The Sailing Club, Inc.

Memorial Day Weekend Chesapeake May 2008

By Theresa Petras Most arrived at Rock Hall, Maryland on Friday afternoon.   After our skippers did their check out of our boats, we all headed to our favorite restaurant in Rock Hall – Harbor Shack – for dinner. Saturday morning dawned bright, sunny, and breezy.   We convened next to the pool at the marina for an early morning yoga class.   Our yoga instructor was local expert Lex Fry, who brought two assistants to demonstrate.   Needless to say, as hard as we tried, it was not easy to replicate the postures.   In any event, I think that everyone who participated enjoyed it. We soon set out into the bay for some sailing that would eventually bring us to our destination for raft up: Tilghman Creek, five miles from St. Michaels.   When we left from Haven Harbour in Rock Hall, Bob Lipman and Julio Menendez headed south through the Kent Narrows drawbridge to Eastern Bay and the anchorage; however Mia McCroskey opted to search for better wind by going out into the Bay and under the Annapolis Bay Bridge and around Bloody Point into Eastern Bay.   With all the marine electronics today, we should have a VHF radio with a lie detector for verbal reports of wind and boat speed!   We tied up for our traditional raft party and as usual there was way too much tasty food.   Steve Krakauer provided his usual contribution of pina coladas and Julio shared a delicious flan.   Even though many said they were interested, only two brave souls allowed Theresa Petras to give them a Mary Kay facial. Sunday morning prior to our departure, Bob Lipman, now affectionately referred to as “Father Bob” conducted our traditional Memorial Day Weekend Sunday service by asking anyone who wanted to share a poem, story, or song.   We did have quite a few volunteers who shared some words of wisdom, and a song provided by new member Brigid Moynahan.   Geri Silk provided lovely transitional tunes on her flute between the speakers, delighting the crowd.   But the best was Bob himself, who shared a deeply personal story about his life.   Needless to say there was not a dry eye on the raft. After breaking up our raft, we set sail for St. Michaels, where we had slips reserved for the evening at the St. Michaels Harbour Inn Marina and Spa.   We took our time getting to St. Michaels to enjoy some of the fine breezes that filled our sails.   Some of our group had appointments at the Spa, some walked around the town of St. Michaels, and a few went to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.   For dinner, some went on their own but the largest contingent went to the Crab Claw, where more than a few cracked some crabs for their dining pleasure. Monday we got out of St. Michaels early to take advantage of a third day of breezes and were rewarded with a downwind run all the way back to Rock Hall.