I waited until very late this evening for a paddle on account of the unbearable heat, and headed off Clarke's Landing at sunset. I paddled out on the river and went north, enjoying the last notes of the orange sunset and the lights on houses. It was nearly dark as I made my way back, and I paddled by the light of the moon and the river marks on my way back. Going at night was definitely preferable given the extreme heat.
Century Club: Jonathan Nepini
Monday, June 23, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Tonight's paddle group
The heat wave really cranked up today, but we still went out for a Monday night paddle. We listlessly drifted around in the heat, and occasionally enjoyed a bit of breeze to slighlty cool things off. We got a great view of an egret flying around the marsh, and other enjoyable scenery. Still worth going out despite the oppressive heat.
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
The skipper & I
Reaching at the start
Back on the boat for another round this morning, this time with our esteemed owner onboard. We started the race in light spinnaker reaching conditions, and headed towards G77. We worked to keep the boat moving and in clean air, and ultimately doused the spinnaker as we reached the upwind mark. The breeze filled in, and we reached back town to the finish. Not the most exciting race, but we did well - 4th of 13 boats in the spinnaker fleet. The program is coming back together quickly, and I'm excited to see where we go from here.
Saturday, June 21, 2025
Number of days:
2 days
A small crew getting it done
On the downwind leg before things got hectic
I was given the task of taking Dangerous on her first real trial after launch - running her in the Smith Point race. We sailed with a crew of three, so we all stayed busy all day. We started the race in light downwind conditions, and the breeze quickly became patchy, where it existed at all. We drifted for a bit and pressed as much as possible, ultimately dousing the spinnaker when the wind filled. After a failed attempt to cross Rakali's bow on port, we led them and Pursuit around the first mark, and held them off for the first half hour south. As conditions slowly built and we rounded the target on the channel side, I chose to play to the boat's strengths and stay out of the waves building in the center of the Bay. I went back in and favored the western shore for the remainder of the upwind leg, until I could lay the turning mark.
By the time we rounded the mark breeze had built into the mid-teens, and continued to build on the downwind leg. I favoted the east side of the channel on the way back up, and we managed a pretty slick re-rigging solution to fix a spinsheet problem. Conditions built until the time came for a nerve-wracking gybe in 17kts of breeze and plenty of wave state. James and Randy pulled it off flawlessly, and we set off on a fire-breathing spinnaker reach, surfing the boat down waves and not seeing less than 8kts for an hour and a half. We finished the race on a tight reach in much less breeze, and ultimately managed to pull off a second place finish against some serious competition. Not bad for my first effort callling the shots on the Bay!
Counted as two days as permitted by Summer Sailstice rules
Friday, June 20, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Out with Dewey and a coworker enjoying his first time on a paddleboard. We launched off St. Mary's College and headed north in sunny, breezy conditions out towards Tippity Wichity Island. We huged the coves to stay out of the breeze, and decided to extend a little to make it all the way up to the island. We hoped for some fast downwind conditions to get back, but the breeze lightened up and wasn't so much help. An excellent morning on the water in a gorgeous setting.
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
A quick, late paddle after the storm. I launched from Forest Landing and powered out to a house named Camelot and back. I love this time of year because I can extend my paddles very late. Muggy and quick, but glad to get the day in after getting my race committee duties for smallboat racing cancelled by weather.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Neck-in-neck with SS396
First time putting Dangerous around the course this year. We got off a tidy start in moderate conditions, and went off chasing the fleet around the course. We had some rust to knock off after so long away from the boat, but overall the race went well and we managed 6/11, slotting in between some of the J/70s. Not bad for a first effort, and a great evening to start climbing the mountain again.
Photo by Faith Chambers.
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Took a brief paddle off SMSA and over to Spring Cove (the waterway, not the marina). I took a lap in the scenic golden-hour light, and stopped off at Dangerous to make sure the boat was sitting well in her new slip. A nice way to relax and unwind in the sunset after a busy day.
Monday, June 16, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Today's route
Out this evening in cool, drizzly conditions for a paddle up McIntosh Run. I planned for about an hour, but got far enough up the run and decided to do the whole thing. Beautiful, lush greenery, abundant wildlife, and a pair of bald eagles rewarded my putting up with the mist. It was unfortunately tremendously buggy, and I spent most of the trip swatting flies. Still a great run up to the winery & back.
Sunday, June 15, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Feels good to be back!
Tequila sunrise spinnaker in action
Out for a shakedown sail today on Dangerous to make sure everything is sorted for racing. We headed out in light-ish conditions, rigged everything, put up every sail, and made sure the boat is ready to go. Everything checks out and the boat feels faster than ever. Looking forward to racing this week!