A short-notice after work cruise to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. Nice steady 12 knots of breeze made for an easy run up to the bridge and a beat back. The clouds cleared out just enough to see some pink as the sun went down. A nice way to ease into the weekend mood.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Great breeze and sunset views
Sunday, February 5, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Crew of the day + bonus dog
Out on the Barba Roja again this Sunday to enjoy the (relatively) warmer temps and get some fresh air. Gusty and breezy, with occasional puffs over 20kts. Took a long trip to the bridge and back twice, dropped off a crew member & picked up another, and sailed out to PR3. I did some driving & we all had a good time. Steve planned on going out for round 3, but it was getting dark & cold so I hopped off after the second trip. Slowly checking off the days, trying to front-load early in the season as much as possible.
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Sunday morning sailors
Out for a short "coffee sail" this morning on the Barba Roja. With winds 8-24 we decided to sail up the river, and ended up having plenty of wind to run the traditional course of the SMSA Frost-Goode Race. A speedy reach up the river followed by a gusty, often-overpowered beat back down. Lots of feathering upwind to keep the boat on her feet. Another nice morning on the water.
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
The viewing party
Took a ride out this evening to watch the rocket launch from out in the Bay. We had just the barest of breeze as we left the river, and we did a bit of light air sailing while our intrepid skipper Steve made grilled cheese sandwiches down below. We had a spectacular view of the rocket launch and everyone enjoyed the impromptu weeknight get-together.
Sunday, January 15, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
The crew braving the cold
Gorgeous conditions other than the cold, so several Barba Roja friends got together for a sail. Breeze in the high teens in the river and slightly more with a sturdy chop out in the Bay. Ran about halfway across the Bay, under the bridge, and then all the way back in the harbor under sail. Got some practice with close-quarters maneuvering tacking up Back Creek on the way in. We ran under headsail alone all day and made great speed. A fantastic afternoon and well worth braving the cold temperatures.
Sunday, January 8, 2023 to Sunday, August 13, 2023
Number of days:
10 days
Dangerous with a gleaming new bottom
Spicy Meatball after a much needed cleaning, many more projects to come!
Logging my 10 maintenance days here - I have more than that from various pre-season prep and ongoing work to Dangerous, and will have more to come as I start sorting through projects on my new-to-me '77 Chrysler Buccaneer, the Spicy Meatball.
January 8 - Dangerous
February 18 - Dangerous
March 29 - Dangerous
April 1 - Dangerous
April 2 - Dangerous, Epoxy application to keel repair
April 11 - Dangerous, Bottom paint application
April 15 - Dangerous, Bottom paint application
April 18 - Dangerous, Delivery & running rigging installation
May 14 - Dangerous, Halyard replacement & spinnaker hardware install
July 7 - Dangerous, Bottom cleaning
July 21 - Dangerous, Bottom cleaning
July 27 - Dangerous, Windex installation & other gov cup prep
August 13 - Spicy Meatball, Delivery to SMSA & cleaning
Sunday, January 1, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Smoke on the water
Trimming the kite
I had so much fun doing Century Club last year I decided to go for it again this year. I started the year off right with a New Year's Day sail on the Barba Roja with Steve and friends. Very little wind out of the harbor, but spectacular views as the morning sun lit up the fog on the river. We motored out to the Bay to find some wind and enjoyed a bit of sailing. We planned on motoring to the bridge, but on our way we heard some other friends had engine trouble so we swung by the dock to pick them up. Motored back out to the Bay in search of more wind, then back towards the bridge where we finally found a bit of breeze and set a kite. A beautiful afternoon and a great way to start off 2023.
Friday, December 30, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
I'll make a sailor of him sooner or later...
Quick trip on the Barba Roja with my twin brother to close out 2022. A cold and light day, with just the oystermen and us out on the river. Michael took a turn at the helm, and after a while we motored up to the bridge and back into the harbor to see where the back portion was iced over. A nice way to get out and get some fresh air despite the cold weather and a great way to end the 2022 season.
(Photo courtesy of Steven Birchfield)
Saturday, December 10, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
The Barba Roja lit up for the parade
Helped the SMSA high school team decorate the Barba Roja for the Solomons Lighted Boat Parade. A cold, calm evening to ride around listening to Christmas carols and having fun. The team did a great job decorating and we won best sailboat.
Sunday, November 20, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
The fleet rolling out of the harbor
SMSA Frostbites #4, the last race of the season. Another cold, heavy-air day. I took it easy on this race and mostly served as rail meat as Steve makes the transition back to helming his own boat. One of the coolest downwind starts I've ever seen, with the whole fleet charging out of Solomons harbor. Made great time on the first leg, but had difficulty on the long beat to the bridge with our high-cut #3. Did our best to make it up on the return, but didn't score our best finish. A typical late-fall race and a great way to finish out the racing season. Racing was followed by a much-appreciated soup potluck at the club.
(Photo by Steven Birchfield)