This is how a classic crab feast table looks: demolished crabs and beer to be followed by desserts and some very light exercise. CBTSC members Bonny Wood, Mike Heilman, Chuck Gladding and Carol Reynolds enjoy this party that was held for the twenty-seventh year this August.
In 1986, when recreational sailing on the Chesapeake was starting to boom, a group of Tartan owners decided to form the Chesapeake Bay Tartan Sailing Club. They wanted an organization that would include all models of the popular Tartan fiberglass boats, and give owners a chance to sail together, socialize and share tech tips. Twenty-seven years later, that club is still going strong, with boats from the early Tartan 27s to the latest Tartan 4600s. We cruise throughout the Chesapeake, and have rendezvous on land and in gunkholes. Our website offers an online newsletter, photos, cruise reports and our calendar of events on and off the water.
After so many years, some of our events have become traditions. Our March Symposium, opens the new season with a full day of speakers and demonstrations plus lunch. The first on-the-water event, the “Ice Breaker Cruise” gives members a chance to get the kinks out with plenty of friends around to help if things go awry. We celebrate the 4th of July in St. Michaels, a mid-summer Crab Feast, a Southern Bay Cruise to Reedville, and a fall Goose Cruise. Our snowbird members can count on a St. Valentine’s Day party in Key Marathon, Florida.
Much as we enjoy our yearly events, it’s always fun to try new ideas. At our annual planning meeting in January, members suggest cruises to their favorite spots. We usually include at least one family-friendly “Kids’ Cruise” to let the youngsters experience life on the high seas, or close enough. The new event for 2013 was a weekend at the Wye Island Conference Lodge. Despite the thunderstorms on Friday, nearly forty members came out to enjoy the blindfold dinghy race, water balloon toss, nautical scavenger hunt and a Wye Island trivia quiz. With nature trails through the wooded island as well as waterways to explore by dinghy or kayak, there was something for everyone to do.
We welcome new members, so contact us through our website if you share our love for sailing.
