Sailing Lessons. Book Learning and the Practicum - June 14-16, 2013

Kelly IV became a floating schoolhouse for the Moraine Sailing Club (MSC) of Lake Arthur, Butler County, PA this weekend. New MSC members Bill and Sarah Paviol and Corina Campbell joined former member (me) and long-time Lake Arthur sailor, Jim Clark, for a beautiful weekend sail that included a trip to St. Michael's, Maryland.

Corina, Sarah and Bill

We departed the dock 8am on Saturday with crew and chef-extraordinaire Bill creating a grand breakfast while underway. The wind direction was from aft of the beam, so we tried sailing, but the light breeze (less than 5 knots) became even less as we demonstrated our first sailing lesson of the day: apparent wind. So the iron genny provided the driving force to our destination.

Bill, Sarah and Corina had been taking sailing lessons so they can be certified to sail the MSC community Flying Scots. Bill began working through their book as we motored through the sunny day and still waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Lesson by lesson we read questions from the book provided answers, then checked our answers with those from the book. We even broke out some spare lines and practiced our knots.

Kelly IV at anchor

By 1400 hours we lowered the anchor in a tiny cove just inside the southeast corner of the small harbor at St. Michael's. With Kelly's new all-chain rode, we felt confident she'd stay put while we played tourist in the quaint, historic town. Kelly, upped anchor to settle for the night at the roomier anchorage just outside the harbor. Kelly's neighbors in this anchorage were visited by Sarah and Corina as they took the Pudgy dinghy for a ride before sunset.

Bill enjoy's St. Michael's

This is the town that fooled the British in the War of 1812 when they raised lanterns in the trees and doused all the lights in town. The bombarding British fleet shot up the trees leaving the town relatively free from damage.

Jim, CaptMurph, Corina, Sarah, Bill

After several hours walking about town, enjoying the many homes that are well over 200 years old and ice cream that was fresh from the dairy, we dinghied back to Kelly IV.

Corina and Sarah take a cruise in the dinghy

For Father's Day, Sarah cooked a terrific breakfast. It was a wonderful Father's Day treat!

By 9am Kelly and crew were off the anchor and raising sails immediately to enjoy the day's breeze. This time the southwest wind was substantially stronger (about 12 knots) so even with the breeze aft of the beam, Kelly was sailing along in a wonderfully capable apparent wind. Given the breeze, Sunday was declared the Practicum to Saturday's book lessons. With several course changes and adjusting sail trim required to dodge the shoals in the Miles River and six tacks necessary to traverse Eastern Bay and clear Bloody Point, Kelly's capable crew demonstrated that their book learning had produced excellent results.

With Bloody Point aft of the beam, the wind also fell behind us so we were on a broad reach for the balance of the return to Annapolis. The only “adventure” this weekend was when we cut across one of the Sunday afternoon race courses at the mouth of the Severn River. No one had to adjust their course, but we crossed two of the racers paths, one across their bow, the other behind their stern, within about 100 feet of each vessel.

Sailing an uneventful weekend depends a lot on having a great crew with experience. Even though the Paviol's are taking lessons, the fact is that they have been active sailors on Kelly IV and several other sailboats for many years now. It showed as each tack and sail change was handled smoothly and shifting anchor locations was merely routine. This is a crew that always has fun and are fun to be with.

Anchoring Challenge - June 1 – 2, 2013

Galesville, then to Annapolis

Another day in paradise as I glanced around the quiet anchorage in Galesville taking in the morning sunshine and relaxing with the soothing sounds of water lapping at Kelly IV's hull while the building breeze was rustling the burgees flying off the starboard spreader.  The large motor yacht off our starboard quarter was lying there just as it had all night.  So when I glance their direction a few minutes later and they're gone, it takes me by surprise.  Suddenly I realize that they are banging against the side of  a sailboat just a couple hundred feet aft of Kelly.

It is crazy to experience two anchoring adventures just a few days apart (our collision in Solomons happened while we were at anchor), but there it was right in front of me.  One minute the power yacht was lying quietly to her anchor which served her fine all night long, the next she was no longer under control and her hull was beating against the sailboat.  Fortunately, they sorted it out and in another few minutes the two skippers were exchanging information and the motor cruiser was on her way.  The wild part of all this is that, at its strongest, the breeze was still less than 10 knots.  I have to believe that something went wrong while they were raising their anchor, rather than their anchor dragging (which is a common culprit in these events).

The prior day started easy as the sail to Galesville was about 32 nm and didn't require an oh-dark-thirty departure to get there in daylight.   Our experienced crew guided Kelly back through the winding navigation aids and past the threatening shoals without a hitch.  The breeze was the best we'd seen so far this week, so once in the open water of the Choptank River we set sail.  Those who understand Murphy's Law will not be surprised to learn that Kelly faced the “Sailing Corollary to Murphy's Law:  whenever a nice sailing breeze pipes up, it will be on the nose.”

Jack and Bob sailing Kelly IV

No worries, with Jack at the helm and Bob on the sheets, they tweaked and adjusted to point as close to the wind as possible and after only two tacks we cleared the south end of Tilghman Island.  This route did take us several miles further than going through Knapp's Narrows.  A local captain advised us only a week earlier that there was significant shoaling in the Narrows and it would be easy to get stuck.  His advise was to go through at mid-tide on the flood so we'd get relatively deep water and, if grounded, we'd soon float off as the tide continued to rise.  Our schedule would have placed us into the Narrows at the peak of high tide which means that if we ran aground we'd be more than 12 hours waiting for the next tide to float us off.  It seemed prudent to just take an hour extra to sail around the extra distance and avoid the potential problem altogether.

It was a beautiful day, yet our breeze was beginning to wane.  And, wouldn't you know it, our course turned us downwind so what little breeze there was just wasn't enough to keep us moving.  We did spend a half hour struggling to set the drifter and merely drifted close to the fishing weirs.  That convinced us to stow the sails, fire the iron genny and proceed across the bay to the West River where we'd anchor off the small town of Galesville.

The quiet evening at anchor was followed by a good night's sleep then the brief excitement of the collision described earlier.

Thomas Point Lighthouse

On Sunday, June 2, the building breeze continued and was both strong enough and aft of the beam so Kelly IV sailed away immediately after raising her anchor.  A few gybes brought us to the mouth of the West River, then we sailed on a comfortable broad reach until we cleared  the Thomas Point Lighthouse.  At that point we set the whisker pole on the jib and sailed wing-and-wing for over an hour until past Tolly Point.

Approaching Annapolis under sail

After “turning the corner” the pole was stowed, the jib gybed and we sailed into Annapolis on what proved to be the best breeze we enjoyed all week long.  It was an excellent way to wrap up a terrific week visiting a new anchorage at every port of call and sailing with great friends.

Collision in Solomons - May 29–31, 2013

On to Hudson Creek and St. Michaels, MD

A loud crunch jolted me to stare out my cabin portlight looking straight into the face of an older gent struggling with his helm as his sailboat crashed along Kelly IV's starboard side, banging his way from our bow aft.  By the time his cockpit was even with Kelly's midsection, I had dashed the length of her interior, up the companionway and onto the side deck.  The solo skipper was already apologizing as Bob, Jack and I fended off the old, derelict-appearing craft as it scraped from our spare lines on the bow rail, past Kelly's fenders hanging from the starboard lifelines and just missed ripping the davits, radar post and solar panel from their mounts.

Once past the anchored Kelly, he got better control of his vessel and steered her in a circle to wait for me to take our dinghy over to collect his name and contact information, in case of any damage.  Thankfully the dinghy was still in the water from our morning excursion so I was quickly alongside his cockpit writing down his name and phone while he circled away from Kelly IV.  A quick inspection before jumping into the dinghy, and closer inspections since then, have not yet revealed any damage worse than several significant patches of greasy dirt rubbed into our spare lines and new white fender.

It seems that the Cap'n who banged into us is a longtime liveaboard cruiser who was making his way north to New England away from the threat of hurricanes further south.  His battered and bruised sailboat had seen its better self many years prior, as we noted the dirt, rust and grime prevalent throughout.  Our newest contact in the cruising world explained that while steering the channel to depart the creek he felt water on his feet and bent over to investigate.  While discovering that he only spilled his water bottle, he inadvertently steered his ancient yacht into Kelly IV.

This bit of excitement took place on May 29th as we were preparing to depart Solomons for Hudson Creek.  On our arrival the night before, we set the anchor, lowered the dinghy to walk through the small town, got our bearings and info about the Calvert Maritime Museum.  Given the museum hours we decided to go there in the morning as our next destination was a rather short trip.

After our typical breakfast of great food wonderfully prepared, we ventured in the dinghy to enjoy the museum and were pleasantly surprised at the terrific displays and genuinely friendly staff and volunteers.  An easy going yard worker greeted us as we debarked onto the “back yard” of the museum and guided us to their entrance where “Bud,” the ticket taker, regaled us with stories and features we should enjoy around the facility.

Choptank Sailing

Our first stop was an excellent display on rays and skates described by a very well informed and casual lady who led us to touch the skates in the tank properly as well as understand the “Mermaid's Purse” and it's role in reproduction.  From there we enjoyed the instruction and knowledge of the two ladies who ran the children's room.  Yes, the three guys proved they haven't grown up yet and learned about sea stars, turtles, hermit crabs, horseshoe crabs and other cool aquatic creatures.  The Calvert Museum is well known for having an excellent paleontology collection, much of it from the Calvert Cliffs which run for many miles on the western shore, beginning at Drum Point at Solomons.

We had our run-in (literally) with the elderly Cap'n soon after taking the dinghy back to Kelly to prepare for our day's sail.  The sail was gently uneventful to the point of having to motor sail most of the trip because the light wind was not enough to carry us forward.  Bob and Jack guided us through the maze of crab pots and nav aids until we found a protected spot on the rural Hudson Creek off the north side of the Little Choptank River.

It proved a beautiful sunset and evening dinner was another repeat.  Jack coined our trip in one succinct phrase:  “We sailed like pirates, ate like kings and drank like fish.”  Well, old fish.  It didn't take much with all the sun and food to get us to sleep like babies.

A lazy morning and we were on our way winding out of the Little Choptank, around Ragged, Hill and Cook Points into the Choptank River, then north through the shallows of Broad Creek and San Domingo Creek, finally setting our anchor at the “back door” to St. Michaels.

Murph, Bob, and Jack with Delorean Motor Car

It was low tide by the time we dinghied in and had to twice manually clear weeds off the dinghy's propeller before I gained the smarts to use the oars and forgo the otherwise effective electric motor.  A quiet walk across town to the main harbor and a relaxing dinner ashore has us deciding to make Friday, May 31 a lay day.  We spent Friday sleeping in, enjoying another great maritime museum, The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.  Somehow we fit in time for a photo op with a Delorean motor car, complete with Flux Capacitor (ask a “Back To The Future” movie fan).

Overnight Passage, Anchoring Excitement - May 27 to June 2, 2013 (Click thru the "Newer Posts" at Bottom)

Annapolis almost to Smith Island, then Solomons Island, MD, May 27-28, 2013

After motoring all night to cover the distance from Annapolis and with only ten miles to go, Kelly IV reversed her course to leave Smith Island, the primary destination of the week's cruise, astern.

The breeze had been very light, even non-existent at times through the night and on the nose in any event, so Kelly IV was motor sailing with only the mainsail raised.  The crew, Bob, Jack and Murph, had set out from Annapolis the evening before about 8:30pm, expecting a midday arrival at Smith Island, a 66 nautical miles (nm) sail.  Jack stood the first watch in the dwindling twilight and piloted Kelly IV out the Severn River past Tolly Point into the Chesapeake Bay.  All three of us were in the cockpit as we peered into the darkness to make certain the lights we saw didn't become seaborne obstacles.  We noted that the traffic was significantly more than what we'd ever seen plying Lake Erie and the highly populated western shore made identifying a number of the lights rather difficult as the shoreside lights tended to wash out many of the lights on the water.  It proved fun and adventuresome as we identified the numerous ships, boats and barges making their way up and down the Chesapeake.

In the wee hours before dawn we noticed a tow boat pulling a barge suddenly was coming back towards us after passing us by a half hour earlier.  Just as we were deciding to steer a significant course change away from them, we got a hail on the VHF radio calling for the sailboat motoring near the gas dock.  As we were then passing the LNG docks just north of the Patuxent River, and the only vessel near the docks for miles around (excepting the tow and barge) we knew they were calling us.  We answered immediately, but got no reply.  Our theory is that once they saw that we had changed course to sail away from them, there was no need to spend additional time on the radio.

Dawn broke gradually taking time to decide if the sun would make a full showing or stay behind the clouds.  As we closed on the bombing practice grounds and the rusted target hulks settled on the bottom of the bay, the decision was confirmed and the sun was in her full glory, a beautiful day on the water.  All the crew were up and about discussing what the curious Smith Island accent might sound like and how good the Smith Island cakes really were.  With only 10 nm to go, the engine shut off without warning.  When the engine sighed to a stop, it wasn't clear why, as the fuel, water temperature, and oil pressure gauges reported no problems.

The crew immediately unfurled the jib as the breeze had been building through the morning, although directly ahead.  With the jib drawing, Kelly was comfortably moving under sail, but downwind away from Smith Island.

The fuel gauge indicated a nearly full starboard tank (the tank we'd been tapped into), but it soon dawned on me that I was guilty of not keeping proper track of our fuel.  Kelly IV has two eighteen gallon diesel tanks for a total of 36 gallons.  Although Kelly IV's trips to date were short, a certain amount of engine time had been required, but not well-documented.   I dashed below and switched fuel tanks.  After a few false starts, Kelly's engine fired up and kept running, albeit a bit rough at first.  Not knowing a lot about diesel engines, my confidence was low that fuel was the only issue and now resolved.  After a bit of discussion it was decided that it would be better to work our way to a port with good diesel facilities rather than risk the uncertain resources at Smith Island.  Also, if there proved to be a significant problem and we had to leave the boat, it would be much easier on everyone if we made the western shore.

Although a bit disappointed that we'd not make our destination, the gorgeous day and wonderful breeze made for a terrific sail to Solomons Island, Maryland.  Our new port of call has numerous and excellent facilities as well as being located immediately across the river from the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.  This made for a very positive and enjoyable day of sailing especially as we saw the various aircraft landing and taking off, including fighters, helicopters, cargo planes and even a dirigible.

Large prop plane landing at NAS, Patuxent River

Our sail for this leg of the trip covered 83 nm as we sailed 56nm from Annapolis then 27 nm back north to Solomons.  This leg of the sail is the gray course line on the chartlet.

After topping off both tanks with diesel fuel, we dropped anchor and dinghied ashore to enjoy a restaurant meal and get the Calvert Maritime Museum hours.  Our plans were to see the museum in the morning before departing to out next destination back up the bay.  Of course, all plans are subject to change as we proved with our Smith Island destination.  And who knows who we'll meet, even while quietly sitting at anchor.  Stay tuned for the next installment.

Rhode River & Thomas Point w/Ollie - April 12-14, 2013

Oliver showed up in Annapolis at the marina after work early Friday evening. After provisioning we motored over to Spa Creek and picked up a mooring for the night, then dinghied up Ego Alley for a short walk through the ancient and wonderful streets of Annapolis. The evening was appropriate for my Irish friend as we enjoyed a terrific dinner at Galway Bay, the site of a great vacation with my wife in 2007, but this time the local Irish pub of note, here in Annapolis. The light rain that fell during our walk back to the dinghy foretold a great weekend of sunshine and easy breezes.

After breakfast on board we slipped the mooring and headed out into the Severn River with the wind behind us. That meant we could quickly raise sails and kill the engine. Although the breeze was light, it was still a wonderful sail until we were withing about 100 yards of Thomas Point Lighthouse.

Thomas Point Lighthouse

We found ourselves with a mix of nothing or extremely light airs that merely circled us, taking us nowhere. After getting the closest photos we've ever taken of the historic lighthouse, we fired up the trusty Yanmar for about ten minutes to keep from drifting into the lighthouse.

Thomas Point Lighthouse beyond Ollie

Soon we reached the breeze and actually sailed the entire way southwest then west into the West River, then north up the Rhode River, turning west again into the anchorage. All under sail. We would have dropped the anchor under sail, but we had to pass close by “High Island” which is not an island any more, but merely a very shallow spot in the middle of an otherwise safe and terrific anchorage. I ran the motor just to keep very tight control of our position as we passed the shoal area. Actually I should say Ollie kept tight control as he had the helm while I prepared the anchor on the foredeck.

Oliver

The CQR bit into the shallow, muddy bottom and we were set for the night. Although the breeze was a bit cool with temps in the low 60s, then 50s, we grilled steaks on the barbie and had a terrific dinner in the cockpit. The dodger kept most of the cooling breeze away so we ate in warmth and comfort. At sundown, the cooler temperatures drove us below.

Rhode River sunset

During the morning we each saw an Osprey diving for its breakfast, my Osprey failed to catch any, but Ollie's caught a fish and flew off to feed it's family. If only we'd been fast enough to catch a photo or two.

We raised sails as soon as the anchor was stowed, the engine was silenced and we sailed out of the Rhode and headed for Thomas Point Light and the way home. The wind was rather flukey, starting, stopping, heading us, lifting us, leaving us with nothing. All within minutes. We would no sooner sheet the sails in tight to sail close hauled than the wind would clock around and we'd have to gybe and sail downwind, immediately followed by another gybe as the wind moved 100 degrees across our stern. We'd see fellow sailors sailing close hauled just a hundred yards away while we sat becalmed, then 5 minutes later we'd fly by them on a broad reach as they were stuck with no breeze at all. It took us 3 hours to get past Thomas Point Light, just 6 nautical miles from our anchorage.

Thomas Point Lighthouse off Kelly IV's starboard bow

Once past Thomas Point, the breeze steadied, but was still light from the southeast, so we sailed for another hour on a broad reach. It was nice but slow enough that we finally had to fire up the iron genny to be certain Ollie made it home in time for a good night's sleep and work in the morning.

Thanks to some great neighbors in Annapolis Landing Marina, we settled Kelly IV into her home and bid farewell to our crew for the weekend, Oliver, a great sailor, fiddler and conversationalist. Very true to the Irish breed.

Noel and Kelly IV Battle Stiff Breeze, April 7, 2013

To view the cruises of the 2013 season, just click the button at the bottom of each page for "Newer Post".

Noel joined Kelly IV and I to finish commissioning Kelly for the 2013 sailing season.

Kelly IV's track up the Severn River to bend on the mainsail, then tacking into the 25 knot breeze on the Severn

The 2012-13 winter was the first winter that Kelly IV and I lived aboard throughout the entire cold season.

Winter view from Kelly IV

Kelly IV weathers the winter snow

We motored into the anchorage just upstream of the Naval Academy Bridge on the Severn River.  There we dropped anchor, bent the mainsail onto the mast and boom, then raised anchor and sailed away in the stiffening breeze.  By the time we left the US Naval Academy grounds aft of our starboard quarter, the breeze was gusting to 25+ knots.  While Kelly IV handles a stiff breeze just fine, she doesn't actually tack well into a strong wind.  As you can see on the track above, we made minimal progress to windward.  Regardless, it was an exhilarating sail for our first time this season on Kelly IV.

Kooser 2013

Murph and Bill ready to ski!

Kooser Ski Weekend, 2013

Bill shows off his beads

Bill, Murph, Guy, Sean

Sean, Guy, Murph, Bill