Century Club: mike pitchford

I know I am preaching to the choir but, there is something about sailing. It keeps you coming back.

Growing up in a Marine Corps family with a lot of siblings, I was introduced to boats around 10. We were living on a lake in Florida and USMC Special Services (now MWR) allowed the family a 12’ Jon boat with a 15 HP engine for the year. I learned boat handling and how to water ski on the back of that little bundle of joy.

A few years later, living in Oceanside California, I learned to sail. The “trainer” was an exceedingly small but glitzy (varnished wood) pram with a lateen rig and sideboard. The hardware was brass and not so strong. I learned this after a long scull back to the dock when the tiller and rudder became magically disconnected (metal fatigue).

I was smitten and my love of sailing was born.

Through my high school years we lived on the Chesapeake Bay in Norfolk. We had various small beach-able boats and the love of sailing grew. Looking out over the Bay at the “big” sailboats going by, I could only wonder and long for a command of my own.

College was also near the Bay. When you move around a lot as a kid, sometimes you just want to stay in the same place. Old Dominion University was in Norfolk and that was where I wanted to go.

In college I did a little racing on Hobie Cats off the sand in Virginia Beach (Hobie Fleet 32). An older Vietnam Vet friend and classmate managed to acquire a Cape Dory 25 and she was our magical carpet for years. I missed a lot of good classes, trading the acquisition of knowledge for the experience of sailing a “big” boat.

From college on I was never without a boat. After grad school it was a houseboat to live on and an Erickson 27 to sail. The Erickson was followed by a Sabre 32. The progression included marriage and two sons.

In 1994 work took the family to Charlotte NC. We held on to the Sabre, keeping her in charter in Annapolis and using her for a week-long annual cruise ourselves. We explored lake sailing (okay for day sailing, not so good for cruising) and bought a weekend lake house.

You know what happened next. The boys became enamored with power boats and Sea Doos. Though they know how to sail, the connection between testosterone and horsepower was too great to overcome. We eventually sold the Sabre and expanded a collection of boats without sails on the lake.

As a result, I was suffering sailing withdrawal. We had room at the lake house dock, and I went looking for a small boat to sail myself. I found a 1984 Day Sailer II, original sails and serviceable condition. I sailed her some, but work (busy day job) and all those powerboats, not to mention soccer and little league, kept my use to a minimum.

After 11 years in Charlotte we moved to Annapolis, MD and found a nice house on a creek off the Bay. We got back into sailing with a Catalina 380. The DS II found a home on a lift in our back yard and tasted saltwater, maybe for the first time. However, she continued to languish (even busier day job).

In 2010 I gave up. I passed her on to a brother, Pat, who took it to his weekend home on a North Carolina sound. Sadly, she never got in the water (another busy day job story). Some years later he was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away in 2019, way too young.

In the summer of 2020 Pat’s wife reached out and asked if I wanted the DS II back. Needing a pandemic project and now retired, with perhaps more time to sail, I said yes!

The DS II had migrated back from the North Carolina sound house to the side yard of a rental property Pat owned in Norfolk. She was much worse for the wear, but salvageable. Undaunted by the photos my sister-in-law sent, I drove from Annapolis to Norfolk to get her back. I replaced the trailer tires, wiring and lights and repacked the wheel bearings. Soon she was back in Annapolis and the real work started.

I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned her. I bought a new full cover and put her back on her lift. Over the winter of 2020-21 I had a local wood shop build new hatch boards and a tiller (both had rot). I replaced the halyards and did some mast repair. I replaced the worn main sheet.

By the summer of 2021 she was marginally sail-able. The sails were still old and original. The rudder had a tendency to kick up and the rig needed tuning. With the family gathered for our usual annual family reunion in Annapolis, we formally launch the DS II with a new name: “Pat’s Spirit”.

I really wanted to use the boat more. I needed to justify the investment of time and money to get her bask to sail-able. Racing?

I discovered that Annapolis has an active DS fleet (Fleet 1) hosted at Severn Sailing Association (SSA). I joined Fleet 1, the national Day Sailer Association and SSA. The plan was to do some racing in the summer of 2022. Didn't make it.

Fast forward to this weekend, my brother in law, Gary Bodie, a sailing coach, helped me rig and tune the boat. We bent on the new (used) racing sails I had acquired. Gary suggested some additional changes and upgrades to have her race ready. Now, i just need time...

Is this boat worth saving? It is a question that has been asked, or maybe should be asked. In our case the family has a 25 year old SeaRay, an outboard dual console model. It has been in the family 20 years, mine first, then to a brother in Georgia and then to a brother in Yorktown, VA. The latter never got it to the water in two years of ownership.

That brother is headed to Germany for three years, courtesy of the USMC. It looks like I may re-inherit the boat. So, what will it take to make it useful (re-do the cushions and maybe a new engine) and is it worth it?

We will see.

Our little Key West came in hands this week. Late Tuesday evening I learned a friend was sailing his classic racing sailboat back from the South River alone. He ran into rigging trouble (it was fresh from winter work). He had called for a tow from Boat US bit I headed out just in case. With Thomas Point in sight I called and learned that BoatUS has indeed showed up and had him almost back to his departure marina.

Armed with that news I turned around and headed home. It was getting dark and it was also a bit sporty (one to two foot waves in the open Bay). It would have been a long tow at six knots in rough waters.

The next day i took the Key West down the creek to help a friend with his boat. His SureShade was racked and we attempted to fix it. Besides being racked it seems to have a bad motor so our efforts were to no avail.

The very next day I got the chance to tow my friend and his classic boat home from the South River in much calmer waters.

Early June can be hard to predict, weather wise. Sometimes it is full on summer and sometimes nice. The Canadian wildfire smoke added complexity to our planned club cruise to Harness Creek.

As it turned out we had a great weekend! the bad air from the wildfires lifted after a particularly bad Thursday. The overnight temps stayed in the 60s, making for nice AC free sleeping. The cruise leader, Koralina McKenna applied her creative "teacher" skills to a three stop rotational happy hour and dinner among three boats. As they say: "a good time was had by all".