As we got to Terminal Leave before the sun was up on Saturday morning, our hope was to leave the dock no later than 7am to make our destination 22 miles north near Middleriver for the start of the Northern Bay Distance Race. As all good plans are made, we were close to our departure time, only running 7 minutes behind!
We left the dock ready for our first weekend ‘cruising’ on the Classe Mini 6.50 (21ft stripped out racing boat meant to sail across the Atlantic singlehanded!). With the pup in tow too, we were ready for the nice breeze that the early Saturday morning provided us.
Once out of Back Creek, with the main and jib up we set the spinnaker and started our run up the Bay. The southerly breeze provided great reaching as we worked our way towards the starting area. Cruising with the kite cleated off, driving to the puffs and waves, the boat was really enjoying stretching her legs, showing us speeds of 7.5-9.2 knots. As we sailed under the Bay Bridge we let out a hoot and a howl of joy expressing our thanks for the great ride.
Reaching back and forth across the Bay, the wind speed started to lay down and our ETA to the starting line became later and later. Within VHF range, we could hear the race committee start the fleet with us being about an hour away. We accepted the fact that we were not going to make the start so we watched the fleet from a distance and continued to reach around northern bay.
After 9 hours of sailing we decided to find our dock for the night. The Northern Bay Regatta committee was kind enough to arrange for free dockage for those that participated in the race. We motored into Middleriver and found our quiet and simple dock space for the night, tucked up the creek and settled in for the night.
Sunday morning brought us glassy water with no breeze. Rain was in the forecast as the remnants of hurricane Delta passed over us. We set out for our 6.5 hour motor home. With flat water, no breeze and the rain holding off for the first 3 hours, we had a pleasant motor down the Bay back to Annapolis. Maddon, my boat dog, for how much he loves to swim and be on boats, can’t stand the rain. He found his way down below to our bed of pillows and blankets from the night before, only making his way back on deck as we pulled into Back Creek, a familiar sight for him.
In total we covered 46 miles under sail and another 30 under motor for another great weekend on the water. Because as everyone always says, a day on the water is better than any day in the office!