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.
Catching Up
So much to write about! I thought of separating this in to different posts (to look like I’d written this over time). But that would be silly.
So….
Taking the Boat Down for Cock Island
I decided to take the boat over in two hops this time, rather than on long one. It was a mixed blessing doing so. The first day, we left about 3 in the afternoon, expecting to make the halfway point (Salt Ponds), within 5 hours. The weather prediction was for gale force winds, and, of course, I was nervous. But Steve had driven about an hour down to take the boat with me. And, not doing it in that time meant a long day on Friday. Steve checked the York River from Yorktown and called it good, so we set out.
Mistake of course. At least 3 hours while we were out there, there were heavy winds and 4-5′ waves. I wasn’t too nervous. I’d taken the time to roll in the jib and reef the main, so I was feeling in control. Bad part was the last hour and a half, when we had driving rain, lightening, and thunder.
Steve N., who was meeting us at Salt Ponds, to take us home for the evening, found a local, thank goodness! who could give us directions on how to get into the marina. Since it was now dark and visibility was poor, we appreciated his advice!
Friday was a dream. Not alot of wind and sailing, but very relaxing. Steve, his sister, Bethany, and her boyfriend, Larry, helped me get the boat the rest of the way into Portsmouth, where we docked right next to Steve R’s Excelsior.
Being next to the main party boat at Cock Island is a mixed blessing. Being next to the main party boat at Cock Island and having your moms come in to watch you race, well, it keeps you sober a bit longer. 😀
Cock Island Race
We ran a beautiful race! We started on time (hooray)! The winds were perfect. We flew the whole time. Mind you, we didn’t come in last, so we did okay. But the sailing was perfect, no matter what the outcome!
Going Home
Alex called the dockmaster at the private marina where he lives and was able to find us a slip for the week. So, going home we were able to break it up into two slices again. The first slice was the Saturday following Cock Island and the second that Sunday.
Jodi, her daugher, Shannon, Paul and Grant helped me take the boat from Portsmouth to Salt Ponds. Erik and I took it the rest of the way to Wormley Creek. Saturday was very relaxing. Wind kept shifting, so sailing was a challenge, but it was a good day on the water. Sunday was another wavy and windy day. Unfortunately, we were fighting the waves most of the time, so using the engine to make progress was the better bet.
All in all, though, it was a marvelous week.
[Top]Maybe it was an Omen
… that I put the link in about the learn to sail in gusts link. That’s just what happened yesterday.
The weather was perfect for sailing! Breeze was nice. It was a little on the cool side, but not enough to be uncomfortable. We’d been out a couple of hours and were just about to turn back to the docks when BAM! A gust came and knocked us over about 35 degrees. Not much, if you’re a racer, I know – I’ve been at bigger tilts when racing. But this came out of nowhere! Everything inside the boat that wasn’t locked down went from port to starboard. The boat spun til it was facing a windward direction, then stayed pretty stationary. It was still rocking in the wind, but not quite that bad.
I first tried to pull down the mainsail. I got it partway down and it stuck. I couldn’t at the time figure out what was wrong. Debbie, my one passenger, I told to try to bring the jib in. It’s on a roller furler, so I showed her how to haul it in. But the wind was too strong and she couldn’t do it.
I finally got the mainsail reefed in (still couldn’t get it all the way down), and started the motor. I turned the boat slightly off the headwind, since directly in took us into a crabpot minefield. Debbie took over at the helm. I pulled in the jib, then took over the helm and headed back into port.
We were on a broad reach heading back in. With the main reefed, and the engine on minimal, we were still doing about 6.5 knots. The waves were coming in parallel to us, and growing.
Yeah, the waves. There were ripples on the water most of the time we were out. There were still ripples when this storm hit us. By the time we neared Wormley Creek (home), the waves were about 2 foot high.
Wormley Creek is sheltered. In fact, you really can’t tell what the weather will be like on the York River sitting there at the docks. In this case, it was a good thing. I knew, when I brought the boat in, I could take care of whatever I couldn’t in that weather.
When we got in, I saw that the main halyard had wrapped itself around the spreader. That’s why I couldn’t take it down. First lesson – follow the entire line when trying to figure out why it won’t move. That’s no saying that I could have gotten it unwrapped out there. That would have required holding the line tighter as I tried to bring down the sail. But at least I would have known why it wasn’t moving.
Second lesson? Well, I’m going to hope some more knowledgeable sailors can tell me how I could have predicted this, or was it a fluke?
Weather report – land: 5 – 10 mph winds; marine: 10 – 15 knots, with gusts of 20 late in the afternoon in the bay. Sky: partly cloudy when we headed out. Overcast most of the sail. But the sky was a light, even color, almost as if we were staring up at fog. No dark spots – no dark spots ever. That I would have known was a storm heading our way. And, as I mentioned, the waves didn’t pick up until after the winds had started getting strong.
The online buoy report doesn’t work for that part of the river. The only report I can get is from the buoy closer to the mouth of the bay. The weather report I get for that portion of the bay tends to be less favorable than I find conditions on the river, although I won’t venture out if the words small craft advisory appear.
And the whole time, I kept repeating my mantra: sailboats are stable, sailboats are stable. I have 4 tons under me and it will take alot to tip it over.
[Top]Tropical Storms
Tropical Storm Hanna is on her way. As I write this, she’s just off the coast of South Carolina and expected to make landfall. She’s expected to give us 20 – 55 mph winds (depending on the current forecast) and a 2 – 4 ft. tide surge.
First notice I received that I needed to consider doing something about my boat was from the marina. They have a list of owners who want their boats hauled out immediately in case of a hurricane. That means they’ll be the ones getting first dibs on the space available. Since Hanna wasn’t (isn’t) expected to be that strong, there wasn’t going to be an automatic haul-out. But they would take it out of the water if I wished. I didn’t think it was necessary.
Next notice was an email from my insurers, BoatUS, who suggested I read about Named Storms in my policy. Okay. Here goes…
The applicable deductible amount showin on the Declarations Page will be subtracted from each loss. It will not apply in the event of a total or constructive total loss.
However, in the event of any loss caused directly or indirectly by a storm named by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and if your bot is located in the state of VA, FL (and about 1/2 a dozen other states)
…. blah blah blah….
Basically, the deductible is bigger if NOAA deems the storm namable. You can reduce that amount if you have the boat on dry land and it’s lashed down and the sails are removed.
What to do, what to do.
Next I heard from Dave, who suggested I add extra lines to hold my boat, lashing down the boom, and removing the sails. Of any advice I receive, I tend to put Dave’s first.
So, Thursday night, I headed over and talked with some of the other owners who were preparing their boats for the storm. They were tying down their roller furlers, rather than removing the jibs, and doing the same to the mainsails. I did the same. I also lashed the boom to the aft port and starboard cleats. I put all the fenders out. At one owner’s suggestion, I put a line from the transom (I’m parked transom in) to the cleat on the slip a couple away from mine. He said there wouldn’t be anyone around to trip over it (hope he’s right!). So I did that, too.
Now to wait a couple of days and hope it all works well!
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