The Chesapeake Slalom.

After a 4-day business trip I decded I needed a 3-day fall sailing trip, this one solo. It's only day one.

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I'm anchored in a small cove off La Trippe Creek, near Oxford, Md. A few cruisers have shown up to share my spot--or I'm sharing theirs, it hardly matters--and they all seem expereinced and curtious, anchoring in a surprisingly accurate 200-foot grid, no one crowding, without fuss.

The Bay is just brown. Flooding, you know. My place of business went under 6 feet of water and 2 feet of mud. Actually, it was good timing for a business trip, just not good timing for a sailing trip.

The wind forecast underestimated the energy of the passing front. Instead of 5-10 knots I saw sustained 20 knots and some good wave action for a few hours, but I was mostly headed down wind, so that simply translates into speed. All good... generally. The challenge was the semi-floating trees, huge things arainged into bands, where ever the flood water cross a ledge and an upwelling current traps or constentrates the flotsom, the aftermath of flooding in Pennsylvania. A sort of slalom played at 10 knots through muddy water with too much canvas up. Reefing would have made sense, but reefing while single handing and doing the slalom in 3-4 to 4-foot waves at 10 knots is just a bit troublesome, and I put it off until eventually I had to head upwind and dance all over the deck. I think I missed everything that mattered--no dents and no big thuds. I'm honestly a little surprised.

However, once up the Choptank River the water cleared, and up this particular creek it's as clear as ever--better--and warm enough for wading on a very nice beach.

After fixing a few things (autopilot busted a belt and the bow light stopped working during our last trip) I took the tender further up the creek and spent an hour, laying in the bottom of the boat, letting the wind blow me back to where I started and wondering if I would fall asleep.



Yeah, I'm OK.

PS. Love the Manson Supreme. Love the air card.

Discount Air Conditioning

I have a Cruise-&amp-Carry AC unit. We have a love-hate relationship. It's heavy, blocks some of the view, and is in the way when stowed below. It snags genoa sheets. I can only use it when plugged in at the dock because of the power demand--I could run a 2000 watt genset, but that's just too much total noise and too much complication.

Lucky folks are enjoying trade wind AC about now. I don't want to hear about it. Actually, the Chesapeake is beautiful this season, but I'm writing about summer. Still air, temperatures in the mid-90s to 100s, and all the humidity you can stand.

A few years ago I was in Annapolis with my parents for an over-night.We'd finished the tourist thing, were fixing dinner, and were listening to thunderstorms grumble in the distance. We were going to watch an old movie around the salon table after dinner. However, even with the slider open, when we close the rest of the hatches it gets darn steamy fast, and the heat of cooking doesn't help. We needed to do something.

Lakewood 20-Inch Kool Operator

When we bough the boat it came with a 20-inch fan, hidden away in the huge under-bunk lockers. I figured it was for drying things out or something, but was clearly too big for convenient use. But desperate times call for desperate measures; I decided to set it somewhere, just to get some air moving. It fit nicely on the chart table, swiveled to point up and over into the salon, and even on low it served as a silent ceiling fan. You can still slide by into the head.

Since then we've found many uses:

• Ceiling fan. Sit it on the cart table and aim it up. Even on low it moves a lot of area around the cabin, 10 times what the 6-inch fans can manage on low. It is also whisper quiet in that location, perfect for watching a movie.
• Sleeping cabin fan. Place it in the door and try medium if it's really hot, low if not. It's not too high to step over.
• Salon door. Same idea.
• In the cockpit, if stuck in a marina and it's sizzling hot.

It draws 0.6/0.8/1.1 amps @ 110v AC (confirmed by ammeter) (about 6-12 amps at 12 volts from the batteries, post inverter) depending on the speed setting, about 66-121 watts, or about 10x less than AC. About 70 amp-hours if you run it all night on low--though generally at some point in the night we turn it off--a manageable load easily handled with a solar panel system. There are many equivalent models, probably even better models; be certain to get one that is very quiet on low and that swivels up. It moves 1400-2000 CFM: compare this to the 225 CFM and 0.3 amps of a typical cabin fan. Oddly, not as energy efficient, but much quieter than 10  6-inch fans!

One of our best finds.

A New Anchor: 35-Pound Manson Supreme

http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2016/05/irony-splice.htmlRev. 9-12-2016

Though I've never dragged. Though I'm cheap and have put this off for years. Two things talked me into it:

• The Chesapeake Bay is full of wonderful anchorages with terrible holding conditions. While many harbors are good, but many have bottomless silt that won't hold much. While many coves are roomy, with acres all to yourself, some are tight, and at the limits of swing you're not far from other boats, docks and shore.
• ZTC has the same boat and in sold on the Rocna 35. There's nothing like practical field experience.

Why not a Rocna? Price. That they have recently move production to China [note: these problems have since been resolved--Rocna is he better deal now] and it hasn't been good to them. That the Manson and Rocna design are so close there is no practical difference in side-to-side testing; they seem to take turns, depending on the exact sea bed. Rocna is better in sand, and Manson seems to do better in both harder and softer bottoms.

 

A chain to rope splice in progress, with all the required tools: needle and thread, fid, tape, and Black Toad Ale. The ale keeps me from rushing. There is something therapeutic about 3-strand splicing.

Shown, I am doing a conventional backsplice. There is a long splice version that is much smoother through the windlass. try the  "Irony Splice."

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Corrosion like this takes 15 years.

Re-splicing every 5 years is safe.

For those that don't have a windlass, let me explain a little about the splice. In order for the chain-to-rope join to feed smoothly around the gypsy (wheel that grabs the chain and rope) there cannot be a shackle, thimble, knot, or bulky splice. I even tried a long splice (AKA bucket splice) and it would not make the turn. Additionally, because the strands are unlayed and can all bear the load equally, this is one of the strongest connections, and one of the simplest; basically, a backsplice with a link captured at the end. It does have to be redone every 2-5 years as it accelerates corrosion on the last link (keeps it wet). Clip a link and resplice.

How to install a new anchor and 100 feet of chain when your back is acting up? Pull the boat over the dock and let the windlass do all the work. The old anchor was lowered onto a dolly, the old chain into a bucket, and the process reversed installing the new stuff. Easy.

I've been cruising with the Manson for 5 years now. It's a keeper.

• I wish Manson Supreme would get rid of that stupid slot on the shank. Not only does it look stupid, on my boat it is in a bad place for my mooring lines when docked.
• Harder to break-out than the Delta, and easier than the Fortress.
• Easier to set on short scope.
• Easier to set with sloppy methods.
• Better on shell bottoms. Much better, though not perfect, in finding good spots through oyster shell.
• Sand. Super easy.
• Soft mud. Much better, in part do to sheer size (22-pound vs. 35-pound), but mostly due to design.
• Brings up a ton of mud. A significant negative, since the Delta comes up clean and the Bay has nasty muck many places. But I can leave a scraper on the bow.
• Self-launches and retrieves better, but doesn't stow quite so solidly. Manson should have copied the Delta shank design, just as Rocna did.

Is it better than a 35-pound Delta? Absolutely.

I also bought 100-feet of 1/4-inch G40 chain. The old chain was only 30-feet, which meant I had to pass the splice through the windlass every time. Not so bad, but because my windlass will not manage rope without a gloved hand on the line it meant that I couldn't manage the anchor from the helm switch, which is better when the wind is up and you're working alone.  Only once have I anchored in more than 14-feet of water (Horseshoe Lead, Wachapreague), so this should do. I've got another 100-feet of line spliced to it.

I'm happy. Poorer, but happy.

11-15-2012:

While I'm still well satisfied that this was the best available choice and the correct size, any who say "this anchor can never drag" don't anchor much. There are many hard clay bottoms or sand over clay where it won't dig, not if you dive and try to kick it in. Same goes for shell. A good bottom is still required for good anchoring.

In sand and mud, it always reset and always held.

A Beach Vacation Without the Boat

I didn't want to do it, but Irene made off-shore sailing seem ill advised. We would have arrived in Cape May NJ at precisely the same time as the eye of the storm. So we drove.

I spent hours, it seemed, hanging out and staring at the harbor. Shoal Survivor should have been there, slowly turning on her anchor. We should have woken up each morning with a fair wind and a view that can't be beat. We woke up in a hotel.

We took a kayak and gave it good use. I poked around the wetlands and harbor. I tried fishing from the kayak for the first time and scored 3 big dogfish in no more than 30 minutes. It's fun being towed around the harbor! Later, I rented a kayak so that my daughter and I could go together. Very nice, paddling easily and enjoying the slow pace of life just a few inches above the water. We wondered out into the harbor just in time to watch a PDQ 36 tie up at South Jersey Marine...

...and we met the owners of said PDQ 36, Pretty Penny. They had been in Canada, via the canals, and had just headed south, delayed by the hurricane. It was nice speaking with them and sharing... It made me feel better, and at the same time worse, for not having my boat.

Nothing is the same as having home base on the water. We'll be back next year.

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A perpetual problem for the sailor living on the hook is where to leave the tender while ashore. I hate freeloading, so I asked. This is the response, from the owner of Utsch's Marina:

"This should answer your inquiry.  We have several spots for dingy landing at the marina.  Our policy has been, 'No charge', for the spots and subject to availability.  Most of the boaters purchase ice or something, some do not, and it has never been an issue.  If they are anchored up, they only need to call on the radio, channel 16 and we switch them to 09.  Some call on the phone, no preference, for the marina.  Whatever works is OK. 

Overnight dockage is $2.00 per foot, AC included, and we offer weekly and monthly rates as well.  At present there is no shuttle service into town as the owner does not it to worth his while.

That should sum it up for you, I think"

Ernie Utsch"

Nice folks. Please buy gas while your in the neighborhood. Their marine store isn't too bad (better than the local WM I think) and Tony's Marine is next door.

Slippery Sidedecks

rev. 7-22-2024

I've enjoyed too many small slides on the side deck, and during our last trip I very nearly broke a collar bone on a stanchion tip. It's not a place you would consciously place a foot; every slip has been when I was distracted, carrying something or working on something... but a slip is a slip. Builders love to mold cool curves but sailors hate them. My last boat (Stiletto 27) had similar slope and every owner wiped out a few times; many built a cover or step to hide it. I plastered mine with 3M tape and liked the result.

Yes, I could move more slowly. No, actually, I can't.

I'm big on 3M non-skid tape. We've added wide strips on the steps and lower seats edged in the cockpit where it has eliminated a lot of wet bare foot dances. It's aggressive as hell but still reasonably skin friendly. Its hot in the sun and not particularly cheap, but I keep running into roll-ends from projects at work, so my cost is agreeable. And in this case it was easy enough to hide in the black gel coat area.

Now there's enough friction to stand on the slope. Cool.

(Three 4 x ~18-inch strips each side)

(Eventually I added non-skid to all of the steps and seat edges on the PDQ. The more the better. In many cases, the tape also makes it easier to see the edges.)

----

This spring I added a bunch of 3M grit non-skid to my F-24:

• Steps down into the cabin. A near disasters fall motivated that. Lucky I got off with a pulled muscle.
• Strips along the cabin chime forward. For stylistic reasons they left a 6-inch wide strip of plain gelcoat, which I have slid along too many times.
   

Wi-fi versus 4G

I was all set to order a booster antenna. Had one all picked out. It's all the rage with cruisers: free with world-wide access as long as you are in harbor. Weather info at your finger tips. Blog posting at will. Sail Magazine even did a spread this month on how to run your antenna up the mast.



Then I realized I was simply behind the times. My office provides air cards for all of the traveling managers. 100% hastle-free access all over the coastal US and certainly the Chesapeake, even when I'm NOT in a harbor.

So today my office is in 6 feet of water, as I split time between work, trivial boat projects, and hurican prep. I think I detect more sailing time in my future.

Sweet.

Poo Pumping Protecole: Type I MSDs

rev. 8-31-2011

There was a thread with the above name on a popular sailing forum; it was closed long before the conversation was finished. Comments were running counter to Raritan Engineering's party line, and so interested persons stepped in and clipped it short. So much for truly open forums.

Let me add that I'm not anti-Raritan Engineering or anti-type I MSD. Raritan makes good products and type I MSDs have their place. I am opposed to incomplete disclosure and to people that would convince us that the discharge is clean. It amounts to sterilized but poorly treated sewage; the data, not my personal opinion.

I'm only thinking about the Chesapeake, because it's what I know. Other areas have different issues.

rev. 7-22-2024

Maryland has added many more NDZs (places you can't use a Type I MSD) in the past few years. Check before you buy.

 

 

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Most of boaters use type III MSD (a simple holding tank) and either pump-out off shore (the regulations require 3 miles) or at a pump-out station. Perhaps 15% cheat and pump-out where ever they please (MD DNR survey). If we install a type I devise, we can discharge at any location except EPA designated no discharge zones (NDZ). Please read that link; there may be one near you--we moor in one (Herring Bay, MD).

What is a type I MSD? The Raritan Engineering unit, pictured above, macerates the waste and then treats with bleach. The bleach is derived from electrolysis of seawater. Groco also makes a type I unit (ThermoPure II) which treats by cooking the waste. The unit is very battery hungry (20 AH/flush) and is not too popular among sailors.

How effective are they? Read this EPA evaluation of type I MSDs, if you like detail. You won't find this sort of information on manufacturer web sites--unfortunately, it doesn't help sell.

EPA Summary Data (results in mg/L)

Annalyte     After Treatment Result     EPA Sewage Treatment Standard

BOD5                   780                         45

TSS                     1,000                      45

Fecal Coliform       < 82                     200 (swimming areas)

The data was quite variable, with standard deviations over 100%.

Typical raw sewage, as delivered to a sewage treatment plant is only about 200 ppm BOD, due to dilution with shower water and other low strength waste. Holding tank waste is considerably stronger due to reduced dilution.

Is this good enough? With any reasonable mixing model, yes. Certain vocal Raritan boosters redirect any criticism by pointing fingers at sewage spills, bird poop, storm run-off, and spilled chemicals--a rhetorical approach which insults the reader. They claim NDZs increase illegal dumping of untreated sewage, which is silly since the Bay has been no-discharge for untreated waste for many years. They claim that the effluent is as clean as Bay water, but present no data. I suppose we should take this on faith. Would the owners go swimming in the plume while they are pumping out? Probably not, and that presents an interesting double standard. It comes back to the mixing model.

Enough personal opinion. Back to facts.

Is the type I effluent as clean as Chesapeake Bay water? No, the average BOD5 of the Bay is 0.2 to 0.03 ppm, or perhaps 10,000 times cleaner. The primary impact of BOD5 (5-day biological oxygen demand) is to demand oxygen to support the bacteria decomposing the waste, and so each gallon of effluent is capable of lowering the dissolved oxygen of 1000 gallons of water from 4 to 3 ppm, enough to stress marine organism and increase the size of "dead zones." There is also a significant oxygen demand caused by nutrient-fueled (nitrogen and phosphorus) algae blooms, though this is very difficult to quantify. In total, each flush will impact about 20,000 gallons of Bay water, roughly a back yard swimming pool worth. Not so much, given the size of the Bay. On the other hand, in a harbor with poor tidal flushing and thousands of boats (Deale has over 2,000 slips), it could be material if the calculation were taken to its illogical extreme, another sort of logical fallacy and rhetorical insult. In practice, only a small fraction of the boats see their owners on any given weekend, and fewer during the week.

How does this compare to other pollutant loads? A single gallon of glycol antifreeze concentrate (ethylene or propylene), containing about 750,000 ppm BOD5, may amount to more oxygen demand than an entire year of occupancy by a live-aboard. Street storm water run-off typically averages 20-60 ppm BOD5 and is of vast volume; my driveway alone would contribute BOD5 equivalent to 36 flushes. Logically, since a flush is only food we are finished with, a flush can contain no more than the BOD5 of a fraction of a sandwich or a banana peel, a pollutant load that wouldn't offend anyone too greatly. Yes, the pollutant load from a type I unit is tiny.

There are over 300 pump-out stations in the Maryland Chesapeake and nearly as many in the Virginia Chesapeake, the result of a state funded project. The fee is capped at $5.00 and is often waved for slip holders and fuel purchasers. It is difficult to pump-out when the water freezes; harbors typically freeze for 2-6 weeks in the central to northern Bay, and piping may be frozen on some other cold days, though most pump-out stations are open all year. They just don't work on the cold days.

Back to opinion.

Would I use a type I unit if installed on my boat? Not in a NDZ. Not anchored with other boats. Not in a very confined harbor. There is some chance of disinfection failure, as demonstrated by the data, and there no point in presenting the risk of infection. In the main course of the Chesapeake? I suppose I might. Or I might just pump out a few times a month while getting fuel, which is quite painless and often given as a free perk. That's what my kid would want me to do and I would listen. But like recycling, I wouldn't necessarily believe it actually helped in many cases. Would a type I on the open ocean? Absolutely. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to use a type III closer in-shore than 3 miles. Sit on the beach, watch the dolphins and ponder the vastness of the sea. Toxic waste is one thing--natural waste is another.

________________________

Is bleaching poop real treatment? Yes and no. Why don't the manufacturers link to this data or provide other similar 3rd-party performance information? Because the data is not easy to understand and doesn't sell. Is the pollutant load from a few type I units material in tidal waters? Boat US claims it represents 0.0035% of the total load. But it also represent the actions of only 0.006% (guess 1,000 active type I units/17,500,000 people) of the people in the Chesapeake Bay drainage area, so it's material on a per-capita basis.

You judge. Personally, I think it's small beans. I believe every bit helps and that type I MSD users in confined waters (designated NDZ or not) or places they see swimmers should use pump-outs or wait until in more open waters--a reasonable compromise. In open salt water bays and ocean waters, where dilution is vast, whales poop and salt kills human pathogens in minutes or hours, it's small beans.

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references:

CWA of 1972. MSDs are in section 312, page 156.
http://epw.senate.gov/water.pdf

Kayak Wheels

rev. 8-18-2011

Of course, this concept could work for a tender of any sort, so I thought it worth sharing. I've seen them built of everything from angle iron to PVC to copper pipe fittings; only imagination limits the options.

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Sure, you can buy them in the store, but most I've seen are home-built. These took a few hours to puzzle out and piece together; a good father-daughter project, better than time plopped in front of the TV or... on the internet.

 

The lumber is 3/4" x 8" boards left over from a shelving project. We screwed them together with deck screws; I got lazy on the pre-drilling on the one side and the board split a bit, though it doesn't seem to have made a difference. The curve was transferred from the kayak to the saddles using a compass (the front and rear saddles are slightly different). The axle is a length of 1/2" brass rod left over from something, threaded on each end. The wheels are Home Depot mower wheels for ~ $15.00, the only bit I couldn't find on the scrap heap.

The foam was cut from a scrap work-out mat tile. The pipe stubs are scrap 3/4" PVC and fit into drainage holes molded into the kayak hull--these prevent shifting.

The wheels are lashed to the kayak with 1/2-inch line and a snug truckers hitch. I did a sloppy job in the picture--lightening was starting to flash. They normally cris-cross between the axle and the wooden frame.

We throw all our gear in the kayak, grab the handle, and start walking. Miles are possible on a good path, and we have done just that on occasion to reach a prime spot. More often, it's a matter of a few hundred yards. Sure, a sturdy person can heft a kayak on a shoulder, but a second trip will be needed for a day's worth of gear. With the wheels a child (or a tired adult) can tote the works. Well worth a little shop time, and I enjoy turning scraps into something useful.

Introspection

While there are many practical reasons to single hand--the crew may be injured or sick, it forces you to understand the rigging and procedures better, and it frees you from the schedules of others--there is a more selfish reason. A few times each year I go on a short cruise, just for me.

Day one. No pictures. I forgot the camera. In fact I didn't plan much at all. I threw some food in a cooler--not carefully planned since there is always non-perishable stuff on the boat and I fish--and hit the road. I didn't pick a destination until on the water.

The course? A beam to broad reach was easy and pointed me toward good cruising grounds. I picked a small creek when I felt I'd sailed enough, one not in the cruising guide and relatively secluded. I fished, swam, did a little sewing and splicing, and polished some windows, all at a lazy pace. If I don't do something, I just eat and drink.

Cooler. Wind around 10 knots. The sun annoys me when it get's too low for the hard top, but I hang towels from the edge and that works. I read. I slept in a bit; 10 PM is late for me and a 9 AM start is late for me.

Day two. I headed home earlier than I had hoped, but worthwhile as it avoided the violent thunderstorms that swept through later. I love single handing, but I'm not fond of it when it's crazy.

The purpose? None, really. Perhaps a mid-life crisis sort of thing, hoping to puzzle out where I go from here, but only deciding it doesn't matter so much. I've accomplished what needed accomplished and proven what needed proven. It's fine to wonder, but perhaps on a fool needs answers.

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Note: the creek described above is un-named on the Chesapeake Bay Chart Kit and not mentioned in the guides. It's just south of Cummings Creek, off Harris Creek, off the Choptank River, at about 38 46.5N / 76 18W. Enter towards the south, just south of the flasher and blind, and you will find 6-9 feet well up inside, though the holding ground was questionable.

Instead of being surrounded by multi-million dollar mansions, as is every other Harris creek cove, it is framed only by marsh, corn fields, a working class farm house at the head of the cove, and a larger house (very well screen by trees) on the north side. An old skiff, one I saw tied up at a simple and tired dock by the house at the head of of the cove during my explorations the day before. gently woke me in the morning, as he began working his trot lines. The rumble of work boats, their engines just above idle, is the classic Chesapeake Bay alarm clock.

Whose Beach Is It Anyway?

Riparian rights is a challenging concept, born in English common law. As such, it generally applies only to the colonial states, but they are the ones that matter to me. The principle is that a waterfront owner has a fundamental right to the use of his property, and that includes water access and placing a dock out to deep water, but only if it is for boating use (some states extend this to include private fishing piers). Marinas are a different and I'll skip that morass. At the same time, the riparian owner does not own the property under the dock or under the water, and not even below the high tide mark:

The states also enjoy minor differences in interpretation. For example, there are 2 slightly different interpretations within the Chesapeake Bay:

Note: military reserves do not follow these rules and it's best to keep your distance and respect all of the charted restrictions. Not one toe anywhere near the beach, and often anchoring is restricted.

What does this mean for the beach comber? Keep you feet wet or nearly so. Skip the blanket and picnic and leave no trace. Pick up some trash. I respect the owner, but he didn't buy the wet beach, no matter what he thinks, any more than I own the curb in front of my house; there is a county easement and so I respect a person's right to park or walk on the sidewalk. 98% of waterfront property owners get this and will greet a quiet walker courteously. The remaining 2%--only one person so far--gave me grief for landing, a condo owner at Chesapeake Beach who didn't know the law and had been the victim of to many spill-over beach parties from the town. A small minded little man, he requested that I remove my stern anchor to deeper water and that we not touch a 3-foot strip of wet beach between my boat and public property next door. An embarrassing episode.... for him.

Recently the City of Annapolis rejected a request by several marina owners to ban anchoring in a creek, because it could make access to some slips more difficult. While such bans do exist in other areas and even within Maryland (Solomons Island), they are rare and Annapolis decided to avoid the precedent. After all, both riparian owners and the public have a right to use the waters. It's a balancing act; we all need a home marina, a place to park while we are at work and home, yet marinas can grow and grow and choke what were once roomy anchorages.

Once I got grief from a landowner who thought I was anchored too close to his dock, with a thunderstorm approaching. I might drag and do damage, and he suggested a better place; it was indeed a better place, but the storm was too close and I had 2 anchors down. Given the extreme violence of the storm, his concern was not unfounded, but I didn't drag. This is certainly a concern for marina owners and I try to give them room. But with the proliferation of docks, sometimes anchoring gets a little cozy. Who has the greater right?

If we can all just be reasonable, the most slippery of legal concepts....