Needed to get some fuel, and since there was little to no wind, it was a perfect day to do some crew practice getting in and out of the slip. Got a few kinks worked out and things are much smoother now - whichever way we decided to come into the slip!
Century Club: Tom Dean
Saturday, August 10, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Thursday, July 18, 2024 to Thursday, August 1, 2024
Number of days:
15 days
We decided that we needed to see what ocean sailing is like, so we decided to do the Del-Mar-Va loop. Knowing how bad the Delaware Bay and river can be, I decided to go counterclockwise knowing that it might take a few extra days in the Chesapeake since the prevailing winds this time of year are from the South. We did have a few days in the Chesapeake when we had good winds we could use, but we also were waiting for a favorable ocean forecast for the 24 hours that we would be out there with southerly wind that would keep up in the Delaware Bay and river. We left July 18 with our first stop being Tilghman Creek where we overnighted. Nice sail down with some light northerly winds. The next day we headed down to Solomons - again, light winds, which eventually died out altogether. Found a nice anchorage in Solomons as we got there before the crowd! The screwpile race was going on and we got to see a lot of the participants and the boat parade out and back in.
Started off on the morning of the 20th to head down to Dividing Creek, but after getting out past Cedar Point, we decided it was just too rough to be plowing and we returned to Solomon's for another overnight. We took the dinghy and went in to the Tiki Bar using the public landing... we also walked around a bit.
Left Solomons on the 21st and headed to Dividing creek where we had an beautiful anchorage all to ourselves. The next morning we headed out and down to Deltaville Yacht Center where we spent 3 days. I had noticed that Bubbles seemed a bit slow - not reaching her normal 5+ knots when motoring and sailing... so I had her hauled and the bottom cleaned. Big Difference. Also replaced the missing zinc!!
On Thursday we moved from the Yacht Center around to Jackson Creek preparing for our imminent departure out into the ocean. We stayed for two days and dinghied around visiting the museum and the Saturday farmers market. We were targeting Monday to be our ocean passage. We left Jackson Creek on Sunday the 28th and were planning to either stay at Cape Charles Marina (they wouldn't answer email, VHF or phone) or Kiptopeke Beach but we were making such good time we decided to head on out. Hit the Atlantic at 2:35 pm with all sails up. Lost the Autopilot about 1 am so we had to hand steer the rest of the way (taking 1 hour shifts at the first mate's insistence). Dropped anchor in Breakwater Harbour in the Delaware Bay at 5pm and got a good nights sleep.
Tuesday the 30th we had a fairly wild rice up the Delaware - started out OK, but things deteriorated quickly and it was terrible around the power plant up to the entrance to the canal. Since we were riding the incoming tide all the way, we were able to get all the way down to Chesapeake City where we dropped anchor at 8pm... a 12 hour sail.
Wednesday the 31st we had planned to get all the way back to the marina, but a nasty storm blew up down south of the Bay Bridge which stirred the water up to a vertical washing machine - so we ducked into swan creek for the evening and then finished up our loop on Thursday August 1st about 1pm. On the days we weren't moving, we were exploring the area in our dinghy, paddling around and just really enjoying life on the water. A great trip - we both learned a lot!
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
So, after our paddle the day before, went over to the Ranger Station/State Park Office to get some bait. Noticed they had some boats for rent - and discovered they had some Hobie Cats - 13 and 16'. Came back the day after and rented a 13' Hobie and set off out into the lake. Winds were 5-8 knots out of the NW. I have rented a sunfish before (Lums pond in Delaware) but never a Hobie Cat - this little sailboat was FUN!! Went by myself for a bit to get a hang of it - it had a dual rudder that had a bar connecting the two instead of a tiller - 1 sail, but it was really a blast to sail.
After I got the hang of it, went in and picked up wife and grandson - took them out for a bit, came back in and picked up my daughter for a spell - then it seemed everyone wanted to come on... so all,,in all, rented the hobie for 3 hours and just had a real hoot of a time. Might have to find one of these for myself!!
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Went out to visit my daughter and her family (and my grandson) in Iow over the 4th of July week. She loves to paddle in the kayak that we gave her, so I took out my SUP and we went off early on the 2nd to explore Big Creek Lake - just north of Ankeny, Iowa. Winds were gusting pretty good out of the S - SW but we made our way down the lake a bit. Coming back was much easier. Went about 45 minutes down the lake and did a more leisurely 45 minutes back. Gave me.a chance to watch my daughter and give her some safety tips about what to do and what not to do when paddling alone - also, what to take into consideration as far as wind strength and direction.Neat lake - pretty big, and very, very deep in some areas - over 50' deep.
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Gennaker flying!
After having waited out the overly hot weather and a bunch of 'SCA and storms we were really ready to get out today. Winds were light, barometer 29.78 and temps in the 80's. Got the gennaker up pretty fast - in Langford creek and headed down into the Chester. Did a couple of gyres, had some fun and then dropped it and put up the Genoa and main for a bit of fun. Winds died out and we decided to head up grays inn creek for the night. Anchored just north of Brown's point. Nice to be back on the water instead of in the marina!
Friday, June 21, 2024 to Monday, June 24, 2024
Number of days:
3 days
After a brief trip back to the land unit - we decided to set out again to try and beat the heat! We left the marina on the 21st about 4 pm and found a nice little anchorage on Langford creek. Knowing that a southern wind was predicted - a nice one, we decided to anchor with a nice southern exposure - might have been a bit too much exposure as we had some rocking and rolling during the evening.
Early on the 22nd, we decided to go ahead out for a sail - had some nice wind. We tacked back and forth down Langford creek and out into the Chester. The first mate handled the sails and I took the helm. After a few hours of sailing, we decided to head into Reed Creek for the evening. We found a nice anchorage - and at first we were all alone, but then a few other boats came in - both sail and a couple trawlers. Big graduation party was happening on land and continued into the next day!. Spent a bit of time in the water and even took some time to "mr. Clean eraser" the hull.
On the 23rd, we decided to head on back to the marina as we had to make another stop in at the land based unit. The winds were blowing up to 17 knots from the south - southwest so it was a quick sail across the Chester and up Langford creek. Decided to just use the headsail - which probably should have been reefed/rolled in a bit, however, no harm, no foul. Spent a little bit of time at the pool before heading to the land house.
Thursday, June 13, 2024 to Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Number of days:
7 days
6/13
Barometer was 30.04 and falling. Wind out of the South 5-10 with gusts to 15 and even more. Temperature range 76-82. Planned to go across the bay over to the Magothy. Was thinking of heading to the glass house, but with some strong southerlies expected, decided to go somewhere new - Eagles Cove/horse farm. Turned the engine off after getting most of the way down Langford creek. First mate took quite a bit of the time at the helm - which was good for her, while I managed the sails. We had the main sail rolled in a bit for most of the sail - and there were times when crossing the bay from the Chester to the Magothy that I thought - hmmm maybe we should have reefed, but it wasn’t too bad. Had some gusts get up to the 20’s while getting into the Magothy and up towards Eagle’s Cove, but all in all a delightful sail with the engine only used to get out of the marina and into the anchorage! Left the marina at 10:30 and anchorage was down at 5:20.
6/14
Took a bit of time in the morning to do boat work - had to fix a few things - first mate had some cleaning, then got out the paddle board and explored Eagle Cove. Wonderful place - had a few other boats stay the night - some left in the morning and a few others stuck around for a couple of days like us. Thunderstorm over night - little bit of lightening - but our anchor held firm!
6/15 - off to Annapolis
Barometer was at 30.21 and rising. Winds out of the north at 10 - 15 with gusts to 23. Sunny with a high of 84. Did a quick paddle of Eagles Cove first and then prepped the boat for the voyage to Annapolis - wanted to try and get a mooring in Spa Creek!. Decided just to use the head sail with the predicted winds…. At times, could have put up the Gennaker, but we stayed safe and just used the Genoa. Picked up anchor at 9:30 am and arrived in Annapolis about 2:30. A little bit of traffic waiting for the spa creek bridge, but got under at the 2:30 opening and picked up mooring ball 51 (getting pretty good at this) in Spa Creek in St. Mary’s Cove. Got the dinghy put together - first mate dropped the seat into Spa Creek - and we took a dinghy ride over to the harbormaster to get tokens for the showers and walk around a bit. Found some nice HH gloves!
6/16 - Annapolis day 2.
Did an early morning paddle of Spa Creek. Went all the way back to the last set of moorings which are right at a park. If they weren’t $10 more - I would go there! Spa Creek was lovely. When the first mate awoke and after she was ready, we took the dingy over to the dock and decided, after Starbucks, to explore the USNA. After all of that, did another paddle of Spa Creek and also went out into the main harbor on the Eastport side for a bit.
6/17 - Annapolis back to the Chester. Barometer was 30.21 and rising. Winds were out of the south 15 (for the most part) with gusts well over 20. Small Craft Advisory in effect. Got the sails - double reefed - up in the basin outside of Annapolis and began making our way towards the bay bridge. We were taking some rather large swells on our beam - not overly comfortable, but were also moving fast. Very glad I decided 2 reefs! Right before the bridge, the waves almost doubled in size to about 4 feet for a bit making things rather than exciting. Things calmed down a bit after the bridge and the first mate took over for the leg to Love Point. Managed to keep the sails up the entire way - had to do some tacking and jibing around eastern neck island to make that half circle that the Chester has there, but made the turn and decided to go into the Corsica - which again - we sailed into and down to Rocky Point where we anchored for the evening. A bit buggy - lots of flies, but thank goodness they weren’t the biting kind!
6/18 Corsica River to Conquest Beach and Cacaway Island
Pulled anchor about 10:15 with main sail up - was planning to sail out of the Corsica and down to conquest beach. Sunny, Barometer 30.43 Temp upper 70’s and winds out of the SW 10-15 - no real gusts to speak of. First mate at the helm and we began sailing and tacking up the river. We got stuck for a brief time - good learning/teaching moment for the first mate, but we set sails to help us heel and we got off ourselves! The rest of the sail was uneventful and we dropped anchor under sail about .2nm off of conquest beach ate lunch, picked up the anchor and motor sailed off to Cacaway Island for a nice peaceful anchorage for the evening.
6/19 - Cacaway Island to Lankford Bay Marina.
Motor Sailed from Cacaway into our home marina - Lankford Bay Marina. Ended up helping a dock neighbor hank on their sails… learned a few things about the way other boats are rigged! Went paddling afterwards!!
Monday, June 10, 2024
Number of days:
1 day
Prepped the boat for a haul out at 8:00am - up at 6 and had everything off and ready to go by 8. Actually did well, backing Bubbles up to the basin for the craine to lift her up. Took the opportunity to do a paddle down Davis creek before heading home and off to South Carolina and Florida.
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 to Saturday, June 1, 2024
Number of days:
6 days
Tuesday May 28
First mate is retiring at the end of the month, so we decided to bring Bubbles up to Chesapeake city so she could have a little shindig with her friends on June 1st. Left the marina about 11. Barometer was at 29.83, Temp range from 74-77 under sunny skies. Winds were out of the NW 10-15. Had to motor a bit, but got to sail for the majority of the 6 1/2 hour jaunt up to Fairlee Creek. Had hoped to go farther north, but the winds around Pooles island were really starting to pick up - and the forecast was for stronger winds the further north I went. Didn’t want to be heading into Worton or Still Pond in the dark with heavy winds - and no protection from the winds, so decided to head into Fairlee. Went in at low tide - water was really running out the cut… but managed to make it in and the anchorage was fairly calm even with the strong winds through the night.
Wednesday May 29 - the journey continues
Pulled anchor at 8am and headed north. Got the sails up for a wee bit until the winds just totally wimped out - we are talking 1.2 knots!! Barometer was 29.91, temp range from 65-73 and what winds there were came out of the NorthWest - not a bad direction… just not enough wind. Got into the Bohemia about 1pm and found a nice spot in Veazey Cove - at least I thought it would be nice as the forecast was for light winds out of the NW for the next 24 hours. Then the storms came - only rained a little, but the winds started howling and never stopped. Overnight had winds out of the N - NW 10-15 with gusts easily to 20 or more. One neat thing - got to watch the Wednesday night Sailboat races on the Bohemia!.
Thursday, May 30 - Last leg - Chesapeke City
Barometer was 30.01, Temperature started at 61 and the winds continued… more out of the North at 10-15 with gusts 20 or better. Sunny skies. Tide/ Current was changing at the entrance to the C & D canal at about 10, so decided to pull anchor and head out about 9 so I would be hitting the entrance to the canal right when the current started running the way I would need it to run.
Pulling the anchor would have been near impossible with the wind blowing 20 knots if I hadn’t had the auto pilot! The wind continued blowing with some gusts well over 20 knots - which made the autopilot work harder than usual. Did something stupid - went below for a few as there were no boats in sight, but forgot about the big buoys marking the channel. With the wind gusting and the autopilot working hard… well, nicked one of them and now have an 8 inch by 5 inch gash in the bow. Didn’t go all the way through, and it is well above the water line, but still - not good. Another couple of boat dollars down the drain! Got to Chesapeake city - no room at the dock, so I anchored in the basin without any further problems.
Friday May 31st - Solo
Took a dinghy ride over into Chesapeake City dock and explored the city a bit - gave me a chance to stretch my legs a bit also. Took the time to cover the gash in the front of the hull to keep any water from coming in. Also went off on the SUP for a paddle around the canal and then under the bridge in the anchorage and down the creek a bit. Got quite a ways down before turning back… getting worried that I might not be able to make it back under the bridge with the rising tide. Had to fight the current all the way back - and it was running! Got back to Bubbles and then pulled anchor and headed over to Schaefer’s Canal House Marina for our slip. Got a nice slip on the inside floating dock - little tricky getting in, but no biggie.
Saturday, June 1st - Party day
After a nice little paddle around the marina and in the C & D canal (stayed close to land and didn’t venture too far) got ready for the retirement party. Lots of women on the boat!
Sunday, June 2nd - Heading back down south. Winds were out of the SW at 5 - 10 with some gusts. Barometer was at 30.16 and the temperature ranged from 68 - 78. Took off out of the marina at 8:30 am and had a lot of help from the notorious C&D canal current. Since I was going south and the winds were out of the SW, we had to motor most of it, but were able to get the sails up down around Kent Narrows and had some NICE winds all the way back to the home marina getting in about 7:30pm
Saturday, May 25, 2024 to Sunday, May 26, 2024
Number of days:
2 days
Had to wait for the wind to kick in on Saturday the 25th - so we got out of the slip - very nicely with full crew about noonish. Barometer was at 29.84, Temperature was 85 and winds were out of the SE at 5-10 knots. Got the sails up quickly and headed out not sure where the winds would blow us. First mate was at the helm and I handled the sails. Had some fun sailing around in the Chester before we decided that Reed Creek would be our final destination for an overnight anchorage. Headed in at pretty much low tide and found a nice spot, eventually 7 other boats were in the anchorage - 3 sailboats actually rafted up on the eastern side - but more than enough room for all!
Sunday we spent the morning and afternoon exploring reed creek on my SUP and the first mates kayak. After checking the weather and seeing the impending overnight rain/storms, we decided to head back to the marina for the overnight (bad call - because the storms didn’t come in until after noon on Monday!). Left the creek right when it was predicted that the winds would come up - they didn’t so we had to motor a bit. Finally, we did get some winds while heading up Langford Creek - so we took advantage and put out the Genoa. A very lovely weekend - and a nice “first” overnight at anchor.