Took my brother and a college friend out for a paddle at SMSA. Very hot weather but a nice steady breeze, and a great paddle up Back Creek and back.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
The best picture yet of Dangerous
Good racing conditions tonight on Dangerous with a crew of 4 and enough breeze to really get moving. A decent start to the race, followed by a tactical upwind leg. The second leg evolved and we ended up putting a kite up, and made good progress to the second mark. Twisted off the top of the genoa a bit to manage power and heel as we tackled the third leg back upwind, followed by a close reach along the shoreline of the base. A very fast spinnaker run to a second place finish. The basics are getting very solid on the boat, now it's time for us to focus on nailing the details.
Monday, July 24, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Tonight's crew
The first of the official, newly-reformed social paddles at the wharf was very well-attended, with about 14 kayakers present. We went up the usual route towards McIntosh Run, and due to the high tide we were able to go went north of the Rt 5 bridge, the furthest I’d ever been up the run. Perfect weather and a great evening of meeting new paddlers.
Saturday, July 22, 2023
Number of days:
2 days
a Dangerous crew
Back out for my first distance race on Dangerous and my first SMSA distance race since Sharp’s last year. The race started with wind in the mid teens, and we elected to go with a #3 for the beginning. As we were crossing to the Eastern Shore conditions lightened and we executed a peel to the #1, our first on the boat. Did our best to play the shoreline and stay out of the current, but much of the rest of the fleet played the western shore to a greater advantage. Conditions continued to lighten throughout the day until the wind shut off late in the afternoon. Our patience was rewarded as the breeze slowly came back later in the day and we made the top mark. We retired from the race at 9pm due to persistently light conditions that showed no sign of improvement. We got back to the dock shortly after midnight.
The race was a great tune-up for Governor’s Cup, I got to practice helming, and we uncovered a few issues to be addressed before the big race in two weeks.
Friday, July 21, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
A quick lap around Solomons harbor while helping dive Dangerous for Sharp’s Island tomorrow.
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Sailing into the sunset
Out with John again on the Interlake. Nice moderate conditions for the evening. Drove the boat out and to the start and crewed for the races. A slow spinnaker set cost us the first race, but I got my act together and we scored two bullets for the next two races. A great evening of sailing as always.
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Flying a kite into the harbor
Brought John Herbig along to give the Dangerous crew some pointers on sail trim and look at the condition of sails on the boat. Light conditions, but we got off a decent start and stayed with the fleet for the whole upwind leg. Turned around and sailed a great spinnaker leg to the finish and all the way into the harbor.
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Took a Sunfish out for a quick evening sail. Conditions were pretty light, so I just took a lap around the shallows and back in. The wind shut off just before I reached the dock. I spent some time and mopped out the insides of the hull to try and soak up some of the excess water.
Monday, July 17, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Great evening up McIntosh Run
Today's route
The new edition of the Leonardtown Wharf social paddle finally kicked off today, and will continue for the rest of the summer. Took a nice casual lap up McIntosh Run and enjoyed a pleasant evening on the water.
Friday, July 14, 2023 to Sunday, July 16, 2023
Number of days:
3 days
At the Finish
Crewed on Dangerous for her first major regatta under Dewey’s ownership.
Day 1 was a challenge, with variable conditions and a crew of 3 running the boat. We did our best, but couldn’t quite stay ahead of the curve on the boat.
Day 2 was a significant improvement, with a crew of 5 and steady moderate conditions. Everyone played their positions well and we pushed the boat hard, and we all felt good about our performance despite two last-place finishes.
We started a race on day 3 in light conditions, but had to abandon due to a massive wind shift and coming heavy rain.
All in all a fantastic weekend of really going after it on the boat, and one of the first times I’ve really felt like we have what it takes to make the boat live up to her potential. It’s only up from here.