford, Reed, and Grays Inn creeks all enter into the Chester down to the Queenstown area just going in the direction that the wind was blowing and having some fun. First mate wasn't suffering too much, but decided against staying out on the hook as planned, so headed up to Cacaway Island to make dinner, and then came back to the slip for the evening.
Fellow sailor!
Got to the marina after gathering all the provisions necessary for the weekend. Had to do a few chores before having fun - so I emptied out the composting head - first time for the year (it was overdue) and then headed out. Mid 80's - barometer was 29.84 and holding steady with winds out of the west 5-10 with a few gusts. It was lovely sailing... got out about 2:30 and didn't get back into the slip until 6! Had to wait a little before putting up sails as there were some small sunfish's out from the RHYC, but got them up before leaving Langford Creek and then I flew down the Chester. Did a few tacks and turns... thought about putting up the Gennaker for the return trip - but the wind was still good and close to being on my beam. All in all, another fun day. Had to get back to pick up crew for the weekend adventure!
Got to the marina a bit late - had to do some provisioning for the old homestead (and boat!), but still enough time for a nice three hour sail! Set off and when I got to Langford creek, noticed that the RHYC was evidently having some small boat races.there were two within the creek - and then two others (larger class boats) across the Chester over by reed creek. A big problem (for me) was that one class of boats were racing right across the channel for Langford Creek into the Chester - right in my way! I tried to get the race officials on the marine radio - they would not answer, so I did my best to avoid them and their racing area. Next time, not sure I am going to be so nice... not smart ot block the channel!!
So, got sails up - and had fun. Went across the Chester and along where they were racing ... down to about Piney Point before turning for the return trip. Had wind up to 10 knots or better going across...but it died off on the way back.. so got real slow. The race broke up right before i got into the creek - but I think they also noticed the Sultana coming down - who made it very clear that they were invoking rule 9b of the col Regs - something I might think about doing next time!!
Sultana came up and passed me, I decided - since the wind was at 2 knots or less - to turn on the iron sail and take her back in. Lovely sail, nice getting bubbles moving quickly - good practice for me!
Gennaker up
First Made
Evening
Fun little van
Awful Arthurs is gone! Still got some oysters at crab claw
Antique
Looking back
Using the whisker pole
First mate
Wing on Wing
Wing on Wing
ugly storm sky!
First mate had a mini vacation, so we looked at the wind predictions and thought sailing south (north wind) to start the adventure and then North (big south wind predicted) would be smart. We set off at 9:55 am. 75 degrees and really humid - temps rose into the mid 80's, Barometer was 29.9 and steady. We put up the Gennaker because winds were light and then when we got near Kent Narrows, she was forced to make up her mind where to go - she decided through the narrows and then down either to the Wye or St. Michaels. She chose the later.
Good sail.. but slow. We had the gennaker up in Eastern Bay, but lost most of the wind, so we took it down and motored the rest of the way. Unfortunately, went through narrows ont he way down with the current. Tried to go real slow approaching the bridge to time it well, but still had to turn and go against the current for the last couple of minutes. The rest of the trip to St. Michaels was unremarkable. We looked at several places to anchor, finally decided (since inside the harbor was quite full) that we would anchor outside to the left of the harbor as one looks at St. Michaels from the water.
On the 6th we were on and off the water all day - while spending a bit of time on land seeing the town as well. Took the dinghy around to explore. Really nice dinghy dock/area over by the crab claw... but the other one mentioned that was supposed to be by the fuel dock wasn't there... I guess they are only having dinghies one place! Hadn't seen the whole town from water before, so it was neat exploring from a water vantage point! We also moved Bubbles into the harbor - hoping the winds and waves would be easier - THEY WERE11
On the 7th we headed back home since the first mate was a bit "concerned" about the predicted weather on the 8th and even later on the 7th, After departing I rigged up the newly repaired - thanks only to me and not the rigger that I hired to fix it (and never did). Since we weren't directly downwind, we at first just rigged the pole to leeward and were on a broad reach. Ultimately we did have to do some straight downwind sailing, so we navigated so the genoa set out with the whisker pole would be windward - so wing on wing. Dropped sails right before entering the Narrows, but had them back up to Lankford Bay Marina. Got in about 4...and got things lashed and tied down, stored, and put away in anticipation of the storm... that was quite intense - but it took away all the humidity too!!
Lovely three day trip!
Tuesday August 1st
Left Lankford Bay marina at 11 am after getting everything together/provisioning for a 4 day trip to be followed by another 4 day trip with crew. Barometer was at 30.19 with a temperature of 76 when I set off for destination south. Winds were out of the north 5-10… but faded away later in the day.
Put the asymmetrical up immediately for the trip down Langford Creek and down the Chester. Was able to fly it down to the Chester river 9 buoy outside of Kent Narrows. Had a little struggle putting it down, it got caught up a bit, but got it down and put the other sails up. Kept sailing until I had to turn to get across Love point, then had to fire up the diesel for a bit. Decided at that point to head over to the Magothy. Got to sail a bit more across the Chesapeake, but had to use the engine to get in to the Magothy. Sailed up to Broad Creek and anchored there for the evening with a few other boats.
Wednesday, August 2nd
Was considering staying in Broad Creek off the Magothy and just exploring by Kayak, but they were doing some construction… adding rocks to prevent erosion at the Glass House and I found the constant beep, beep, beep of the construction vehicles to be very annoying… so, weighed anchor and headed out for parts south at 9:30 am. Temp was 77 Barometer was at 30.20 with winds out of the NE 5-10… at first, then dying to less than 5 knots. Worked really hard, playing with the angles, and managed to sail all the way out of the Magothy which to me was a huge accomplishment as it is a pretty tight little entrance and was filled with fishing boats and crab pots. Sailed a bit down the Chesapeake, but had to fire up the engine as the winds really died off. Decided to shoot for a mooring in Annapolis, and I arrived about 1pm. Caught the mooring off the side (on second attempt), got settled, inflated the dinghy and headed off into town for a bit. Got a beer at Pussers while watching ego alley, then headed back for dinner on the grill and the sailboat races. Didn’t catch much of the race, but watched the aftermath which was really fun!. South winds came in furiously during the night and the whole mooring field was a rockin and a rollin - very uncomfortable…. Moved to the settee for the night.
Thursday, August 3rd
Time to start heading back north to pick up crew on Friday. Set off about 10:15 am after deciding it would be safer to deflate the dinghy and stow inside as the winds were still blowing out of the south 10-15 with gusts in the 20’s. In addition, the waves out in the bay were easily 2 feet and even though I had mostly following seas, thought it best to secure the dinghy inside. Temperatures ranged from 70-83 with some humidity starting to build later in the day. Barometer was at 30.20 virtually unchanged from the previous day. Decided before leaving that I was going to reef both the main and the headsail, so had that set up in advance. Saw the Sultana in Annapolis and noticed that she had left a bit before me. I caught up to her in the harbor and then passed her with my sails up - she had her sails up too! It was then a race! Seas were rough, pretty much had to hand steer as the autopilot seemed overwhelmed - not so much by the wind, but by the wave action. Managed to keep the winds 120-130 off the starboard, riding the wind and waves up the bay to Love point. Should have had a preventer on the Main - would have had a . Sultana started catching up with me right outside of Kent Island off of Love Point, but I was able to cut across Love point earlier than she was and then I was off like a shot down the Chester… leaving her in my wake. Got the preventer rigged on the Chester while on a close haul knowing that I would be on a broad reach or running later - which made me feel far more comfortable. Flew up the Chester and decided to go into the Corsica for the evening as I had never anchored overnight there. Went right inside the entrance and anchored in Middle Quarter Cove which had protection from the south. Still had some nice winds and heard the anchor snubber stretching during the night, but great holding and far calmer waters than I had experience in Annapolis.
Friday, August 4th
Barometer 29.90, winds out of the south 5 knots (although NWS said 10-15 with gusts to 25!!) Foggy, Drizzle in the morning and overnight. Decided to wait until at least 10 am to head back to the marina… with the lighter winds (although, from the looks of it (looking at the Chester from the anchorage), the wind was a bit heavier out there, I wanted to be working with the current instead of against it - and I didn’t have a lot of chores to do once back at the marina… so I had a couple cups of coffee, waited out the rain and then headed back to the marina mostly under sail. Pulled anchor at 11:00 Was a great 4 day journey… would have been nicer with crew, but a nice break from just my normal day sailing. Need to do this more often!! Found it challenging, exhilarating, and rewarding having to solve all of the issues by my lonesome.
Well, finally the brutally hot weather broke, so we decided to go for a nice daylong sail! Got out of the slip at 10 am after a nice breakfast. Had to dodge the sailing school people on the dock - just standing in the way and throwing lines... made it tough, but we got out and away from them luckily! It was a lovely 73 degrees when we pulled out - never got above the low 80's. Out sails up right away and sailed down Langford creek into the Chester. Lots of sailboats out this morning - several of them just sailing in the basin! Decided to head up the Chester towards conquest beach. Had a nice sail - but winds were a bit fickle - sometimes blowing 15 knots, other times 4 knots... not consistent at all. Lost wind a bit past conquest beach, so turned around and slowly made our way back to the Chester river basin. When we got back to the basin most of the sailboats had gone back in. We sailed for a bit longer in the basin and then started heading up Langford Creek. Got most of the way up, but eventually only had 4 knots of wind so we had to turn on the engine and head up to Cacaway Island where we anchored, grilled up dinner before heading back in. A really nice 5 hour sail - and the coming week looks promising!