Century Club: Tim Ford

It was blowing 12-15 puffs to 18 - 22 but I purt a kayak in anyway. 

Hard work getting out to the two shoal poles and then a quick downwind blast back into the creek.  Went back to the undeveloped part of the creek, thinking maybe the tide was high enough to penetrate the thicket that blocks access into the hidden, shallow pond farthest inland.

Looking at the sat map now, I see that I keep running into the mound covered with thick vines and hard growth.  Now I see I need to go either farther left or farther right and wait for an abnormally high tide to attempt it. 

Maybe in late fall...it is hot and buggy back there.

Went down to PSA to reteieve all the gear and items I had left on the committee boat.  Any OPB I've ever sailed on KNOWS that I always leave stuff on board.  I think it's a subconscious tactic to get invited back, as I am certainly a talent-less hack.

But still.

I had not taken a kayak out in months. Years.

Well, a few weeks.  And I had a mission.  RAINBOW really needs a bottom scrub (and also a bottom job, probably including a new barrier coat) but for now I just want to scape the junk off. But I needed confirmation of a good location, out of any seaway, off the beaten track and in deep enough water to don a wetsuit and fins and go for a swim.

So I found a sandy bottom off a significant dropoff near a shoal close to the club and one day I will swim...hopefuly prior to the annual sea nettle invasion.

Having two keelboats is killing me.

Plus: I think Kasey Musgraves is stalking me.  A cardinal over me as I loaded the car up this a.m., then one acting like a shore bird in Blackhole Creek. Then on XPN on the ride home.

Cardinals do not act like shore birds and a lot of people I know have died this week....

I've put in a lot more boat work days but I think I've reached my quota on those.  Paint is still happening on both boats, the i550 and the Cal-25.  And on one of those days, I did actually get to sail, too. 

We had very flukey, light winds trying to get away from PSA and out of Blackhole Creek.  Finally we gave up and accepted a tow from a Scot with a motor (thanks Larry!).  But once past the shoal pole and into the river there was breeze galore!  I'd say 12-16 gusting 18 and we fairly flew.  The skipper said it was the fastest he'd ever gone on a Flying Scot. 

We did not race, we just tuned with one another and that was a blast.  Breeze on the river, who'd a thunk it?

Yet another light air race complete with a big iron wind shadow in the beginning legs of the race.  We got the boat goind and won our class.  We played Cat & Mouse with Mr. White (he'd spotted us a 10 minute head-start) and ended up changing leads with him numerous times.  Finally caugh up to him in the spinn legs up Eastern Bay and we legged out on the beat to the finish.  It didn't matter, the boat was not in our class, but it's always fun to have a boat-for-boat race, especially against two of the Chesapeake's finest. (Don't foget thay INCOMMUNICADO won the LeBrot Trophy about 9 or 10 years ago)