With a crew of five and some good breeze, we decided to sail out towards the Bay and play with the new staysail Bob generously donated to the boat. She powered up nicely with the sail, and we saw 7kts boat speed in 10kts true with the double headed rig. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the way in, and ran into Ben out on Knot Enuf. A great evening spent with good friends.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
The double headed rig
Knot Enuf out to play as well
Monday, September 29, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A quick paddle off Clarke's Landing in failing light conditions. I headed out to Point Patience, then up towards the fishing pier at NRC Solomons. Nice to be out there, but it's getting trickier and trickier to do weeknights as sunset slides left.
Sunday, September 28, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Kicking back and having a sandwich while at the helm
After yesterday's somewhat dreary weather, we were rewarded with much more pleasant conditions today for a fun sail on Dangerous. Dewey's mom was in town visitng, and with the boat on the market she decided she needed to sail on her at least once before she's sold. We loaded up the coolers with snacks and headed out into the Bay to find some breeze. Light conditions on the river slowly gave way to gusts to 14 as we close reached up towards Cove Point. Once we reached the lighthouse, we turned towards shore and had a nice lunch on the way back down. It was a great day to be out on the water, and nice to do some casual daysailing on the boat when we're used to so much fully crewed racing.
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Enjoying being a guest on Eighth Deadly Sin
Took a trip up north to join Michael and the crew on Eighth Deadly Sin for the inaugural Magothy Madness event, a reimagining of the Magothy fall series. The weather threatened rain all day, but we made off just fine other than a sprinkle as we were packing the boat up. We were the scratch boat in a pursuit start with everything from a Marshall Sandpiper to a J/9. We pulled off a clean, tidy start, and headed to the first mark on a jib reach. We turned up for the beat and started picking off the competition. As we headed towards the weather mark, we had to call out the leading boat for rounding the mark in the wrong direction (on a course they wrote!) They turned back to honor the mark correctly, and we rounded and set a kite for the downwind. By then conditions had lightened, and we were able to do a single gybe and carry the kite all the way to a first-place finish. A fun day on the water with Michael's sailing friends, and my first and only bullet of the season. At the awards party, we received the "Own the River" trophy, so I guess that means we own the Magothy now??
Friday, September 26, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Doug, Carol, and the "boarding party" of Solomons sailors
I received an invite to take a tour of S/V Seeker with some friends while they're spending time in Solomons. We loaded up the small SMSA skiff with far too many people, and took a slow, wet ride out to the boat. Once onboard, we enjoyed seeing the many unique touches, innovative solutions, and hand work done on the boat. Seeker is a 74ft steel-hull junk-rigged boat, built with the help of many collaborators and showcasing a myriad of creative DIY solutions. It was a real treat to see the boat and meet the owners, who were gracious hosts and show a great deal of care and enthusiasm.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A brief paddle off Forest Landing before some other evening commitments. Warm conditions and great scenery, as always.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Out for a short sail this evening on Barba Roja. Light breeze and warm temps prevailed for our brief sail, but the rain did manage to catch up with us for a bit just before we got back to Back Creek. Still a nice relaxing evening on the water.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
The days are getting ever shorter, so I took a lap out to Barrett island across the river, probably for the last time this season. I tucked around the back side of the island to see the short causeway that serves as a driveway, then headed back across. Nice light-ish conditions to make the jump.
Monday, September 22, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
A gentle, golden sunset
Took a quick late-evening lap off Leonardtown Wharf out to green "9" off Mulberry Point and back. Pleasent, nearly windless conditions for a good time to enjoy the fresh air and do some thinking.
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Out on the Hobie after doing some work
During a lovely garden party and crab feast, a friend asked me to help her replace the standing rigging on her Hobie 14. After the rigging was swapped, I took the boat for a little lap on St. George Creek. The boat is quick, and after my first ride on a catamaran I understand the appeal. Beautiful, light conditions on a goregous afternoon.