Nothing cool to report, so just a few photos from my last outing.

The view from the boom 

On a three-sail reach. 120% of windspeed.

 Warehouse Cove, Chesapeake Bay

Eight Days in the Mid-Chesapeake

7-8-2016.

After a night on the boat in Deale, MD, I was able to make an early start while the group slept in. This is the easiest way for us, avoiding the rush of driving and loading up. A 10-knot north west breeze made for nice 6-8 knot reaching conditions with the spinnaker, but it ran out and our speed piddled down to 3 knots by the time we neared Solomons Island. Since our goal was Smith Island, and drifting at 3 knots wouldn't get us there until the wee hours, I motored on one engines, which gets us 5.5-6.0 knots, and bit more if motor sailing or if the tide is favorable. It puffed a bit again as we neared Smith Island, this time from the southwest, and we were able to beat most of the way at reasonable speed. The travel time was about 10 hours.

Jessica scampered off to Ruke's--the main reason for our stop in Smith Island--only to find that Ruke's had been closed for a year, a consequence of her husband passing and health issues of her own. Too bad, she was an icon, known for the best crab cakes on the Bay. People in Crisfield would even order take-out, via  the tour boat! But the Bayside Inn serves some excellence fair as well, and the view from the deck is very peaceful.

Can you spot the American Mariner (US Navy target ship) in the distance?

7-9-2016.

In the morning we headed across the channel to the Swan Island (the land to your right as you enter from the west) for a little kayaking. The low-light of of our trip was the $90 ticket I got from the DNR on the way back for having too few PFDs. Yes, I know better, and I even made a comment about going back on board to fetch a second when I realized we were short one, but laziness overtook. Heck, we would only be crossing about 100 feet of channel where we couldn't get out and walk! The first time, and not a mistake I will make again. I have been pulled over by DNR numerous times in 30 years, always by officers clearly prowling for a quota. This was the first time they ever found anything wrong.

Park's Marina.

At noon we left for Tangier, only 10 miles to the south. Little wind, but only 10 miles to cross. The bulkhead at Park's was full, so we tied up to a piling and I kayaked over to the marina to help Mr. Parks (he's 85 in just 2 weeks) move some boats to make room, which was simple. Unfortunately, the resulting gap was only 3 feet longer than my boat and shorter than my diagonal, requiring some fancy sideways maneuvering, greatly aided by very light wind and a slack tide. Here we would stay for 4 nights.

 A small storm passed to the north.

The next 4 days were divided between uneventfull fishing, swimming, kayaking, and generally relaxing and waiting the world float by. Our Tangier visits are pretty low key.

About a mile north of the channel in the Upards, west side.

This waterman decided to make his shedding operation dual purpose, adding a sun deck and a little bright paint. Many evenings there would be a group eating dinner and catching up.

 Lack of real estate means that most shedding and docks are actually on the water. A skiff is used to commute, many times times each day.

The remains of a retired travel lift. There is a functional lift on the other side of the harbor.

7-13-2016.

With a marginal forecast including a chance of thunderstorms all day over most of the Bay, we headed north to Solomons Island in a nice 10-15 knot southerly breeze. The spinnaker would have been nice, allowing us to sail deeper angles, but given the towering clouds it seemed a little risky. Thus we alternated between a broad reach and wing-and-wing, weaving between the squalls and catching only a few weak gusts and perhaps 10 minutes of rain. We spent a hot evening on the hook.

7-14-2016.

Again, the wind was from the south, but virtually nonexistent until afternoon. Given the heat, we motored to Parker's Creek, where we enjoyed a kayak break, and then on to Deale.

 

This is what a boat is for. Simply idyllic. No powered boats, only kayaks, are allowed in Parker's Creek. The beach itself is protected due to endangered tiger beetles (stay on the wet sand).

Lessons? 

• Always carry your PFDs, at least in MD.
• The new air conditioning was great. Much easier to use than the portable and more powerful. Great for sleeping.
• Fishing may not be reliable, but crabbing in Tangier is.
• Wet Marine PCA Gold is my "best value" paint choice (my second time). At 9 months there isn't a spot of slime, and experience says I'll get 2 years. Buy it on sale ahead. The best fast-sailing tip is a clean bottom.

Cambridge, Oxford, Fishing, and the Joys of Working Part-Time

I visited Oxford once years ago for a log canoe race. It hasn't changed much, which is good. The guide book says the holding in Town Creek is poor, which I do not understand (I anchored in the wide spot across from Squeazers. I also suppose it could get crowded in season, but the cove to the east is huge for the shoal draft (lots of 4.5-6 feet).

Just a short walk over to the Strand.

I toddled over to Cambridge the next day. Some load testing, but nothing photogenic.

One the way back home the next day, a little fishing.

35 inches, 20 pounds, on a hand line with a plug. Like pulling in a tire.

A good break from, well, my break. Actually, a lot of time was spent trolling for ideas, measuring stuff, and taking detailed photos that are needed for articles but, frankly, are dull.

The Last House on Holand Island

If you've ever sailed down to Tangier or Smith Island, you've probably seen THIS HOUSE on the horizon.

It wasn't always that way:

However, it is gone now, below the waves.

Three Days of Pure Relaxation

For those or you that either didn't notice or have forgotten, I also have a page about kayaking on the Chesapeake; The Other Chesapeake, with a link on the right. Lots of special out of the way places, mostly not in the usual guides.


Day One. Deale to Warehouse Creek. Light winds, one 28-inch rockfish, good kayaking.

 Making 5 knots in 4.5 apparent.

Day Two. Paddling in the morning, a brisk sail to the Wye River, followed by hiking and paddling in the afternoon.

Over 275 years old and going strong.

Day Three. Sailing home in light winds.

Hauling this in while still making 5-6 knots was a bear. But it's hard to kill speed with the chute up.

Remember this Vega?

Sailed around the America's, via the Northwest Passage and Cape Horn, this Vega 27 lived an adventurous life. Now she can be found in the "broken dreams" are of the Herrington Harbor North boat yard, worn out and done.

Kinna sad. Simple boats, but a number of Vegas had traveled far.

Solo the Americas

Cheston Creek off the West River

(that's up near Annapolis on the Chesapeake Bay for you non-locals)

I needed and over-night get away, the prevailing winds suggested the western shore north of Deale, and I always search out places I haven't been before.

I anchored in 8 feet of water just a short distance inside the mouth. I'm not too certain how much deeper I could have gone, but there was a fish trap just a few hundred yards farther in, so it seemed pointless. Holding is solid, but it is exposed to the south and east.

There is a nice sand spit sort of beach just inside the mouth, probably off limits but certainly inviting for a few moments walk.

A nice thin about Spring and Fall sailing is the clarity of the water. Not island clear, but enough to see 6 feet easily.

The creek is a wildlife management area, shared between the Smithsonian and local farmers and is well screened with trees. I bobbed mindlessly by one downed tree, watching a ground hog busy himself preparing a burrow for a littler to come. A hundred yards further down the creek s red fox was doing the same sort of sring house keeping.

Definitely worth a follow-up visit this summer.

Nine Days of Family Fun

8-8-2014
Deale, MD to Slaughter Creek.

My favorite wetland kayaking destination, this trip the goal was to introduce my wife to the quiet maze that is The Broads of Slaughter Creek. Part of the Taylor's Island Wildlife Refuge, it combines with the Blackwater refuge to form one of the largest natural areas on the east coast, and certainly one of the largest contiguous marshes. I've posted more on the area here.

James Island, leaving Slaughter Creek. Numerous immature eagles roosting.

We used the tender to tow our kayaks deep into the maze. My wife was first to spot the circling bald eagles (3 at one sighting!) and later, a periwinkle fight (sort of like Battleship, waged over the top of a small humacks from kayaks) between me and my daughter. I think the bald eagles were the highlight.

A quiet night on the hook. I've come to like the Mantus chain hook; the new plastic keeper makes it a fast one-hand operation with absolute security. In fact, I'm still using the 3-D printed prototype Mantus sent me for testing.



8-9-2014
Slaughter Creek to Smith Island

Fishing. After several hours of unproductive trolling, I caught a nice snapper blue while I was reeling in. A nice surprise. A bit of a jolt when you are sure that you are winding in slack line... but then again, that has happened to me several times; I'm reeling in, done fishing, only to get smacked by a 20-pound rockfish when I least expect it.

Not a trophy, but in truth, the small ones taste best. Perfect size for the pan.

Eating. The highlight of Smith Island may be the crab cakes at Ruke's. No exaggeration, and without any reservation, they are the finest anywhere, including 5-star restaurants. They simply melt in your mouth, exploding with flavor. Wish I knew the secret, though I suspect minimal filler (they tend to fall apart) and very fresh crabs are key. Worth the trip, just for that.

 Not fancy, and a bit run-down on the outside, but oh my....

Kayaking. You could spend a week exploring the Smith Island complex and never see most of it. We spent 2 nights and enjoyed as what as we could, paddling different areas than those we have explored before. Swan island is nice, just north of the western entrance channel. There is also a dredge spoil island on the south side of the western entrance that is home to thousands of gulls. Goat island --just across the harbor--is filled with feral goats.

Goat Island. There are perhaps 40 on the island, always climbing trees, for instinctual reasons, we suppose.

Can't let a jetty stop you. Up and over.

 

Impossibly low freeboard on the flats boats. Much of the crabbing and clamming water is very thin.

 They say you should name the boat for your daughter rather than your wife, since the former is a permanent relationship, the later less certain. I'm guessing this was named for the daughter.

Found this on the beach. After a little research we determined it is a Loggerhead sea turtle rib. Though I've never seen a live one in Chesapeake or nearby coastal waters, we've found eggs and carapaces. They are threatened, but not truly rare.

8-11-2014
Smith Island to Tangier Island.

Tacks included, perhaps 20 miles of bashing into steep chop and 20 knots winds. Tacking though 100 degrees, boat speed cycled between 8.5 knots on the flat bits and 5 knots when the beam buried in a steep set, sending green water all the way to the cockpit, averaging 6.7 knots dock-to-dock, including time spent untangling a crab pot from the rudder--hard to see those buggers in the conditions.

More fishing. I think the cats got most of the minnows.

One of our favorite places for just doing nothing, we still manage to keep busy.

• The fishing off the dock is reasonable. A flounder, several sea bass, and some spot.
• Crabbing. This time we focused on soft shells; harder to find, but more eating per crab. I'm not convinced they are as sweat, though.
• Swimming. The nicest swimming beach on the Bay is the hook.
• The Homecoming. Each summer they have a festival where family from all over returns to the island. Only inflatable "rides" (they've got to come by boat) but good music and good food.
•  Local dining. The Fishermans' Corner is very good, and Four Brothers has a mean crab melt.

The claws aren't much of the threat when they're soft.

The Homecoming Festival sets up on the airport flight line, a short walk from the marina. The whole town is there, often more than 200 golf carts! Sure, as a visitor you are not a part of the family, but that doesn't matter. $5 admission and good music.

 8-17-2014
Tangier to Solmons Island.

Uneventful light air sailing. Caught 2 more snapper blues on the way, which added to the interest.

The Tiki Bar is the local muscle boat hang-out, worth a few minutes just for the people watching and the music. Anchor further away, though, up mill creek. Be aware of the cable area.

8-18-2014
Solomons Island to Deale

More uneventful light air sailing. An hour was spent on the beach at Calvert Cliffs, collecting fossils and enjoying the quiet, before the hikers reach the beach.

-----

Most of the meat in the fridge returned home with us; out catch matched our appetite, and some fish were distributed to my parents. We went out for steak that first night home, having reached our fill of seafood, at least for a time.

Tangier Island Seeking More Cats--Who Would have Thought

When we first visited Tangier, we were greeted at the Park's Marina by about 50 cats, all fed by the owner. At some point, someone had a problem with this state of affairs, and the town’s leaders brought in a SWAT team of veterinarians to spay and neuter their increasingly out-of-control cat militia. Unfortunately, they hadn't done all of the math.


Now the otters have the upper hand, stealing soft crabs so conveniently placed in shedding tanks, available nightly under convinient work lighting.

Some of the waterman have gone back to keeping cats on their shedding platforms. Though a cat is no match for an otter, a group of cats is sufficient deterrent.

I suspect we'll see more cats during our next visit.

Read the full text here.

 

Harness Creek

With my daughter heading off to college in a week, a last family outing was required, even though or perhaps because the home scene was getting crazy; it seems we are remodling the kitchen in the midst of extending the transoms, doing other boat maintanance, and of all this other transition. I needed a break from endless painting, sanding, plastering fitting.

Initially I had a cross-the-Bay trip to Cambridge in mind, but 2 days of bashing straight into 20- to 25-knots headwinds didn't feel relaxing. So we adjusted and picked a destination that would give us 2 days of broad reaching in the lee of land with few waves. 8-10 knots of boat speed without even trying. Much nicer.

 

An uneventful trip, which can be nice. A summary:

The Sailing. A moderate winds, 10-25 knots but protected. not intersting navigation; I've been there before.

The Crew. Our newest member didn't contribute much really, but he did keep folks busy. A 3-week old grey squirl found by a friend who was going in for surgery, we had no alternative but to bring the fella along. He hid away in his shoebox, all except for feeding times--sleeping in a fleece blanket, warmed by a heating pad to a perfect 100F. Feeding is no more than a few ml of special formula every few hours, with a longer break at night--I'll get up in the night for a small human, but a rodent will have to just hang tough a few more hours.

The Equipment. The genoa sheet developed an interesting failure, the Kevlar core failing from fatigue while the sheath

remains intact. The thing of it is, and the reason Kevlar core ropes have fallen out of general use, is that the fibers are prone to cracking when repeatedly flexed, such as the attachment to a genoa clew when it flogs during furling. I've used Kevlar very successfully for halyards, where the turns are gentle and there is little motion, but I would never chose it for a sheet or frequently adjusted tackle.

We got home with the bad spot cut out and bowlines. I expect the rope will last at least a few more years.

For the 3rd time, the Mantus chain hook spontaneously disconnected while lying on the bottom during a period of slack wind and tide. We returned from a dingy exploration to find Shoal Survivor anchored only by the chain, at the odd angle to the wind cats take when anchored to only one bow. When the wind came up in the thunderstorm that night, we would have skated all over the cove, possibly jerking the hook out. While I will continue to use the hook during the day as part of a Practical Sailor trial, it will not be used at night in the future. I will be using a girth hitched sling.

The Exploration. In the morning we anchored in Almshouse Creek, just 2 miles away, in order to make a brief visit to the London Town Historic Area, a nice park and garden area on the South River. Interestingly, the main brick structure in the old town--the only surviving building--was an almshouse (poorhouse) for the local area, after the town and the tavern in the brick house failed. This creek, lined with multi-million dollar houses, is named for the almshouse. Ironic. Bet the the houses wouldn't sell quite so well on Poor House Creek.

We also explored the park, the coves, fed the duck, swam, and enjoyed a picnic dinner on the foredeck on a perfect evening. Easy livin'.

And now I must return to work, to kitchen remodeling, and to packing my daughter for school. Sailing is better.