A cloudless, sunny day with little breeze to move Volantis to her new slip at Whitehall Marina. With her new bottom paint we motor sailed at almost 7 knots/1800 rpm for the entire ~45 NM trip. It's was so relaxing I napped for an hour!
Century Club: Hank Messick
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Incredible weather! Clear skies, no humidity, 10 to 12 knot northwesterly breeze, no tacks/jibes except to round marks on a 5.5 NM course.
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
A lighthearted moment while racing
Tuesday night racing began this evening. Beautiful weather, wind blowing about six knots from the west, ebbing tide. We raced spin fleet A, boats with PHRFs under 171. Good news, we placed 2nd, correcting ahead of a J70!
Sunday, April 9, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
A beautiful day to be on the water except the breeze was fickle. We'd launch the spin and 30 seconds later the wind would veer 180 degrees! Spent more time motoring than sailing to find a stretch of the river where the light breeze was blowing.
Sunday, April 2, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Smiles all around !
Strong NW wind made for low water conditions and delayed our departure from the slip by two hours. About 150 yards of the WSM channel is shoaling. Putting all six of us on the starboard side to heel the boat made possible to plow through the shallowest stretch. Arcas' draft is 5'3".
Once in the river proper we had 8-10 knot TWS however the gusts were in the low 20s. The first spin set was a disaster and I thought we would have to return to the slip it get everything untangled. Foredeck was resourceful and eventually managed the untangle and douse the chute while we lingered in the lee of Old Town.
The next two attempts at hoisting/dousing were slow but successful. We'll get faster as repetition builds confidence. Beautiful weather and the return to the slip was made effortless by the rising tide.
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Restepped the mast earlier in the week to wire a wind transponder and today was a perfect day to test it and other modifications. There was a 12 knot northwesterly breeze gusting to 20 knots. Bright sunshine greet us as we headed north to Hains Point to see blooming cherry blossoms. Reefed both main and jib and we went up river at 5 to 6 knots. Water taxis and tourist boats were packed with people enjoying the fantastic weather; only a few sailboats and fewer powerboats sharing the river with us.
Thursday, February 23, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Wilson bridge
It was close to 80F, blue skies, for A day sail down river. About 12 miles total, mostly motor sailing except for about 90 minutes. Almost no wind. Top speed was a momentary 4 knots! Should have worn shorts and a t-shirt.
Saturday, February 11, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Cold sail around Annapolis Harbor on Kokopeli. Plenty of sunshine but no warmth.
Saturday, January 21, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
David, Josh and I braved the cold weather and logged 20 miles on the Potomac. Wind was from the NW blowing ~10-12 knots; turned more westerly and faded toward the end of our fours hours on the water. One Flying Scot made a brief appearance but no one else was on the water. Temperature was low 40s.
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Smiles all around!
Nearing the finish
Beautiful day on the Potomac. Light breeze but not a problem as no powerboats were on the water! We took third out of four boats total. Poor turn out by DISC members but we had fun.