Conventional wisdom has always held that sailing in the Chesapeake during the summer is a fool’s errand. This year’s August trip emphatically contradicted that axiom. There were ample winds and moderate temperatures.

The trip began in Rock Hall on Friday, August 19th, with two boats from Haven Charters, Luff Out Loud, a Beneteau 41, and Varsity, a Beneteau 45. The boats were ready for boarding early, so it was easy for the skippers to complete the checkouts before heading to dinner.

There is a relatively new entrant to the culinary scene in Rock Hall – The Blue Heron Oyster House. The crew of Varsity – Steve Krakauer (skipper), Jan Cornelius, John Francischetti, Joel Mack and Walt Wronka – went there for dinner. The crew of Luff Out Loud – Mia McCroskey (skipper), Gary Brubaker, Gale Frankle, Kris Kaufmann and Mark Smaniotto) decided to dine at the Harbor Shack, a long-time club favorite. Both dining experiences received “thumbs up’s.”

Saturday morning dawned with overcast skies, and rain forecasted for the late afternoon, or in the evening sometime, depending on which forecast one cared to believe. After completing the final boat reviews with the charter company, boat boats were away at around 10:30 am.

Our plan for the evening was to sail across the bay to the mouth of the Patapsco River, and raft up in Bodkin Creek on its south side. The winds on the bay were from the south to southeast at about ten to fifteen knots, making that choice very doable. Starting from Can 3, Varsity set sail on a close reach and sailed toward the Bay Bridge for over an hour, with boat speeds typically over seven knots, and occasionally eight. Around mid-day Varsity fell off to a broad reach and had lunch underway on a gentler point of sail.

Luff Out Loud took a slightly more downwind heading from Can 3, heading across and a short distance up the Patapsco River – far enough to get a look at the remains of the Francis Scott Key bridge. The less experienced crewmembers each got plenty of helm time. They learned that steering using instruments with no landmarks ahead is challenging!

By around 4:00 pm, and yet to experience any rain, the raft was secured in Jubb Cove, well inside Bodkin Creek. Both boats anchored in anticipation of some heavy weather that might require un-rafting. As the water temperature was quite comfortable (the fancy depth sounder on Luff Out Loud also had a water temperature gauge indicating 83.4°), and devoid of nettles, many went swimming. The traditional raft-up party began at about 6:30 pm with a multitude of delectable offerings. While there are too many to list them all, of note were Gary’s gazpacho, Steve’s lobster pasta salad, and Mia’s chicken wings with a dipping sauce that had a secret ingredient Mia said she would never consider using for anything! But a friend urged her to try the recipe. The ingredient? Miracle Whip. To complete this sumptuous feeding frenzy were John’s Kahlúa brownies, and butter cookies in the shape of a sailboat sent along by Jan’s wife, who did not join us on the trip.

Sometime around 8:00 pm, the “sound and light show” of nearby lightning and thunder began. Various apps and websites showed a large storm system a few miles away and moving toward the raft. It wasn’t much later that the rain started, pretty much ending the party, but the rain never amounted to much. That is until about four in the morning, when it poured.

However, by sun-up, the rainstorm had passed, and the mostly overcast skies returned. So did the swallows. They were perched on every inch of exposed rigging aloft – dozens of them. As well the decks were covered with, well, you know. That was encouragement enough to leave, so both boats were underway at around 9:00 am.

The winds were still from the south-southeast on Sunday, but not as brisk as Saturday, and the temperature was in the low seventies. Sunday’s destination was Worton Creek Marina, about twenty miles away. Since the south shore of the Patapsco was creating a wind shadow, both boats motor-sailed until past Sevenfoot Knoll. Setting full sail, the course was a broad reach northeast across the bay.

Nonetheless, Varsity was able to sail for a couple of hours at around five knots. There was, briefly, some light rain, then the winds tapered off soon after, so it was motor-sailing the rest of the way. Luff Out Loud followed much the same pattern, once again encouraging the newer sailors to get experience at the helm. Gale even steered us wing-on-wing for a few minutes. By then the wind was so light it was time for the iron genny.

Both boats arrived at the marina in the afternoon in time to relax in their pool. Luff Out Loud's crew scrubbed the swallow detritus from the deck as soon as the boat was plugged in and the AC was on. Using the marina’s gas grills, dinner was alfresco. Luff Out Loud's crew made individual “grill-fired” pizzas with naan bread for crusts and toppings that included pepperoni, olives, peppers, onions, Canadian bacon, fresh mozzarella (as well as shredded) and yes, pineapple. Gale contributed a fantastic arugula and raspberry salad.

Varsity dined on Jan’s grilled chicken, treated with 17 secret herbs and spices, and accompanied by home-made cole slaw and macaroni salad. For dessert, Mia brought all the fixings for s’mores for both crews, while Joel brought a small watermelon that was also shared. It rained some later that evening, but not nearly enough to remove the guano from the decks.

Monday morning was absolutely delightful - partly cloudy skies with the temperature in the low seventies, and less humidity. The winds had shifted to the west, and were forecasted to be around three knots on the bay. Once out of Wharton Creek, that forecast was confirmed, so both boats motor-sailed on a course back to Rock Hall. When the Patapsco River was abeam, the winds freshened to about ten knots, allowing for a wonderful sail down the bay, instead of returning early to the charter base.

While in the Tolchester Channel, Luff Out Loud’s crew spotted an odd looking barge heading toward them. When it got closer, they saw what looked like a stubby submarine strapped on deck. A text confirmation from a relative told Mia it was a Virginia class submarine – or part of one – en route from Norfolk, Virginia to Groton, Connecticut. Soon after that bit of excitement, a loud clatter on the deck startled the crew, and someone looked up and pointed out an awkward juvenile osprey trying to balance on the top of the mast. It tried long enough for a quick photo before flapping away.

The winds did abate by mid-afternoon, but not before Varsity again sailed close the Bay Bridge, doing about four knots most of the way. However, reversing course dropped the speed to just over one knot, so it was a motor-sail for the rest of the return. Luff Out Loud followed the breeze out into the middle of the bay for more helm time and had enough of a breeze to reach back toward Can 3 for a while before resorting to the motor.

 On the road by about 4:00 pm, everyone was happy in the knowledge that summer on the Chesapeake can be fun-filled.

Mia keeping an eye on things	Gary, deep in thought	Gale's turn at the helm

Photos courtesy of Jan Cornelius, Gale Frankle, Kris Kaufmann, Joel Mack, Mia McCroskey, and Mark Smaniotto