The Monday night social paddle moved to Forest Landing today at the recommendation of a frequent attendee. We enjoyed ideal conditions and a leisurely paddle out towards Clarke's Landing. Got drizzled on for a bit, but we got to see a rainbow and a spectacular sunset. Sad to say the shorter days are starting to cut the paddling adventures short.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Monday, September 11, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Tonight's paddle group
Thursday, September 7, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
I was fretting about the forecast all afternoon as I considered whether to race today. I finally decided to go to the club, and was still on the fence even as I was rigging the boat. I decided to go for it, and took Tommy and his friend Nolan with me for crew. We sailed out in the river and found conditions to be much more pleasant than expected, with wind around 8kts. Got the boat around the course pretty efficiently, taught Tommy and Nolan how to fly a spin on a Bucc, and ended the short evening running from a lightning storm, culminating in the amusing sight of 6 boats neck-in-neck sailing up the narrows. Glad I decided to go out, and we all had an enjoyable evening on the water.
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Light conditions today for a w/l to Victor and back. A good start and lots of tactical discussion as we weighed the pros and cons of each side of the course. A good spinnaker set and a long, slow run to a respectable finish. Hard to believe Wednesdays are already coming to a close, it feels like they just started!
Monday, September 4, 2023
Number of days:
0 days
Enjoying the scenery
Four of us out for tonight's Monday paddle in hot, glassy conditions. One in the group was a brand new kayaker out on his boat for the first time. He did well for the first couple miles, but then fell in and lost his phone and keys in the process. Ouch! He was a little shaken up by the ordeal so he went home and we continued on and made it a good ways up towards McIntosh Run, and got back just as it was getting dark. A nice way to end my holiday weekend.
(not counting a day as my delivery home from Deltaville already qualifies for today)
Thursday, August 31, 2023 to Monday, September 4, 2023
Number of days:
5 days
Ferocious delivery down the Bay
Trimming the kite for a fast spinnaker reach
Focused on day 100
Friday awards
Saturday awards
A fine crew after racing Sunday
A truly fantastic weekend of racing on the Barba Roja.
The weekend started with a ferocious delivery to Deltaville on Thursday. Started out before dawn, right into heavy conditions and gusts into the 20s while still in the Patuxent. Conditions continued to build in the Bay, where we saw consistent 5-7ft rollers with occasional sets at 10ft. I spent a couple hours at the helm and it was a real fight to keep the boat on course and avoid a roundup or accidental gybe. We did a lot of surfing, and I set a new speed record of 13.7kts. It's really something else to feel 31ft of boat go noticeably downhill and to look up and see waves above the boat in the troughs. It was an interesting and somewhat humbling expereince to get a little taste of what offshore sailors deal with on a regular basis. Steve and I were both feeling pretty green by the end and were glad to make it to Fishing Bay.
The ferocious wind died down to a very pleasant level for our Friday race, and we enjoyed ideal weather and winds at 8-12kts for the distance race. We sailed an "L" shaped course, with two reaching legs, an upwind, and a run. We made lots of ground on the reaching leg, pulled off a tidy beat, and executed a perfect spinnaker set for the run and subsequent spinnaker reach. Our efforts were rewarded with a first-in-class finish. Truly one of the finest sailing days I've had this year.
Saturday and Sunday were light, but we were able to get two buoy races in. We raced hard and did our best against several very competitive local boats, resulting in a 3rd on Saturday and a 4th on Sunday, for a 4th overall in the regatta. Downtime between races left time for swim calls and drink deliveries, and in perhaps our most impressive feat of the weekend we sailed into the impossibly narrow Jackson Creek under spinnaker, including a gybe at the turn.
The crew worked great together all weekend and put in a ton of effort to sail the boat to her fullest potential.
I logged my 100th day for the year Saturday, making my second consecutive Century Club year.
Time ashore was spent camping, grilling, swimming in the pool, and enjoying spending time with SMSA friends. The club took home a bunch of hardware from the weekend and showed us well to our Virginia neighbors. This event was a big highlight of this season and I hope to do it again next year, whether on Dangerous or again on the Barba Roja.
Our motor home was uneventful, and I took the early AM shift and drove from the Potomac back to Solomons.
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
The BR on a nice light-air spinnaker reach
Dewey got tied up at work so I sailed on the Barba Roja this week. Light conditions set us up for a downwind start to a short two-leg race. Executed a tidy spin set and douse and a clean windward leg to the finish. Nice to get back to the old boat for a bit and get warmed up for Stingray Point.
Monday, August 28, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Shallow up at the top
Went to the Monday night social paddle despite light rain on the way there. By the time we were set up the rain cleared to all but a mist and we had a cool nice evening. Enjoyed a nice paddle up to the winery and were able to stay out until dark thanks to Joe's glow stick nav lights. Definitely worth braving the iffy weather.
Saturday, August 26, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Hooper's Island as we beat back in the waves
Made the run out to Hooper's Island light today on Dangerous with a couple friends. Light conditions on the river gave way to heavy air out in the Bay, and we sailed under a main and a #3. A nice reach out and a sporty, wet beat back made for a fun and exciting day out on the water.
Thursday, August 24, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Out on my boat again today for Thursday racing. Conditions started out pretty heavy but calmed some through the evening. Got off two fantastic starts and was able to hang with the fleet better than last week. I'm having a ton of fun with the boat and learning a lot every time I'm out.
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
A huge fleet of spin boats descending on the finish
Hard to believe there's only a month left in the Wednesday night season. Light and fluky conditions today, and RC set a short course to accomodate. Very tidy racing but we found ourselves on the wrong side of the course on the upwind leg. A perfect spin set and gybe by our foredeck Wulfe. Now we're getting into the territory where the boat handling is going well and its the big-picture strategy that will require more of our attention.