The Sailing Club, Inc.

Columbus Day Weekend The Search for Columbus October 6-8, 2007

Columbus Day Weekend Assistant Trip Leader Jack Buckley came through on his assigned duty to provide a rain free weekend. The problem was that I forgot to assign the wind factor to him also. The skippers all managed to get aboard our boats for the checkout with Jacki, the owner of Haven Yacht Charters. There were a few wrinkles – Nimbus’s refrigeration was broken and ice had to be used (oh! how soft we have become!) and the emergency tiller in Winnefox, supposedly in the “red bag”, turned out to be a disassembled spare anchor. How many years have previous chatterers’ been fooled? The majority of our research staff adjourned to the Harbor Shack for dinner. Charlotte, our waitress, managed to get all drink and food orders for everyone without writing a thing down. This was made more difficult since our crews were arriving in waves. We finished the evening comparing notes on Columbus’ four voyages with some comments on his ability to inspire his crew and settlers. Comparisons were made between him and the current Commodore. Saturday morning, with no wind but sunny skies, we decided to leave soon after the skippers meeting and get to the Johnson Island research site as soon as possible. We left around 11:00AM and motored through Kent Narrows (Selah made it through, the rest of us had to wait for the next opening). Some attempts were made to sail – the crews were getting restless – but the wind was light & fickle – gusts (?) of 5 knots were few & far between. Winnefox (Larry Sherwood), with the depth instruments kicking in and out, requested that Nimbus (Jeff Hamer) lead the way into the area west of Johnson Is. Jeff arrived in Crab Alley Bay and dropped the hook at the mouth of Crab Alley creek. Once Jeff had the hook set, Selah (Jack Buckley) and Gambol (Steve Krakauer) arrived. They opted to continue research further up Crab Alley Creek. Once it was known that we were happily secured, they decided to come back & join the fun. Swimming in October! Jeff, Mia, Katrina, Henry, Joel & Stu did some underwater searching for the artifacts that must be there. Only later, when we pulled our anchor did we discover the foul smelling mud that permeated the bottom (very good holding). All signs of Columbus’ visit there might as well have been in the La Brea Tar Pits. I was sorely disappointed. A round of hors d'oeuvres got me out of my funk – especially Katrina’s Swedish Hard Tack. This delicacy can last 100 years. The trick is to break it in half, then gnaw on a rough edge for a few minutes. Mia discovered that a quicker way is to drop it in a glass of red wine and let it soak for 5 minutes. I recommend Cecilia’s Red Truck wine (also available, White Truck & Pink Truck). Ron & Cindy appeared in Pirate regalia and threatened my life for telling tall tales about their ancestor Columbus – where were they when we had the Pirates of the Chesapeake trip? After Steve’s blender was put to use and enough beverages were consumed, I attempted to get everyone together for the evening’s intellectual hour. It took some doing, but I managed to enlighten the crowd with a lecture on Columbus’ incorrect estimate on the size of the earth and his financing difficulties. Imagine how things would be if England’s Henry VII had made his offer to Columbus before King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella. (True!). The evening wrapped up on Winnefox with the sounds of Ohio State & Purdue football. Stu was a graduate of Ohio State and I think has never missed hearing or seeing a game. The raft broke up around 9:30 the next morning, and we headed for Galesville and the Pirate Cove Marina. Winds were from the west about 5 – 10 knots.  Finally we were sailing – averaging 4 knots with bursts of 6 knots. At Bloody Point, we lost the wind and all headed for Galesville with the throttle pushed to its safe limit. Despite not taking reservations, Pirates Cove did a wonderful job finding room for us. Stu & Joe headed ashore for crab cakes and everyone else ate aboard their boats – an “Everything Must Go” party. The evening finished on Nimbus with talk about April’s Antigua trip, square dancing, western dancing and Victoria’s Secret. Monday morning arrived with light winds, and Selah left early to accommodate Joe & Helen’s 6:00 PM reservations at St. Michaels. The rest of us followed around and found winds from the South West at 5 – 10 knots. Attempts were made to sail before the bridge, but the wind direction just made sailing very hot (80+ degrees). After the bridge, with our course more easterly, some sailing became practical (broad reach) but not exhilarating. Winnefox could not resist the urge to continue excavating for any artifacts left over from Columbus. Somewhere near “C1”, some bottom was plowed up. This was “C1” at Rock Hall Harbor, not “C1” at the southern end of Swan Point Bar. No harm done to the boat, just to the TL’s ego and confidence. My thanks to all who participated on this trip – especially Stu Miller and Joe Gardiner. Without their last minute decision to come along, I would have been sailing in a 32 foot Island Packet rather than a Catalina 400. Larry Sherwood TL – Trip Leader Winnefox