Right back to the dreary weather again, with spotty rain and cooler temps than promised. Determined to make something of the beach day I planned, I headed up to Snow Hill with my paddleboard and went for a lap. I paddled down to Cole Creek, and fought through a weird mix of conflicting breeze and current that chopped up the inlet opening. Nice glassy conditions inside, and I explored the dilapidated piers and scenic surroundings. Despite the cool & damp I'm glad I took the opportunity to paddle in a different spot from my usual haunts.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Cruising on the downwind leg
Experimenting with deep mast rake settings (or something like that)
Out sailing today in the informal Bucc 'n' Lasers regatta. Only 3 boats on the line today, which gave James and I lots of real estate to work on race tactics, particularly starting techniques, and get tuned up. Conditions were predominately light and occasionally moderate, and we had a pretty easy time leading the fleet all day.
It would've been an endless string of wins, but a small oversight on my part led to a bit of problem. After the second leg of the third race, I went to douse the spinnaker, only to find the boom in the water and the mast raked dangerously far back. After a quick assessment of the situation, I realized I hadn't tied in the backup cleat on the jib halyard/forestay tensioner, allowing the mast to partially fall and jump out of the step. It was only saved by the stopper knot at the very end. After a quick assist from a friend on the safety boat we got the mast back where it's supposed to be and finished the race, for a record of 1-1-3-1-1 for the day.
I had a really great time on the water today, and it feels good to see the sun again.
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A nice leisurely lap with Dewey on the SMSA paddleboards. Still gray, but the weather is finally starting to clear up finally. We talked boats & pontificated on some unusual details of a commercial boat tucked behind Solomons Landing.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Out on Dangerous this evening for a quick fun sail. A bit cool & damp but not terrible, and glad to get out sailing in what has been a relentlessly dreary week. We sailed out to Drum Point and up to the bridge and back.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Water over the top of the ramp and about six inches from the seawall
A quick after-work paddle at Forest Landing to get outside in a break in the rain. Cool and blustery, it's definitely fall. High tide conditions persist, with water at the top of this boat ramp too and nearly over the seawall. Several houses along my route had their piers underwater & water in the yard. Hoping this cold dreary weather doesn't stick around for too long.
Monday, September 23, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Tide past the top of the boat ramp
High tide up over the beach at Clarke's Landing
Today's route
After an early morning rainstorm popped up all but two of us cancelled on the Monday night paddle. The rain did clear out mostly, and the tide was exceptionally high at Clarke's Landing so we decided to do a little exploring. A short paddle out to Myrtle Point in flat but breezy conditions. Glad we stuck it out and got a paddle in despite the cool & damp.
Friday, September 20, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
A nice sunset
Out with friends on Barba Roja for an evening sunset sail. Nice to catch up with Steve and the crew and a relaxing sail in fairly light conditions. We put in a couple tacks toward the Bay and then sailed under spinnaker up to the bridge and back to put on a show for the folks on Solomons enjoying their evening. A great start to the weekend.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
I was super tired after work today but it was too beautiful to pass up the opportunity to get out there. I took a short, slow paddle off Leonardtown Wharf, and enjoyed perfect weather and a gorgeous sunset.
Friday, September 13, 2024 to Monday, September 16, 2024
Number of days:
3 days
All of us out on various watercraft
Doing some kayaking
One final sail to the ramp
Took the boat down for a reunion of a few college friends at a house on Lake Anna this weekend. Got a bit of sailing in on Friday after dropping the boat in, and got a preview of the inconsistent conditions that would dominate the weekend.
On Saturday we, against my preference, loaded the boat up with 5 people and went for a long sail up Contrary Creek to the main part of the lake. Conditions varied greatly from light to moderate, with constant shifts and inconsistencies. Despite the flukey wind, we had a nice afternoon on the water and even my non-sailing friends enjoyed the boat.
On Sunday conditions were heavier, so I split the sailing into two events with 3 people each, and on both took laps around the creek in even more shifty and inconsistent condtiions. I did a bit of kayaking on Sunday as well.
I enjoyed one last sail on the way to put the boat on the trailer.
It was a lot of fun to have the boat at the lake and introduce my friends to something that's so important to me, but also a fair bit of hassle to get the boat there and take care of it in the water for several days straight.
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Drifting around before the start
Light to moderate conditions for the last Thursday of the year. I managed one perfect start, then spoiled it with a sloppy upwind leg and drifted into the mark on the first rounding. On the second race I started a bit late, but sailed clean, if not particularly fast. two 7ths for a 7th overall on the evening. Still had a great time out there, and a nice way to close the season.