2022 Chesapeake Bay Cruise

 

As the summer starts to move into fall, the season of cooler nights is finally upon us. This 104 was one of the most pleasant of the year. Captain Frank, along with the crew - Doug, Kate, Matt and Sam - were pleasantly surprised by the great sailing and comfortable nights for this class.

On a cloudy Sunday, Scholarship left after a full day of trip planning and provisioning. Drizzly skies and the occasional cloudburst did not dampen the spirits as we traveled out to the Chester River, with Doug acting as the Skipper of the Day. Initially having very little wind, we motored down the course line that the students had planned the day before but, near the green 9 buoy, the engine suddenly died. Drifting toward shoal water, Doug and the crew quickly got the situation under control, anchored and simulated a call out for a tow. Luckily, this was just the first of the drills that Frank would run on the crew, to get them experienced at handling emergencies. After debriefing the drill, Doug did a two bearing fix to reestablish the boat’s location and we were back underway. Nearing the red 6 buoy, the crew set the main and genoa, with a preventer for the downwind run and we were soon skipping along on our way to Swan Creek.

By the time we were settled onto mooring ball 16 at the Swan Creek Marina, there was a pleasant breeze blowing out of the southwest. We opened all of the hatches and portlights and enjoyed a pleasant dinner after a long day. By sundown, the cabin was comfortable for sleeping.

With sunup, Scholarship was off the mooring ball and headed for Saint Michael’s. Coming out of the mooring field, the water was as flat as a pond. Skipper of the Day Matt did all he could to try to find wind, but it was not to be this morning. As we motored along, we passed under the Annapolis Bay Bridge and Matt did a three bearing fix to plot his position. Just as we approached the light at Bloody Point, we saw a huge cargo ship coming at us up the Bay and we quickly rounded the point and headed up into Eastern Bay. Determined to at least try to sail, Matt had the crew raise the main and we used it for some very close-hauled motor sailing. 

As we approached 1E at the entrance to Eastern Bay, suddenly there was a loud vibrating noise and Captain Frank announced that the starboard side back stay had just parted. Quickly truning into the wind, Matt confidently handled the casualty as his crew dropped the main, prepared to lower the anchor and used the now spare main halyard to back up the broken stay. Of course, it was just another drill, but the crew handled it well and soon, all that was left was to debrief the crew and get back underway. 

As we came around Tilghman Point and headed for Bennett Point, the sun came out for the first time in three days and we dropped the main sail just before cutting through the shallows into the Wye, then we came into the Miles River and headed for the entrance to Saint Michaels. 

After taking slip 37 in the almost deserted Saint Michaels Marina, showers and dinner ashore were a welcome set of events, but the night out on the town was interrupted by a torrential downfall. Luckily, since we were tied up with electricity for the air conditioning, having to button up the boat to keep the rain out was no major problem.

Sam, our Skipper of the Day for Wednesday, calculated our passage at Kent Narrows, deciding that we needed to arrive about 1430, so we were able to enjoy extra showers and breakfast ashore for the crew. After breakfast sandwiches and strong coffee, we prepared to get underway. The wind had shifted to the west with the storm passing during the night, and once again in Eastern Bay, the sailing was great. By the time we reached the Narrows, the winds were variable and we went through on the 1430 opening, with a touch of current on the bow. We were soon back out into the Chester River, with the breeze slowly dropping. We motored up the River, when all of a sudden, the crew noticed that Kate was missing. She was soon found below, “passed out” from some unknown medical condition. Quickly assessing the situation, Sam made the decision to backtrack to Kent Narrows, after discovering that his radio no longer worked. Again, it was just a drill and we were soon headed into the evening for Grays Inn Creek, where we anchored for the night on a Bahamian mooring.

As the sun rose the next morning, it was almost chilly as we pulled up the two anchors under the able leadership of Skipper of the Day Kate (completely recovered from the previous day’s mysterious malady) and we were soon performing Crew Overboard training in the Lankford Creek area, before returning to Langford Bay Marina and our home slip. After pumping out and attempting to refuel, we tucked back into our home slip and the crew departed, happy with their hard-won new skills.