We had a windless day at the dock so were able to put all three sails on Belle Bateau. So excited to have new tell tales! Counting this as Day 3 of 10 allowed for maintenance.
Century Club: Cheryl Duvall
Saturday, May 6, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
One of three sails, with new telltales
Friday, May 5, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Belle Bateau is splashed!
BB was splashed at Whitehall Marina, and we continued to test systems since we had hired professionals to service the engine. Discovered leak in injectors so can't move boat to Annapolis tomorrow. Counting this as Day 2 of 10 allowed for maintenance.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Number of days:
1 day
Riggers up the mast while we were prepping BB
We were aboard Belle Bateau on the hard preparing for her spring splash when the riggers returned to complete their work. Counting this as 1 allowed day for prepping/maintaining boat.
Monday, October 17, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
On the travel lift
Narrow channel to back down
Captain Julie as we left Lake Ogleton
While stuck in Solomon's due to weather earlier this month, I met Julie who singlehands a 44' catamaran. Julie was in Annapolis for the boat show, and we were both taking classes at Cruisers University. She mentioned she could use some help when moving her boat from Lake Ogleton to Port Annapolis for a haul-out. I was happy to assist! Wow, catamarans are so different than monohulls (so much bigger, wider, taller). But Julie is masterful, and backed her boat down the narrow channel to the travel-lift for a successful haul-out. I was glad I could help out.
Saturday, October 15, 2022 to Sunday, October 16, 2022
Number of days:
2 days
At anchor near the horse farm
Sunrise in Magothy Narrows
Elaine as we pass under the Bay Bridge
Captain Cheryl in her happy place
Elaine after we docked successfully
Big weekend! First overnight sail without my husband! I've been dreaming of this for years. Finally the stars aligned, with weather, all boat parts working, and schedules. My friend Elaine loves being on the water, but is not a sailor. Originally, I had planned for my first "women only" overnight to be with 1-2 sailor-wise girlfriends. But schedules conflicted, and when I mentioned this dream, Elaine eagerly volunteered to join me. I had to remember to avoid sailing jargon and terms, which was tougher than I thought. We did well, even in the very sporty winds of Saturday, with 14-16 knots, gusting 22+. We sailed from Annapolis to the Magothy, double reefed with JUST the genoa, and averaged 5-6 knots. We were downwind for awhile, and then sailed on a beam to enter the Magothy. We anchored near the Gibson Island horse farm with about 20 other boats. I grilled us some burgers and hash browns for dinner, and we chatted long into the evening over wine. Despite temps in the mid-50s, Elaine wanted to sleep in the cockpit since she loves to sleep outdoors. Easily done! Sunday's sunrise was beautiful, and then we returned safely to my slip at Whitehall Marina, without any new scratches. Ta da!
Friday, October 14, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
One of the boats I toured
Can I count this as a day on the water? I toured several boats, mostly smaller than the boat I own now, since downsizing for singlehanding will be in my future someday. My husband is tired of fixing boats!
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Tight space to work on generator
Since we are allowed to count a few days of working on the boat, this entry is one of those. Generator issues. And replacement of windlass motor. Both are critically important because I'm taking a girlfriend out this weekend, without my husband aboard, and I need everything to work! Normally, I'd be at the Sailboat show on VIP day (today) but this morning's rains made me decide to work on the boat and go to the boat show tomorrow.
Monday, September 26, 2022 to Friday, October 7, 2022
Number of days:
12 days
Docked at the "free" wall in Cambridge on our way home
One of 12 days painted in my sailcation journal
A welcomed rainbow after days of rain in Solomon's
Scrubbing the decks during a downpour
Calvert Marine Museum is a favorite
Our green hull stand out in Solomon's
A beautiful sunset in Solomon's (on a day too windy to leave)
Anchored in the Rhode, near a sad sunken sailboat
It was supposed to be a 13 day sailcation, with stops in the Rhode River, Solomon's Island, St. Mary's City, and Leonardtown. But Hurricane Ian and then a cold front off the Atlantic altered our plans. We were stuck in Solomon's for 9 days. But we met new friends---other cruisers who were also stuck. And I started watercoloring again, making a sketch log of our experiences. None of that would have happened if we would have made it to our intended destinations. And it was still 12 days of being on the water! And we had a nice stop in Cambridge on our way home.
Monday, September 5, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Kayaking in our neighborhood
Since we couldn't sail on Labor Day due to malfunctioning engine, we decided to still get on the water---on our kayaks! Our neighborhood has a kayak launch on Gingerville Creek, so we explored the marshes nearby.
Friday, September 2, 2022 to Sunday, September 4, 2022
Number of days:
3 days
Anchored in Hudson Creek
Only one other boat here
Flying our spinnaker
We've never been to the Little Choptank before, so we set sights on that for a stop on our way to Solomon's Island. We had a glorious downwind sail on Friday, with winds from NNE. We were able to fly our colorful gennaker for more than 2/3 of the distance. We anchored just before sunset. But on Saturday morning, just after we weighed anchor, we noted that our engine was overheating. So we dropped the anchor just a few hundred yards from where we had spent the night, so we could troubleshoot. Unfortunately we were now anchored in a popular fishing hole, and I'm sure those powerboaters were wondering why we were ruining their crabbing and fishing with our odd choice of anchoring. After a few hours of bleeding air and other troubleshooting, we returned to our original anchorage for the everning, abandoning our hopes of getting to Solomon's Island. Alas. We wanted to be sure the engine problem was solved. Rather than risk a further distance, we returned one day earlier than planned on this holiday weekend. The engine didn't act up again, which was good because we had to motor most of the way to Annapolis on Sunday due to light winds.