Century Club: Hank Messick

Sunday, November 23, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
  • Party time on the upper deck
  • Sunset

Jumped aboard Jake's Biloxi Trawler "Juniper" for an afternoon outing to the DC waterfront. Linda, Bill, Henry and Jeff also onboard.

Saturday, November 1, 2025
Number of days:
1 day

Dave, Shelia, Paul and I raced spin class in this 2nd Annual Event hosted by the Mt Vernon Yacht Club. About a 90 minute transit down river to the race course off of Dogue Creek south of Mt Vernon.

Arcas set a personal downwind speed record of 9.3 knots (logged on our Speedpuck). The newly painted hull helped move us along smartly. Wind ranged from from 4 to 16 knots over a five mile course. Beautiful sunny weather and we had a flooding tide for the return trip. Post race party food, drink, music were great.

Despite some good starts Dark Star, InPhase, Too Many Cooks kept us from placing allthough we beat three other spin boats. 

Saturday, September 27, 2025
Number of days:
1 day

Dave, Paul, Josh and me raced in and (abridged) "Three Bridges" Race (8.3 NM). Dark Star and Arcas were spin boats, three non-spin boats raced a "Two Bridges" course. Light winds, 3 to 6 knots, that range from a  beat to broad reach. Managed to fly the chute from Hains Point to Wilson Bridge however, it did collapse many times as the wind would suddenly shift forward. We achieved better results, I think,  than using the Genoa. Dark Star clobbered us by 23 minutes.

Saturday, September 6, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
  • Streaking to the finish line
  • Catching Anne Marie

The fourth annual ODBC Regatta. More breeze than previous years, 5 to 8 knots. Just Sara, Paul, myself sailing nonspin. Beat everyone to the windward mark in all three races,  line honors in two races and, second place overall. Anne Marie corrected ahead of us and took first. 

Friday, September 5, 2025
Number of days:
1 day

The fifth and final race of the series. Paul, Josh, Bob, Dave, Brian and me onboard. Dark Star and Moovin also participated. Pursuit Start with us going first, something of  novelty! Dark Star caught us after the windward mark and we both labored downwind against the current. Dark Star finished about 10 minutes ahead of us and, Moovin was 26 minutes behind us. Raced a 5.78 NM course with illumination provided by a waxing gibbous moon.

Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Number of days:
1 day

A frustrating 5th out of six. 

Saturday, August 30, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
  • Party time
  • Adventure Over!
  • Anacostia bridges
  • Happy life!

Jake invited Paul and Maggie, Chris and Becca, Brian, Sara, Dana and me for a late afternoon boat ride on Juniper, his 37' Biloxi Trawler. Perfect weather. We were on the water for about four hours. Went up and back along the DC waterfront, then turned east and went up the Anacostia past the Frederick Douglas Bridge, past the Nats Stadium and the repurposed Navy Yard. A cloudless sunset kept us company on the return to the slip.

Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Number of days:
1 day

Dana and I spent a few relaxing hours on the river. Sunny, low 80s, northerly breeze sometimes gusting to 12 knots. Beautiful weather.

Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
  • Frustrated faces!
  • Nice sunset!

Another dismal performance despite a good start. We can't keep up with the other boats upwind. Last by 24 minutes (corrected).

Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
  • Air Force Memorial “arcs” projected on the clouds

North Course w/a 6 knot easterly breeze that faded. Course took us up the Anacostia (4A) then back and around Hains Point (HP) then north around 4, twice. Just over six miles. We finish last. Good start but couldn't  match the other spin boats for speed going upwind---the  S2 7.9s accelerate more quickly and pull away from us. Frustrating.

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