AKA- Jimmy Buffet’s "In Search of Margaritaville and the Lost Shaker of Salt"
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Where:
Havre de Grace, Bodkin Creek and Georgetown on the Sassafras.
Who:
Trip Leader - Jeff Hamer
Assistant Trip Leader and social event planner- MaryAnn
Gordon.
Boat-Wisp
Skipper- J F Hamer
First Mates – John Meyer
John Francischetti
Boat- Dreamweaver
Skipper -Steve Krakauer
First Mate – Cecilia Sweeney
What:
A total of thirteen people went on the Sailing Club’s first
annual "In Search of Margaritaville and the Lost Shaker of Salt." The goal for
the trip, besides sailing and having a good time, was to lay claim to a grand
prize of Don Julio White Tequila. To do
this, boats would have to compete in a four part contest.
Points would be awarded in each
category. The boat with the most points
wins. Categories were; best margarita, best gumbo, best decked out boat and
crew, and first to find the lost shaker of salt.
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Friday July 27th
As if on schedule a major thunder storm arrived just as Wisp
was finalizing the boat check outs. This of course, was no as we finished stowing gear.
Dreamweaver finished first and elected to go
to dinner early, leaving Wisp's crew to fend for themselves.
Thanks to Charlotte, they discovered where
the local’s go, “Prices”. It was
reminiscent me of an early Harrison’s Crab Trap. A Great find! If your in
Havre de Grace, check it out. You may
have to make reservations though. Don’t
have a clue how to get there, all though I know it’s in town, with a view of
the water and near a bridge. Ask a local and they’ll point you in the right
direction.
Later in the evening, several crew along with the First Mate
from Dreamweaver, paid a visit to Wisp. Their visit resulted in, as usual, howling laughter which
left our power
boat neighbors wondering if they made a wise decision on the location of their
berth. Finally, Dreamweaver crew decided their first mate needed to get back so
she could unwind.
Sat. July 28th
The plan was Bodkin Creek or bust. To do this we needed to get out very early as Bodkin Creek was
about 32 nm south from Havre de Grace.
Wisp pulled out of the slip at 8:40 and headed south on the
Susquehanna flats and into the Bay.
Wind was very light and from the south, so the iron jenny was the sail
of the day. Dreamweaver left later as
things on board kept them tied up.
It was a long drive south, but we were entertained with a
fleeting glimpse of a large number of colorful and very noisy cigarette boats,
and the occasional big ship. Arriving
at Bodkin Point in mid afternoon, we very slowly made our way up the channel
into Bodkin Creek. If you ever go it
is recommended you go on a high tide as Steve Krakaur reported a 5’6’ depth
reading on his boat at low tide.
Wisp meandered about Bodkin Creek and then up Main Creek
taking in the sights. The crew marveled
at the homes along the shore, each picking one they would like to live in.
The area is quiet, surprising since it is
not far from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
There are marina facilities in the area, pump outs, fuel etc.
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We found these "pleasure creeks" as they are known, to be
well protected. Tucking in on the west
side at a place called Jubb Cove, the anchor went down and the crew decided to
go for a dip in the water to cool off.
They splashed about with sounds of delight, while the poor
skipper sacrificed his pleasure to stay onboard watching out for their
safety.
What seemed like hours later Dreamweaver showed up!
Wisp crew scrambled out of the water and
back on board, so as not to be run over during the approach and raft up.
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With Dreamweaver tied up and secured some of the Wisp crew
and the skipper went into the water, joined shortly there after by a few crew
from Dreamweaver. It was at this point
that the first mate of Dreamweaver decided to see how good the reception was on
her cell phone in Bodkin Creek area. It
is reported that it works great top side, but once in the water, not so good.
I guess she just couldn’t wait to get away
from her skipper. We also hear that
Motorola is looking into making a water proof model for those first mates that
have gone over the edge. Thanks
Cecilia.
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After a few beverages, MaryAnn organized the first contest,
for the "Best Margarita". The drinks
were made by Tom Buckley of Wisp and Cecilia Sweeney from Dreamweaver along
with a little help from her friends giving her a little encouragement and
advice.
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Judges were selected, one from each boat.
Blindfolds were placed across their eyes to
ensure impartiality. The glasses were numbered as an added precaution and
handed to the daring souls; Donna Loverin from Dreamweaver and John
Francischetti from Wisp. Smelling,
tasting and then gulping the judges announced the winner.
Dreamweaver won for best Margarita receiving
2 points towards the grand prize. We
are not so sure about the winning Margarita, who ever heard of putting
watermelon in your margarita?
Oh well, on to the next contest “Gumbo”!
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After a short break for testing, just to make sure all of
the Margaritas were in compliance, Wisp threw down the gauntlet.
To the Gumbo, and let the best boat
win! Wisp’s Charlotte Chappel slaved
over a hot stove for hours using a secrete receipt; while Stephanie Tate worked
her magic, making gumbo with a receipt she got from her son, a CIA graduate.
That’s Culinary Institute of America.
What next, hiring a chief?
Again judges were chosen from each boat; this time it was
Jim Hills from Dreamweaver, and Tom Buckley from Wisp. With blindfolds and
numbered dishes the judges first did a smell test, and then a taste test.
Drum roll please. The winner is?A draw!
Each judge picked a different Gumbo. Jim chose Dreamweaver’s gumbo and
Tom went for Wisp's. Who would have
thunk you could have a draw.
So to be fair each boat received a point.
Total so far Dreamweaver-3 and Wisp-1.
Not to worry though, the final contests
were still to come on Saturday and there
were still 7 points left to capture.
The rest of the night went like you would expect. Fun,
laughter, socializing. MaryAnn handed out historical clues for finding the Lost
Shaker of Salt.
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Wisp hosted the Sailing Club’s first ever crab race.
It was neck and neck but the one on the left
clawed his way to the finish line first.
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And we introduced a club mascot.
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By the end of the night you could say most people had found
Margaritaville, yet no one had found the lost shaker of salt.
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Sunday. July 29th
Things were a little hazy in the morning, mostly from the
weather, of course! We were aiming for
a 9 am departure. Dreamweaver left
first, they needed to get to the ‘The Hammock”, a convenience facility for a
pump out. Wisp's departure out of the
Bodkin Creek channel began with light rain and reduced visibility.
Winds were out of the north/northeast at
around 15kts. Having cleared the
channel Wisp’s crew hoisted main and jib and sailed for several hours just
south and east of the Bodkin point, towards the infamous green #3 at Rock
Hall. As it tacked back and forth,
Wisp’s new sails gave up speeds of 7.4 plus knots.
Having lost sight of Dreamweaver, who had elected to sail a
little further south, Wisp’s crew brought in the main and jib, fired up the
engine and turned northeast into the wind, heading for the Sassafras
River. Visibility was very low as we
picked our way along, until the northern end of Poole’s Island, when things
became a bit clearer, and the shoreline was visible.
Several hours of motoring later, Wisp arrived at the mouth of the
Sassafras, hung a right, and worked its way through crab traps, up the
meandering river towards our next destination Georgetown Yacht Basin and
Marina. All were looking forward to showers, air conditioning, swimming in the
pool and eating out.
Georgetown Yacht Basin and Marina has great accommodations,
large spacious slips. Friendly, courteous staff that helped us with whatever we
needed. So as we waited for Dreamweaver
to show up, we enjoyed the amenities.
Great showers!
Finally Dreamweaver arrived, tied in and then everyone
relaxed before the next contest began.
The best dressed boat which captures the theme of Jimmy Buffet.
This time the judges would be from taken
from around the marina.
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As everyone dressed up in their finest Buffet garb and
decked their boats out,
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MaryAnn found the marina staff ready, willing and able to be
judges.
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Did I say this contest was for big points, -as in 3?
That’s right three points and Wisp was
poised to capture all of them. With the
boats and crew proudly displaying their finest regalia, the judges made their
way down the planks to Dreamweaver and then Wisp. There was a long conference
amongst the judges, a few sidebars, but it finally came down to whether the
mascot, which Wisp had, could make sounds.
Bingo! A sure win for Wisp! It
just so happens, that the mascot plays a recording of the chicken dance music
as it waddles along the deck.
Scoreboard: Wisp 4, Dreamweaver 3.
The only thing left now is to find the lost shaker of salt and with it
the spoils. The night proceeded with the usual fun, and the decision was made,
not to go out for dinner, but to stay on board the boats and finish up the
Gumbo.
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After finishing dinner, the crews were impatient to find the
salt shaker. With the third clue in
hand, lots of speculation ensued, with both crews finally making their
decisions as to where the Lost Shaker of Salt was.
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The results are only known to the people who went on the
trip. If you want to find out who won the grand prize, you will have come to
the annual dinner or to next years 2nd annual “In Search of
Margaritaville and the Lost Shaker of Salt.”
Sorry folks, that’s the price of admission.
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Monday July 30th
After a leisurely morning we packed up and headed out.
Susanne Tice had plotted a course and was
navigating us out. Everyone took a turn at the wheel, while an occasional rain
squall kept us on our toes. By the time
we got to the mouth of the river, the rain had stopped, and the wind had picked
up, so we rolled out the sails. It was a great sail until we got snagged on a
few crap traps.
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These traps pretty much brought us to a stand still and
after making all the appropriate calls to our sister boat, the charter company
and towboat US, I dove into check for snags but visibility was to poor to see.
Tom Buckley also went in and tried to have a look see but to no avail.
At one point a local crabber came by and
offered to help but we graciously declined.
So we dropped anchor and did what any crew would do…had lunch!
While waiting for the towboat to come we checked the play on
the wheel to see if it was fouled up, turning it back and forth a few
times. This must have done the trick
because a few minutes later the buoys popped up and we were clear of the traps
and lines. On went the engine, and as
everything seemed fine we motored through the mine field of crab traps and out
into the bay.
Our adventure seemed to be drawing to an end but not without
one more little exciting turn. Coming back
up the Susquehanna channel we were hit by terrible storm, with pelting rain and
winds of between 35-40knots. Coming from the northeast it kept pushing us in
towards the middle of the channel, while at the very same time a tug with a
heavily loaded barge was coming towards us from the opposite direction.
Needless to say everyone was on their tippy
toes for a few minutes as we passed red to red.
With all of these conditions we made it back to BaySail
safely with all on board more experienced and hopefully better sailors then
when we went out. I know I am.
Thanks to all of the people who went on the
trip; my crew, Steve Krakauer and his crew, and most of all to Mary Ann for
helping to put such a great trip together.
Who said there isn’t wind on the Chesapeake in July?
That’s the way I remember it.
Respectfully submitted
Sept 25, 2007
JF Hamer
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