Chesapeake Sailing Club members enjoying life on the hook in the Rhode River.
The Chesapeake Sailing Club is a small group of friends with sailboats who enjoy cruising during the boating season, and socializing together year ‘round. As a virtual club, dues are low, guests are welcome, social activities are fun, and the sea stories never end! We are a very low-key crowd who live on or near the upper Bay and enjoy weekend and/or week long sailing cruises and raft-ups, as well as a full offseason of shore activities. It’s a great, zero-pressure, easy-going way to enjoy the Bay with likeminded sailors and to learn about cruising. Here’s a taste of our life together from our annual Labor Day cruise:
As it turned out, the weather for Labor Day weekend looked a bit ‘iffy’ and not very breezy as we all set sail (okay, ‘set engine’) with some rain and humidity prophesied for the three-day cruise. But since it was the only Labor Day weekend we had, we decided to make the most of it. So off we went!
From the Magothy River and Rock Hall, several of us converged on Reed Creek in the Chester River by mid-afternoon on Saturday. Blessedly, the breeze picked up once well out into the Bay and pretty much all the way up the Chester, so it turned out to be a very good sail after all. There were eight boats and 15 of us all told by the time we were all anchored or rafted up, a nice crowd. Happy hour was hosted on a three-boat raftup so there was room for everyone to visit. We talked long and late over wine that flowed freely, along with lots of fine hors d’oeurvres. A very good time was had by all.
CSC members at dinner ashore
Sunday dawned cloudy but calm and pleasant. After a leisurely morning, we left Reed Creek with a gentle south wind. That meant mostly motoring out of the Chester where we largely split up, with two boats headed to the Rhode River to continue the cruise while others departed for other parts and ports. The approach to the Rhode was nice and breezy, allowing a pleasant sail past Thomas Point and into the West River. At anchor in the Rhode, the two boats were joined by another boat from Rock Hall, with three friends of the Fleet Captain on board. We enjoyed a fun happy hour that evening as well, with lots of new sea stories and shared experiences. (Wait – aren’t those the same thing?)
After a quiet night on the hook, we departed the anchorage the next morning, transiting back to the Magothy while the other two boats sallied forth across the Bay to Cambridge. Just like that, the ‘official’ cruise was over. And, too soon, thus endeth another grand adventure on the Bay. J
paddling fun at anchor
Local cruising in the Upper Bay is what we do. If that sounds like your kind of fun, check out our activities on the CSC website, chesapeakesailing.org. Or email us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!
