The Sailing Club, Inc.

Memorial Day Weekend Annapolis Wye River St. Michaels May 2007

The Inner Thoughts of a Sailing Club Trip Leader I must be nuts to run a trip whose theme is: "A Rejuvenation of Mind, Body and Spirit." It wasn’t even my idea or vision...it was Mimi’s! I am definitely in some uncharted waters here. Will the concept be a flop... a trip for "woosies" as another skipper had suggested or are some of our members looking for something other than "party...party...party" on a sailing trip? With a few last minute sign ups and no wait list the trip ran with three boats full as planned. Skippers and some crew arrived mid-day on Friday at the Port Annapolis Marina on Back Creek. They checked out our boats for an early morning Saturday start of a busy holiday weekend. Everyone was notified that the Yoga session would begin promptly at 8 a.m. the next morning. The marina had the perfect venue for the class: an open air pavilion and lawn on a hill overlooking the harbor. Our instructor, Kathy Pincoffs from nearby Edgewater, arrived at 7:30 with colored Yoga mats for everyone. There were a few sleepy heads, however they arrived after being beckoned by the trip leader who promised a Yoga mat with their name on it and a cup of coffee next to it! After checking with Kathy to make sure that the local paramedics had been put on stand by, the session began. For an hour we stretched, meditated and relaxed as the morning sun warmed the area, birds conversed, and the mild breeze tickled the branches of trees above us. There is a certain amount of stress associated with getting away on a sailing trip and these relaxing few minutes of Yoga helped set a less frenzied pace for the day. Other trip leaders might consider an early morning event for everyone on the first day. All boats were out of their slips before 10 a.m., enroute to Shaw Bay on the Wye River. I need to arrive at the anchorage as early as possible to secure a spot for our raft. If I arrive late, there may be "no room at the inn," this being a holiday weekend. We could anchor separately, but without a raft how can we have an hors douvre’s party or for that matter share our spiritual selves? Saturday proved to be a hot summer day…with little or no wind, so we motored. It was amusing to motor through a large regatta just outside of Annapolis…all those sails…all going nowhere! Trip Leader and Skipper, Bob Lipman arrived at the anchorage by 3 p.m. Shaw Bay is a half mile wide and there was plenty of room. After putting out 110 feet of nylon anchor rode and making several attempts, Lipman’s boat was unable to set their plow anchor in 18’ of water. Skippers Tom Davies and Ray Gray arrived by 3:30 and with all chain rodes were both able to set their anchors. By 5 p.m. most of the crews were enjoying swimming off the three boat raft in the sweet, brackish waters of the Wye River…perfect temperature! It was decided that the food would be served by 6:30. One dish that was very well received was Mia McCroskey’s artichoke and crab meat pizza. The mystery of how to cook a pizza on a sailboat was not disclosed! I had asked everyone to bring a poem, a prayer or a story to share during the evening"something that moved the human spirit in each of us. How am I going to pull this off? It’s getting dark out" you won’t be able to read. To make matters worse, the mood of the raft is all wrong. On my boat they are reciting "there once was a man" limericks (man from Nantucket, Monclair, etc.). Ray Gray’s boat had a door in the head that wouldn’t latch and it banged against the faucet, draining its water tank (it was, literally, Polish built boat). They were trying to figure out what to do with all their dirty dishes. I am going to have to innovate here... By 9:30 everyone was fairly tired. The Trip Leader went to each boat with an announcement, “there would be no poetry reading this evening, however next morning at 10 a.m., he would convene The Church of the Chesapeake in the cockpit of Tom Davie’s Catalina 42. As promised, Bob opened the Sunday services by explaining the interactive nature of the “church,” welcoming everyone to participate. Next were announcements…Father Bob had been scheduled for a baptism on Ray Gray’s boat…oh well, forget that! A breeze came up across the water just as Bob began reading his version of an American Indian legend, "The Lost Injun." Katrina Demma took the "We must sail" quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, featured in our 2007 trip packet and put it into context by reading the complete passage. Next was Gerry Van Tassel with a poem by Emily Dickenson. We all agreed that there is a God after Rebecca Hunninghake, who worked for Hagen Das ice cream, told us the story about the liquid chocolate pumper truck and her overbearing supervisor! Mia McCroskey read two poems by Frank O’Hara. Jane Schuman brought a riddle, reading a definition of excellence. Where did the definition come from? A kitchen cabinet brochure! We stopped to reflect for a moment when Bill Hungerford casually mentioned that the water our raft was floating in could take us anywhere on the planet. Once again, a few moments of quiet reflection set the pace for a lovely day. After untangling our anchor rodes we departed for St. Michaels (5 NM away) with the afternoon and evening ahead of us. I can’t believe it, our trip seems to now have a life of its own! I wanted to go to the Maritime Museum, since we would have the afternoon, however there is wind and our crew wants to stay out and sail. The other crews are riding bicycles, shopping, swimming in the pool and going to the museum. We drop Janey off at the dock for a spa appointment and off we go. I am out numbered and after all, this is a sailing trip! The crews spread out, visiting the busy little town’s shops, restaurants, and museum. Ray Gray’s boat took on water and the marina provided power for TVs, DVD players, cell phones, air conditioning, and lap tops (free wi-fi too). Crews were on their own for dinner ashore and several of St. Michael’s many restaurants were visited. Once again it was an early evening for most after a long day in the sun. Monday morning dawned warm and hazy. The fleet motored out in the Miles River, then the Eastern Bay looking for a breeze. It was holding at five knots … there must be more out on the Chesapeake! Unfortunately, this proved untrue. As we rounded Bloody Point the breeze dropped to zero, other than what we were making as we motored peacefully along. The return to Port Annapolis, fill up, pump out, and check in were all accomplished in good order and crews bid each other farewell until the next relaxing get-away.