Took a nice run with Steve, his mother, and a couple of her friends on the Barba Roja out to Hooper's Island Light and back. Beautiful weather and breezy conditions under full sail made for an exciting ride. A bit of a tough beat up to the lighthouse, followed by a reach back towards Drum Point. As we made it closer to the point the wind shifted and we beat back into the river as well. A fun ride but probably a little nerve wracking at times for our guests.
A nice casual cruise on a friend's new-to-him Beneteau First 35. We had breezy conditions and a skittish passenger so we put up a #3 and sailed the boat very conservatively up to the bridge and back. A nice relaxing evening on the water but I can't wait to put the new boat through her paces.
(Photo courtesy of Steven Birchfield)
Wednesday racing season is over but several members of the Barba Roja crew decided to go out for a cruise. A tidy beat out to PR3, followed by a long spinnaker run to the bridge. Nice weather and nice sailing conditions.
A nice cruise today on the Olson with a few friends, including a good friend of mine on his first sailboat trip. Set up a fake race to V, then attempted to sail up the river above the bridge. Got up to Myrtle Point and the wind died off, so we headed out to the Bay to find more breeze. Had a nice ride out the mouth of the Bay and a nice trip back in. Spotted some other SMSA sailors on Rakali and some friends on Rocinante and snapped some pictures. All in all a nice relaxing day on the water.
Finally made it to #100! Went out for a nice afternoon cruise up the Potomac with my family on my uncle's powerboat. Took off from Piney Point and my uncle ended up giving me the helm for most of the day. Cruised up above the 301 bridge, had a nice picnic lunch, and cruised back down. Lots of chop on the return trip so it was a bumpy ride despite my best efforts with the trim controls. Fun to drive a powerboat for a change but after seeing how much fuel a pair of Yamaha 300s burn in an afternoon I think I'll stick to sailing!
Last Wednesday of the season in the books. A crowded downwind start, but we were able to do some clever maneuvering and get a clean lane. Some issues getting a kite up, but once it was set we rolled past a non-spin J/30 and kept pace with a non-spin J/105. Tidy mark rounding and a solid beating leg, followed by a reach to the finish. In classic fashion we gained half a knot when we put a staysail up, and carried it a bit too long so we gained half a knot again when we took it down. Great crew work as has been par for the course the back half of this season.
Quick evening paddle at Clarke's Landing, probably one of my last solo trips of the year. The weather is starting to get cooler and the leaves are just starting to change. A nice way to decompress after work.
Great breeze tonight. We had the new main up from the weekend’s festivities and wanted to put it to the test on a beercan race. A tidy downwind start led to a decent spinnaker run despite a flawed hoist with the halyard inside the forestay. We doused early and reached to the first mark, followed by a powered-up beat to the second. We crossed several boats and had lots of tight action. Our third leg was a close reach, and we managed to hold off Elan, winning the night and taking the lead in the series.
Quick paddle off Snow Hill park down to Cole Creek and back. Lots of breeze so somewhat difficult given the short duration.
Met up with my brother to finally do a long-anticipated paddle around Baltimore harbor. Launched off Tide Point and took a lap up to the Inner Harbor and down around Fell's Point and Canton. Lots of great scenery and perfect weather. It was everything I had hoped for.