The Corinthians Annapolis Fleet held its annual New Member Cruise May 14-15 in Clements Creek on the south shore of the Severn River. Twelve yachts hung on three moorings as about 25 Corinthians gathered and visited among the tethered boats, catching up and opening our 2016 sailing season.
Fleet captain, Hank Recla, and his wife Susan hosted all of the new members onboard their Catalina 42 Bay-Tripper. If the goal was to put our best “yacht” forward (so-to-speak), then the event was a rousing success. Seasoned members joined in and as is the Corinthian way, really warmly embraced the new members. This warm embrace was crucial as the temps really took a nose dive once the front arrived. We were very lucky to be in an enclosed cockpit, but even so, the storm tried its best to interrupt the gathering. (Who aboard said, “Roll the enclosure down now,” and how soon before the storm began?)
None of the appetizers blew away; in fact if you found yourself hungry later, well you just did not try hard enough. There was so much food consumed, it seemed like we might have been a bunch of bears awakening from a long winter’s nap. Appropriate then, that this event was held in Clement’s Creek—NAPtown! By the way, the only attendee that did not consume any of the delectables was Dory, the boat dog from Willoway—though try she did!
So lots and lots of stories and laughter! What a great way to begin what promises to be another terrific Corinthian season. Coming up is our annual Chesapeake Spring Cruise which will commence June 4 with our opening dinner at the Baltimore Yacht Club on the Middle River. We will sail south to many ports before reaching the Rappahannock River. Then, we will head over to the Eastern Shore before concluding our two weeks with a final dinner at the Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford.
~ Denise Gill
