Today's race took us out to the bridge, in perfect weather and moderate conditions. After a rather hectic but clean start, we set off on a blazing upwind leg, putting much of the fleet behind us. After watching a couple boats round the wrong mark, we rounded the correct span and popped a spinnaker for the downwind. We did our best to keep boat speed up, but couldn't quite hang with the little J's. We got trapped above Rakali and cost ourselves a place at the finish. Great crew work and learning from some of our newer teammates, but we continue to struggle to put together strong downwind performance in light air.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
A quick paddle off Forest Landing in between packing for the next big weekend regatta.
Monday, August 25, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
I hadn't been down to Piney Point all summer and now I've gone twice in as many days. This time I met Dewey for a sunset paddle. We launched off the boat ramp in glassy conditions and headed out into the Potomac towards the end of Lighthouse Rd. We enjoyed a spectacular sunset over the gas docks, then headed back in near-darkness. A great way to start the week!
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Finally back in town after far too long away from the water, and I decided to celebrate with a rather ambitious paddle around St. George's Island. Moderate breeze from the south meant I'd have the hard part out of the way early, and I started down the Potomac side of the island first. Pleasant early conditions gave way to larger and larger sea state as I made it towards the end of the island, and upon turning the corner I was greeted with sloppy 4ft rollers. I quickly dropped to my knees, and fought through the tough conditions. Right as I was passing the Camp Merrylande beach, I watched a family capsize a jet ski in the waves. As the closest help by, I boogied over to check on them and make sure everyone was okay. Another gentleman on a jet ski came over and helped them right the boat and get back onboard. Crisis averted!
I continued to fight my way through the rollers on my knees, and finally enjoyed a reprieve as I made it around the rock jetty. As predicted, the downwind on St. George's Creek was much more pleasant, and I got to stretch my legs again and play with surfing down some modest rollers. I topped out surfing at 6.5kts, which feels pretty quick on a small inflatable paddleboard. All in all a nice trip, a great workout, and a strong feeling of accomplishment for an ambitious paddle.
Saturday, August 16, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Decided to bring my board with me while up visitng Michael so we could go for a paddle, and we decided on a trip out to Hart-Miller Island. We launched off Rocky Point, and enjoyed a leisurely crossing to the island. We pulled up along the shore and spent a good amount of time swimming and enjoying the beautiful day. We dodged some boat traffic on the return trip, but otherwise had a great day on the water in a new spot neither of us had been before.
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Flying a spinnaker for fun
Today's race was cancelled due to rain and a chance of thunderstorms, but we had unpacked the boat by then and the chance looked like it was dissipating, so we went for a sail anyway. Pleasant sailing in very light, shifty conditions, and a nice opportunity to get some folks from Red Baron up to speed on a couple things.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Took a very brief lap late off Forest Landing after running errands and enjoyed pleasant, cool conditions. Got to meet a couple of very friendly dogs upon my return.
Monday, August 11, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A quick paddle off Leonardtown Wharf to enjoy the great, cooler weather and sunset.
Saturday, August 9, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Watching the Billie P. Hall
We stayed overnight in Oxford after the race, and woke up bright and early this morning to watch the historic log canoe races. A competitor from yesterday's race invited us out on their spectator boat, so we were able to get close to the action and cheer on the team on the "Billie P. Hall". The morning race was action-packed and great entertainment, and very cool to see such high-stakes performance out of 100+ year old workboats.
After a nice lunch and sightseeing in town, we headed back to Solomons on a pleasant, uneventful delivery. Another great racing weekend in the books!
Friday, August 8, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Team Dangerous at the finish
Putting the Melges 24s behind us
Out racing on Dangerous for the inaugural Solomons to Oxford race. Exceptional weather and fairly light conditions at the start. We put in a couple tacks, and ended up chasing good breeze up the Calvert shoreline, while others went east early. Ultimately going east paid off for the boats that did, but the gaps closed as the breeze filled in everywhere and we set off on a close reach up the Bay. The wind clocked east as we entered the Choptank, and we continued to tack up the river. By the time we reached the Choptank light, the Melges 24s we had been dueling with had gotten just ahead of us, but we managed to reel them in in the last mile to the finish. We enjoyed a great party at TAYC afterwards. Second in PHRF A and third overall for the regatta. This was a great event and one I hope to see continue in future years!