Memorial Day

[JohnRPollard]

Except for the incident below, we had a nice weekend too. But the winds were light.

We hunkered down in Harness Creek off the South River. We had a nice, clear spot to set anchor and swing.

Mid-day Sunday, two older 30+ foot express cruisers anchored/rafted upwind of us, only about 1.5 boat lengths to windward. Too close for comfort, plus I watched the guy anchor and knew there'd be trouble.

A little after lunch, Captain Knucklehead pulls in what little scope he'd deployed. I see the bows of the rafted boats begin to fall off the wind, as the two boats turn broadside to us, dead upwind. I jump to the bow of our boat and shout that they're drifting down on us. The guy with the anchor rode in his hand (Captain Knucklehead), says "I was just pulling it up to see if it was holding alright."

I'm not kidding. That's what he said. He actually pulled the anchor completely up to check on it.

Meanwhile he shouts to his rafted neighbor to start the engine and back them off. Too late. They've swung down on us and we are trying our best to fend their rafted boats off our bow pulpit. They are broadside to us, but fortunately their running gear is not on top of our rode (line). The other boat starts engine and slowly -- with lots of fending -- backs them off our boat and rode.

So I think we're done now. They are well clear and they will go find a better place to anchor, right? I can go back to the cockpit and relax finally.

Nope.

The boat that started it's engine was the downwind boat, i.e. the one up against our pulpit. After completely clearing us, he keeps his boat in reverse, which causes the raft to spin a 180. He continues backing down and drags Captain Knucklhead's boat right across our bows again, snagging and tangling our rode on Captain Knucklhead's running gear.

The ensuing "de-tangling" was another goat rope. I can't even bring myself to write about it. Suffice to say, I want an all chain rode now.

And of course, they plunked anchor down in the same spot again when all was said and done.

[Gladrags1]

We had a nice time over Memorial Day Weekend as well. We had a great sail over to Swan Creek on Friday night, leaving at 7pm and having the wind pipe up for a fast sail across. Despite almost being run down by a powerboat traveling at high speed coming up from the Chester River, it was a fun sail! The high water made sailing across the Swan Creek bar more comfortable. We met up with our friends who had gotten there earlier as they had the day off from work (we didn't) and they kindly invited us to share their hook.

Saturday started a bit damp from some overnight rain and we left our anchorage about noon. The wind was dead on the nose as we headed down the Chester River, heading for Greys Inn Creek where our club had a rondevous. Since the wind was in our face, we decided to motor until the Chester where it would hopefully be off as we went around the bend but the wind instead decided to die. Finally going around the river bend by Queenstown, the wind piped up again, this time from the northeast. We watched the other boats set their sail and get set by the current so we continued to motor. The wind finally came up in velocity to the point where we could have made good progress but we were close to our destination by then so we simply motored in to Greys Inn Creek. We anchored in a nice wide spot with marsh grasses on the west and wooded area on the right. This creek is as yet undeveloped and very pretty! It has become one of my favorites! Our friend who is very knowledgeable about the night skies rafted with us and at 9pm, all of the other people from our club came over for a "Star Party" to gaze at the stars in the night sky and learn about the different constellations. While it was a bit cloudy overhead which hampered the viewing a bit, we still saw some nice stars and even a satelite as it traveled northwesterly across the night sky!

Sunday came and we awoke to a hot bright sun. We had a nice sail out of the Chester River before the wind died in the Bay. Another case of "river wind!" We headed over towards my neck of the woods, to Nabs Creek, off Stony Creek. We motored from Love Point due to the lack of wind and the fact we wanted to get there in time for the luau! We arrived at the Stony Creek bridge in clumps, with us in a group of 10 as we passed through the bridge. I'm sure the bridge tended hasn't seen a group that size in a while! We rafted in several groups down by Nabs Creek Cafe and it was beautiful! We were, again, on the party raft and we had at least 50 people on our 4 boat raftup from our club enjoying polynesian horedoerves and beverages well into the night! It was a great evening!

The next day came with the promise of wind. Our friends heading up to Middle River had a great sail back home but we simply motored back to our creek next door where we anchored off of Oak Harbor Marina to swim and play with our new overboard retrieval block and tackle system so we know what to do in the event of an crew overboard situation. It was good to do as we had to make some changes to the shackle as it was too difficult for little hands to work. The process tired us out so, after a swim and lunch, I took a nice little nap!

We drove back home to PA later that day amid thunderstorms. Luckily we missed getting stuck in them but the weather alerts were going off for storms all around. It was a very pleasant weekend!

I agree that Fairlee would have been a real zoo this weekend! We normally stay away from there except when our club has a party where we roast corn on the spit. However, it is a great creek to go in the middle of the week where there are maybe 1 or 2 other boats. The beach is great to swim from!

Glad everyone else had a nice weekend!

[wwilson]

Not quite a thread hijack because the topic has been raised - Apologies anyway, but I keep wondering where the sailors go once, "round the bend" so to speak.

My draft is not sedate, "Chesapeakian" but even for those with 4-5 ft, where do you put the damn thing once inside? Is this NOAA raster of the area at all accurate? I see a 7 and 8 ft spot sounding but expect that is where Jethro hosts the cigarette-boat raft-up - now what?

Is this one of those "beautiful anchorages" that deep draft boats just can't get to that y'all keep telling me about?



No anchor needed - mud to the chines!

[Gladrags1]

There's plenty of water back in there for drafts up to 7'. We usually go to around where the "R" is on the chart, near the N8. There is an 8 - 9' hole there and it keeps us clear of the noise and confusion near the beach. We draw 5' in case you were wondering and have never gotten stuck in the mud!

Tod

[chef2sail]

Glad,

You passed right by us anchored in Grays Inn Creek. Your fleet went by as as we were having our coffee anchored. We were on the southern side of the creek with about 4 other sailboats about 1/2 mile in from the entrance of the creek from the Chester.

Dave

[MMR]

Hubby had Friday off (furlough day), so we spent the week humping stuff down to the boat planning for a Friday am departure. Since it was our first long trip of the season we had to get bedding, provisions (including our basic “stock the boat” stuff for the season), propane tanks (for cooking and refrigeration) loaded and stowed. We also had misc new “toys” to test out and get set up (rice cooker – YEA WORKS on our inverter!!), pantry shelves, griddle, new hatch covers, etc. so it was a busy week

Friday we toted down the final provisions and clothes and then had a leisurely lunch on the boat at the pier watching the weather for storms. Finally, we dropped lines and left the pier about noon.

We motored out of the Little Magothy onto the Chesapeake Bay and headed across to Swan Creek where we planned to anchor for the night. About 15 min into the trip our GPS died! This is the GPS that feeds into our Chart Plotter and gives us speed and course information. Truly bummed! After some multiple (and desperately hopeful) pushing of the RESET button we pulled out the paper charts and our old handheld GPS and proceeded without a problem. RULE 1 of navigation is have multiple backup systems of varying levels of technology because STUFF BREAKS!

So, using our MARK ONE Eyeballs, we got ourselves across the bay, over the Swan Point Bar (we draw only 2Ft) and into Swan Creek. We were one of only 3 boats in the creek so we had our choice of anchoring spots and headed toward the “back” of the creek where it gets shallow, for privacy! Anchor set on the first try and we shut off the motor. TADA! Grill came out and we settled in to steaks and salad.

The following morning after coffee we broke out some tools and Hubby started to disassemble the GPS module, hoping to find a loose wire. After much prying and pulling and unscrewing and caulk slicing (and requisite blood letting – no project is complete without it), we determined that either the unit had failed or gotten wet or something…it was not just a connection issue. So, we put stuff back together and settled back with books and waited for the rest of our Yacht club to show up. Slowly the creek filled up with other boats until there was quite a crowd anchored for the weekend.

By evening we had 6 other boats rafted up with us and a grand party going. Swimming, kayaking, grilling, drinking and general merriment! T37 motored by and came over later to say Howdy! After dark, we retreated to our cabin and played a rousing game of Wits and Wagers with the other club members.

Sunday morning, boats started peeling off from the raft up. Most headed back home, but three of us continued on to Baltimore Inner Harbor where we had reservations at Inner Harbor East Marina right downtown. Yet again the winds were light to non-existent, so, except for a hour of SLOW sailing,we motored. We spotted the Yacht Club cruise director’s boat ahead of us, so followed him into the Patapso River, under the Francis Scott Key Bridge and Inner Harbor area. We had our hands full dodging powerboat wakes and keeping the boat on course. We got slammed around pretty good; stuff flying from one side of the cabin to the other as we got hit with wakes 3-5’ on either side. I was really glad to see the 6knt mark (no wake zone) at Fort McHenry.

We easily found the Inner Harbor East Marina, hailed them and got a slip assignment. At their go-ahead we pulled into the marina and got the boat docked with the help of the marina staff. The other two Yacht club members eventually were tied up in slips next to us and we headed to the showers to clean up and cool off. After grabbing some more ice, we pulled out the grill and set up on a picnic table on the docks and grilled chicken and kabobs. After dinner one couple headed out to “do the town” and we played Rummikub with the other couple.

After pancakes the next morning we set out on the early side with the intent to avoid the powerboat crowd in the river. Traffic was light, so the trip down the river was much more pleasant. 90 minutes into the trip we were back out in the Bay and heading south for home through the hazy humid day. We finally had wind just off Bodkin Creek, but it was coming directly at us from our course heading. Sailing would require us to head across the bay and back to get to our home dock, and add 3-4 hrs to the trip, so we elected to motor. We pulled into our home dock about 2pm, unloaded, and headed home to air conditioning and showers.

What a great weekend!

[Gladrags1]

Chef2Sail: Yes, I remember passing a C&C anchored in Greys Inn Creek. It's a pleasant location. Next time you see us give a shout! I normally monitor Channel 72 when I'm on the radio.

Tod

[mltroy]

We anchored in Grays Inn Creek Sunday night but we started the weekend with a Swan Creek Sailing Association Cruise to Langford Creek.

It was a great weekend cruise in spite of a few things that could be chalked up to the fact that it was our first real sail of the season. We had tried to squeeze in an overnight between launch and this past weekend but it hadn't happened. Then again you could just chalk it up to complacency and poor memories.

We left Swan Creek Marina early Saturday because of the threat of t-storms in the afternoon. There was no wind but, surprisingly, very little holiday traffic in the Chester so we had a lovely motor down the Chester (no powerboat wakes), around Eastern Neck and up the Chester to Langford Creek. Total of around 17 or 18 miles. First issue was with the outboard which changed speeds several times. Finally decided it was the remote throttle cable or linkage because the motor never actually quit and moving the cables around seemed to affect it. We were among the first to arrive at the anchorage in the East branch of Langford Creek by Cacaway Island so we set the anchor and waited for the rest of the SCSA. No thunderstorms but those dawdlers who left later than we did found some wind and had a nice sail. Turned out we had a total of 11 boats show up. (There were less than 25 total in the anchorage overnight.)

Had a nice Happy Hour with our friends from the SCSA on a 6 boat raftup. We got to play water taxi for a folks in a larger boat who anchored separately and didn't have a dink. We were on the outside of the raft next to a big Morgan. Not too bad of a step up from our deck to theirs. Broke up the raft for dinner and delivered our passengers back to their boat.

Found a nice spot to anchor and set about cooking our own dinner. That's when we discovered our next problem – dolts that we are, we forgot to fill the water tank! Luckily, I had 3 gallon-size jugs of drinking water on board and some paper plates and we had remembered to fill the portable head so we were fine for the weekend.

Had a ham steak, couscous salad and a green salad for dinner. After clean up we discovered our third issue when we tried to turn on the new anchor light. We thought we had taken care of last year’s issue but we still had a short somewhere in the system that kept throwing the breaker. It didn’t do that when we tested the new light out before we launched. Fortunately we still had our old hoistable anchor light that we used to use with a Com-Pac 16 back in the 90s. We used it some last year when the anchor light problems came to light (or didn’t) and still had it aboard.

Final problem was also discovered Saturday evening - we had forgotten tea bags! Both Fred and I are tea drinkers and while we only drink decaffeinated tea, we do like our cup of tea (such as it is) in the morning. Luckily I had 5 tea bags in my handbag - ones that I keep for meetings and such where there is coffee but no one thinks to include decaf tea. We figured we could ration them out through the weekend.

Sat. night was warm but it eventually cooled off and we got a good night's sleep. We have a canvas enclosure for the pop-top which gives us a larger cabin, keeps us dry and keeps the bugs at bay. Its got screens and the ventilation is pretty good.

Beautiful morning on Sunday. All the SCSA members had differing plans for the rest of the weekend so we were on our own. It was very warm but there was a breeze so we decided to get a morning sail before stopping for lunch at the Rock Hall Yacht Club (just off Langford Creek in Lawyers Cove) where we are members.

Had a lovely sail and as we were coming back to the RHYC we spied a friend sailing his Rhodes 22 wing and wing down the creek. When we told him we were headed for lunch at the Yacht Club, he said he would see us there.

We felt our way into the Yacht Club, it's mostly devoted to dinghy racing and is noted for the shallow water in the cove. We tied up in a very large slip in 4 feet of water. We had to tie docklines together to make it work. There were lots of kids in the pool but the water was still pretty cold. Our friend Tom found us and we had a lovely lunch sitting in the pavilion with him and some of his kids and grandkids. They headed off for other activities so we hung around the club in the AC a bit after lunch and then headed out ourselves.

There was still some breeze so we sailed out into the Chester and around for a while before motoring into Grays Inn Creek for the night. Anchored just before the bend in a low place so we would get breeze from all directions - if there was any.

Had chicken on the grill with more green salad and couscous salad so there was no heating up the cabin. I'd made both salads at home and we had brought the boneless chicken frozen in its marinade so the only prep was to put it on the grill and again there was almost no clean-up – always an issue on a small boat but really annoying in the heat. Lovely sunset. It was very warm but we dug out a 12 volt fan that we have stashed away and ran that for a while to help cool down the cabin after the sun went down.

Again slept well but got up at sun-up because of the heat. Beautiful morning though with a bald eagle perched on tree watching as we ate our breakfast with that last cup of tea. A couple of ospreys ganged up on the eagle and finally he or she flapped off complaining. There was no wind but we decided to motor home rather than wait for a breeze so we wouldn't have to unload the boat in the hottest part of the day.

We got waked pretty good approaching Green 11 by Hail Point. As all the boats are converging there, a big powerboat came up fast behind and cut between us and the mark. We had time and space grab a handhold and to turn toward his wake but barely. It was easily a four foot wave and splashed right up to the cabin top. There was a very light breeze behind us once we turned for Rock Hall but it was directly behind us so we didn't even try to sail.

On our way up to Rock Hall we buried the bow deeply in a random wake and got water clear over the cabin top and down the sides of the cockpit but we had the companionway slider closed and the cockpit clear so we were the only things that got wet and in that heat, it felt good.

We were back at Swan Creek Marina just before noon. It was really, really hot so while Fred flushed out the outboard, I threw all the perishables and the small remains of the ice in a very warm cooler. We took off a cartload of stuff, left the boat open and went home for lunch. After lunch (and a bit of a cool down) we went back to the boat, took off the rest of the cruising gear and buttoned her up properly. We were back home for good and showers by 2 or 2:30.

In spite of the heat and lack of wind (or our poor timing in relation to the wind), it was a great weekend. We overnighted in a couple of lovely anchorages and spent time with friends - a good start to the season.


Mary Lou
Rhodes 22 Fretless
Rock Hall, MD

[SVAuspicious]

Chef2Sail - we must have passed you on Sunday between Still Pond and Annapolis. Will have to look around more carefully in future.