You Just Gotta Love This Bay!
The sailing season for 2018 was well upon us and this was going to be a special year for me on the water. I had purchased a very nice Hunter 240 in January, 2018, because I was no longer able to fold my aging and stiffening body into my beautiful 19’ O’Day Mariner for our multi-day cruises on the Chesapeake. I love my Mariner, but there comes a time when all things just don’t work well for the task at hand. With the Hunter, I not only had a boat with more freeboard on those oft had Chesapeake feisty days, but I had a cabin in which I could actually sit comfortably in and sleep. I was done with those chilly damp nights huddled under my cockpit tent on a makeshift platform, not being able to sit up and constantly hoping the wind would not destroy the only protection available short of folding myself into an already cramped cuddy! And, yes, I did experience that tent rending thunderstorm on Biscayne Bay when I took my Mariner to Florida in March of 2017. I figured that I deserved a little creature comfort. Well, I don’t know that I deserved it, but I surely did want it. My 240 would certainly fill that bill and I was anxious to spend the week on her our first multi-day cruise of the summer.
My friend, Steve, sails a Catalina 22 and our friend, Russ, sails a. O’Day 22. We have, for many sailing seasons, taken our boats to great sailing venues, mostly on the Chesapeake Bay and adjacent rivers, for some of the best sailing around. I say that just to appease the Bay Gods and keep them in friendly disposition! This trip is fairly representative of what our time on the water is like, although the Bay will rarely show you the same face twice. I hope this little narrative, transcribed from the log of my Hunter 240, Jon-B, will encourage other small boat users to stretch their horizons and learn to enjoy the Bay as we have!
6/25
Depart home at 0315; met Steve at WaWa at 0415; met Russ at the Rt.95 rest area and set off to Sandy Point State Park, MD at 0600
Arrive Sandy Pt at 0800; rigged and launched at 1100 enroute Shaw Bay on the Miles River just north of St. Michaels.
Arrive Shaw Bay and anchored at 1730; 6 hrs. under sail; distance sailed approx. 30 Km:
A beautiful day of sailing with a good wind of 10-12 kts., sunny skies and temps in the mid 80s. All was working well until something shorted my electrical system and I lost the use of my chart plater when the battery went dead. The battery failed to charge on engine start up so it was obvious that the short popped a breaker or a fuse somewhere in the system. A quick search after I anchored was not able to determine the source of the problem, so I was resigned to having phone service until my phone died and then just VHF contact with the other boats until the radio needed charging. After that, I would be out of voice communication with the world. OK, I thought. That’s the way they sailed these waters two hundred years ago and most everyone came home alive!
I enjoyed some chips and dip while deciding on what to have for dinner and finally started cooking my special chicken with rice mix which accompanies me on most of my cruises. My eyes being bigger now-a-days than my stomach, I was unable to finish all my dinner, so the leftovers would be served with breakfast the next morning. A quick clean up and some rum and tea finished my first day afloat and I headed to my sleeping bag. On this trip I decided I would try sleeping in the V-birth, which turned out to be very comfortable. After such a long day, my lantern was doused at 2230 and I’m sure I was asleep by 2231.
6/26
Depart Shaw Bay at 0930; motor sailed out into the Miles River and up toward Eastern Bay; sailed down Eastern Bay enroute Selby Bay;
With just one short wake up overnight, I was up in the morning by 0730 and was met by a most glorious day, mostly sunny skies with temps in the low 70s. There was a fresh breeze blowing through the anchorage which I took as a good omen for another great sailing day. It would become anything but!
Breakfast was a mix of my leftovers and some bacon, eggs and potatoes. It was probably not my greatest meal, but it did the trick. Actually, mixing as I did was truly a bad idea. Mental note made and posted! But, as is always the case, everything is made better with a cup of hot tea with brown sugar and rum. Steve’s boat was close aboard mine so we discussed the POD based on what he heard as a forecast. He said winds were expected to be easterly at 8-10 Kts., so we decided to head north through Kent Narrows and into the Chester River. What Steve heard, however, did not bear up to reality as we quickly found out once we got into the Miles River. We plodded on toward Kent Narrows with totally uncooperative winds and, by the time we reached Eastern Bay, we determined that there was a beautiful wind out of the SSE at 10-12 Kts, which would allow us to sail right down Eastern Bay and into the main bay with great ease and sailing pleasure. Our new destination was Selby Bay off the South River near Annapolis and it looked like the sailing would be perfect all the way. Nearing the bottom of Eastern Bay, all three of us had merge into a close formation and we held our course and relative position to each other for about fifteen minutes when my medicine alarm went off. I notified the other boats by radio that I was going to heave to in order to take my medicine and that I would catch up. Catch up? Not so, Cap’n Eddie, not so! Because of other boat traffic converging on my position, I had to maneuver out of everyone’s’ way before I could heave to leading to a ten minute delay. It took me another ten minutes to take my meds and re-establish steerage way. In just that amount of time,, the wind shifted enough that I could no longer hold my previous course which would have taken me out past Bloody Point Light and into the main bay without any concerns for low water. Instead, I had to tack to the SE and sail almost to the other side of Eastern Bay before I could establish a lay line through good water and out into the main bay. When I was finally able to tack back, I lost all track of my friends’ boats and was left with finding my way to Selby Bay on my own. Ain’t no problem, thought I! What I didn’t realize was that the wind shift that I experience was actually the wind that had been blowing out on the main bay all morning. The wind also picked up in velocity to around 12-15 Kts. as I entered the main bay and, by then, I knew what was in store for me and Jon-B. Mariners on the Chesapeake Bay know that when the wind picks up out of South and blows straight up the bay, it creates the notorious bay fetch which basically piles water on top of water forming large rollers. The bay becomes a seething cauldron of rolling water with three foot waves and the occasional 80 footer, or so it seemed. Couple that with a course that put these rollers on my port quarter and I knew I was in for a long and uncomfortable ride. So I slogged away with my little ship being thrown every which way and me hanging on for dear life. I made a course correction to put the waves more on my stern, if for no other reason but to give both me and Jon-B a little break.
I had cut myself the previous day and, as things often go, I reopened that wound. Now, with blood starting to decorate my deck and realizing that, to get to Selby Bay to meet up with my friends, I’d have to alter my course, putting those nasty rollers just abaft my port beam, and that was something I just wasn’t in the mood to deal with! Discretion and prudence forced my decision to maintain my current course and head to Annapolis for much needed rest and repair. I was more than just a bit worried about an accidental jibe under these sea conditions, a concern that was well founded. As the waves rolled around and under the boat, she often was left sailing, momentarily, by the lee, leaving Jon-B dangerously close to an ugly, and possibly damaging, jibe. I am sure that it was by the grace of God and St. Elmo that no jibe occurred and certainly not due to my masterful sailing skills! I felt more like a passenger than a helmsman!
To ease the strain on the rig and ease my work load a bit, I furled the jib before making the turn toward Annapolis and, once reaching the relative safety of smoother waters, started my motor and dropped the main. The heavy breeze still made faking the main onto the boom a monstrous task, but persistence and absolute necessity got the job done. I arrived at Annapolis at 1630; 6 hrs. under sail; distance sailed approx. 25 Km. I called Annapolis Dock Master on the radio to make sure there was a place for me in Ego Alley and was told they had a nice spot for a boat my size and to proceed. Entering Ego Alley, I didn’t see too much room because a lot of folks had ducked in there to escape the fetch. Proceeding, I saw one of the dock crew waving at me to bring my boat to the wall where he was standing. Did you ever get one of those “OMG” moments when you’re expected to do something that is way beyond your comfort level? I got one then, because he was asking me to position my boat between to huge trawlers in a space that looked about four feet short of my length. I made the best approach I could manage and got Jon-B’s bow up against the seawall about two feet from one of the trawlers. Things weren’t helped by the captains of both trawlers standing on their upper decks watching me intently. The captain of the boat I just squeezed in behind must have seen my Navy hat and hollered, “Don’t you hit my boat, shipmate!” The dock crew tied off my bow and I let the wind, which for Ego Alley was, uncharacteristically, still snorting, push my stern into the wall. It is good that the Hunter has no backstay, because I had to slide my stern right under the bow pulpit of the larger of the two trawlers. It turned out there was enough room for me with about two feet of clearance from the trawlers fore and aft. I was grossly out of my league, having the smallest boat there, but they were able to squeeze me into the only space available. I guess it’s true when they say size DOES matter! The folks on the boat forward of me had been watching me intently and even had someone on their swim platform ready to fend off, if necessary. Once tied up and secure, they all breathed a sigh of relief and went back to their drinks! That’s right, “Mr. Huge Carver Motor Yacht”, we sailors can handle boats, too! I got Jon-B settled in with her fenders in place and lines snug. If there was ever a time for a nice hot cup of rum-laced tea, that was it!
After finishing my tea, even though it was now dinner time, I wanted to take a little walk around town and stretch my legs. I love the harbor area of Annapolis and I enjoy, with a bit of envy, seeing the midshipmen in their whites heading out on the town for some food and recreation. It also gives me a chance to say hello to my neighbors on the other boats tied to the wall. The two boats that I was sandwiched between were both in the process of finishing the Great Loop, something that remains on my bucket list! You really do meet some of the nicest people at the dock! As I continued my walk about, my mind kept returning to the problem I had with my electrical system and in dawned on me that I had checked everything except the battery cables themselves. I returned to Jon-B and immediately crawled back to the battery. The connectors were firmly attached to the battery, but the one cable had broken right at the connector. I was able to repair the wire and connector successfully and started the motor to check the charging operation. All was now working! While the engine ran, I cooked up a nice dinner, made some more rum tea and settled back to relax, read and work on my log. After about an hour of motor idling, I shut it down and enjoyed the use of my newly fixed electrical system. By eleven o’clock, I was ready for lights out, or at least as much lights out as you can get in Ego Alley. Sleep came quickly!
6/27
Sun was out when I woke up and the breeze was still more than just a little fresh. The plan for that day was supposed to be to meet up with Russ and Steve that afternoon up above Gibson Island off the Magothy River. Fortunately, I didn’t have to stay in that sandwich long. The next morning, the boat in front of me left and a larger boat took its place, leaving me much more room between boats. I promptly re-positioned my boat to afford more room fore and aft! Not too long after doing that, the boat to my stern left and I had all the room in the world, for a little bit!
I made myself some breakfast and checked the weather, not rushing to get underway. I don’t have that luxury when we are at anchor. That’s my only difficulty sailing with Steve and Russ. They’re early risers! By the time I drag myself out of my sleeping bag, these two are up, had breakfast and are getting their boats ready to head out for the day. But, I digress! I stopped to talk with a captain who had just come in and asked him how things were out on the bay. He said the wind wasn’t as strong as yesterday, but there was still a big fetch, something I didn’t want to hear. I went for a walk around town again, stopped at Starbucks for a latte and headed back to the boat. By now it was late morning and time to shove off, but as I got back to Ego Alley, I noticed Russ’s boat tied up behind mine.
He had just pulled in and told me he and Steve were heading up to Gibson but it was just too rough. He decided to pull into Annapolis for a respite when he found my boat at the wall. He said Steve was continuing onto Gibson Island. We discussed whether we would try to head up there as well but Russ was not up for anymore of the bouncing and rolling still going on out there. I decided that, even though I didn’t want to pay another dock fee, I would stay another night with Russ in Annapolis. I, too, wasn’t looking to head out into that fetch!
We were able to reach Steve by cell phone later that afternoon. He was nicely tucked in at anchor by Gibson and would await us reaching him the next day for our final overnight on the Chesapeake. I was looking forward to that anchorage, too, because of the scenery. It is situated by a magnificent horse farm and surrounded by trees. Unless you happened to be sharing the anchorage with a family with youngsters and jet skis, it is always a quiet place to chill! Russ and I went to dinner and made our plan for our next day departure. Heading back to the boats, we checked our lines for the upcoming tide and turned in. For me, however, it was another cup of Cap’n Eddie’s tea, a bit of reading and the day’s log work which wasn’t much. It was a beautiful night, the full moon being finally fully exposed, and the breeze had finally settled down. It was a nice night to sit in the cockpit with my tea and some soft music. It was during this quiet time that I hatched my own plan for the following day. By midnight, my musings and tea slurping were done and I crawled into the v-birth for the night.
6/28
Lots of sun and a fresh comfortable breeze greeted me as I emerged from my cabin. The forecast called for 10-12kts, coming off the western shore and the sea state was quite a bit more palatable. I could tell by the way the wind was behaving in Ego Alley that it would be a much better day on the bay.
Breakfast, tea and a replenishment of ice were my first tasks of the day and then I told Russ of my plan conjured up the evening before. I said that I wanted to sail to Baltimore, having Steve sail out and meet us on the way. Russ pondered the idea for a bit and thought it might not be a bad plan. We called Steve and filled him in but he didn’t buy into the idea. He had some concerns about coming back in the dark, which was the second part of my grand plan. I figured that since the wind was supposed to die down a lot by that evening, and with a full moon shining down on the water, the trip back from Baltimore to Sandy Point would be quite special! It was around noon when Russ and I set out from Ego Alley and we set our sails as soon as we passed the rock jetty by the academy. Sailing was brisk and comfortable, even when we got out into the open bay just south of the Bay Bridge and, once passed the bridge, we able to hold a nice broad reach on the port tack. There was still some wave action in the bay but Jon-B made good headway toward the Patapsco River. I lost track of Russ about an hour or so into the trip, but I knew he knew the way to Baltimore. I had told him we would anchor in the cove just east of Ft. McHenry so I wasn’t worried that we wouldn’t hook up. Once I could no longer reach Russ on the radio, I figured something must have changed and, since Russ wasn’t answering his cell, I called Steve to see if he had heard from him. Steve said Russ had called him to say he was having a bit of trouble catching up to me and decided to turn into the Magothy River and join him at Gibson Island. Since I was past the halfway point to Baltimore, I decided to continue on, even though it was taking a bit longer than I had computed. There are some big ships that ply the same waters as my little 240, and I took care not to “speed by them and have to deal with their sizable wakes! This big girl presented herself to me as I was approaching the Francis Scott Key Bridge. I was hoping not to repeat this in the dark later on!
The sun was hanging kind of low as I made my way into the Patapsco, so I dropped my sails and motored the rest of the way to Ft. McHenry, arriving at my intended anchorage at around 6:30 PM. By the time I was able to find just the right spot and get the anchor set, it was already a bit past 7. I was just tired enough that I wanted to just sit and take in the scenery before I made dinner. I laid at anchor with my stern pointing right at the flag at the
fort. It is, and will always be to me, a beautiful sight!
My arrival was later than I expected and I needed to eat something before catching a bit of sleep before heading back. After dinner, I plotted the distance from my anchorage to the docks at Sandy point and figured that, in order to arrive at Sandy in the morning at the same time as Russ and Steve, around 8 AM, I would have to weigh anchor by 2 AM at the latest. It already being around 10 PM, I went below to try to get some sleep.
Sleep didn’t come as readily as I had hoped, probably because of my anticipation of my first night sail in a very long time. I wasn’t worried, since my chart plotter had my course already laid in, but I guess the excitement was more than I expected. In and out of sleep for a couple of hours told me that I’d be much better suited to sitting up with a cup of my special tea and watching the ships moving in and out of the port. It also gave me a chance to visualize my departure from the anchorage and getting into the outbound channel. The tea was very good in the coolness of night and I treated myself to a second cup, after which I started making preparations for getting underway. The galley secured and, in all respects, Jon-B ready for sea, I set the “special sea and anchor detail”, started my motor, turned on my nav lights and went forward to hoist the anchor. I still marvel that the moon was so bright that I could make out Ft. McHenry even in the dark! It was around 1:30 when I got underway and the sheer delight of being on the move under a full moon was almost indescribable. There was no difficulty at all in maintaining safe distances from buoys and other things one doesn’t want to hit with a boat and ship movements were few and easily discernible. Francis Scott Key Bridge loomed in the distance and I was making good progress, but slow. There is one thing about the Patapsco River, however, that leaves a whole bunch to be desired. One will find tree limbs, pallets, huge timbers and all kinds of flotsam in the water and it is almost impossible to miss them all at night. It’s a bit disquieting when you hear a thud on your hull as you make your way down the channel: the deeper the thud, the bigger the object hit and the more disquieting. It’s always less of a problem after passing under the bridge, but I still maintain a slow speed until I was ready to enter the bay.
Once out into the bay, I found excellent conditions, mostly long rollers which I took for residual ship wakes. I decided to not set my sails for the trip because there was more ship traffic than I expected and I didn’t want to have to maneuver around wakes under sail. That made the trip so much easier because I could now just follow the course set into my chart plotter, knowing that this would assure me of safe distances from all obstructions and buoys. The trip was magnificent, and I wondered to which port the ships I was passing were bound. I let my imagination run wild! I was very careful of keeping a good distance from the passing ships because it seemed to me that they were moving much faster than they do during the day. A bow wave from one of those ships can be more than an “E Ride” for an unwary sailor. I had passed three ships by the time I reached the Baltimore Light and I saw two more approaching. I knew I was at a safe distance from their path, even though I still got a nice little ride from their wakes. As I approached the next ship, all looked as before and I just continued on my way. It was one of those enclosed auto carriers, Roll on, Roll off, I think they’re called. I watched her pass and was checking my position on the plotter when the bow of my boat heaved up and rounded over the top of a big roller. Jon-B then headed down and then back up again and this time almost launched herself out of the water. She came down with a loud smack that “shivered me timbers” and the process started all over. This all scared all of my short hairs to brace attention as I wondered what this was all about. I literally had to hang onto the side of the cockpit to keep from being unseated. After a few lesser rolls, all was back to normal. I’m not sure what happened other than that ship must have been really flying to make such a huge bow wake. But Jon-B and I survived and continued on a heading that would take us right by the Sandy Point Light.
I prepared myself for another heavy wake as the last ship passed but that wake was like the first three and Jon-B and I rode smoothly over the roll. I knew I would be making my turn into Sandy Point before the next ship arrived so I peeled my eyes for Sandy Point Light. Once I could see it, I changed my course to starboard to shorten the distance to the thoroughfare into Sandy and by this time the first hint of dawn was showing in the east. The trip went much faster than I had planned for once I got out into the bay and I was surprised to be entering the thoroughfare well before my ETA. I motored into Sandy Point, which I might add is one of the nicest ramps on the bay, by dawn’s early light and was tied up at the dock by 6:30 AM.
The rest of this story is all about the un-fun part of trailer sailing: the derigging and getting the boat ready for the road. By the time I got Jon-B on her trailer, Steve and Russ arrived and, as is our customary routine, we helped each other prepare for the three and a half hour trip home.
So, let me ask you: Who says you can’t have fun with small boats on big water?