Association Forum - Weekend sail on the Bay

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Cruising Forum

Weekend sail on the Bay

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

Member Avatar

1520 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/25/2010 : 09:54:44

It was in the 90's that Friday, and I decided I had to go get some ice cream down in the old, colonial fishing village of Oxford, Maryland.

I packed my supplies on the boat and got the weather forecast - northeast breeze at 5-10 kt. Later in the day clocking around to the east and then later to the south. That would be just fine for my heading eastward out of the marina down the Magothy River to the Chesapeake and then with the east wind heading south down the Bay.

There is a Scottish family who moved to Maryland and set up shop to sell home-made ice cream.

<font size="1">"Scottish Highland Creamery
Ice Cream is Victor Barlow's passion. Victor grew up in Edinburgh and lived above an Italian ice cream parlor, Mr. Boni's, that dated back to 1907. He began working there at age 15 and later became the shop's manager, the only person outside of the family bloodline to learn the secret family ice cream recipes. Victor and his wife, Susan take great pride in making the freshest ice cream by using local ingredients, fresh milk, cream and butter and flavorings imported from Italy.

Some of our most popular flavors include:
Mexican Vanilla
Double Belgian Chocolate
Tiramisu
Birthday Cake
Egg Nog
Pumpkin Pie
Dulce De Leche
Mascarpone
Fresh Crushed Strawberry
Lemon Sorbet"</font id="size1">

But it turned out the wind had already clocked around to the east, right on my nose. So I motored out, set sail, and tacked into the wind. Here's my track out past the mouth of the river into the Bay and past the Baltimore Light.

My trip took me down the Bay past Annapolis and the Thomas Point Shoal Light.

Without the northeast wind my progress was slower toward the south than I had expected. I decided to stop along the western shore of the Bay in a nice anchorage in the Rhode River.

It was a comfortable night at anchor, and the sunrise was outstanding:

In the morning the wind turned again and my easy course south turned into a beat into the 5-7 kt breeze.

This was my first trip down to the big, wide, Choptank River past Tilghman Island on the eastern shore of the Bay, and I was impressed with this nice sailing area with its array of gunkholes to discover. I had reserved a transient slip at the Mears Yachtyard in Oxford, and I called the marina on channel 16 for directions after I stowed the sails and motored into Town Creek. The Gypsy is the boat with the blue sail cover in the center:

This is a quiet town with water all around. Just across from end of the marina is the town beach and the landing for the tiny (4-car?) ferry:

I washed up at the marina, dumped my trash, and I had a soft-shell crab dinner at Schooners at one of their outdoor dockside tables. The restaurant was really quiet and dark inside, but the crowd at the outside bar and at the tables under the red umbrellas was having a pretty wild time.

Right next door was the Scottish Highland Creamery. They were serving 8 flavors that Saturday, and I had a wonderful mango cone! Mmmmmmm!!!

I went to bed early and didn't even go any further down the street to look around town before I would leave to go home at sun-up on Sunday.

In the morning the wind was blowing from the west at 5 kt. I motored westward out past Tilghman Island. I set sail at what is called Sharps Island. What has not washed away over the last 200 years is only a few hundred yards of salt marsh and this lighthouse:

It got hotter and hotter and I was glad to have my bamboo bimini and my pop-top for shade and ventilation in the cockpit and cabin.

NOAA had announced a small craft advisory for the afternoon with high winds and thunderstorms. Then the wind died as I got near the southern tip of Kent Island, so I motor-sailed north. This is a sailboat passing another un-manned, tilted lighthouse, this one at Bloody Point Bar off Kent Island.

With the tiller tied down, I cooked a turkey burger for lunch along with some chips and then a peach for dessert. I think that Coleman stove you see on the lowered table in the cabin has worked perfectly for over 35 years! One benefit of having no wind is you can make lunch with none of the usual drama when sailing single-handed and trying to eat.

But where were the damaging winds and dangerous conditions they predicted?

A tug was pushing a barge with piles of yellow stuff as it passed a freighter at anchor off Annapolis.

Then the wind picked up again to 10 kt as I passed north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

You guessed it - from the northwest as I turned to the northwest back to the Magothy River entrance.

I could have motored through traffic into the river entrance, but I thought I would sail in past the 2, the 3, the 4 and the 5 markers.

So the sail down the Bay was mostly a beat into the wind, and the sail back home up the Bay was mostly a beat into the wind. The forecasts were a bit off target all 3 days.

I tacked all the way into the entrance of Mill Creek off the Magothy River, dropped the sails, and motored into the marina.

I liked this trip. Sunny weather, peaceful places, and great ice cream!

JohnP
1978 C25 SR/FK "Gypsy"
Mill Creek off the Magothy River, Chesapeake Bay
Port Captain, northern Chesapeake Bay

Edited by - JohnP on 06/25/2010 10:07:09

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3478 Posts

Response Posted - 06/25/2010 : 10:18:20

That is pretty funny, you got headed almost all the way. Great Report... I liked the fresh softshell crab UMMmmmmm..

The Greatest Bay to sail in... ( except winter )

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3478 Posts

Response Posted - 06/25/2010 : 10:20:53

Did you read "An Island out of Time"?

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 06/25/2010 : 11:34:32

Nice description as always John. Wish I had water like that to sail on, or maybe just more time to do get-aways like that here!

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 06/25/2010 : 15:57:20

Nice! Fun to read, see the track, and have the local color photographed along the way. Really nice.

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

1520 Posts

Response Posted - 07/30/2010 : 05:57:10

I downloaded the stats from this trip, and here are the distances:

Magothy River to the Bay to the Rhode River anchorage
28.4 mi.

Rhode River anchorage to the Bay
to the Choptank River
to the Tred Avon River marina in Oxford, MD
45.6 mi.

Oxford, MD to the Bay to the Magothy River
55.1 mi.

Total trip 129.1 mi.

Edited by - JohnP on 07/30/2010 05:58:39

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.