37 degrees, wind northwest, Small Craft Advisory
Launched kayak through the surf at Red Point Beach and paddled up to Cara Cove and back.
Century Club: Suzanne Fryberger
Sunday, December 13, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
The Pea Green Boat
Concord Point Lighthouse
Dobbs and I launched The Pea Green Boat at the Havre de Grace City Marina ($10) with the intention of sailing to the Sand Island and back, but a Small Craft Advisory altered our plan - too windy! We tried sailing under reefed main, but our reefing system needs to have reefing ties added to it. Without them, much of the reefed portion of the sail is still able to catch wind like a low-slung spinnaker (ever heard of a blooper?). Sailing felt plain dangerous, and when the water and air temperature are both 40-50 degrees is no time to try risky things.
Instead, refusing defeat, we doused the sail and rowed along the Havre de Grace waterfront north to the bridge piling ruins. For the ride back, we hoisted just the tiny jib and did really well. Pea Green moved steadily along, and our confidence increased. We zipped out around a moored rock barge before heading into the marina. We had fun!
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Wide Angle Challenging on Short Boat...
To the Flats!
Sails Blushing Rose in the Sunset
Around 2pm, Dobbs and I launched The Pea Green Boat at Red Point Beach and sailed until sunset - west for 2.25 miles out onto the Flats, where we overtook a huge flock of tundra swans, and back via Red #4 (port rounding).
Friday, December 11, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Happiness
Dobbs and I kayaked off Red Point Beach at sunset. Where to go? As former racers, we have a deep seated need to round something before turning back. This summer, the Coast Guard re-marked and re-numbered the Northeast River channel (OUR channel) and took away Green Can #5, our precious local marker - the one we'd circled in Sunfish and kayaks, and watched bobbing in gales and back-dropped by sunsets, and even trapped to stillness in ice. We admit it - it wasn't marking anything relative to a channel anymore - the channel had long since shifted, but STILL. To the south of Red Point Beach, they swapped Red Nun #4 for a fixed, lighted red. We'd been intentionally denying its existence, mourning the loss of Green #5. Today, our racer instincts forced us to round Red #4 and officially welcome it into the family before returning to the beach.
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
My Sweetheart and the Sunset
A Memory to See Me Through Winter
42 degrees, NW 10-15
After working at Two Rivers Yacht Basin on the Bohemia River, Dobbs and I launched off the beach and paddled across to Morgan Creek. Morgan Creek looks inviting - we'd like to go back and explore. Today, though, we ran out of time - the sun set beautifully as we paddled back across the river.
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Greetings from Charlestown!
42 degrees, NW 10-15 with gusts to 25, sunny - beautiful!
Dobbs and I launched at Charlestown's Battery Park beach and paddled south to the first dredged canal and back.
Monday, December 7, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Looking east from the kayak launch at Perryville Town Park
The railroad tunnel south of Principio Furnace
42 degrees, NW 5-10 with gusts to 20, sunny
In reviewing the hunting schedule, I noticed that there's a break in waterfowl hunting between 11/27 and 12/15. We could safely and serenely go birdwatching in Furnace Bay, our favorite spot to do so. Despite seeing tundra swans, geese, a ruddy duck, buffleheads, mergansers, herons, eagles, and more, I don't have a single good photo to share. It takes me sufficiently long to remove my overgloves and insulated gloves and reach through my life preserver and into my jacket pocket for the camera, that the wary birds are flying away long before I frame a shot. That's okay - their flight is their protection, and their beauty is in my memory. You'll just have to visit Furnace Bay and see for yourself!
Sunday, December 6, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
42 degrees, wind northwest 5-10 knots with gusts to 20, clear
Dobbs and I launched The Pea Green Boat at the Charlestown boat ramp and rowed up to what some call Track Beach - the sandy shore backed by the berm for the Amtrack line. We rowed through the southernmost of two tunnels that run under the railroad and poked back into a marsh. Being low tide, we couldn't go far before running aground. We turned around and rowed back to the ramp.
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Elk River Landing
42 degrees, Gale Warning, dry
Dobbs and I launched our kayaks at Elk River Landing and paddled north on the Elk River. It's an amazingly beautiful area, with cattail marsh lit up golden by the sun, a stand of cypress, and a shoreline dotted sparsely with homes and the remains of industry long gone. We paddled north past the old Trojan plant and mused at how the basin has shoaled to less than a foot deep. Trojan Yachts moved here with the town of Elkton's promise that they'd keep the channel dredged, but they never made good and Trojan took their leave years ago. Approaching Little Elk Creek, we turned south into the gut that flows through the marsh down to White Hall Point. From White Hall Point, we crossed the Elk and headed north, back to the ramp.
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Number of days:
1 day
Looking up Main Street from Market Slip
We had a sail delivery to make at North Sails, which seemed the perfect opportunity to kayak in Annapolis. We put in McNasby's/Annapolis Maritime Museum and paddled around to Spa Creek. We could have paddled up Back Creek - we were right there - but, being away from our lake-like home waters, we wanted some wave action. Once in Spa Creek, we paddled up Market Slip and then back to the beach at Annapolis Maritime Museum. We topped off an already fine day with a visit to Davis' Pub for crab pretzels and beer. Kudos to Davis' for their new outdoor, very well-spaced seating area, as well as to our waitress who, despite being chilly visiting us outside, was wonderfully friendly and attentive.