Tried to take out pontoon boat but alarm was getting fixed so took out sailboat with dog onboard. Went out on a brisk day and sailed the Potomac for a little over a hour. Wind shifted so I wasn't able to sail it towards the entrance to Herring Creek so had to turn motor back on and motor the way back in. Dog was good onboard but did whine at times. I was able to let her run around the docks and play with other dogs when I was prepping for the one hour tour and when we got back.
Century Club: Ryan Neil
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Number of days:
1 day
Aired up the towable tube on the pontoon boat and took it out with my wife, kids and dog. Tube didn't have a long enough bridle but we made it work. Stuck around Herring Creek and took the boat up to 4.5 knots with the kids on the tube. Unfortunately, the tube went underwater for a bit and the kids slipped off. They were able to swim back and loved their experience. Boat had alarm troubles again when in idle. Docked it when the wind picked up and let kids play at the beach.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Number of days:
1 day
Puttered out to the Potomac River and went down to Piney Point and then up the river towards St. Clements Island and over to Virginia and back to Tall Timbers. Kept speed at 5 knots or 2000 rpm. Heading back, waves picked up a bit so I increased speed up to 10 knots. Left around 3pm and got back around 6:30pm. Docked at very low tide.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Number of days:
1 day
Participated in the first Wednesday night race of the season with the Pax River Sail Club. Wind speed was very low and very cold out so it was a very slow race that had to have the race shortened. We got in last place but it was still a good time. Was out on Patuxent River from 5:30 to past 8pm.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Number of days:
1 day
Participated in training on knots, line throwing and docking at Pax River Sail Club. Practiced bowline knot, throwing line around cones and cleats, and throwing lines accurately. Took yawl sailboat out with three others and motored around marina, practicing docking. Was motoring around marina for over a hour. Lot of wind out to make it challenging. Also practiced prop walk. Docked boat and helped to tie it up.
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Number of days:
1 day
Took daughter out on sailboat after some cleaning and setting up new flag. Sailed in Potomac for a while until my dad and my son arrived to join us. After getting them on the boat, we went back out to the Potomac and sailed some more. Tried a tack but hatch got in the way so did a jibe instead. Good day for a sail, some wind that picked up a bit later. Headed back after a couple of hours and kids played at the beach while I put everything away. Learned that I needed a bigger lifejacket for my son.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Number of days:
1 day
Took pontoon out on a nice sunny day and headed up Potomac River. Tried some fishing but no luck. Turned into Breton Bay and went all the way up to the Wharf in Leonardtown. Took less than 2 hours from Tall Timbers. Headed back as temperature dropped and waves started building. Docked back at Tall Timbers, watched the clouds roll in and lightning. Enjoyable day on the water.
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Number of days:
1 day
Went with 6 others from Pax River Sail Club to participate in a Frostbite race on the Patuxent River. Started strong on start line but ended up way behind the field. Wind shifted at times and was much stronger closer to the bay. Heading back after the race, the wind picked up a lot, so we dropped sails and motored back to the marina.
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Number of days:
1 day
After getting the impeller fixed, I took the boat out to the Potomac to take advantage of some warmer weather. The river was pretty choppy even though there wasn't much wind. I ended up going back into Herring Creek and puttering around the creek and casting the fishing pole. My family joined after a hour. I cruised the creek with them and tried to go fishing so we could use up some of the worms that we bought last week. No luck with the fish. The wind picked up when I dropped off the family at the fuel dock but no damage. Alarms did not go off since impeller was fixed.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Number of days:
1 day
Signed up for the Frostbite race on 3/15 on th Patuxent River with the Pax River Sailing Club. Took out a yawl (Blue Goose) and participated in training while the Artic Tern raced. Was out on the river from noon to around 3pm with a crew of around 5-6. We practiced tacs and jibes with everyone taking turns with different tasks. We then did an unofficial race with Artic Tern to the finish line and then back to the marina. Weather was chilly but fun to take out and learn different parts of the boat. I need to re-learn the different terms such as beam reach, broad reach, etc.