2022 Chesapeake Bay Cruise

Day One: The crew already knew one another (and the Island Packet 32), since all had taken Basic Coastal Cruising (ASA 103) together on sister ship ACADAME in the preceding 4 days.  They therefore immediately discussed their itinerary and began a detailed inspection of the vessel.  Inspection items on deck included the rescue gear at the stern, steering system, sail-handling equipment, standing rigging, primary and secondary anchors, navigation lights and sails.  Below decks, they inspected the gear stowage, electrical, plumbing, galley and engine systems.  The crew then made up a meal plan and provisioning list. 

Next, Captain Riley explained how to create a navigation plan.  Using the appropriate marine charts, the crew selected waypoints along the route, checked all man-made navigational marks against the Coast Guard Light List and online Local Notice to Mariners, then plotted the legs of the course on the charts.  Next, they measured distances and bearings for each leg, converted bearings to courses-to-steer on the ship’s compass, and made a list, in sequence, of this information for the entire trip.  They ended the class day by buying and stowing provisions, and loading the additional gear needed for a multi-day cruise.  All enjoyed dinner in town, shared stories from foreign shores (two crewman are European-born) and turned in.

Day Two:  Captain Riley briefed the crew on the use of a mooring bridle, which they would need at the end of the day’s sail.  The student skipper of the day then worked through the pre-departure checklist, the remaining crewmen took positions as helm or line handler, and SCHOLARSHIP departed home port for the open Chesapeake.   The wind was light, so the boat motored the initial legs of the navigation plan (south on the Chester River).  The crew used the hand-bearing compass to check their progress by finding lines of position (LOP’s) and two-bearing fixes.  They rotated the positions of navigator, deck crew and helm once an hour, with each navigator logging data at the end of his watch. 

Once on the open Bay, they hoisted sail and proceeded north on a beam reach.  The crew furled sail at Swan Creek Buoy #3, where there was still room to head west temporarily before Swan Creek Channel narrowed.  They rounded the point at Gratitude (the old steamboat dock) and took an overnight  mooring at Swan Creek Marina.  Another ASA104 class on ACADAME soon took the mooring ball just ahead.  SCHOLARSHIP’s crew had fine cooking skills -- dinner aboard was excellent.  The crew studied for the ASA104 test, and Captain Riley answered questions as they came up.  The next day’s leg of the trip would be a long one, involving a full day of sailing, so the crew retired early, planning an 0700 departure.

Day Three:  The crew’s cooking skills extended to delicious hot breakfasts.  After breakfast, the day’s student skipper and crew completed the daily pre-departure checklist and let go the mooring at 0700 as planned.  The wind on the Bay was brisk, at 15-20 knots from the west.  The crew hoisted sail at Buoy 3, initially putting in the first reef in the mainsail and deploying only part of the genoa.  The wind direction made it impossible to follow the original navigation plan, so the crew navigated temporarily by reference to landmarks and depths.  Monitoring SCHOLARSHIP’s progress close-reaching to the southwest, the crew soon saw the need to tack to clear Love Point and stay in the Bay. We then sailed northwest for a short time, until we could again turn south and clear the west side of the point, heading for the Bay Bridge.  On the way, the crew practiced rapid heave-to, a maneuver allowing the boat to turn around and stop quickly in the event of a crew-overboard emergency.   SCHOLARSHIP passed under the east span of the bridge, resuming her plotted course after diverting for the tack.  On the way south, the crew successfully executed a full crew-overboard drill, retrieving the practice dummy from the Bay. 

The wind soon lightened, allowing full sail.  SCHOLARSHIP rounded Bloody Point, honoring the modern navigational markers that have replaced the old lighthouse.  With preventer rigged for the broad reach, we sailed first northeast, and then south, in Eastern Bay.  While they had channel width to head west (head-to-wind) temporarily, the crew furled the sails and motored through the serpentine entrance to the Miles River.  A quick call to St. Michaels Marina established the boat’s slip assignment.  SCHOLARSHIP motored to her slip, arriving for the night at 1700. The wisdom of checking the online Local Notice to Mariners was obvious, as the main navigational marker for St. Michaels was down, as reported by the Local Notice.  The crew enjoyed a dockside dinner at Foxy’s, then met back aboard to determine tide and current data for the next day’s transit of Kent Narrows.

Day Four:  The crew had breakfast ashore at the Blue Crab Coffeehouse and hailed the harbor’s waste-pumpout boat.  The day’s student skipper and crew then discussed their undocking plan, and backed out of the slip using a portside turning line on a piling, plus the added precaution of a “roving fender” crewman.  The crew found the wind to be “on the nose” as they entered the Miles River, so SCHOLARSHIP motored north into Eastern Bay.  The crew took bearings on charted landmarks as a cross-check of their navigation.

The previous evening’s planning had dictated a transit under the drawbridge at Kent Narrows at 1330, for the best combination of nearly high tide and minimal current.  SCHOLARSHIP arrived a bit early, and passed under the bridge at 1300.  The dredged channel north of the bridge was quite shallow (though passable), possibly thanks to recent north winds pushing the Bay water south. SCHOLARSHIP re-entered the Chester River and hoisted sail.  Captain Riley suggested a change in the night’s anchoring plan, from Jackson Creek (open to the northwest) to the more protected Corsica River farther north.  The crew then tacked partway up the river, eventually starting the engine to motorsail the extra distance beyond their planned stop.  Motorsailing produces more leeway than pure motoring.  The crew adjusted SCHOLARSHIP’s course-to-steer after observing this effect and (as always) carefully monitoring the depth sounder.  We negotiated the narrow entrance to the Corsica and set two anchors off the bow in a favorite little anchorage just beyond.  Pawel made an excellent dinner dish of Hungarian-style lecho, eagerly devoured by all.  As usual, discussion of cruising topics, and study for the ASA 104 test, followed before lights-out.

Day Five:  After another fine breakfast, the crew retrieved both anchors and motored back to the Chester River.  Each crewman took a turn steering the boat along the river, following a bottom contour line.  The wind strengthened, and another crew-overboard drill ensued in the now-choppy water. 

SCHOLARSHIP next motored up Langford Creek, stopping for a final pumpout and refueling at Lankford Bay Marina.  The crew practiced the challenging Mediterranean-mooring technique in the strong crosswind, then docked in her home slip.  After cleaning up the boat and moving their gear to shore, the crew took the ASA104 written test.  All scored well, and received diplomas and logbook endorsements from Captain  Riley.   The crew members said reluctant goodbyes, but vowed to stay in touch.