Local sail enjoying the 91° SW breeze. Stayed close waiting for a friend to head out from Fort Monroe heading to Oriental, NC. I wanted to get some pictures of them under sail. Unfortunately, it took longer than expected for them to depart and I ran out of time. Then with developing thunderstorms they decided to cancel for the day.
Century Club: George Hernandez
Sunday, May 11, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
The previous day with gusty winds entering the marina, I could see it would be a struggle backing in. Just reounding the corner past the seawall the winds grabbed the bow and we were headed towards it. This day was to get the boat turned around. Of course, just like with the airplane where moving the plane necessitated once around the pattern, I have to go out and motor around for a bit.
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Njord, the Norse god of wind was having some fun with me. At first a north breeze got me out and tacking up the shoreline. It was a little rough and gusty so I changed plans and decided to head back to the James River. Just as I turned west to fight the outgoing tide the wind changed to west and lightened. Every thermal that passed changed the wind direction. Loosing ground I finally had to run the diesel to get out of the suddenly busy channel.
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
First of a 2 day event. Out in the Hampton Yacht Club skiff as the Mark Boat. Quite breezy with SW winds approaching 20 knots making for a bumpy time at anchor. Thunderstorms delayed then cancelled the second day of racing.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Beautiful morning sail over to Willoughby Bay and back. It is starting to feel like the good weather is hare to stay. Excited to begin cruising!
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Southwest winds of 10-15 knots made for some great sailing. First out into the bay then west and around the Hampton Bar. At times the wind picked up and for a half hour or so to keep things relaxing, I put in the first reef.
Originally the plan was to sail somewhere for the night but the wind was forecast increase during the night to near 30. At one point I sailed up the Hampton River and dropped anchor. I only stayed there about 30 minutes before deciding to return to my marina for the night. I'm used to anchoring in quiet places with lots of room. With the limited space I didn't feel comfortable letting out a lot of anchor line and if I dragged during the winds at night shallow water was not far away.
Friday, April 25, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Slightly chilly overnight, but with an extra blanket I was comfortable and slept great. Light winds made for a very relaxing sail back across the channel.
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Slow start to the year, but sailing weather is finally here.
Sailed north to Buckroe Beach before making a pass back through Mill Creek then over to Willoughby Bay. A pleasant warm day, but a layer of cirrus moved in late afternoon cutting sunlight and making the NE breeze feel quite cool. In spite of a forecasted low around 50 it was a pleasant night anchored out.
Monday, April 14, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
I'm getting anxious to begin my cruising season! Nights are finally staying warm enough. Now if the weather would cooperate giving me at least 2 days in a row with reasonable winds that fit into my schedule...
Wanting to have a goal, I thought it would be fun to head up to Back River for the afternoon. It was a perfect day with a nice SW breeze and warm temperatures. Easy sailing, that is until reaching my destination. As the channel turns WSW approaching Northend Point it put the wind almost on my nose. Tacking my Nonsuch is quick and easy making it easy to work my way upwind in a narrow channel. Only problem is that I arrived just as the tidal current was close to peak flow exiting Back River. Of course I could have started the diesel, but where's the fun in that? After about 8 tacks, and probably being the entertainment for a family picnicing on the beach, I made it through. I love a challenge!
Back to OPCM at 6:45. Burgers on the grill, a walk around Ft Monroe, TV, followed by a pleasant night in the marina.
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
Although sometimes I just let the winds and current take me, frequently I set some sort of goal for the day. On this day it was just to sail across the channel into Willoughby Bay. On the way over I spotted Rick Natello and his Freedom 25 in the distance. New goal, catch him for an impromptu photo shoot.
While I was slowly gaining on him, it wasn't until he turned south and I could steer an intercept course. I got quite a few shots of him and he was able to photograph me. We sailed alongside as we entered Willoughby Bay on the Swells Point channel before I turned back towards Fort Monroe.