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Chesapeake Challenge
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Chesapeake Challenge
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"No food theme, no costumes, just a great weekend of
sailing!"
Despite some last minute crew changes, the two-vessel September trip got off to a good start with everybody finding the boats on Friday evening Intention and Gambol were inspected by their skippers and mates and found to be perfect for three days on the water. Having dispensed with that important business both crews adjourned to the Harbor Shack, a Rock Hall local hangout, for fishy dinners and adult beverages. Official boat checkouts and crew briefings went smoothly on Saturday morning and the boats departed around 1000 for the long voyage to the Wye River. Each crew had been issued a set of twenty-five questions about chart reading, due at the end if the day. [answer] While some chose to excuse themselves from the exercise, one eager overachiever from each boat stayed on task. Both Judy and Jim B. asked questions, studied the charts, and scribbled notes all day long. [answer] While both boats made a go of sailing, it became apparent just after noon that if we tried to sail the entire distance in the under-eight-knot northerly we wouldn't reach the anchorage before Sunday morning, let alone dusk on Saturday. The chart exercises went on even with the engines humming. At least the refrigerators were cold! [answer] Heading up the Eastern Bay, Intention tried a few more times to find enough breeze to sail, although it might have just been a ploy to let Gambol go first and do anchoring duty. Apparently Shaw Bay was the place to be that night -- it was already cluttered with rafts by the time our little fleet arrived. [answer] Instead we motored around the next bend into Lloyd Creek (one of the answers on the quiz) and carefully navigated the deeper channel as far as we dared. Gambol anchored in eight feet of water with much shallower depths on three sides. After two attempts at parallel anchoring with not enough room to make it stick, Arial's Intention's crew decided to try the infamous bow and stern anchor raft configuration. We let out much more scope, backed into the light breeze to set it, then nursed the boat over bit by bit until she was near enough to Gambol to pass a line or two. Shortly after the raft was secure the breeze shifted, putting both boats on Intention's well-set anchor and all chain rather than swinging both boats around and into the shallows. [answer] An abundance of chicken wings materialized -- Jeannie's were the best -- along with lots of guacamole and Eleanor's huge bowl of seven layer dip. Bob's stuffed mushrooms were as popular as ever, and Mia fired up Intention's fancy grill for her prosciutto, fig, and goat cheese pizzas. [answer] Everyone convened over dessert -- brownies and chocolate dipped strawberries -- to review the answers to the charting quiz. Judy and Jim were each rewarded a copy of Nigel Calder's How to Read a Nautical Chart. For getting the most correct answers Judy won her boat a pint of Captain Morgan, while Jim earned his crew a pint of Sailor Jerry rum. [answer] Fortunately everyone settled in below decks for the night, because around 0300 the “showers” started. Contrary to the forecast of just a quarter inch of rain, it kept on coming. Sunday was a great morning for a hearty breakfast and a couple of pots of coffee. Does the next bay/creek have a name on the chart? [answer] Some time before noon the fleet made a lazy departure from Lloyd Creek, determined to get some sailing in despite the damp. In fact, the rain had become more of a heavy mist and a delightful westerly had filled in on the Eastern Bay. Intention spent the mid-day hours doing laps between Kent Narrows and the mouth of the Wye River. Gambol did some sailing, tacking judiciously around Goldberg Shoal, and then headed to St Michaels in the early afternoon. What does “watching” mean in this context? Also, it’s Hooper Straight Lighthouse. [answer] St Michaels Marina provided neighboring slips just steps from Talbot Street. While some crew explored town, others settled in on board to read and, in at least one case, watch football. As evening approached, all convened and a group dinner was organized -- after Labor Day the restaurants are happy to host even large groups without a reservation. Everyone returned to Arial'>Gambol's spacious salon to review the St Michaels Treasure Hunt and make up the answers that they didn't know. Because Gambol didn’t have the questions when she made port, the competition was rather one sided. Only Jeannie from Intention had actually returned with some of the required evidence. Each crew was awarded and immediately shared a Godiva chocolate bar prize. [answer] Monday dawned bright and still. The fleet pulled away from the dock well before 1000 to embark on the twenty-two mile return through Kent Narrows. While still outside the channel, Intentions crew realized that they couldn't make the 1100 bridge opening, so they raised sail and drifted along for a while before dousing the canvas to make it for the 1130. Picking his way through the narrow channel toward the bridge, Jim B. scraped bottom once in a spot that should have been deep enough. But the passage was otherwise uneventful, with little traffic at the bridge. [answer] Once north of the narrows the fleet found a building southerly so Gambol set a westerly course to take a long tack across the bay and back. Intention's crew worked on their downwind technique, Jeannie at the helm hitting six knots over ground by the time they were outside of Swan Creek and home port. At the fuel dock they were surprised to see Gambol , which had been more than thirty minutes ahead, arrive behind them to fuel up and pump out. [answer] The adventure ended, as always, with tricky stern-to docking followed by the rigors of offloading and cleanup. Thanks to everyone for making it a fun, safe weekend on the water. Answers to above questions
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