Forecast was for little to no wind, and the day started out rainy. Ran off to the store to get items needed to fix my whisker pole and decided to head to the marina and pick up the whisker pole and at the very least also take care of a leaky fuel hose, however, after finishing those jobs, I saw that there was some wind, so I ventured out and lo and behold, I found some wind. Not a lot, but for the most part, it was between 6 and 9 knots out of the southwest, so it gave me a chance to have a little fun with a solo sail. Got the sails up quickly and turned off the engine. Had to be careful not to get too close to the Yacht Club as the little boats were out - summer sailing school. Tacked down Langford Creek on a close haul and out into the Chester for a bit, before turning back towards the marina. Managed to stay on a broad reach up the creek for the most part… had to go wing on wing for the last little bit to get around the number 7 daymark. Decided not to sail into Davis Creek, since the last time I did that a sailing school boat cut across my bow (they were under motor) as I was trying to drop my sails. A really nice and enjoyable solo sail. Going to be great when I can finally use the whisker pole as it was meant to be used…. With a proper fitting and spars that actually lock!.
Century Club: Tom Dean
There was little to no wind, so it was the perfect “in season” day to do a little bit of maintenance work day on Bubbles. The first job was to reposition the pre-heat solenoid to the correct spot - someone working on the boat had not placed it back correctly! Had a new solenoid, so got that out and then had to remove the screws where it was supposed to be. After dropping a spacer into the bilge a couple of times, I managed to get it secured and then began retiring it. Was hot and had to climb over the engine to do the work, but managed to get that done and had a little time to spare so I worked a bit on the plumbing too. Kept checking the wind - just in case - but even the sailing school boats decided there wasn’t enough wind and just practiced docking!
Rain was in the forecast, and it was overcast when we pulled out, but we decided that we really wanted to go for a sail, so we headed out even though we knew rain would be coming. First mate was a bit apprehensive- but I wanted to push on, because we have not had a lot of experience - as a crew - with bad weather sailing. Winds were out of the south at 5-10. We sailed down the creek and out into the Chester River basin area. We stayed close to North side of the basin, because we could see the rain pushing up from the south. Stayed out for a few hours… got rained on a bit, but nothing too bad. We got back in before the VHF radio started alarming and and all of the NWS alerts about flooding and heavy rains started. Sad leaving Bubbles, as I had been living on her for 16 days at that point - but had a Doctor appointment on Monday so I had to go home!
This was the day my daughter and family were leaving to head back to Iowa, so we started the day with a nice early morning paddle. She wanted to do Davis Creek again, so we did. It was far more relaxing than the last paddle - far less work, so we took our time and explored a bit more than we had earlier. Really was delightful - I will miss those early morning paddles!
Had another lovely early morning paddle with my daughter - this time headed out Davis Creek and down Langford Creek towards Rock Hall Yacht Club. Saw a lot of birds - and boy were they making a lot of noise! Later that day - after taking the grandson to the playground and pool, me and the first mate went out for an adult sail - just the two of us during nap time. Winds were out of the south 5-10 knots, lovely skies and an easy and fun sail!
Early morning paddle in Davis Creek
First, did an early morning paddle with my daughter. But I really wanted to go sailing, and so did the family although it was not perfect conditions!. Winds were out of the SW 10-15 and gusting to 20. Langford Creek was choppy with whitecaps galore, so we reefed both the head and mainsail, and we headed up the West fork of the creek instead of trying to fight the winds and the waves and head to the Chester (which looked even sloppier and messier than Langford creek. Had a nice sail, winds were much more subdued, although we kept the reefs in. After a couple hours of sailing, we anchored in the cove just west of Island point and put out the nettle net. After a nice refreshing swim, we decided just to motor back to the marina (nap time) as the winds were still kicking.
Many people know that I solo sail quite a bit in my Pearson 35 - and I have found many people are hesitant to solo sail - not because they can’t handle the boat, but because it can be hard getting in and out of the dock. Since my friend - former band director I worked with at MPHS has been on my boat and has watched me basically take it in and out by myself, he asked if I would stop by and help him make a plan so he could do the same - so I headed up to Skipjack Cove on the Sassafras and worked with him, made suggestions, rode in and out with him, talking him through the procedures and making the really bullet proof so that he could be a comfortable solo sailor like me. Things worked out well - and he has begun taking his own sailboat - smaller, Macgregor sailboat - 27’ or so in length. A fun day, and a challenging day. It’s always fun sailing on a smaller sailboat, although not as comfortable as Bubbles!
Did an early morning paddle with my daughter - me in a SUP and she in a kayak. This time we headed down down Davis Creek. It was an easy paddle to start - with both the wind and waves pushing us nicely… but it was a nightmare coming back! Couldn’t stop to rest or even grab a drink as the wind and waves would turn you completely around and you would give up all the ground you made! Since I knew the wind and wave direction, and was carefully looking at the water, I was able to get myself to a calm area blocked by trees… hoping my daughter would follow, but she didn’t and really struggled. Took us longer than our normal morning paddle, but was a nice workout!
Two friends came down for a sail - both are Band Directors, one I worked with at Mount Pleasant High School and one that I know through him. Not a whole lot of wind, but we were moving pretty good. Sailed up the Chester past Conquest Beach before turning back around. Lost some wind about 2:30, but it picked up again and we were able to sail all the way back up Langford creek to the marina. I pretty much manned the lines and let them take turns at the helm. Nice day sailing with experienced sailors and sharing stories and ideas!
Started off the day with a wonderful early morning paddle from the marina out and around cacaway island with my daughter then went for a morning sail with first mate, daughter, her husband and my grandson. Sailed out of the marina, down Langford creek to the Chester river. Daughter helped raised the sails, and had the full crew working the lines while I manned the helm. Son in law had a fishing line off the back, but no luck with that. Had to come back in for nap time, but a lovely morning to early afternoon sail!