It is a long drive from St. Mary's, PA
to the Chesapeake Bay, but Guy Stewart makes the drive at least once
or twice each year to go sailing. This time he did so on very short
notice when his weekend opened up at the last minute and he noticed
that the crew spots on Kelly IV were still open. After a
phone call to confirm the details, he drove to Annapolis, threw his
gear on board and crashed for the night.
Kelly IV departed her slip soon
after the Lady Sarah made room by her own departure for parts
unknown. Although the breeze existed, it was rather mild. Even
flying all three sails, jib,
main and the 3/4 ounce drifter,
was not enough to push Kelly IV to her destination at Rock
Hall, MD several miles northeast of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge at
Annapolis. Almost an hour of my “fiddling” and our speed dropped
to well under 2 knots, so we dropped everything and motor sailed.
Guy steers Kelly IV past Kent Island
It was still a gorgeous day with
striking blue skies and even the bay looked blue. Of course there
were a number of boats enjoying the day including what seemed to be a
military exercise north of us and west of Rock Hall. A freighter/supply ship appearing to be 300 feet long in battleship
grey forged out of the Patapsco River from Baltimore, crossed the
bay, then turned north as if to head for the Chesapeake – Delaware
Canal. Then a twin engine plane, also grey in color, began circling
and buzzing the ship. This went on for about half an hour while
Kelly IV motored northeast from the bridge towards the
southern entrance of the channel that leads north to Rock Hall.
Finally the aircraft flew west and out of site while the ship turned
west and retraced her trip from the Patapsco.
Aircraft buzzing ship off Rock Hall, Maryland
That evening we dinghied into Rock Hall
for a walk through town, enjoyed a before-dinner ice cream and found
our way to the restaurants by the marinas. We had to walk as Kelly
IV was anchored in Swan Creek north of town and separated from
the harbor by a peninsula.
Guy in Rock Hall
The restaurant was the same one we
enjoyed on a trip many years ago with Captain Troy Cain aboard his
Catalina 25, Persistent. The seafood feast didn't stand a chance
when faced with Guy's appetite!
Guy's Big Meal Finished
Swan Creek Sunrise
Sunday was another beautiful, if
windless, experience followed by a terrific sunrise. The motoring
trip back to Annapolis was a quiet, relaxing event that made the
rumbling engine seem almost soothing.
While I missed this epic re-creation, fellow Lake Erie sailor and GLCC member, Mark Gagyi sailed his boat into the gorgeous waters of western Lake Erie to film the re-enactment. His photos are terrific:
Friday night traffic was a bear,
delaying Chris and his boys, Quinn and Jarrett, from arriving as
early as they'd hoped. As soon as gear and provisions were stowed
aboard, we climbed into the trusty Portland Pudgy dinghy for the
brief water ride to Eastport. Dinner at the Boatyard was excellent
and the pudgy saw to the safe return of all four of us.
Chris and I had not seen each other in
several years so we had some catching up to do. That abbreviated our
sleep as we talked into the wee hours and were underway before 10am. Kelly IV wasn't much of a stretch.
Murph provisioning, by Chris Button
Jarrett had driven the entire trip from Philly to Annapolis, so
taking the helm of of Kelly IV wasn't much of a
stretch.
Jarrett drives Kelly IV
In
fact, he proved to be an excellent helmsman as he steered us into the
wind for raising the mainsail, then motorsailed out of
the Severn River, into the Chesapeake Bay, and under the expanse of
the Bay Bridge.
Chris has a real talent capturing great
visuals with his photographs and he created some wonderful examples using
the bridge. Be sure to click these photos for the larger version.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge by Chris Button
Chesapeake Bay Bridge Spans by Chris Button
Chesapeake Bay Bridge Curves by Chris Button
Quinn was not to be outdone by his big
brother as he took the helm and guided Kelly IV safely out of
the main channel past the shoals at the Sandy Point Lighthouse and
into the channel entering the Magothy River.
Quinn takes the helm, by Chris Button
Dobbins Island marks the southern edge
of Sillery Bay and was already collecting a few boats in the
anchorage. The island is a long sliver of mud and sand that stands
about thirty feet high at the cliffs forming its southern edge and
collapses to a small sandy beach along its northern shore.
Dobbins Island Cliff by Chris Button
The
eastern and western points are just that, points where the northern
and southern shores meet. The island is barely 100 feet at its
widest point. The island is not a desert as it is covered in trees,
but it is deserted in the sense that no one is living there.
Immediately upon the dinghy's arrival,
Quinn was off exploring and Jarrett was using his track skills to
catch up. Despite the island's small size, the young men disappeared
for an hour searching out the various trails, shores, cliffs, trees,
birds, waves and beach. I thoroughly enjoyed the exploration,
although vicariously, when they reported their findings on the dinghy
ride back to Kelly IV.
Sillery Bay Sunset by Chris Button
Sunset Colors by Chris Button
Jarrett and Quin by Chris Button
The sail on Sunday actually included
some nice sailing as the very light northeasterly was the perfect
direction as Kelly IV sailed a beam reach back towards the
bridge. The breeze gradually dissipated into nothing and we wrapped
up the fun weekend at the marina with an hour in the pool.
When Brian and I departed the marina,
there was almost no breeze, but perception can be deceiving. A hill
standing well over 50 feet above the waters of Back Creek creates the
spine that separates Back Creek from the Chesapeake Bay. That ridge
also prevents the southeast breeze from entering Back Creek.
Brian kept Kelly IV pointed into
the building breeze as we raised our sails in the Severn River,
killed the engine and sailed into the open Chesapeake Bay. By the
time we cleared the last hazard mark we had a full 18 knot breeze
that had me wondering if a reef in the main might have been the
better decision. The jib already had a reef in it, but that was just
good luck as we wanted to be able to easily see underneath the big,
broad genny.
Underway on the Chesapeake Bay
Brian kept the helm and steered Kelly
IV along her beam reach, getting boat speeds of greater than 6.5
knots. Although we had only an hour or so to sail before sunset, we
joked about sailing to the Bay Bridge since our speed was tempting us
to cover the distance in time to beat the sunset. As it was, we
tacked and enjoyed another beam reach back into the mouth of the
Severn River, gradually falling off the wind and finally gybed the
jib to sail on a run, wing and wing. As the waves were much smaller
and calmer in the river, Kelly IV kept her wings out and flew
along at 6+ knots towards the dinghy racers near the Naval Academy.
Although tempted to claim that we
chased the racers off the water, we suspect that the racing was done
and the dark clouds and oncoming rain had more to do with the dinghys
sailing back home. The jib was gybed again bringing Kelly IV
onto a close haul and we tacked a few times to clear our way back to
the open waters away from the marks and an anchored cruising yacht.
Tacking into the breeze was noisy and
bouncy as the waves burst spray over the bow, but Brian and I just
ducked behind the dodger and stayed dry. The rain was a minimal
spitting and soon disappeared with a glorious sunset peeking beneath
the purple grey sky.
Although brief, this was a grand sail
of terrific fun.
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!
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.
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
KellyIV'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 KellyIV
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!
