Century Club: Tim Ford

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Sunday, August 13, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Board of estimates
  • getting outside

I haven't really done a whole lot of wave riding in the past few years, due to covid and sailing trips taking priority over beach trips. So I avoided the big board (a foamy) and choose a hard bodyboard instead. 

Good thing, as the break here is a lot different than in Maryland.  It's nice to actually be at a spot where there's a decent outside break. Couple of decent rides and one very good one, but didn't get a barrel...waves were big enough (estimated 3-5 feet in the larger sets) but skills were insufficient.  Also, I forgot how hard it is to duck dive a short board due to the buyancy, so getting outside was a struggle initially.

Friday, August 11, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Motor Maintenance
  • add 2 hours to the motor hours log

I hadn't run the O/B for a couple of months so we launced and took a long-ish ride (for the i550) and then anchored, ate and fished.  Then we headed back and that's when the fight started.  The starboard bunk on my spot on the foating dock collapsed when we had the boat about halfway up....hmm. Luckily there are some unused 2x8 PT boards laying around and we eventually leveraged the bunk back on up on a makeshift repair.  Hot, sweaty and exhausted, we retired to the car's AC and water supply.  Add one more project to the boat list.

Tuesday, August 1, 2023 to Sunday, August 6, 2023
Number of days:
6 days
Classic Yacht Races Aug 1 -Aug 6
  • Off Wooden Boat campus
  • Camden to Brooklin conditions
  • Castine to Camden condits
  • Clean up and chute drying
  • Delivery to Castine
  • Two classic woodies
  • Fishing spot way right
  • IOD start in 2 kn breeze

I had my little travel rod in the car and noticed fish feeding close to, well, not exactly a PIER, but a long riprap causeway out to the lighthouse and I took a few desultory casts.  It was more to get the lay of the land around Portland Harbor.

The next day was meet up at Brooklin Boat Yard and take the boat about 2-3 hours up to Castine. Gorgeous day and a terrific sail. Next day was the race from Castine to Camden and that too was in perfect conditions. I think we took 2nd. 

Then on Friday was the race from Camden to Brooklin.  Ugly conditions with rain and a lot of breeze, but we were able to shake the reef out when we got to the Stonington Thoroughfare, and it ended up being a pretty nice sail.

Last race was Eggemoggin Reach, starting in no wind but building a lovely Southerly that topped out at about 12-14. Fantastic racing with 104 other classic wooden sailboats. 

Next day was bring the boat back to BBY and clean up a bit. Dry out the chute and repack it, wash the rest of the mud off the anchor chain and so some more odds and ends.  I was sad to leave Brooklin but did get a chance to scamper up Blue Hill Mountain!  Outstanding trip

Friday, July 28, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
July 28 - Paddle with guest

Visitors fron The Netherlands and I took the younger one out for a paddle.  We caught some impossibly little fish. But one was a Norfolk Spot and that was kinda cool...I thought the water this far up, and well into the creek, was too fresh for spot.  Guess not.  We feed the fish a lot of green worms but didn't really do all that well.  Still a nice day on the water in spite of the heat.

Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
July 26 - splash and bang
  • Ouch
  • Toes X'd

Splashed a kayak and went out to the river to see what the breeze was doing and crossed my toes that it would continue throughout the evening for MRSA WNR.  It did but we punched a hole thru a competitors boat and that kinda soured the rest of the evening. 

Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
July 19 - MRSA
  • twice around was a bit optimistic but good course set by the RC
  • not even a drop of rain on us from this
  • Someone else's weather, pre-race paddle out to the river

Storms went north or south of us, so we got a race in.  Didn't necessarily look too likely earlier in the afternoon, when a large convective systom dumped rain on the O's game.  Really nice night on the river though! 

Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
July 18 - Harbor things

Nice night in spite of the haze, and lots to look at in the harbor, including a water-spouting tug giving a bulk ore carrier a departure salute off Ft McHenry and a few minutes later a skipjack, probably LCF's SIGSBEE.  Not sure where we finished, having to dig out of deep hole after needing to duck the entire spinn fleet at the weather mark. 

One thing about the smoke is it does provide some great sunsets.

 

 

Saturday, July 15, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
July 15 - Race to Baltimore
  • Nearing the finish at the Anchorage
  • How does this thing stay upright at sea?
  • AURORA rounding N
  • ALARIS trucking into N

Great day on the water, a Race to Baltimore with...you'll never guess....WIND!  Real wind!  a good 12-18 for the most part. Meaning a 10 nm spinn run from CBYRA "F" up to "N."   We did okayn (1st in PHRF B)  and had fun mixing it up with the PHRF A boats above the Key Bridge. 

And no rain.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
pre-meeting paddle
  • Osprey in rebuilding mode
  • This guy lives right here at the club - that's his spot

Gorgeous, brezzy day!  Tough paddle to weather, then a quick blast back in on the wave trains. 

Saturday, July 8, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
July 8 - no sail for you
  • GFC's very bristol Ariel
  • RIP dead SJ 24

Hot, humid, dicey forecast.  So the trip on the Pearson Ariel got left at the dock.  But we did do some fishing from the Pier. A lot.  We got a few bites but nothing edible.  So it's a Fish From Pier day.  Oh, and I found a poor dead Evelyn 26....damn, I would have loved to have done a project on it....but it's a goner.

CORRECTION:  someone very knowledgable let me know, it's not an Evelyn 26...it's a San Juan 24.  The SJ 24 was a great little boat, so it's still a shame to see it rotting away.

 

 

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