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Hello, I'm new...and what a day yesterday!!!

3K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  Ajax_MD 
#1 ·
Good morning everyone,

I've been lurking for a while and have enjoyed reading about all your adventures and have learned so much that I felt it was time to join the conversation. First off, I don't own a boat...yet. :D

I live in Charlottesville, VA, which doesn't exactly enable easy sailing access. I have two young children (5.5 and 3) and am a single Dad. Needless to say, I don't have too much free time but when I can I crew on my Dad's boat whenever I get the chance. Kinja is docking at HHS. We used to be at Shipwright eight, nine years ago when he had a Beneteau 361. He had to sell it about five years ago and just purchased a Beneteau 46 this summer. I like the new boat. He's still getting used to the boat and how it handles and I every time I am aboard I go into sponge mode and try and learn as much as I can. I'm having a blast!

So, onto the story...we'd been trying to get to Oxford for a couple of weekends but time and the wind have not been on our side. We were hoping to go out on Saturday but from all accounts I heard is was a rough day. I awoke on-board yesterday morning to a nice breeze rustling the tree tops. After a walk down to the beach to get a view of the Bay and after we were fully caffeinated we cast off and set out for Galesville. We knew we couldn't make Oxford and my Dad really wanted to see the West River.

We hoisted the sails in Herring Bay and navigated the crab pot minefield successfully. It wasn't too bad but they were out in force. We managed to find the lines running N-S and ran parallel to them. The wind was at our backs and we made good time. It was so nice in fact that we decided to head for the Bay Bridge as we'd never been under it before.

There were a bunch of boats that appeared to be racing up near the bridge so we just headed to that HUGE container ship that was anchored just south of the bridge and turned around. Wow, those things are just amazingly large.

Once we were heading south we started hauling ass! What fun. My Mom doesn't exactly like it when the boat is healed over but the sailing was so good I just couldn't turn Kinja into the wind. Alas, to calm her down a bit and restore order I backed off a bit and headed for the West River. My Dad wanted to motor in since he had never been before. He's the Capitan so I went to work furling sails.

We took out time heading up the West River and came across another race, Hobie Cats I think. They were flying over the water. All was going well, we were proceeding up the channel from marker to marker but then something went wrong. My Dad was piloting, I was looking for crab pots or just being a tourist when my Mom glanced at the depth finder. "You're in FOUR FEET of wate.......oh sugar honey ice tea!!!" We'd hit the bottom but were able to cut hard to starboard and get back into the channel.

A way too close call for what was already proving to be a stressful journey up river as we didn't exactly know where we were going. We learned a valuable lesson. Go even slower then you think you should when somewhere new and if you have crew, make someone the navigator. We just weren't paying attention. Stupid rookie mistake that shouldn't have happened. We thought we were in the channel but we weren't. We were hugging the #3 Green buoy and should have been heading in a more westerly direction as opposed to a southerly one. Live and learn. No we know channel and we are not likely to make that mistake again.

Given the time we decided to grab a slip at Pirate's Cove for lunch. The wind was still blowing around 16 knots and right into the slip. It took a few tries to get in but we made it. It was a little exciting but we made it in unscathed. Had a wonderful and quick lunch and were back on-board and heading down the West in less then an hour.

My Dad wanted to motor home as the sun was starting to sink and he wanted to get home. It was too nice to motor even if the wind was only four knots in the West. However, the farther downriver we got the more the wind speed increased. I was able to convince him to raise the sails and once we rounded whatever point that is and were in the Bay proper we were ripping upwind at around 6.5 knots. The wind was steady around 12-15 and once I saw 18 for a few minutes. This is when my mother who is usually doesn't stop talking became very quite. Apparently I got so focused on harnessing all the wind I could I was near about putting the rail in the water and loving every second of it. The boat just kept asking for more. I obliged. We were heading out to sea and not getting any closer to home but my Dad and I were just enjoying the breeze while we had it.

My Mom finally spoke up and I realized that it would be best for everyone if I eased off a little. The boat settled down and she released her death grip from the ship's rail. I knew we couldn't keep running with the wind even if it was just one of those perfect moments. We had to go home. We tacked once but just weren't going to make it home before dark with the sails up. I hauled them in once more and we nosed Kinja directly into the wind and headed home.

It was a beautiful cruise back to HHS. The sun was very low on the horizon and just about lit the black water on fire. There was hardly a crap pot in all of Herring Bay. We cruised home without incident and watched the sun sink into the trees. We made it back to the slip just after dusk. Once everything was tidied up we melted into the cockpit and each one of us throughly enjoyed our whiskey and beers as the moon rose above our heads in the calm air of the evening.

We didn't make Oxford but we did have an amazing day on the water. We learned a lot and went somewhere new. It was a wonderful adventure and I can't wait to share the next one with y'all soon.

Cheers and thanks for reading. My name is Sean and my folks are Don and Anne Marie. If you're ever over at HHS please stop by and say hello!

Right, back to work...

Sean
 
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#2 ·
Welcome to sailnet! Yall could have reefed the main and used less head sail to be kinder to your Mom and let her get used to just being on the boat and sailing nice and easy.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Hi Denise,

I would have loved to have done that but it was just easier to turn into the wind a little and slow 'er down. Not to mention we were going the wrong way and I knew I had to change course soon anyway. I spent a lot of yesterday adjusting/tweaking the sails just trying to figure stuff out but don't know all the terminology yet. This will come with time and practice. I'm signing up for a class in April in Deltaville. Also, I wasn't trying to scare her, promise. :eek: Just got caught up in moment. She has been out many, many times and she still doesn't like when the boat is healed over. Nevertheless, it's wise to be kind to your Mom.

Ola Paulo,

Yes, it's a new Oceanis 46 but in the States Beneteau dropped the Oceanis moniker for some marketing reason. I'm still trying to figure out the whole true/apparent wind thing. I'm just not sure. The wind was pretty steady all day out of the WSW around 10-15 so I'm guessing it was true but since we were going into the wind it could have been apparent. I need to study this a whole lot more.

All I know is that we were going fast and there was a lot of wind in my face. :D

Hi Eryka, Thanks. Glad to be here!

Hi Bill, Just read your post from yesterday. I couldn't agree more. I just didn't want to put the sails away. Glad you had such a great day.

Sean
 
#4 ·
I agree - yesterday was about the most perfect sailing day I could imagine. We're much farther south in the Chesapeake, though.
 
#11 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hey Skid,

I was out yesterday just south of the bridge. If I remember correctly the wind was about 15 kts true.

You will go faster when you reef the main because after you heel beyond a certain angle (it is different for each boat) you end up using the lift from the sails to heel instead of propelling the boat forward. As a rule of thumb about 15 degrees is an optimal heeling angle. In mono-hulls flatter is faster.

Also, as you heel you will most likely develop more weather helm (the tendency for the boat to turn into the wind). A little is good, but too much will require you to use more rudder to maintain course which slows you down.
 
#12 ·
Also, as you heel you will most likely develop more weather helm (the tendency for the boat to turn into the wind). A little is good, but too much will require you to use more rudder to maintain course which slows you down.
Thanks Nick.

Oh, I love it when theory reinforces reality. Well, hopefully in this case...
Would that explain why I felt like I was fighting the rudder to maintain my position with regard to the wind?

Wow, there is just so, so much to learn.

Cheers,
Sean
 
#15 ·
Welcome to our humble abode Skid. Local knowledge is always a good thing... I sail out of West River (slip across the river from The Cove). Pirates Cove sponsors the Wednesday night (and now Sunday afternoon) beer can races. They have placed some marks that might help you next time you visit WR. If you look at the chart below you will see their marks in RED. The Star without a letter is their mark for the turn into the channel to Galesville (just past the Green #3). It is a priovatre white marker, no number or letter. It is a required mark for all boats (to make it fair for the shallow draft vessels) and assures you of at least 7' (unofficial of course).

The above Chart is a link from the PCRC racing notes... PCRC is an active race club and if you want to race on West River, it is a great place.
 
#16 ·
Thanks for the Chart Joe! We saw that star marker without a letter on Sunday. We didn't know what it was for. That helps a lot because we saw that one before we saw Red 4. We just plain missed Red 4 and came too close to shore.

PS - very nice work during the bridge shoot.
 
#17 ·
If you notice on that chart there is a similar mark F on the chart (no designation on the mark itself) that shows the shoal as it just north from Shadyside into West River. It is common to see boats aground there too. And on the north side of West River there is mark X that shows the shoal south of point on Rhode River. I sail in West River all the time and use these marks as aids all the time. They DO remove them after the last race of the season (just before Thanksgiving, and they do not reappear until mid April, so be aware of that too.

Thanks for the comment on the Photo OP, the session may appear on Spinsheet so keep your eyes peeled...
 
#18 ·
Great to hear that Spinsheet wants to do a story from the photo op, and you'll get some (well-deserved!) publicity for it ... we'll be keeping our eyes open. Hopefully Skid will be in next years photo session.
 
#19 ·
Welcome, Skidh

Welcome to this fun group. No matter if you meet them with the typed words and thoughts or you get the pleasure to meet this gang in person, you will find lots of topics of interest. No matter if you are looking for a nifty gunkhole, a terrific place to eat, someone to sew some canvas or want to share your snow shoveling activities, you will get some here.

Hope to see you on the water. Sadly we will haul soon so it may be next year, but SN will be my cold weather vice until I can get the boat back in the water.

Cheers,

Leslie:laugher
sv "Tango", Cabo Rico 34
lying in Oxford, MD
 
#20 ·
Welcome to this fun group. No matter if you meet them with the typed words and thoughts or you get the pleasure to meet this gang in person, you will find lots of topics of interest. No matter if you are looking for a nifty gunkhole, a terrific place to eat, someone to sew some canvas or want to share your snow shoveling activities, you will get some here.

Hope to see you on the water. Sadly we will haul soon so it may be next year, but SN will be my cold weather vice until I can get the boat back in the water.

Cheers,

Leslie:laugher
sv "Tango", Cabo Rico 34
lying in Oxford, MD
Amen! Here's hoping there's a lot less snow to shovel this year.
 
#21 ·
Welcome aboard. We are part of the "above the bridge" Sailnet contingent out of Rock Creek. There are many nice people we have met sailing south of here and for the photoshoot.

Dave and Donna
 
#22 ·
Thanks for all the warm welcomes guys. We plan to haul the boat out the weekend before Thanksgiving but we are planning to make a run up to Annapolis on the 20th. We may head back to the West and try and head up the Rhode as well. Nothing set in stone yet and we'll play it by ear that day. We're planning to grab a mooring in Annapolis that night and then head above the Bridge for a day sail on Sunday before returning to Annapolis Sunday evening. That will be the last day on the water until spring. :(

PS - Once the boat is put away bring on the snow!!! I have a horrible addiction to strapping boards on my feet and sliding down steep mountains in the winter. I really need to live out west in the winter.
 
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