2022 DELMARVA Reports

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7/15
Friday afternoon, student crew arrived: Alan Clarke, Fred Demuynck, Tom Haldis, and Albert Wichmann and First Mate Rita Hanson; conducted below deck inspection per the training plan; out to dinner at Harbor Shack.  

7/16
Saturday conducted on-deck inspection, deployed sails including whisker pole and prepared navigation for tomorrow's trip to Swan Creek; weather looks good but hot; out to dinner at Baywolf.  

7/17
Sunday up early; underway by 0830; did compass calibration and speedo calibration; see images of results below.    

Compass Calibration

Speed Calibration

A speed calibration run was made in Chester River between green dayboard G"1" and the green over red channel junction light Fl (2+1) G 6s 15ft 4M "LC". The measured distance on the chart between these beacons is 0.60 NM, and the bearing in one direction is 096ºT (107ºC) and the reciprocal is 276ºT (284ºC). This course is at roughly right angles to the current flow. Outbound leg was East from G "1" to "LC" and return leg was "LC" to G "1". 

Click picture to enlarge

We ran between these beacons at 2400 engine rpm.
Indicated boat speed through the water Outbound, S_IO = 7.2 knots
Elapsed time Outbound, T_O = 0.0960 hour.
SOG_O = 0.6 NM ÷ 0.0960 hour = 6.250 knots
Speed Factor Outbound, SF_O = 6.25 ÷ 7.2 = 0.868 

Indicated boat speed through the water Return, S_IR = 7.0 knots
Elapsed time Return, T_R = 0.0935 hour.
SOG_R = 0.6 NM ÷ 0.0935 hour = 6.417 knots
Speed Factor Return, SF_R = 6.417 ÷ 7.0 = 0.917

Average Speed Factor, SF = (SF_O + SF_R) ÷ 2 = (0.868 + 0.917) ÷ 2 = 0.89 

In the future, calculate corrected boat speed through the water, S_C = 0.89 x S_I (speed through the water indicated by the Garmin UDST instrument.) This is not GPS speed. 

And, since distance traveled in a given time period equals speed divided by time, and since both are based on the same sensor in contact with the water, the calibration factors for both speed and distance are numerically equal: 

Distance Factor, DF = SF = 0.89 

In the future, calculate corrected distance traveled through the water, D_C = 0.89 x D_I (distance through the water indicated by instrument.) This is not GPS distance.   

After this, we conducted underway sail training; motor sailed to Swan Creek; secured to mooring ball number two. Completed navigation prep for tomorrow's cruise up the bay to C&D Canal. Dinner onboard of beef stew. 

7/18
Monday 0700 dropped mooring ball and motor sailed to C&D canal; students on one-hour helm tricks; winds 15 to 18 from south; student practiced navigation tasks including visual magnetic bearings and running fixes; arrived at Summit North Marina by 1400; topped up fuel and pumped out; moored in a slip on dock I; prepared navigation for trip down Delaware Bay and offshore Atlantic to Cape Charles. Dinner at the Grain Restaurant. Watch schedule: 

• Tom H & Fred: 01 to 07; 13 to 19
• Albert & Al: 07 to 13; 19 to 01
• Rita: 10 to 16; 22 to 04
• Tom T: 04 to 10; 16 to 22

7/19
Tuesday underway 0730 for trip down Delaware bay; no winds; motored all the way to Cape Henlopen. As we passed Brown Shoal Light, we noticed the Ferry Delaware , several miles off to our portside on a crossing course. Fred took the opportunity to draw a closest point of approach plot, as described in Appendix D of the training plan, and concluded that the ferry would cross ahead of us by less than 1/2 mile. A short time later the ferry hailed us over the VHF radio and asked if we would "take our stern" to which we replied in the affirmative. As the ferry approached on our portside, we bore left toward her stern and had a safe and happy crossing.

Ferry Crossing Click to enlarge

We continued motoring overnight and most of the next day Wednesday; last three hours winds came up for a beautiful sail into Chesapeake Bay at Cape Charles; navigated to red N2 and up channel to Fishermans Island bridge and to Cape Charles Town channel; Entered Cape Charles Harbor in pitch black at 0100 Thursday; moored to a T-head dock. 

7/21
Thursday noon departed slip and fueled and pumped out; left marina by 1300 for beautiful sail up Chesapeake Bay during the afternoon and overnight in 12 to 15 knot southwest to west winds to Annapolis arriving there by 0900 Friday, 7/22; moored in slip number 16; napped for an hour or two and three students took ASA106 written exam: Allen, Albert and Fred. Dinner at Pussers; ice cream along wharf in Ego Alley. Completed navigation prep for tomorrow's trip to Rock Hall. 

7/23
Saturday departed Annapolis 0730; weather sunny, hot and dry; motor-sailed to Chester River; stopped at Deckleman's marina for pumpout and diesel; arrived at Lankford Bay Marina 1300; moored in home slip; presented diplomas to students; students departed by 1500.

During the cruise the student crew did hourly inspections of the boat and checked the weather, navigation progress and ship traffic, and entered key information into the Deck Logbook. Following is a DR Plot of the course and distance data based on the ship's compass and distance log, which is very similar to the plot that we keep during ocean cruises and used to facilitate celestial navigation plots.

Tom Haldis put together an interesting Video of this cruise at https://youtu.be/A_ckiV1NxfI

Captain Tom Tursi
S/V NAVIGATOR, IP40
Rock Hall, MD