It was a cold and blustery day when the crews of Akula, Cathy Sea, and Dilly Dilly left Haven Harbor in Rock Hall, Maryland, bound for Knapp's Narrows.

Late the previous afternoon the crews had arrived in Rock Hall, checked out their boats, and loaded and stowed their gear. That evening the crews enjoyed dinner at The Harbor Shack, one of the Club’s favorite restaurants in town. After dinner we returned to the boats to prepare for a great sail south on the Chesapeake Bay to Knapp's Narrows which separates Tilghman Island from the mainland of the Maryland Eastern Shore.

The weather for Friday was predicted to have 20 to 30 knot winds out of the south-southwest and this was a case where the weatherman was not wrong. The winds were stiff and coming from right where we were headed. Some of the crews did attempt to sail, but with a destination that was over 30 nautical miles away and limited time to get there, all boats ended up motor-sailing or motoring for most of the journey. We passed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, passed Thomas Point Light on our starboard and left Bloody Point Light to port.

Upon arrival, we were docked alongside Knapp's Narrows Marina’s docks running parallel to the channel. Once the boats were secured and checked in, the crews either had dinner ashore or dined that evening on their boats.

This trip was originally planned so that we would be in Knapp's Narrows for the annual Tilghman Island Day Festival. Unfortunately, due to several factors, the event was canceled a few weeks before, but the Club decided to continue with the float plan and just visit Tilghman Island.

On Saturday morning the winds had abated somewhat but were still in the 15 to 20 knot range and still out of the southwest. After a unhurried breakfast, the Cathy Sea crew decided to take a day-sail and crossed the Bay and back on only a reefed foresail. Upon their return to Knapp's Narrows, they found a strong current in the channel that was running the opposite direction of the wind, making docking between Dilly Dilly and Akula an adventure. The docking was successful and Cathy Sea was secure prior to the weather front moving across the area.

All six crew of Akula walked into the village after a leisurely breakfast and toured the Tilghman Watermen’s Museum which has recorded the maritime traditions of the people of Tilghman Island and the unique way of life of the watermen who lived on the island. The crew then split up. Some found a great carpenter’s shop and walked around the harbor area checking out the old skipjack Rebecca T. Ruark and a few walked all the way out to Dogwood Harbor. Everyone eventually made it back to the boat for a little rest and supper onboard in the rain.

Three of Dilly Dilly's crew arranged for a taxi to St. Michaels where they did some shopping and had lunch. One crew member took a marina bike for a fun ride on Tilghman Island, another toured on foot, and Mia took a ride down the island on her electric scooter. Everyone reconvened for drinks in the afternoon and watched the massive weather front move in. The crew of Dilly Dilly decided not to venture out in the ensuing deluge to walk to the restaurant as originally planned. Instead, they made an unplanned spaghetti dinner and played a few hands of an ongoing game of Phase 10.

After an early breakfast, all three boats departed Knapp's Narrows for the sail back to Rock Hall where three of Dilly Dilly’s crew and three of Cathy Sea’s crew would depart and new crew members would join for part two of the trip.