The June trip began with an uninviting weather forecast, with temperature and humidity already in the 90’s, and thunderstorms forecast for sometime over the weekend, conditions that are usually not conducive to good winds for sailing. Unfazed by this, nearly everyone arrived on Friday in time to enjoy dinner at the Harbor Shack Restaurant in Rock Hall, a relatively new favorite for the Club, and where all the locals hang out.

After Saturday morning check-outs and last minute details (like unplugging the air conditioning power cord – sigh), three well-stocked vessels departed Haven Charters for a long weekend of sailing, or something else if the weather gods didn’t cooperate.  On the bay there was a whisper of wind, and mostly from the southwest, our intended direction.  But as the afternoon wore on, the breeze filled in, and we made our way across the bay toward Bodkin Creek at the mouth of the Patapsco River.

In fact, Saturday would prove to be the best sailing day of the weekend. Winds piped up to about 15 knots, which provided everyone a chance to do tacking drills, heaving to, and seeing who on each boat could drive it the fastest. Depending on whom you wish to believe, speeds ranged from 7 to 9 knots, mostly close hauled.

Alas, by 4 PM it was time to ‘thread the needle’ and enter the shallow, narrow, channel that leads to Bodkin Creek and our anchorage for the night.   Once the anchors were down and the raft secured, it was into the water for some un-synchronized, but thoroughly refreshing, swimming.

As the theme of the trip was “A Celebration of Rum” it was soon time to start the festivities (and the contests). As usual, there were plenty of delicious concoctions to savor; however, there was only one rum-based entry for Best Appetizer. Patty Sherwood created Deviled Eggs au Rhum, and they did not last long! For her lone act of culinary bravery, Patty won the coveted ceramic pineapple dish.

Meanwhile, the crews were scurrying about decorating their boats, aiming for that quintessential island look. Mini tiki lamps, straw fringe, and yes, inflatable pink flamingoes and palm trees were everywhere. The crew of Legacy achieved what Larry, their skipper described as “understated.” Steve and his crew on Winnefox made a noble effort. Thanks to Ingrid, the design was mostly environmentally friendly, with the noticeable exception of a six foot inflatable palm tree on the foredeck. The crew of Gambol on the other hand, spurred on by skipper Mia’s creative enthusiasm, had it all – the flamingoes, tiki lamps, hand painted ‘Rumbalicious’ mugs crafted by Debra, and a “photo booth” in the forward cabin, where one could pose behind cutouts of an island couple. For their superb design talents, each of them won a souvenir tiki mug.

We continued to dine on a seemingly endless supply of appetizers as a couple of hearty souls slaved in their respective galleys preparing the next course. When the weather is hot and humid, it’s essential to drink lots of fluids. It was, and we did.  For the best rum drink, it was a tough choice between Rosemarie’s Bay Breeze and Art’s Zombie.  It was a very difficult decision for the judges.  First a sip of the Bay Breeze, then a Zombie.  Then another taste of Bay Breeze.  Try the Zombie again.  This went on for a few minutes, at which point the judges taste buds were probably getting numb.  Both drinks were that good!  Since further ‘judging’ seemed pointless, the trip leader declared a tie, and awarded Rosemarie and Art each a prize – appropriately, a half-liter bottle of rum.

At this point, given how hot it was getting in the galleys, the main courses were done.  Charlotte prepared a wonderful Shrimp over Angel Hair Pasta with a shallot rum cream sauce. Rosemarie prepared Pirate’s Balls served on a bed of Basmati Rice.  Art, competing in his second heat, prepared Flounder Flambé, served on a bed of risotto and spinach leaves, and topped with rum soaked pineapple, which, set against the green of the spinach leaves, and served on a large silver platter, provided a very colorful presentation.  Again some tough choices, and there was a lot of chowing down before the judges came up with their decision, and then went back to eating more of Art’s award winning fish (for which he won a rum cookbook), while Charlotte provided some steel drum tunes.

They say that sweets after a meal aid in digestion. While everyone felt pretty stuffed at this point, we gave it our best shot.  John Francischetti provided his signature brownies, made, of course, with rum instead of Kahlua. Debra made chocolate chip cookies with some secret ingredient.  But the crowd favorite was Bob Rainey’s Bananas Flambé. For his efforts Bob won a pair of tiki salt and pepper shakers.  The rest of the evening was spent carousing and boatating as usual.

Sunday morning arrived after a warm and windless night, so many decided to enjoy an early morning swim before breakfast and getting under way. Breakfast was a leisurely affair, as our next destination, somewhere on the Magothy River, was not that far. Eventually we broke up the raft and retraced our path to exit Bodkin Creek. Once clear of shore the wind was waiting for us, for a change. Up went the sails, off went the motor, and we spent the whole day sailing back and forth across the bay, clawing our way southward to the mouth of the Magothy. The winds were still southwesterly, but we were able to sail all the way into the Magothy without tacking and had good winds until reaching our anchorage. Along the way, the crew of Winnefox waved to Ingrid’s parents, whose home on the river was but a mile away. I’m sure they saw us.  Ingrid called them and told them to look for a boat with white sails.

The anchorage selected for this night was on the lee shore of the river, so that we could catch whatever breeze might be getting blocked by the trees on the other side. This proved to be much more comfortable.  After securing the raft, the swim team was in the water again.   The after-dinner activity was supposed to be a sing-a-long, and Eleanor made up an illustrated book of lyrics to many songs. Unfortunately, after a few drinks, it became impossible to get the howling cats off the fence. > This evening proved to be much more comfortable having the slight breeze, compared to the night before, and everyone slept much better.

After another morning swim, it was anchors up and time to head back to Rock Hall. The winds were still southwesterly, so the broad reach/run was slower going than the previous days’ sails. As we approached Can 3 at the foot of Swan Point Bar, a look back towards the Magothy revealed some ominously grey cloud formations.   Sailing as far north as we could, we lowered our sails and motored through Swan Creek and back to the marina, plugging in the air conditioning as quickly as possible. [What’s wrong with being spoiled?] The rains came just after we were mostly packed and some were already on their way, but after a brief downpour, it eased to a light rain as the rest said our good-byes and headed out with fond, if a little foggy, memories of a very enjoyable weekend.