The Sailing Club, Inc.

Rock Hall, MD Baltimore Inner Harbor October 19 – 21, 2013

October is one of my favorite times to sail on the Chesapeake. Some of the best winds can be found at this time of year! This trip is a celebration of our 30th Sailing Season and follows a similar float plan to a trip run ten years ago. A trivia contest covering The Sailing Club history and other important nautical facts will provide cutthroat competition for the coveted prizes. We will early-board our 3 sloops at Haven Charters in Rock Hall, MD on Friday evening, with plans to dine at a local restaurant after stowing gear on the boats and getting as much of the boat checkouts completed as possible. Skippers will orient their crews with the features of the boats. Rock Hall Harbor was once an important ferry terminal and fishing port. Its name comes from the slang use of the word "rocks" to mean oyster shells. The building that was the center of the oyster industry, surrounded by piles of "rocks" that had been discarded, came to be known as Rock Hall. Today, its marinas and restaurants attract cruisers in significant numbers, complementing the vessels of local bay men who have worked adjacent waters for generations. We have planned an exhilarating visit to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. We’ll shove off on Saturday morning as soon as our affairs with the charter manager are concluded. Of course at this time of year the cabins will be filled with the smell of fresh-brewed coffee to fortify us on our journey. Our course is west-northwest up the Patapsco River. It is a Saturday, so it is unlikely that we will have to share the river with lumbering merchant ships. Up we go … past Seven Foot Knoll, up past White Rocks, and eventually past Fort McHenry. We have arranged berths at the Inner Harbor East Marina, providing the shortest walk to the Inner Harbor attractions, Little Italy, and Fells Point. The last time I was there I enjoyed a superb dinner at Bertha’s Mussels, but there will be a wide choice for dinner and activities. Even if you’ve been to Baltimore lately, it is always a special feeling to sail into a harbor so intimately connected with America’s history. No doubt most of you will take your fill of indigenous seafood delicacies on Saturday night. Regardless of what other delights and temptations you choose to indulge in while in Baltimore, this evening belongs entirely to you! When Sunday dawns, we will be bound back out to the Bay. We will race on the wind and rendezvous in the Magothy River. The classic structure of Baltimore Light marks the lower entrance to Craighill Channel. It is also a perfect waypoint for the entrance to the Magothy - a relatively small river in the Chesapeake Bay estuary system. It is a prime target for recreational boaters in the warmer months but it becomes tranquil and serene in the fall and winter. In October, the river will be bereft of the warm-weather skiers and personal watercraft. If we anchor behind Dobbins Island, we will have protection from the south and west but still have a magnificent view back towards the mouth of the river; and a spectacular sunset is planned. If the weather suggests a snug harbor, we will travel further north on Sillery Bay, past Purdy Point and secure our raft-up north of Gibson Island. The raft party on the October trip has seldom been a disappointment. It is an opportunity to share the moment one last time with a favored shipmate. It is also a chance to make the first acquaintance of new members. In addition to the official trivia competition, the creative crews of each vessel will produce an enticing spread of hors d’oeuvres to share with everyone. Monday morning we have a short sail back to Rock Hall. There will be time, if anyone desires, to dip below the Bay Bridge or to have a leisurely breakfast before heading back to the marina. The cost of the trip is $370.00 per person (Skippers - $195.00).   Trip price includes charter fees, and one night’s slip fees.   Fuel, provisioning, pump-out, and other incidentals are additional and will be handled by each boat’s crew.   A $100.00 deposit and Release of Liability and Zero Tolerance Form must accompany your reservation form.   Please make your check payable to The Sailing Club, Inc. and mail it, along with your completed reservation and Release forms, to Bob Rainey at the address below.   Reservations will be processed beginning April 5, 2013 with a random draw of those received by that date.   All reservations received after that date are on a first-come, first served basis.   The balance of $270.00 will be due September 4, 2013.   The Club’s standard thirty-day cancellation policy applies for this event. A pre-trip meeting will be held approximately two weeks before the trip, at a time and place to be announced.   All participants should make every effort to attend in order to meet your crewmates, plan your meals, and make travel plans. Please note that sailing conditions are dynamic, that your safety, and that of your crewmates, depends on your good physical health and agility.

Trip Leader	Assistant Trip Leader
Bob Rainey 2006 South Branch Drive Whitehouse Station, NJ  08889                 908-872-9101 rjraineyjr@aol.com	Steve Krakauer 11 Clark Court Basking Ridge, NJ  07920 908-306-0898 stevekrak@gmail.com