There wasn’t any moonlight that is. The cruise was terrific. And minus the moon the stars were magnificent. Some were even shooting to make the evening even more spectacular. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The cruise for Cookin’ started well before dusk. That was a first for us. Normally it is a race to get off the dock before sundown after a long Friday at work and then arriving at the anchorage just before midnight for a nightcap with the some of the other night sailors (and with those who prefer an extended happy hour!).
But this year the moonlight cruise fell on the tail end of the Cooper family summer vacation cruise so Cookin’ was the first boat to round Drum Point on the Wye and enter the anchorage. I dropped the hook knowing full well that it would be up again in an hour. We had invited our friends Bryan and Chris Althouse with their children Evan (9) and Kieren (7) to join us as they were also sailing for the week. And I knew that their Tayana 42, Soliele, had a big honking 66 lbs. CQR so I was wasn’t shy about asking them to lay that badboy on the bottom.
Bay Tripper arrived at about the same time so we soon had a three boat raft going but we didn’t stop there. Mischief showed next and dropped her own hook a bit ahead of us. Then Mike Zoll pulled up and rafted Talisman next to Hank and Susan. John and Linda then let out an awesome length of chain to attach Mischief to the raft and provide a second hook. Eau de Vie was the last to arrive with David rafting outside of Mischief. It turned out to be as well-balanced a six boat raft ever strung together without any forethought whatsoever as I’ve ever seen.
The happy hour festivities spanned from Bay Tripper to Mischief while the four kids, don’t forget our Nikos (12) and Sophie (10), played hide and seek across the entire raft. That game added a fair bit of entertainment for all of us. The next morning began with Mike providing fresh baked muffins to every boat on the raft for a better breakfast than Cookin’ had planned I can tell you that. Thanks Mike!
The next destination was the Rhode River. We were sad to lose Mischief and Soliele (I slept mighty deep on their hooks) who couldn’t join us of the second night. Cookin’ tacked her way down Eastern Bay into a light southwest wind that died just as we rounded Bloody Point. Then of course, after we waited close to an hour for a revival, finally dropped the rags and fired up the ole’ M4-30 the wind returned. But I was done. Happy hour was drawing nigh so we pedaled west as fast as we could.
We weren’t disappointed. The turnout on the Rhode was even bigger than on the Wye. There were already three rafts working when we arrived. Dick and Valerie we kind enough to let Cookin’ slip in as a fourth on their hook. Sometimes it helps to be a small boat. Thanks guys.
Now we come to the highlight of the weekend for my kids. I would even venture to say the highlight of the season for them. You see Nikos had earned his boating license just before we went on vacation and of course our outboard crapped out shortly thereafter. Nobody ever accused me of being a mechanic so Nikos was out of luck. Enter Dick and Valerie. As soon as we arrived Valerie took Dora for a bit of relief on the beach and she invited Nikos and Sophie to join her. The thrill of a dog AND a dinghy with a working outboard was a double treat for them. Not sure what happened next, I’d had a couple beers by then, but I can only assume that Nikos, full of brass, asked Dick for the keys to the car. Dick being a generous soul said yes and next thing I knew Nikos and Sophie were ripsnorting on the river as fast as that dinghy could go. That was fast considering Nikos and Sophie together don’t weigh 140 lbs.
The kids took a brief break from their speed trials to visit the other rafts to invite everyone over to Willoway for happy hour. The nearest raft included Bay Tripper, Encore (anchor) and Mojo. The crews of Kismet and (unknown boat) were already with them so soon the crews of all nine boats were together on Willoway. But the adventure wasn’t over.
Cookin’ broke off the raft the next morning at about 10 a.m. with the idea of getting home early. Famous last words. We hadn’t passed between Camp Letts and High Island when my engine alarm started clanging. We were overheating.
So we shut her down and dropped the hook. Willoway stopped by and offered a tow which we gratefully accepted while I tried to figure out what went wrong. Other Corinthians were checking in to see if they could help. I soon discovered a leaky hose in the fresh water cooling system. Naturally I didn’t have a spare but David Hornbach had a couple hoses so he pulled alongside and tossed them over.
Meanwhile Hank and Susan offered to tow us back to their place then drive us back to our car. Well, if I hadn’t been able to put humpty-dumpty back together again I’d have taken them up on their fine offer. As it turns out I was able to patch things together so Dick and Valerie turned us loose just off Tolley Point. With the wind out of the south we raised sail for the Magothy and didn’t turn the key on the inboard until it was time to putter into Blackhole Creek. Didn’t want to put too much strain on my jury rig (remember, I ain’t no mechanic).
I want to take this moment to thank my fellow Corinthians for all the help and support. It is when things go wrong that you discover the worth of a club and the Corinthians will never fail in that regard. In a way, for Renee and me anyway, it was a special ending to an excellent cruise. Can’t wait to see you all by land or by sea again.
by Dave Cooper
