2024 Chesapeake Bay Cruise

 

The student crew – Aaron, Evan and Ryan – and their captain-instructor, Doug Riley, met on Scholarship on a cool early-May morning.  After introductions, Captain Riley outlined the five-day class agenda. 

The crew then launched into a detailed inspection of Scholarship.  This is standard procedure for anyone chartering a “bareboat” on vacation.  The goals are to (1) learn where all the equipment and machinery are located for quick access during a cruise (2), make sure that all the safety equipment mandated by the U.S. Coast Guard is aboard and in good order, (3) confirm that the vessel is seaworthy in all respects, and (4) familiarize all crewmembers with the pre-departure inspections that would be part of each morning’s routine. 

The crew also learned how to gather and record information about the trip during the day’s sailing, and enter it into the Deck Log hourly.  This procedure is essential on an ocean trip.

Next, the crew learned how to plan a multi-day cruise and prepare a list of courses, distances and waypoints for the entire trip.  The crew, as a team, did the necessary research and plotting, using both online data and traditional paper nautical charts and reference books.  The cruise would take them to destinations on the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay.  It would include some places where tide, current, depth, and bridge height were critical.

All agreed on a meal plan. Captain Riley obtained the needed groceries, and the crew stowed them aboard.  After dinner in town, Scholarship’s crew turned in to their bunks for the night.

The next day proved cloudy and cool, with a blustery west wind gusting over 20 knots.  The School’s Island Packet yachts are seagoing boats, however, well capable of safe sailing in these conditions.  After breakfast and predeparture checks, the crew steered Scholarship south toward the mouth of the Chester River.  The west wind was ideal for this southerly course.

Once Scholarship left the river and entered Chesapeake Bay, the crew’s plotted course took the sailors north.  The strong west wind was perfect for this course as well.  The day’s destination was Swan Creek, a well-protected anchorage and mooring field. 

Upon entering the Creek, the crew reverted to visual pilotage, following the Coast Guard’s clear navigational markers through the narrow channel.  The crew used a two-line, Virgin Islands-style mooring bridle to secure their boat to a mooring they’d reserved earlier.  Since they had not run Scholarship’s engine since morning (thanks to the great sailing breeze), they ran it in the early evening to recharge the boat’s batteries.  All turned in after a spaghetti meal and some after-dinner study for the ASA 104 test.

The next day featured abundant sunshine and a very light breeze -- quite a contrast to the previous day.  The plotted course would take Scholarship south once again, for a 30-plus-mile run from the Creek, under the Bay Bridge, past the west shore of Kent Island, then down Eastern Bay to the mouth of the Miles River.  The crew consulted multiple sources to be sure they could transit the Bay Bridge without diverting west to the main span.  Sure enough, Scholarship would fit under the side spans with height to spare.

After motoring under the Bridge, the crew practiced a person-overboard maneuver and pickup, and took three-bearing “fixes” on landmarks to confirm their position.  Once around the south end of Kent Island, Scholarship turned first northeast and then south through the mouth of the Wye River.  This course featured shallow spots, requiring careful navigation and continuous monitoring of the depth sounder. 

Since it was the weekend, the crew had reserved a slip in advance for the night at St. Michaels Marina.  There Scholarship would join her sister ship, Acadame, then engaged on a similar cruise.  Upon arriving in picturesque St. Michael’s harbor, Scholarship made a short “reconnaissance” circle around the main harbor basin, found the service dock, and obtained fuel and pumpout.  Using the same docking technique employed at the School’s home marina, the crew docked Scholarship stern-in, right next to Acadame.   The two crews met and agreed to dine together after showers ashore.   Everyone enjoyed a dockside meal at Blu Miles restaurant.

The next leg of the cruise required Scholarship to sail north through Eastern Bay, and then transit the narrow channel and drawbridge at Kent Narrows.  This spot is notorious for shoals and swift tidal currents.  Captain Riley advised the crew to take the drawbridge as close to “slack tide” as possible.  Bald eagles, out fishing for their breakfast, joined Scholarship as she motored toward the Narrows. 

Upon arriving at the bridge, the crew radioed the bridge tender to let him know they were awaiting his 10:00 opening.  As predicted by their tide-and-current research, Scholarship encountered little current under the bridge at this hour, and passed smoothly north.  The dredged channel leading back into the Chester River had been affected by shifting sediments, but Scholarship’s crew followed temporary buoys set by the Coast guard and passed safely into the lower Chester River.

The next night’s anchorage would be in a quiet, rural spot on the Corsica River.  On the way, Scholarship encountered a squall, with gusty breezes, thunder and sheets of rain.  The sturdy boat (and crew) continued upriver, however.  On the way, the student each practiced navigation by following depth contours, using the chart and depth sounder.  This old technique is one more example of navigating using multiple data sources, to cross-check both your work and your instruments.

Scholarship negotiated the tiny channel leading to her Corsica anchorage.  The crew set two anchors off the bow.  This technique limits the boat’s “swing” at anchor, conserving space in crowded anchorages.  On this night, though, the crew had the peaceful little anchorage to themselves.  Evan cooked a fine meal of chicken with vegetables, rice and salad.

By sunrise on Day Five, the previous day’s squalls were long gone.  The crew retraced their course toward Lankford Bay Marina, stopping for a full, simulated man-overboard rescue.  After docking for a pumpout, and the final return to their slip, the students cleaned up Scholarship, packed up and headed to the MDS classroom for the ASA 104 written exam.  The test proved challenging, but the students all passed and received their diplomas and logbook endorsements.  Each student headed home with good memories and a new sailing credential.