SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

An incredible sail

4K views 42 replies 16 participants last post by  seaner97 
#1 ·
We went out last night for dinner and sailing. It was probably the most memorable outing we've had, due to several unusual events. Rather than write a travelogue, I'll just list the bullets:

- Air temp was 95 but humidity was unusually low for Baltimore, so it was very comfortable, with a nice breeze

- Winds were favorable for family sailing and eating dinner underway

- We saw multiple dolphins! This was in the mouth of the Patapsco river, which flows from Baltimore Harbor into the northern half of the Chesapeake

- After sailing we anchored out and swam while watching a beautiful sunset. Water temp was perfect for swimming

- As the sun set, the full moon rose on the opposite side. Big and orange! And this was a blue moon too (second full moon in a calendar month)

- Here's the kicker: while we all gawked at the moon, a very bright and long-lasting shooting star fell down right beside it, glowing a fiery green!

I told my wife I should get my fishing gear out, because I'm sure I would have caught a 36-inch striper!

Have a great weekend everyone...:2 boat:

(Note: This post may be a bit of an eye-roller for people who are "out there," but I live in Baltimore for god's sake!)
 
See less See more
#10 ·
scratchee,
Congrats on such a nice sail, good sailing days on Chesapeake in mid to late July don't happen often.

funny you posted this because I was sitting in my office yesterday afternoon and saw the tops of the trees swaying. Thought to myself man wha a nice breeze, looked at buoy data for chesapeake bay bridge tunnel..... wind was out of N @14kts...air temp was 83! At the office in Norfolk about 10 miles away air temp was 94!

It truly was a great sailing day on Chesapeake Bay yesterday....to bad my boat is on he side of the house, Im glad someone got to enjoy it
 
#19 ·
So, not to jump into the BFS controversy, but you know when someone has a great time out sailing, even if they never get past the breakwater, it's such a pleasure to hear about. Unhook the gimbal on the stove and cook underway for maybe the first time, cool!

For those who have single handed Cape Horn in a well found boat offshore boat, to experience adventure they might have to try it in a beach cat in force 10 conditions.

For those who have never sailed before, getting a sunfish around a lake is an adventure.

The older I get, the more I envy the the young guy with the sunfish on the lake, he/she got many more adventures to come, and plenty of room to expand the limits.

I'm very much enjoying Jon's stories, I learn by reading as he stretches my limits as we've only made it to Cape Bretton and it challenges us to consider going further, but I got just as excited about this thread, such a perfect day on the water.

Very few people start out doing adventures like Jon's. Adventure is going a little bit further, a bit more wind, a bit bigger sea, a bit more navigationally challenging, for you. The excitement is doing something new for you.

My advice to anyone, is keep stretching your limits, it's what makes life worthwhile. If I had control of the BFS brand, I'd give award it to both cases (sorry Smack or Jon if either one is offended).
 
#20 · (Edited)
So, not to jump into the BFS controversy, but you know when someone has a great time out sailing, even if they never get past the breakwater, it's such a pleasure to hear about. Unhook the gimbal on the stove and cook underway for maybe the first time, cool!

For those who have single handed Cape Horn in a well found boat offshore boat, to experience adventure they might have to try it in a beach cat in force 10 conditions.

For those who have never sailed before, getting a sunfish around a lake is an adventure.

The older I get, the more I envy the the young guy with the sunfish on the lake, he/she got many more adventures to come, and plenty of room to expand the limits.

I'm very much enjoying Jon's stories, I learn by reading as he stretches my limits as we've only made it to Cape Bretton and it challenges us to consider going further, but I got just as excited about this thread, such a perfect day on the water.

Very few people start out doing adventures like Jon's. Adventure is going a little bit further, a bit more wind, a bit bigger sea, a bit more navigationally challenging, for you. The excitement is doing something new for you.

My advice to anyone, is keep stretching your limits, it's what makes life worthwhile. If I had control of the BFS brand, I'd give award it to both cases (sorry Smack or Jon if either one is offended).
EXACTLY, very nicely stated... I was just about to reply to scratchee's original post, agreeing that it sounded like a wonderful evening on the water... Hell, any time you combine kids, on a boat with their parents, and dolphins, well... it just doesn't get much better than that ;-) Doesn't matter where it occurs, some of my finest times on the water will forever be many which took place within virtual shouting distance of my own dock...

I'd prefer to be left out of the whole BFS thing, as well... Truth be told, probably about 25% of that trip was technically a BIG FREAKIN' MOTOR JOB, anyway...

;-)

 
#26 ·
This is like the time I threw a Christmas party and my cousins got in a fist fight. Awesome! [Disclaimer...that party didn't actually happen.]

I probably could have helped matters by titling the thread, "Nice evening on the water." Having done a couple things in my day--things other than sailing--I'm familiar with the reaction to someone who acts like they pulled something big off. I remember walking up Diamond Head in Hawaii, and watching some other guy reach the top and act like he had just scaled El Capitan. It was comical. My thread, as others have pointed out, is about nothing more than a nice evening on the water with my family.
 
#31 ·
Yikes. Sorry I started that. I, too, thought it was a marvelous sail, and was inspired by your enjoyment. If I get some sleep tonight, I hope to do the same tomorrow on a daysail. May not make it all the way round isleboro, but should get at least 3/4 the way down before the clock forces a turn and run for the mooring.
 
#32 ·
Let's see reported bouy data of about 15 knots while family having dinner might well push the limits of keeping the mustard jar on the table!

To me sounds like a BFS as it was memorable.

More important what was on the menu. We can't have a report of a Chesapeake Bay dinner sail with the menu and preferably with recipes. You guys seem obsessed with food, and that is a good thing.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
 
#35 ·
More important what was on the menu. We can't have a report of a Chesapeake Bay dinner sail with the menu and preferably with recipes. You guys seem obsessed with food, and that is a good thing.
Glad you asked! My wife brought paninis that she made at home. I brought a bag of chips that someone at work had given me, a spicy cajun deal called "Crawtaters." Washed it down with sweet iced tea. It was awesome.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Lost in the whole thread:

- We saw multiple dolphins! This was in the mouth of the Patapsco river, which flows from Baltimore Harbor into the northern half of the Chesapeake
That's amazing! I don't start looking for those until well south of the Potomac. I assume they didn't escape from the National Aquarium either.

Edit: I trust you weren't talking about one of these Patapsco dolphins:

 
#36 ·
...I trust you weren't talking about one of these Patapsco dolphins:

Yes, that was it! Long and skinny and not really swimming too much.

Just kidding. I'm no marine biologist, but these had dorsal fins and blowholes and were too small to be whales. We had three or four sightings of one or two pair (don't know if they were different pairs or the same pair that appeared on one side and then the other.)
 
#37 ·
We also went out sailing that night pushing off at 7:00 pm and sailed down to the Magothy. We saw Dolphins also as we were exiting the Patpsco and later a few meteorites . It was an awesome mellow sail winds 6-9 knots, moon shimmering on the water and nice glass of red wine with s lb of shrimp cocktail and chocolates for dessert.

Usually when I tell my wife we are going for a night sail she groans, but she really enjoyed Friday and kept the helm for a couple hours.

Temps were about 80 when we left with the breeze was quite comfortable. A bonus sail for sure on the Chessie.
 
  • Like
Reactions: scratchee
#38 ·
Thanks Scratchee (and others) for the story (stories).

I'm the guy here with low standards. Just taking off from the dock to go pump the head is a good sail. Skipping the pumping out part makes it a great sail!

Here's an example: My wife and I went out Sunday and sailed around for about an hour. Now you might think that is a mighty short sail - and I'd have to agree with you. But the wind was about 30 knots and my wife is just gitting over a knee replacement. - so for us it was thrilling to be out on the water. First weather she's been in for quite a while. We sailed under main alone, and had it well reefed. The boat was definitely de-powered, but the motion was easy and the boat was dry. We were going about 5 knots. Blue skys, lots of whitecaps, bunch of other boats to look at … I'm still smiling just to remember it!

Flat seas with the kids, chest thumping big wind and seas, short minutes, or long weeks (months or years), if it feels incredible to you - then, in my opinion, it is.
 
#39 ·
I love great sails.

Thanks for these. We just had a 'great sail', close to home. It started in Perry Creek off Vinalhaven Island in the Penobscot Bay, Maine. This was 5:45 am.



With a motor assisted coast, we picked up 3 to 4 knots of wind on the nose, and started tacking.



With a bit of current against us, it was slow going at 2 to 3 knots of boat speed. But that gave good steerage and was the perfect pace to run up close to bold shores and take in all the beauty of the Fox Island Thoroughfare.

And it paid off as winds picked up into the the 5-6 knot range in flat water. Tacks got longer and our angle tighten up.



Soon out in the Bay with the mizzen staysail flying, we enjoyd a broad reach in the 10 to 12 at(-what felt like-) a blistering 7 knots in the peaks.

16 tacks(my wife doing most of the grinding), 15 nm's and 3 hours that ended too soon, we were home.



Next day, our daughter texted her mom, "how was your sail?", the reply; "best in 28 years".
 
#40 ·
Thanks for these. We just had a 'great sail', close to home. It started in Perry Creek off Vinalhaven Island in the Penobscot Bay, Maine. This was 5:45 am.



With a motor assisted coast, we picked up 3 to 4 knots of wind on the nose, and started tacking.



With a bit of current against us, it was slow going at 2 to 3 knots of boat speed. But that gave good steerage and was the perfect pace to run up close to bold shores and take in all the beauty of the Fox Island Thoroughfare.

And it paid off as winds picked up into the the 5-6 knot range in flat water. Tacks got longer and our angle tighten up.



Soon out in the Bay with the mizzen staysail flying, we enjoyd a broad reach in the 10 to 12 at(-what felt like-) a blistering 7 knots in the peaks.

16 tacks(my wife doing most of the grinding), 15 nm's and 3 hours that ended too soon, we were home.



Next day, our daughter texted her mom, "how was your sail?", the reply; "best in 28 years".
I swear you posted that just to tweak me.
 
#42 ·
Maine is one of the only places I consistently see people SAILING in the fashion Tom always so beautifully illustrates... It's one of the only places I often see cruising boats flying spinnakers, for instance. They really do love their sailing up there, though I've often thought that the lessened risk of snagging a lobster pot under sail might be a slight contributing factor to that... ;-)



There will always be exceptions, of course... Like, when the New York Yacht Club comes to town, on their annual Summer Cruise...

;-)

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top