The Curse is Broken! Kelly IV Learns to Fish. July 27–28, 2013.

You know the “Curse of the Bambino” was long-lived. Until this weekend, it seemed that “No Fish Caught While Capt Murph is Sailing” would achieve the same longevity. Since my boys were trying to catch fish on Lake Erie aboard the first Kelly, there has never been a sailboat I've been aboard that caught a fish. Not a friend's sailboat, not a charter boat, not even on the 4 day sail from Long Island to Bermuda where the skipper said “we always catch fish on this trip.”

Tom Lynch is a great friend who spices the relationship with his allergy to fish. As Tom is also an avid fisherman, that means I support my friend by eating all those dangerous fish that would otherwise harm my good friend. Warned that “No Fish Caught While Capt Murph is Sailing,” Tom accepted the challenge and brought his gear aboard Kelly IV for an evening and and Sunday of fishing. The weather was threatening scattered thunderstorms, but also foretold of fine breezes that would provide wonderful sailing.

Tom steers us to the fish

Given the late hour of the day, we motored directly into the wind and waves, focusing on the fishing. Tom proclaimed he would provide dinner for the evening by the time we reached the anchorage. He labored against the frequent salt spray and constant bouncing and pitching as Kelly IV barreled her way windward and south towards Thomas Point. The head-on force of the 15 – 20 knot breeze and 2 – 3 feet waves kept her speed to 3 knots. It was a fine trolling speed, yet the fish were having nothing to do with Tom's bait. After three hours the dark clouds, setting sun and blustery air encouraged us to seek the nearby anchorage of Fishing Creek, nestled close by Thomas Point.

Tom directs Kelly IV past Thomas Point Lighthouse

Always true to his word, Tom broke out the pre-cooked dinner of steak and Rockfish that he had prepared at home and brought aboard Kelly IV. A bit of warming on the stove and we enjoyed a delicious dinner of surf and turf. Or rather I did, while Tom limited himself to the turf. The after dinner entertainment for the evening was a private concert featuring the Tin Whistle talents of Irishman Tom Lynch as he played his whistle, recently acquired while visiting Ireland with his family.

The next morning we set off to a gray and windy day that proved perfect for sailing and fishing both. The breeze permitted downwind sailing all day as the gray kept the temperatures comfortable. Tom's first fishing effort was to bottom fish as we drifted with the wind and waves. A couple small Croakers broke the curse, but since they were not “keepers” it wasn't clear if the curse was truly broken or merely bent a bit.

Crokers

With the nice breeze, we sailed as Tom switched to trolling. Under jib alone Kelly IV still made 5 knots, which was too fast. Between working his two rods, Tom furled the jib until just a scrap was showing and our speed finally was down to 3 knots.

That must have done the trick as Tom caught and released several small Rockfish until Kelly IV began having notions of joining the local fishing fleet. But she wasn't really clear of the curse unless she could provide Tom the opportunity to catch a “keeper.”

Tom works the lines

The gray day burned away as the sun made frequent appearances and the breeze moderated. To keep the trolling speed up we tugged a bit more genoa into the wind.

Then it happened! The starboard rod began squealing like a motor boat in pain and Tom lunged across the cockpit to work the big one. He would haul the rod forward against both the water and the fighting fish, then reel in a couple feet. It was hard work as the reel chose this time for the mechanism to fail so Tom was now fighting both fish and machine. You can see on the chart where the fish was hooked as Kelly IV changed direction slightly. It wasn't until the dramatic curve back on course, that the fish was landed and the curse was well and truly broken.

Rockfish!  It's a KEEPER!

As the breeze continued to lighten, we unfurled the full jib and enjoyed a relaxing sail back to Annapolis. And I had the promise another great meal of fresh Rockfish!

Great Friends, Great Food, Great Company - July 12-14, 2013

Nino Forlini, Guy Stewart, Bill and Sarah Paviol decided to share their weekend on Kelly IV. They brought great food and terrific culinary experience. Although Bill and Guy have always produced wonderful meals, it never seems to hurt when executive chef Nino joins the crew.

Saturday breakfast was freshly made pancakes, sausages and fruit, all made on board. The gorgeous day of sunshine was a magnificent change for the 24 hour rain that drenched Annapolis the day before. Kelly IV sailed with her experienced crew under the Bay bridge and into the Magothy River. Although the winds were light, this crew was successful in generating 3-4 knots out of 8 knots of breeze.

Nino at the helm

After dropping anchor in Dividing Creek near South Ferry Point off the Magothy, Sarah took her Dad for a dinghy ride while Nino napped in the shade and Guy and I cooled off swimming around Kelly. The Paviols returned and teamed with Nino to prepare some fabulous burgers, grilled on the stern barbecue. Several crew enjoyed melted cheeses over the burgers along with fresh pepper salsa.

Bill relaxes in the Kelly's cockpit

Bill and Guy explored Dividing Creek with their fishing gear and caught 3 fish in the two hours they were exploring. If they had taken any more time, they'd have missed Nino's grand dinner headlined by the Delmonico steaks grilled off the stern. As it turned out, they returned in time and enjoyed the terrific meal with the rest of the crew. After dinner, drinks and conversation, Nino and Guy slept in the cockpit as the forecast was for a beautiful evening without rain and proved true. The Paviols and I took advantage of the fresh air wafted through the boat by our windscoop and fans.

Guy enjoys the sun and breeze

Sunday morning dawned clear and beautiful, fresh percolated coffee set the ambiance as Bill created a delicious french bread breakfast from tasty pretzel bread. Motor sailing was the travel mode as we departed the Magothy River, then the breeze increased as we gained the main Chesapeake Bay and sailed without the motor. Sarah had been our primary helmsman all day Saturday and proved her skills again on Sunday. She even steered us under the 5 mile long Bay Bridge on Saturday and passed drifting sailboats on Sunday, all with the calm of an experienced sailor.

Sarah at the helm

Kelly IV experienced a bit of a challenge as the Sunday breeze took her into the midst of the fishing fleet north of the Bay Bridge, then the breeze turned fickle and light. We'd been under sail alone for less than an hour. The reliable Yanmar was our solution as we departed the fishing fleet scooted under the bridge and returned back to Annapolis.

Back in her slip, Kelly IV hosted the crew to a grilled tuna steak, brought by Nino and grilled by Bill. The sun attempted to grill us all with the blistering afternoon sun, but we basked in the cool air conditioned comfort of Kelly's salon as we dined on the succulent, seared seafood.

Nino and Sarah offload Kelly IV after a great weekend

A dip in the pool to cool off, then the crew of terrific friends bundled into their car for the return trip to Pennsylvania. Truly another wonderful weekend with great friends and good sailing.

Perfect Weather for Sailing - July 4–6, 2013

After stowing our provisions for a couple days, Keith and Stephanie threw off the dock lines while Kelly and I took them away from Annapolis Landing Marina. Our first stop was Whitehall Creek for a community picnic and fireworks. It is a very short trip across the Severn River, Whitehall Bay, then up the creek, so we only unfurled the genoa for a little motor sailing. There are some notable doglegs piloting a deep draft vessel, namely Kelly IV's 5 feet of draft, to wind safely into Whitehall Creek, but that isn't any different than any other destination around the Chesapeake Bay. Keith steered Kelly IV like the experienced hand that he is and made a great crew mate as I worked the anchor deck.

With our craft safely anchored for the night, we nosed the Pudgy dinghy into the smaller tributary where we found the home of Don and Donna, who included us for their community picnic and fireworks viewing. The traditional crab feast was delicious as we renewed our skills at harvesting the meat from the multilegged, hard-shelled critters. It seems that we spend more calories digging the white gold from the shells and legs than we consume.

Evelyn Marie is the classic wooden Chesapeake Bay Deadrise that Don and Donna keep in a slip at their home. It was also our transport to Whitehall Bay where the fireworks presented by the city of Annapolis could be viewed without battling the crowds in the Severn River and Annapolis Harbor. Don found a radio station playing Sousa marches and we enjoyed a terrific evening of lightshow and camaraderie.

The next morning we departed Whitehall Creek and sailed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Stephanie's first time doing so. Crossing under the massive twin spans is always an exciting event on a small boat. Although there were lots of small craft on the bay, there was no freighter traffic, so the bridge was not the challenge it might have been. A tack off the eastern shore of Kent Island took us back across the bay past the Sandy Point Lighthouse and into the mouth of the Magothy River past the southern tip of Gibson Island.

Keith and Stephanie

Although we were concerned about losing our breeze as we entered the enclosed waters of the Magothy, Kelly did fine sailing all the way to our anchorage in Cool Springs Cove off the southern shore. Although we had sailed 14 miles from Whitehall Creek, we were only four miles as the crow flies from our previous night's anchorage. Thanks to a sunny yet mildly breezy day, Keith was able to introduce Stephanie to the joys of sailing without the challenges of too much or too little wind.

Kelly IV with her genny poled out to port

Saturday morning introduced another perfect weather day as we set sail before even raising the anchor and sailed away without ever using the motor. This day produced more breeze when we exited the Magothy and Kelly sailed a long tack across the bay, then came about to cross under the bridge. Except for a lull in the lee of the bridge, the breeze maintained about 10 – 12 knots through the day. The motor was never required until it was time to drop the sails and return to the marina.

Kelly IV departs the Magothy River

What a wonderful weekend to share with great friends!