Oiut on Neptune's Wager again today in honor of Sam's late mother. We headed out to the Bay in heavy conditions for a quick run out to Hooper's Island Light and back. The way out was a nice pleasant deep reach with following seas and borderline surfing conditions. The way back was a bit tougher, and we settled on a slightly wider close reaching course to keep the boat and its occupants more comfortable. Another great day on the water made for an ideal sailing weekend.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Saturday, May 17, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
The crew working on our tans for summer
SMSA Frost-Goode Race up the river on Neptune's Wager. We started the morning diving the boat for the first time this season and getting her cleaned up and ready to go. Hot weather and plenty of breeze prevailed, allowing for reaching conditions for much of the race. We spent lots of time adjusting trim and keeping the boat happy in the gusty conditions, and were rewarded with a third place finish. A fantastic day on the water, followed by a nice picnic lunch and cool off in the Spring Cove pool.
Thursday, May 15, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Post-sunset at Clarke's Landing
Today's route
For all my paddling off Clarke's Landing, opportunities to cross the river are fairly rare, so I took advantage of the light breezes and little boat traffic this evening for a hop across to Calvert County. I enjoyed a pleasant downwind run to Tongue Cove, and did some poking around of places I hadn't explored since middle school. I enjoyed calm conditions and a great sunset on the way back. A nice way to relax and ease into the weekend after a busy week
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Drifting under spinnaker
Sailing on Neptune's Wager this evening for a big-time drifter. Storms were threatening as we were looking at leaving, so we got out pretty late. I filled mast and helped Chris with bow work as needed. We were late to the start on account of an unforced error unfurling the jib, but we quickly gybed around the pin and set a spinnaker for the downwind leg. We worked to sail angles and keep boatspeed up, and made it to the mark just a bit behind the fleet. Unfortunately we had some rigging issues once we took the spinnaker down, had to put in an extra tack, and generally fumbled the rounding. We did finally make it around, and were rewarded on the upwind with a 10-minute burst of breeze that the rest of the fleet didn't get to take advantage of. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough in the end, and we were the last boat across the line and missed the time limit by 9 seconds.
Not our best performance on the water, but a good learning day with some memorable takeaways for how to do better in the future.
Monday, May 12, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A quick after-work paddle to get out and get moving. Spitting rain and high humidity at the start made for less than ideal conditions, but I got out there and had a nice paddle anyway. I made a speedy lap out to Lover's Point and back. Tried intentionally pushing the pace on this one, and was able to get a few extra tenths out, but the board really doesn't like to let me have much more than 3.5mph. I felt much better for having gone and gotten some fresh air out on the water despite the dreary weather.
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Snuck out for a paddle in between Mother's Day plans. A gorgeous, summer-like afternoon on the water. I did a fast 7 mile paddle up to the top of St. John's Creek and back. I was sad to see a derelict Hobie 33 up towards the top of the creek has now sank, never to be saved. Lots of beautiful scenery, and today really felt like summer for the first time this year. Glad I was able to make it out and enjoy it.
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Pushing ahead with Barba Roja & Microburst at the start
Out on Neptune's Wager for the Vice Commodore's Cup. A pretty light crew for a 35 footer in heavy conditions, but we made do just fine. I invited a very experienced sailor from the club, who trimmed main and advised on tactics. We started the race in 20kts of breeze with a reefed main and partially furled headsail, and sailed a wide but clean upwind leg. We had a bit of trouble with T-Bone in the way at the mark, but we drove around and set up for the downwind leg under genoa. We started sailing angles, but switched halfway through to wing-on-wing. We sailed the second two legs similarly, and managed a clean finish.
The second race was a longer distance race up to the bridge and back, with a triangle thrown in for extra measure. The wind had backed off some by the start, so we rolled out the full genoa, nailed the start, and set off on the long beat to the bridge. We got in a tacking duel with Barba Roja, and for a brief period controlled most of the fleet. Barba Roja fumbled the mark rounding, and we got around clean and set a spinnaker for the long downwind run. The breeze picked up as we went, but we managed a nice tidy douse, right up until the end when we had an unanticipated jam with the jib sheets. Despite the jam, we got around and finished the triangle, and ended the race under a fast wing-on-wing run.
A fantastic day on the water, with solid crew work and learning all around. What a great way to spend a Saturday!
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A quick weeknight hop off SMSA to Spring Cove and back. Pleasant conditions and a beautiful sunset for a great way to finish my evening after doing some work on my car.
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
The weather cleared out and I decided to get an evening paddle in off Forest Landing before starting my week. Nice but breezy conditions made for a great upwind workout, followed by a pleasant ride back. I enjoyed sightseeing, and found a cool new boat in the neighborhood. A nice way to relax and unwind before starting another busy week.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Drifting in to the finish
Out on Neptune's Wager for this week's Wednesday night race. I very recently learned how to set up & execute dip pole gybes, and came on Neptune's Wager to help get them up to speed. The race was a real drifter, and I don't think we got the boat over 2kts for the whole race. We had some trouble keeping steerage and had to tack a couple times to make the top mark, and found little breeze on the way back down. Shortly after rounding the breeze filled just a bit from the wrong side of the boat, and I had to figure out a gybe after the sail had mostly blown inside the forestay. I got everything sorted out and we sailed a slow, deep course to the finish. Despite being the last boat across the line, we had a fun race and the crew appreciated gaining some new knowledge.