My twin brother was in town visiting for the weekend so we went on a nice long paddle around Mill Creek to do some exploring. We fought a bit of a headwind most of the way up the creek but had a nice time anyway. Did lots of boat watching in Solomons, saw some osprey, and got to take a little swim. A nice afternoon & a nice start to the holiday weekend.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
The Laser fleet
Decided to help out with RC and enjoyed the best-attended smallboat race this year. Got to watch 10 boats on the line and some tight racing between five Lasers. Had a nice picnic dinner as well. A great relaxing evening.
(Photo courtesy of Steven Birchfield)
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
A close start
SMSA Wednesday Night Race A-7. A good crew and a nice tight race this evening. Everyone worked well together and we really nailed all the details. A long course allowed for a fun spinnaker drag race against Elan, but unfortunately we couldn't quite keep pace for the last two legs and lost them by 50 seconds. Nice to see everything starting to come together at the end of the first Wednesday series.
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Went paddling with a couple friends and introduced one of them to paddling. He picked it up very quickly and had a great time. Launched at Forest Landing and paddled around some of the creeks & coves in that area. Did a little swimming too. A great way to relax for the afternoon.
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Close racing at the start
Making on a much faster boat just before the wind shut off
Couldn’t even call this race a drifter as I sat still or went backwards for a good amount of it. We got to try another light reaching spinnaker we inherited from a friend's J/33, and it turned out to be a great fit for the boat. The wind died right at the start and we managed to stitch a small line of wind up above the Solomons bridge, and then proceeded to float for 45 minutes making no progress. Had a very slow downwind leg to the windward mark, and a nice beat back. About 100 yards from the finish the wind shut off completely, I lost all my momentum & helm, and we floated for 10 mins until the wind filled back in. Only one boat in our class (A Melges 32) finished on time. A hot but nice day on the water, though a little long & frustrating at times.
(Photos & new reaching kite courtesy of Sean Brady)
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Took a nice 5mi lap off Clarke’s Landing. Lots of breeze out of the creek meant I had a nice workout going out, and got to explore some coves I hadn’t been to in a while. Did a little boat watching as always and spotted a tired but cool little IOR racer and a very original Catalina 30 in need of significant repair. I found lots of underwater grasses close to shore and the water was much cleaner than usual, so I’m hoping that’s a sign the Patuxent is getting healthier.
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
The crew studying the spinnaker launch
First racing miles on the new-to-us mylar kite
SMSA Wednesday Night Series A-6. An interesting course and lots of action, including a late start, a close crossing and a marginal staysail leg. Our esteemed foredeck finally got back from his extended work trip to the desert so we gave him something to do by putting up both of our running kites for 2 different legs. Still working on getting some new crew up to speed. Took second & hoping for a strong finish next week to round out the series. A friend brought his J/33 out racing for the first time this season and managed a solid showing in non-spin class.
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Today's weather was a huge improvement over yesterday's rain and fog, so I decided to take advantage by going for a paddle at the Wharf. Paddled a nice 5-mile loop around Breton Bay, and spotted some beautiful boats and waterfront houses. Saw a pair of swans on my way back in. A great, relaxing afternoon!
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
On the way out, a picture from a friend on shore
Planned on skippering the Barba Roja today for the SMSA Vice Commodore's Cup. Got out in the river and found thick fog, with visibility less than 20 yards, and no wind whatsoever. After picking around in the fog for 20 minutes, the crew and I decided to head back in. Our only potential competitor did the same and invited us to a christening ceremony for their new boat. I'm disappointed I didn't get to run the course but I also don't regret coming in.
(Photo courtesy of Benjamin Green)
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Full crew
Jumping boats
Another week of SMSA Thursday night races. I crewed with Tommy on Hydra Beast and he brought along another kid as a passenger. 3 in that boat is a crowd, and we had to do our best to work around each other. For the third race, I was told to jump on another compeitior's Buccaneer to crew, and did my best to quickly get up to speed on that boat's controls.
(Photos courtesy of Steven Birchfield)