On a Schooner
I had the opportunity this fall to be a paid passenger/crew on a schooner going up the Chesapeake Bay. The schooner, Woodwind, had participated in the Great Schooner Race from Annapolis, MD to Norfolk, VA. The trip I was taking took the opposite route.
The plan was to go from Norfolk to Hampton the first day, to Deltaville the next, up to Solomon’s Island, anchor near Annapolis, then pull into Annapolis on Friday. But best laid plans often go awry. In this case it was it was one of several nasty wind event we’d had on the Chesapeake Bay over the last two months. This one was a nor’easter with sustained winds in the 20’s and gusts in the 30’s. What made it worse was the winds for most of the trip were coming directly from the north. And to get to Annapolis from Norfolk, you head north.
Day 1
My daughter and I arrived at the boat about an hour early. Construction has been going on at the bridge tunnel that links Norfolk with our side of the water and I didn’t want to chance a delay causing me to be late. We dropped off my gear and headed to lunch.
After lunch, I hugged my daughter goodbye and boarded for the beginning of our adventure. I dropped my gear in my cabin, then joined the others in the cockpit.
The captain gave us a rundown of the boat, told us about the man overboard procedures, and gave us the tentative plan. We then headed to Mill Creek, near Ft Monroe, in Hampton, crossing over the tunnel I had to take to get to the boat. I quipped that I could have just met them in Hampton. But then, I guess, I would have missed the briefing.
We had shrimp or beef tacos, prepared by one of the mates. They were delicious! We learned a card game I’d never played before – Mr President- which moved quite quickly. Then I headed to bed for the evening and left the others to more cards.
Day 2
The captain pulled us out of the creek and into Hampton Roads. The winds were strong, coming almost directly out of the north. The sails were up, with 2 reefs in the main. The captain let the guests take turns at the wheel. Because of the winds and the current, we were just going east and west, making little progress north. After a time, the captain took the wheel, turned on the engine, and we made our way north.
I’m sure this was fun for the captain and regular crew, since it was not what I would assume is the usual mundane voyage. But we were getting heavy waves and everyone in the cockpit was getting wet. I headed down below to stay dry and read my book.
Our goal was Fishing Bay, near Deltaville, where we could get a pump out, refill water tanks, and refuel. We made it about 4:30 pm, before they closed at 5. We asked to stay at the fuel dock overnight, but our request was denied. So we anchored out in Fishing Bay. Once we settled in, the captain received a call from one of the nearby vessels, who knew the owner of our boat and said to pass on their greetings.
I had never understood the appeal of the Deltaville area. There was little to do in the town and the landscape don’t seem that appealing. But Fishing Bay was beautiful. It was quite a splendid spot for a stopover.
That night’s dinner was curry, which was also delicious.
The rest of the folks wanted to play cards again. I bowed out since I was tired and had done very poorly on the game the previous evening. I could hear the buzz from the conversations in the aft cabins from my bunk, but was still able to settle in for the evening.
Day 3
After the rough weather on day 2, which was not expected to be much better today, the captain decided to leave a bit later in the day, when the winds would subside a bit. She also shortened our passage for the day, aiming for Reedville instead of Solomon’s Island.
The waves had lessened and the winds did come down a bit, making for a somewhat more comfortable passage. But the winds were still out of the north, so sailing was difficult.
We appreciated the shorter day. And the anchorage the captain chose was again ideal. And, like the one the day before, it was sheltered from the winds.
Dinner that night was a choice of eggplant or chicken Parmesan on a bed of ziti. Yum!
Day 4
We had a deadline of getting back to Annapolis by Friday, so today had to be a longer voyage, to make up for the day before. So the captain and mates started us out at 4 am. The wind and waves were much like the day before – still choppy, but nothing like earlier in the week. But we spent most of the day motoring in order to make up miles.
I did notice something fun that I hadn’t appreciated before. You can see rainbows in the spray!
WE made good distance, heading to an anchorage in Harness Creek, just south of Annapolis. Another beautiful anchorage, sheltered from the wind.
Day 5
Our last day! The winds finally died down to something reasonable. This was more like what we’d hoped for on this trip. And we were able to sail most of the way to Annapolis.
This was the usual stomping grounds for Woodwind, the region where there took Annapolis tourists for a short day trip. So we also got some of the spiel about the structures in the area. One such structure was the famous Thomas Point Shoal light which, according to Wikipedia, “is the only screw-pile lighthouse in the bay which stands at its original site.” It was quite impressive!
We ended the voyage with a glass of champagne, or mimosas for those of us who chose to add a bit of orange juice.
Would I do this again? I think I’d take my chances a second time. Hopefully the next time won’t be as rough. But it was well worth it to spend this much time on the water with an experienced crew.
Christmas Sailing
One of the joys of sailing in the Chesapeake Bay Area is that there are few times during the year when you can’t sail. Hence, sailing on Christmas Day has been something I’ve done almost as long as I’ve owned a boat. This year, I was a day off. Christmas Day, high gusts were expected. Since my passengers were going to be my young granddaughters, I chose to wait a day.
I’ve missed this. Between my husband’s cancer, engine issues, and wonky weather, I’ve sailed this year less than any year except last.
Winds are perfect, about 10-12 it’s. Temperature, with wind chill, is chilly, but not unbearable. I’m listening to my podcasts, which I never seem to have the time to catch up with. But they’re just background noise; I’m not paying really close attention.
I’ve brought some of my instruments along, but haven’t broken them out yet. Problem is that this chilly weather will make it hard to keep them in tune.
So I listen to my podcasts, the engine, the water lapping against the boat. And sometimes I turn off everything electomechanical and just listen to the water.
It’s calming. I’m hoping I will leave, as I have so many times before, better to handle the stresses onshore.
[Top]My First Raft-Up: Part Deux
A sailboat, a cabin cruiser and a power boat met in a bar….
Well, not really. But they did get together for Labor Day weekend to raft up in Mobjack Bay. This is part 2 of our story.
As you recall from part 1, I did a lot of maneuvering after I got the anchor down, trying to get the sailboat parked next to the cabin cruiser, which was already anchored. So getting the anchor up took a lot of time, because there was a lot more line laid out than was really necessary. In fact, I’m glad there wasn’t much current or winds while were were there. Because it seems were were just relying on the cruiser’s anchor. The good thing? That anchor had set well, so it took a bit to get it up.
After we got the anchor up, we started following the cruiser, who had a destination in mind. From the East River, our current anchorage, to the Severn, our new anchorage, it was almost straight across the bay. We kept behind the cruiser about 2/3rds the way across. Then they got ahead of us. No problem. We had a good idea where they were going to be – we thought. This time, though, we had Jodi’s husband marked on Google Maps. So we found the cruiser.
This time, we set the anchor and let out enough line to put us able to swing towards the cruiser. And I just floated over. Piece of cake!
I later did check for other ways of doing this. Other people suggested that you just needed to have one boat anchored. Still others suggested that you get rafted up, then send someone out on a dinghy with your anchor and set it. I’ll have to try one of those next time.
Rafting up was easy. What I did have a problem with was the kayak. I’d towed it behind us on the way over, rather than deflate then re-inflate it. But maneuvering to get us rafted up, I got the line wrapped around the rudder. So I put on my swimsuit and jumped in the water. Luckily, I have long legs and could reach with my feet to the other side of the keel. I pulled, then used my toes to pull the line from between the keel and the boat, pulled some more, and kept this up until I had the line untangled. Next time, I’ll pull the kayak in tight before starting to anchor.
After we got all set up, Maria said she was running low on ice. In addition, the power boat needed more gas. So we found the number for the nearby marina, called to make sure they’d still be open, then headed over to Severn Yachting Center. The owner met us, got us the gas we needed then took us over to the office to pay for it and get the ice.
There was a pool right outside the office. Maria, Steve and Jodi took a quick dip an said it was wonderful. We talked to the guy about what repair services he had available since it seemed everyone was still behind in repair work, even this late in the season. Sounded like he had a pretty well-rounded crew. But he, too, said he had about a 2 week waiting list. We might just have to check him out sometime!
That night was rough. We must not have pulled the boats as tightly together as we had the night before, because I kept feeling the banging of fenders throughout the night. I moved from the V-Berth into the aft bed and I could finally get some sleep!
In the morning, the fridge, again, was not working. Seems we again had run the battery down. Doing some diagnostics and getting that fixed was put on my list of ‘to do’ items.
What was working was the hot water! I had a marvelous shower. And the nice thing about this quick trip is that I could have a leisurely one and not worry about water shortage.
After showering and providing the ‘neighbors’ with hot water for tea and coffee, I packed up and got ready to head back. Once I was done, Steve jumped aboard to help with the anchor. Jodi started up the power boat and followed. Once the anchor was up, Jodi pulled up beside the swim platform and Steve jumped over.
I debated taking the ‘shortcut’ back. The shortcut allows you to get from Mobjack to the York River without going around all the shallows between the two. But the channel is quite shallow and I didn’t want to take the chance of getting stuck. So I put up the mainsail and motorsailed back.
The trip back was uneventful until I reached the power plant that marks the channel to Wormley Creek Marina. There, I saw a huge number of dolphins! It’s always fun to see a dolphin when sailing. But it must be baby season because there were more than a dozen of the creatures having a good ole’ time!
My First Raft-Up
This Labor Day weekend, I participated in my first raft up. We were a strange group: one sailboat, one cabin cruise, one small speedboat, and a kayak. We came over in the sailboat and cruiser. The speedboat was our ‘dinghy’. I was hoping, in the future, to use the kayak as my dinghy. I wanted to see how it would work out.
I met the others in the York River. Jodi wanted to come with me, since I was planning on sailing. So we tried to figure out how to get her from the cruiser over to my sailboat. I suggested she get on their raft and I could ‘rescue’ her. So Jodi hopped on the raft, I circled so I could get close enough to throw her a line. She grabbed it and I pulled her to the swim platform where she jumped aboard.
The cruiser towed the powerboat, and was able to use a ‘shortcut’ to reach our destination on the East River, off the Mobjack Bay. I sailed around the long way and am glad I did. The winds were great the the temperature was perfect. Interesting though: we arrived only about an hour after the cruiser.
We had a hard time finding the cruiser when we arrived. We’d been given the wrong mile marker to look for. But they brought the powerboat out to find us and guide us in.
I read an article online telling how to raft up so I’d have some idea what to do. So I arrived and, as the article said, I motored past the cruiser, dropped my anchor, the reversed to set the anchor and sidle up to the cruiser. Well, the anchor set. But I was on the wrong side for reversing and sidling. I kept going the wrong direction. So I tried going forward and doing it again, all the time my anchor is down and Jodi is letting out line. Well, I don’t know how much line we let out, but we finally did end up next to the cruiser.
Mistake one: letting out all the line. The next night I just drifted back and we had no problem sidling up to the other boat.
What did go right? Well, luckily our free boards were close enough that the fenders were not an issue. And we didn’t have problems stepping from one to the other. We did pull the sterns in, not the bows, as etiquette prescribed, since we are good friends. I’m not sure how we would have handled bow to bow, since the cruiser’s bow is higher than mine. And my lifelines in the front are difficult to detach, so walking across would have been problematic.
Another thing that went right is that Maria, the owner of the cruiser had done this before and knew to pull the lines in tight. That proved quite helpful when the powerboats in the vicinity sped on by, causing waves. Our boats weren’t banging hard against the fenders.
The temperatures were perfect that night. The company was great, and the food and drinks were delicious.
The next morning, I was up at 6 am. Everyone on the other boat was still asleep. I had brought yogurt and fruit for my breakfat. So I reached into the fridge and, lo and behold, the fridge wasn’t cooling. The ice in the tray had melted. I looked at the battery gauge and it showed less than 10 volts on the charge. The lights were still working. But the higher amp items, like the fridge were not.
I did have issues with the batteries the day before. After we’d been sailing for a few hours, the lights on the console began to flicker. I’d seen this before and knew that the batteries were running low. So I turned on the engine to charge the batteries back up.
I’d had this issue in the not too distant past. After finally becoming frustrated enough, I pulled out the battery meter and found one of the house batteries was dead. I’d replaced it and no more problems. Did my current issue mean the second house battery was now dead? Guess I’ll need to take a look.
So now, I finished my breakfast then tried to turn the engine on. No clicks. Was it the starter battery that was the problem?
More on the electrical set up on my boat. I don’t have a switch; I have 3 handles. I have not done anything with those handles. But a conversation with Maria from pointed to the fact that I should disengage the starter battery when anchoring to ensure I had a charge to start the engine later. I filed away that useful but of info.
Again, I’d seen this before. I’d thought maybe I was out of fuel. And, indeed, the next day when I put in fresh diesel, it started right away. But when I later tried filling the tank, the 20 gallon tank only took 6 gallons. So no answer there.
A fellow boater at the marine had suggested tapping on the solenoid, that it might have a loose connection. So I talked with Jodi, a whiz at electronics, and asked her to show me where the solenoid was. She figured that out, we tapped it, and the engine started. Batteries charged again, I was in good shape.
Maria and Jodi noticed the tea I’d also make myself and asked if I could heat them some water, too. They had an electric stove on the cruiser, which required getting the generator started to work. I had a propane stove that was much easier to light and use. So I heated water for them, as well as for Maria’s husband, CT.
After this very leisurely morning, air blew up my kayak. I have a Sea Eagle kayak that ai love. It’s quite sturdy for a blow up kayak, and it takes up a small enough space when deflated that I can transport it in the back of my car.
I got it inflated and was disappointed to see I’d not included the skeg. Ah well! Paddling would be harder. But it proved not to be. This is rated for 3 people, but 2 adults fit in in comfortably. I sat in the front so I could also play with the sail. And I had no problems steering it. I did, however, order a new skeg when I got home.
Later, I put the kayak away and we took the power boat to try going into the nearby town of Matthews.
We had talked before about taking the kayak over. I’m glad we didn’t: it proved to be further than we had anticipated. We went during high tide, since we were told it wouldn’t be passable otherwise. As we approached the town, however, it was too shallow for the power boat and we started kicking up mud. Jodi, who was being pulled in a raft, helped turn us around and move to deeper water, and we headed back. Mission to accomplished. But we did get a nice view of the rest of the river.
We played for a bit more when we got back, then decided it was time to start moving to our next destination, in the Severn River, on the other side of the bay.
More on day 2 and the rest of the trip in the next post.
[Top]Deconstructing the Race
We corrected to 4th on last week’s race and 4-1/5 minutes behind the guy ahead of us. We coulda’ been a contender. It was an interesting race.
We were behind the crowd after rounding the first mark. We flew double headsails towards the second and reached that mark with the rest of the crowd. We were port; they were starboard. But we were ahead enough of the other boats I thought the mark distance rules applied and we went around first. One boat called me on it. I wasn’t sure I’d done right. So when we were the starboard boat, I ‘kindly’ got out of everyone’s way and lost time.
Ah well!
Then everyone headed towards the channel and we kept to the more shallow water. They lost wind and the tide was against them, too, so we caught up again. Then the wind changed. Winds were taking us across the river, then switched and we were moving more southerly. The other boats made the correction for the mark better than we did and made up their time.
But it was exciting!
Not only that, the temperature was perfect and, except for that mess at the end, the winds were great, too.
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