Arriving at the marina, it was warm, the sun was shinning and a nice breeze. Perfect.
Twenty something minutes later as I was motoring out the clouds to the SW had moved overhead and the winds became light and variable. I decided to just lazily sail around our little bay. Others joined me and the breeze picked back up. Nice sailing and I took pictures of everyone that came close...
After a pleasant night anchored out I sailed back to my slip. To the south thickening clouds and showers were approaching. Luckily I was getting into my car just as the first drops began to fall...
Beautiful morning with a gentle west wind to slowly carry me out into the bay. The wind was fickle all day, calm then returning, before settling into an easterly direction mid afternoon bringing me back to Norfolk and the east end of Willoughby Bay to photo the weekly race. Just after the race started, a Navy helicopter began dropping frogmen into the water a few hundred feet from me near the windward mark. As the sailboats approached I had to devide my attention between the excitement on either side of me.
First anchoring out of the year. High today 80 and a comfortable 60 tonight. So happy cruising season is here!
Short sail today ahead of warm weather and an overnight sail on Wednesday. I thought another Catalina 27 was anchored just outside the marina, but once close enough I could see it was an S2 (27'?)
April 3 which is just past 1/4 of the way into 2023 and the best sailing weather is ahead.
I sailed east today with just the main out as the wind was occasionally gusting. With no destination, a relaxing sail was preferable to more speed.
The forecast was for fairly breezy conditions with winds diminishing as the day progressed. My plan for the day was a sail to 4th Island along the CBBT. One look at the angry bay as I drove to the boat ended that. Instead I stayed in Willoughby Bay in the early afternoon only venturing out to the channel later in the day when winds decreased. Too late to go anywhere. No other sailboats on the water today...
Sunshine with a NNE breeze at the surface. Aloft, a different story. West winds and a trough moving through the area brought clouds and some light showers into the area by early afternoon. I sailed for a couple hours watching showers slowly grow into the area. Arriving back to my car just as drops began to fall. Unfortunately not enough precip to clean cars (or sailboats) of the heavy pollen that has been accumulating...
FROPA. An old weather term for "frontal passage".
The morning started off sunny and warm with a light southwest breeze. Soaking up the sun in shorts and no shirt I slowly passed Fort Monroe against an incoming tidal flow. Passing the beaches with sails balanced my little Catalina 27 was holding a course on its own. With everything under control, I quickly went below to grab a lunchtime snack. As always, everything goes well until you look away for a second. Before I could get back into the cockpit the boat was turning. Clouds slowly approaching from the north had moved overhead and the light southwest breeze had reversed direction and was now coming from the north. Within a few minutes the air temp dropped from near 80 to mid-60's as the wind increased to 20 knots. Classic cold front passage! Partly cloudy skies and a nice breeze for the rest of the day.
With winds gusting over 25 knots but still wanting to spend this warm sunny day on the water. I motored out and found a little protection from the waves downwind of the heliport at Norfolk to anchor for the afternoon.