Middle River to Baltimore

[mwollenweber]

thanks Scott. I tried to send you a PM, but the system won't let me until I ramble more on the boards. Send me an email at my username here @ gmail.com

[mwollenweber]

To anyone curious how the trip turned out, I ended up making it only with my fiance. Scott offered to help, but then I was suppose to have a friend to help -- that fell through last minute. Some lessons learned:

1. Use the channel in Middle River I say this for two reasons. First, there are crab pots spread out all around Hart-Miller island and it's like sailing through a mine-field. People said to watch out for crab pots, but if you're new you really have no idea how bad it can be. Second, we missed the turn to take the channel south of Hart-Miller so we added some time to our trip. If we were in the channel, I'd have followed the markers better.

2. I learned why sailors hate power boaters. Maybe that isn't universally true, but after having innumerable power boats zoom past me at break-neck speeds, I don't care for them much. I understand the appeal of going fast on the water and love to jet ski (though it's been a long time). The problem is that most of them weren't considerate of the effects they had on others.

3. The approach to Baltimore was rough. There were 10 knot winds predicted for the day from the NW. Right around the time I started approaching the key bridge, the winds seemed to spike (from a couple miles out). That was miserable. We couldn't tack back and forth handily enough to make sailing worth while. So we dropped the sails. With the strong head wind it was still rough. Also, I left the jib attached but tied it in a bundle. That was a mistake. With such strong winds it flew up and caused problems. I'm not sure what the right approach is to lower the jib on a small boat in rough weather. I ended up squeezing through the air vent/portal (?) on the deck and crawling up to pull it in. I'm sure it was a sight.

4. I'm going to go with Baltimore is a good place to learn to sail. I don't think the rivers are meant for sailing. I see people doing it, but you need to know the area really well. Out further into the bay was rough in a small boat. The harbor is busy but no one is speeding along. Most of the boaters are respectful and the waters are placid. There are down sides to that I'm sure, but for us right now the harbor is nice.

5. The VHF is mandatory. We only used ours to hail the marina, listen to the weather, and coast guard reports. It felt reassuring to have it and I felt it was a safety line that let us keep going when times were rough.

6. To sailors, don't abuse the rules of the waters. I had a sailboat beat back and forth across my bow over and over. I couldn't have sailed the course that they were, so I know avoiding me wasn't a high priority. But after I've diverted 3+ times for you, please show a little courtesy to boats under power. (yes, I hope to remember this while I'm under sail)

If someone could provide feed back it would be appreciated. In particular, I'd like to know the best procedure for taking the jib down in at least somewhat rough weather. I'd also like to know if there's a simple trick to fix a small outboard motor to not turn. It seems to flip over at the most in opportune moments, so any thoughts on that?

Thanks again everyone for all the advice.

[camaraderie]

Hey congrats on making the trip. You did fine...you got home in one piece with no major damages!
Two words on the jib...bungee cords!!

[jaschrumpf]

Originally Posted by mwollenweber

6. To sailors, don't abuse the rules of the waters. I had a sailboat beat back and forth across my bow over and over. I couldn't have sailed the course that they were, so I know avoiding me wasn't a high priority. But after I've diverted 3+ times for you, please show a little courtesy to boats under power. (yes, I hope to remember this while I'm under sail)

If someone could provide feed back it would be appreciated. In particular, I'd like to know the best procedure for taking the jib down in at least somewhat rough weather. I'd also like to know if there's a simple trick to fix a small outboard motor to not turn. It seems to flip over at the most in opportune moments, so any thoughts on that?

Thanks again everyone for all the advice.

It should be pointed out to you that a sailboat under power is a powerboat, and the sailor "beat[ing] back and forth across your bow" is perfectly in the right, and you need to avoid him. It may have seemed annoying to have him tacking where you want to go, but remember -- he has the right of way. And you'll appreciate that fact when you get better and you're the one tacking, and some powerboat pins you into the wind.

Glad to hear you made it! Keep on learning.

[scottyt]

glad you made it, you could have still called me.

you did the right thing about crawling up there, stay low and hold on. also yes the boat under sail has the right away. and i was at the stadium when the wind picked up, i am jealous i wanted to be on the water

hart miller is fun, i just run thru the pots and turn if i get too close. i have only bumped one, every so often i miss one and get too close, but i have never really hit or snagged one.

[mwollenweber]

Originally Posted by jaschrumpf

It should be pointed out to you that a sailboat under power is a powerboat, and the sailor "beat[ing] back and forth across your bow" is perfectly in the right, and you need to avoid him. It may have seemed annoying to have him tacking where you want to go, but remember -- he has the right of way. And you'll appreciate that fact when you get better and you're the one tacking, and some powerboat pins you into the wind.

Glad to hear you made it! Keep on learning.

jaschrumpf, respectfully there's a big difference between someone having the right to stand on and someone abusing a rule. The sailboat could have adjusted it's course slightly to pass at my stern. I'm not saying that's the proper rule, but after you've cut across someone's bow 3 or more times I think it's time to adjust no matter who technically is suppose to stand on. Just like the powerboats are perfectly allowed to speed across the bay and can get very close, it's much more respectful when they pass far away.

If you think you can always follow the rule book verbatim and not run into real world problems, I'm not sure where you can sail without having a collision. I'd further offer that it is much easier for a sailboat on a close reach to fall off the wind a few points than a sailboat under auxiliary having to repeatedly alter course in heavy head winds. IMO everyone doing little things to make the waterways easier to navigate and more enjoyable is the right thing to do.

Originally Posted by scottyt

glad you made it, you could have still called me.

you did the right thing about crawling up there, stay low and hold on. also yes the boat under sail has the right away. and i was at the stadium when the wind picked up, i am jealous i wanted to be on the water

hart miller is fun, i just run thru the pots and turn if i get too close. i have only bumped one, every so often i miss one and get too close, but i have never really hit or snagged one.

Scotty, appreciate the help. I didn't like crab pots but they weren't too bad. I don't think I'll be making it to Hart-Miller any time soon. But the sailing we did around the island and up toward the Key bridge was the most fun of the trip. The trip was only rough for an hour or two.

[sailingdog]

Well done....look forward to hearing more about your adventures as you learn this craft we all love.