Past Cruises

St. Mary’s Cruise Success

Despite Heat and Jellyfish

By Coleman Brydon, Cruise Leader

On June 26, six RRYC cruisers set out on a short cruise to St Mary’s College in Maryland. The goal was to attend the famous Friday night concerts that are held outside on the campus during the summer. Participants included Bob and Jane Bierly (and two of their grandchildren) on C’mon Wind, Ted and Ene-Mai Kvell with guest Teresa M on Bottlenose, Dave and Leslie Hutchison on Menabilly, Ken and Kaye Vincent aboard Autumn Wind, Frank and Grace Ann Miller aboard Windblown, and Coleman and Terry Brydon on Inspiration.

The first night the group assembled at Reedville. Unpredicted winds from the East brought the unpleasant smell of cooking Menhaden and FLIES looking for the fish. They were so bad we had to curtail happy hour and adjourn to the Crazy Crab for dinner. After a fine dinner and homemade ice cream in Reedville, the group returned to their boats. Thereupon ensued the attack of the Jelly Fish - Listed below is a table of difficulties encountered over a period of 24 hours.

C ‘Mon Wind departs St. Mary’s on the way to very reasonable accommodations on Tangier island.

(To Come)

Photos by Terry Brydon

Boat Difficulty Inspiration -    Clogged intake for A/C - no A/C for two nights Bottlenose -    Clogged intake for generator - no A/C                        Leaking fuel filter in generator - lost tank of fuel into bilge Menabilly -      Dinghy motor difficulty & clogged intake to engine C’mon Wind -  Clogged A/C intake Autumn Wind - Clogged generator intake Windblown -     A/C froze up

Day Two, the group gladly left Reedville astern and headed for Point Lookout Marina. We were grateful for light winds around Smith Point light, and late departers were rewarded with an afternoon southwest wind (unpredicted) gusting to 25 mph. Ted Kvell, in his English-built Prout 38 catamaran reached speeds of ten knots and was a happy sailor. We were somewhat disappointed to find that the long face dock where transients are usually berthed is under repair, but the pool was nice and there was still a restaurant on premises.

After a leisurely morning the group set out on Day Three on the short sail to Horseshoe Bend on the St. Mary’s River, where we all anchored out and spent a peaceful afternoon either on boats or ashore. The highlight of the day was to be the famous St. Mary’s Friday night concert, but thunderstorms were threatening. Most of the group opted to eat in the air-conditioned college cafeteria rather than taking picnics to the event. During dinner, torrential rains fell, but it cleared up and the concert went on as scheduled.

Day Four - a lay day where most of the group toured the archeological dig that is St. Mary’s City and the Dove, a replica of a 17th century sailing ship. In the afternoon, the group relocated down the river to Dennis Point Marina for fuel, A/C (do you get the feeling that it was HOT?) and the Tiki Bar. When we arrived, there were 72 Harley-Davidson motorcycles at the bar - part of some poker run for charity, it turns out. We know it was 72 because Frank Miller counted them. Frank also experienced a Walter Mitty moment when, after offering some sandpaper to file pitted spark plug points, he was accompanied down the dock by a blond biker girl in knee high black leather high heeled boots, spangled hot pants, and halter top. Walking down the hill, she asked Frank if she could put her hand on his shoulder. Her clomping down the dock attracted everyone’s attention (except Grace Ann who was taking a nap) and Frank could not stop grinning. Cocktails were aboard Bottlenose. Everyone was impressed by the poise and maturity of the Bierly grandchildren and their willingness to party with old people. All in all, it was our best day.

Day Five, Bottlenose, Inspiration, and Windblown departed for Tangier Island. Menabilly

opted to go to Mill Creek, and the other two boats had obligations that forced them to return to their home ports. The winds did not cooperate, blowing right out of the south, at least 20 knots. Nevertheless, the three remaining boats arrived at Parks Marina and were duly yelled at by the unforgettable 82 year old Mr. Parks as he supervised their docking. As it was Sunday, the island closed at 17:00. The crews of Windlblown and Bottlenose went to an early dinner at Mrs. Crockett’s, then toured the island. Tangier is definitely worth a trip. It is not hard to get to and has a feel of a foreign city. Parks Marina also has to be the best deal on the bay - $30.00 for boats over 30 feet, $5.00 for electricity. Plus, you get to talk to a genuine waterman who was a crabber for sixty years.

Day Six - Winds continued to be strong right out the south. The group left anyway, and were very grateful when they were able to turn up the Rappahannock and sail home. Menabilly paid the penalty for failure to stay with the group. She experienced fog, large waves, strong winds on the nose, and the thunderstorms that the group coming across the bay avoided. It was a rough final passage. They too were extremely happy to turn at last into the dear old Rappahannock River.

The Deckers “Pull Out the Stops”

For the Spring Cruisers

May 2013 

By Steve Zukor & Frank Miller

Frank was the Cruise Leader for this cruise, with Steve as backup.  He and Steve did the planning and publicity and both got their boats ready to go.  But, right before the cruise was to begin, Frank developed a medical problem that looked to keep him at home.  In fact, he had an important appointment with his doctor two days after the cruise start date that might confirm that he would be doing no sailing in the near future.

Bob and Jane Bierly had also signed up for the cruise, so on Sunday, May 5, they set out in C’mon Wind for Jackson Creek in Deltaville. 

When Steve and Sheila on Wetted Bliss arrived in the creek, they were invited to raft up with C’mon Wind and come over for a pleasant happy hour and dinner, together.

Our next stop was Hampton Yacht Club.  The day was cool and overcast, with wind ESE at 15 to 25 kt and waves 3 to 5 feet, providing our two boats a wild sail down the Bay.  Even with a reef in Wetted Bliss’ mainsail, boat speeds were steadily in the 7 to 8 kt range, including a half knot of following current.  HYC always makes us feel welcome and we had a great happy hour and dinner with them in their first-class clubhouse.  Several HYC members asked about Frank.

The following day, we entered the Intracoastal Waterway at Norfolk (statute mile post Zero) and headed for Coinjock, NC (mp 50), via the popular “Virginia Cut” route.  Motoring now, we had to calculate our speed to match the restricted opening schedules of several low bridges and one lock.  When we arrived at the Coinjock Marina, their slips were over booked, so while C’mon Wind got a space at the dock, Wetted Bliss had to raft with them, again. 

After we had another nice dinner ashore, Frank called to say that his doctor had given him the green light to go sailing!  And, that he and Grace Ann had already left home in Windblown and were now anchored in Jackson Creek.  They were going to do their best to catch up to the rest of us.

The next several days had the first two boats stopping at Tuckahoe Point anchorage (mp 105), Dowry Creek marina (mp 132), Oriental (mp182), and New Bern (27 miles up the Neuse river).

Tom and Glenda Decker met us on the docks as we arrived in New Bern.  They have a beautiful apartment overlooking the marina and invited us to join them for happy hour!  Our original plan was to stay in New Bern one day, but Tom and Glenda talked us into staying an extra day, because New Bern was such a wonderful town with so much to see! 

Our activities included a walking tour of the town, an antique car show, the Saturday farmers market (where Sheila almost got wiped out by a tent booth sent flying by an unexpected violent wind gust from an approaching squall line), a home made ice cream shop, browsing through a huge old-fashioned hardware store, a car trip to get groceries, a guided tour of the governor’s palace and gardens, and dining in nice restaurants and outdoor patios with live jazz.  Sheila and Steve even visited two churches to see beautiful stained glass windows.

On our second day in New Bern, Frank called to say that they would be arriving that afternoon!  We met them on the docks and helped them tie up. 

Then finally all together, the eight of us went out to dinner,  where Frank announced that since he and Grace Ann just arrived, they didn’t want to leave the next morning without a chance to see the town.  So, they talked the rest of us into staying a third day!  No problem, there was plenty left to do.

Throughout our visit, Tom and Glenda really “pulled out all the stops” for us by being such gracious hosts.   It was a pleasure to spend time with them. Thanks, Tom and Glenda!

Finally, we bid our farewells to New Bern and the Deckers and pressed on to the Hobucken seafood company docks (mp 158). 

Then, it was Washington, NC (38 miles up the Pamlico river), back to Dowry Creek (mp 132), and the Alligator River marina with “Miss Wanda” (mp 84).

The following day, as we were leaving the mouth of the Alligator river and about to enter Albemarle Sound, a line of thunderstorms swept west-to-east across the Sound just ahead of us.  Luckily, all we got was some rain showers and the steep lumpy seas that the Sound is infamous for.  We were going to spend the night at the free docks at Elizabeth City, but the strong south wind made the prospect of trying to land in the exposed docks just too dangerous.  So we pressed on through the South Mills Lock to the calm waters of the Dismal Swamp Canal and its famous US Highway 17/Waterway Visitor’s Center free docks for the night.

In the morning, we left the swamp

through the Deep Creek Lock

(having a nice chat with our favorite lock master, “Robert”, while our boats slowly dropped 8 feet) and motored to the Norfolk Yacht Club, where we spent our last evening together.  We had dinner ashore in their fabulous clubhouse and celebrated Frank and Grace Ann’s 45^th wedding anniversary!

On our final morning (May 20^th), C’mon Wind and Wetted Bliss set out for home and Windblown decided to stop by the Hampton Yacht Club. Here C'mon Wind claims right-of-way over a motor vessel!

All in all, we had a good time together, great weather, no breakdowns or mishaps, and traveled a total of 560 nautical miles (644 statute miles) over 16 days.

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SHAKE YOUR BOATY CRUISE

The 2013 Shakedown - By Pete Clay

On Saturday, April 27^th, dawn broke beautifully clear, calm and cool.  A wonderful Virginia spring day. By 1600 hours eighteen boats of various size and shape came together in Antipoison Creek and anchored off buoy 7 in front of the Clay’s house.  The crews came together to enjoy various libations and some excellent appetizers prior to the grill being fired up and Chef Vincent cooking burgers and brats accompanied by a grand assortment of side dishes provided by the participants.  Over fifty people enjoyed the evening including our young grandchildren, who are still talking about the party. I might add that there were absolutely no leftovers.  As night approached the weather continued to excel with a calm, beautiful evening.

  Sunrise brought some early departures, but about half the crew from the night before came ashore to enjoy a breakfast casserole that Ginny Clay made along with assorted roles, juice and coffee and tea.  By noon the event was history!  All boats had departed and as I write this none are among the missing.

Thanks to my wife Ginny for all her hard work, along with my son James who did the heavy lifting.  Also, my thanks to all who contributed a wonderful assortment of appetizers and side dishes.  All in all a very nice way to commence the 2013 RRYC season.

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Eleven Boats Participate in the RRYC Northern Bay “Relay” Cruise
September 2012

By Steve Zukor, Cruise Leader

This cruise was a pretty big deal.  Our goal was to voyage all the way to the top of the Bay and explore interesting ports of call there.  Our main objective was Havre de Grace, MD (where coincidentally my son, daughter-in-law, and four grandkids live!).  Then, it was on to the beautiful Sassafras river, the North East river, and the Chesapeake & Delaware canal, before working our way back home.  Seventeen days total.

To Havre de Grace.  It took us six days to go from our home ports, to the Sarnowski Labor Day party, a stop at Jack McKim’s home on the West river, and finally to Havre de Grace.  It was a hot and muggy week, with light winds, so there was a lot of motoring and motor sailing.  Nevertheless, spirits were high and our Happy Hours and other socializing were lots of fun, including a welcome dip in Jack’s swimming pool.  Thanks, Jack! 

We arrived in Havre de Grace just after noon on a Thursday, with eight boats.  Six boats  (C’mon Wind – Bob & Jane Bierly, Windblown – Frank & Grace Ann Miller, Friendship – Walker & Blanche Stevens, Bon Vivant – Joe & Beverly Oren, Bottlenose – Ted & Ene-mai Kvell, and Wetted Bliss – Steve & Sheila Zukor) tied up at Tidewater Marina and two (the Zukor’s guests:  Autumn Wind – Ken & Kay Vincent and Convergence – Bill & Peggy Schirmer) anchored out.  Ashore, everyone took off in different directions to explore the town and see the historic sights, including visits to local restaurants/pubs and the home-made ice cream shop.

At 5pm, we gathered in the marina at picnic tables under shade trees at water’s edge for Happy Hour.  What a beautiful setting, looking out over the Susquehanna river, with boats everywhere and the Amtrak bridge in the distance. 

Now, a number of the cruisers had told me that they were looking forward to meeting our son, Ken, and his family, when we got to Havre de Grace.  And as luck would have it, at 6:30, he showed up at the marina for the Thursday evening J-24 races.  

We got to watch the whole race from our Happy Hour picnic tables!  The boat he crewed on came in third out of a dozen or so boats.  Our daughter-in-law, Christie, came over with the gkids and they all got to meet everyone!

Friday morning, I replaced the fresh water pump in our generator, which had died two days earlier.  (Proving the adage that cruising involves repairing your boat in exotic places at high cost!)

That afternoon and evening was First Friday in Havre de Grace.  Streets were closed, live bands everywhere, antique and hot-rod cars, and restaurant and curio vendors galore.  It was nice of the town to put on such a show for us!  What fun!!

The Sassafras River.  Our next stop was to have been the North East River Yacht Club, but the entrance channel is narrow and shallow and the weather forecast was for severe afternoon thunder storms and high winds.  So, we decided to rearrange our schedule to first go to the wide, deep, and wonderful Sassafras river to ride out the storm.  Four boats took slips at Georgetown Yacht Basin and three anchored out.  Several of us climbed the hill to the Kitty Knight House for a nice lunch.  It had a commanding view of the harbor and the river beyond.

The storm hit around 5 pm and turned out to be pretty mild, compared to the forecast. On our boat, we clocked the peak wind at 32 knots for a few seconds before it slowly subsided.  It rained hard for about 15 minutes, with distant thunder.  By 7:30 pm, the rain had pretty much stopped, so Sheila and I walked back up the hill to the ice cream shop for treats, before heading back for a peaceful night on the boat.

For our second day on the Sassafras, we left the marina for a nice anchorage about two miles to the west. There were six boats in the anchorage, relaxing and enjoying the day.  The passing of the storm finally brought in cooler, drier air to the delight of all.  At 5pm, one of our guest cruisers, Ken & Kay Vincent on Autumn Wind, invited everyone over for Happy Hour on their boat. Afterwards, we had another peaceful night – Aaaaaah!

The North East River.  Next, four boats headed for the North East River YC.  It was nearly low tide as we came up the main channel and Bottlenose had the lead, calling out the depths to the deeper keeled boats, behind.  When the reported depth equaled the draft of one boat, it turned around and went back to the Sassafras for the night. 

The club was officially closed on this Monday, but the Dockmaster, Frank Wile, had arranged for Justine Roecker and a couple of other members to meet us there to assist in tying up the remaining three boats in the fairly stiff breeze and getting us signed in. 

We could have dinghyed the mile or so to the town of North East, but since the wind was still up, we opted instead to take a land taxi.  The six of us had a delightful time roaming the streets and visiting a number of stores and shops.  We also walked down to the town’s very nice waterfront park and sat on the outside deck of the Nauti Goose restaurant with some cold beverages.  Later, we walked back into town to finish our exploration and ended up at Pier 1 restaurant for dinner, before riding the taxi back to the club.

The C&D Canal.  On Tuesday, four boats set out for Chesapeake City in the C&D Canal.  

The town has free docks that are available on a first come/first served basis.  I called the Dockmaster that morning to see if any of the free docks were available.  He said they were open at the moment and, unexpectedly, that he would reserve them for us – not something he often did!  We arrived to find that there was enough space for three boats, but it was okay to raft up, so Bon Vivant rafted with C’mon Wind.  And, all was well.

It was lunchtime, so we walked the short distance to the Bayard House restaurant & Hole-in-the-Wall bar for a wonderful meal on their outside patio, overlooking the canal.  Then, we walked all over town to explore.  One highlight was the historic stone bank building, complete with huge vault door (like in the movies), that had cleverly been turned into an eclectic curio shop.  Finally, it was back to our favorite Bayard House for dinner on the patio.  With a pleasant evening tied to the free town docks, this concluded our tour of the Northern Bay ports of call.  Over the following six days, we worked our way back down the Bay, including a stop at Worton creek and home.

Amazing Weather.  We had no weather delays on this cruise!  No tropical storms or hurricanes.  Hardly any rain.  We did reorder our stops for one expected thunderstorm, but it did not cause any net delay.  The wind was too light most of the time, so we didn’t get to sail as much as we would have liked, but hey, overall it doesn’t get much better than this!

The “Relay” Cruise.  Now, if you have been paying attention to the number of boats at each stop mentioned, you may have noticed a considerable variation.  In fact, the actual boats participating have gyrated more wildly than you might have surmised.  For example, the first three days had six boats participating each day, but for the second and third days, one of the original six left the cruise each day, handing the “baton” (as it were) to a new boat which joined.  In all, there were a total of nineteen such boat additions and departures from the cruise – the most “relays” I have ever seen in one cruise!  The phrase “herding cats” does come to mind!

Eleven different boats participated in the cruise, but eight was the most we ever had at any stop.  This was at the Baltimore Yacht Club in the Middle River and at Havre de Grace.  Only one boat (Wetted Bliss) completed the entire 16-day cruise as scheduled (plus the final jaunt back to our home port) covering a total distance of 466 nautical miles. 

The second highest participation was C’mon Wind, with 12 days.  Three boats (Bottlenose, Bon Vivant, and guest Autumn Wind) participated 10 days each.  Other participants included Akula III – Dave & Gretchen Bronson, Inspiration – Coleman & Terry Brydon, and Joy Ride – Pete & Ginny Clay. 

Sheila and I really enjoyed this cruise, including our final two stops at Chrisfield and Onancock.  We especially enjoyed the friendship of all of the participants and the chance to spend time cruising with them. 

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The No-Show Boat Show Cruise Visits Tred Avon Yacht Club

By Joe Oren, Cruise Leader

Unable to depart per the official itinerary, Bon Vivant set out Wednesday, October 5, planning to catch up to the fleet by Friday in the West River. With no help from the wind, we made Solomon’s for Thursday night, and called to check on the main contingent. Alas, we learned that Bon Vivant had become the lead vessel, our fellow cruisers having abandoned the slog north in favor of the RRYC default cruise destination of Onancock.  

Not inclined to surrender our hard-fought northerly progress, we wished everyone a fair sail to Crisfield, and headed on our own to Oxford, a port we had bypassed on past cruises for various reasons.  With most of the Strand populated by moorings, and commuting by dingy from Plaindealing Creek looking like a chore, we checked with Tred Avon Yacht Club and found they had five visitors’ moorings for $25 apiece, just west of the ferry dock.  Plus, Friday night featured wellattended gathering at TAYC, with great bar food and hospitality. It was on to St. Michael’s on Sunday and back to Solomon’s, Tuesday.

Getting home became problematic, after waiting out poor conditions on Wednesday. Thursday morning an early start was frustrated by fog. A later attempt, hoping to make the Coan River, failed as well, with minimal headway tacking against a strong SSE wind and tedious chop. 

Friday brought SSW shifting to SW, which got us home to Indian Creek well before dark, with some help from the diesel. All in all, lots of fuel burned, enough rain, a little sailing, and a great time visiting the Eastern Shore. 

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RRYC’s Cruise to Long Island Sound & New York City

By Steve Zukor

For a club cruise, this was quite ambitious.  It allowed cruisers who signed up to go one of two ways to get to New York City and Long Island Sound. Both required (gasp!) OVERNIGHT OCEAN PASSAGES!  This meant having enough crew to have someone standing watch 24 hours per day during the ocean legs.  Has RRYC ever done this before??

The “inside” route involved going up the Chesapeake Bay, through the C&D canal, down Delaware Bay, then out into the ocean – for one overnight leg along the Jersey shore and into the New York City area, then up through the East river and into Long Island Sound.  The “outside” route involved going down the Bay to Hampton, then out into the ocean – for a three-day passage directly to Block Island, RI, at the northeast end of Long Island Sound, cruising southwest in the Sound and eventually arriving in the New York City area.

A good number of club members expressed interest in this cruise, but when the time to set sail arrived, only two intrepid crews actually set off – one on each route.

Stephanie Chaufournier and Lance Franke were the cruise leaders on MerSea, their Jeanneau 37, and took the inside route.  Jim Makin crewed with them from Carter’s Creek to Oyster Bay, NY and was a big help on the two overnight passages. They departed on July 17^th, sailed overnight in the Chesapeake and made their first stop in the C&D canal at the Summit Marina.  Then, they were held up by a torn sail and thick fog at Cape May for three days, had an uneventful overnight in the ocean, and made it to New York City on the morning of July 23^rd.

Ted Kvell, Coleman Brydon, and I crewed Ted’s boat, Bottlenose, a Prout 38 catamaran, and left RRYC on July 24^th.  We spent the night at the Hampton Yacht Club and set out into the ocean on July 25^th.  On our way out, we saw several large freighters and navy ships coming and going, including a submarine!  It was on the surface, going pretty fast.  The sail of the sub was fully visible, while its hull was mostly under water.  Once at sea, we headed directly for Block Island, RI, some 350 nautical miles away.

Other than being attacked by biting flies thirty miles offshore, the passage was uneventful.  (How can flies, with those little wings, find MY ankles 30 miles out in the middle of the ocean???)  We also lost cell phone and internet service at only about five miles offshore.  We were hoping for better.  Our maximum distance offshore was 60 miles.

My first night watch was midnight to 3 am.  It was creepy because I could not see what was on the water unless it had lights.  However, I soon got used to watching the radar screen for a blip.  When I saw one, I would first look in the indicated direction, then if I could not see anything, I would use my binoculars and could usually see some lights.  Then, I would check back with the radar periodically to see if any of the blips were headed our way.  None were.

On another night watch, from 9 pm to midnight, I was looking up at the stars….and saw a small meteor streaking across the sky!

We arrived at Block Island on the morning of July 28^th and anchored in Great Salt Pond (aka, New Harbor).  We relaxed on the boat for a while, then dinghyed to shore and rented bikes.  We rode all over the island – a total distance of about 15 miles or so.

It has three major light houses and we checked them out and took a lot of pictures.  It also has lots of hills, so Coleman and I were having a tough time keeping up with Ted, who seemed to have no trouble with pedaling up them.

When we came back to the boat, Ted went for a swim, while Coleman and I took naps!  Sufficiently recovered, we dinghyed back ashore for a nice dinner.

Now that we are here, our plan is to rendezvous in the next few days with Stephanie & Lance and then spend the next week or so exploring Long Island Sound with them.

July 29^th, we left Block Island for Mystic, CT.  This was the day that Coleman was going to leave Bottlenose and go home for a week to take care of a prior commitment.  He had talked my wife, Sheila, into driving his truck here to Mystic and then trading places with him on Bottlenose, while he drove home in the truck. 

After Mystic, we visited Fisher’s Island, CT, and then Watch Hill, RI, where we finally met up with MerSea.  Now, cruising together, we visited Sag Harbor, NY, Coecles Harbor on Shelter Island, NY, Joshua Cove, CT, Black Rock Harbor (near Bridgeport, CT), and City Island in the Bronx, NY.

On August 7^th, after making it through the notorious Hell Gate on the East river with up to 11 kt of speed over the ground in the swift current, we came around the south end of Manhattan, passing by the UN building and under the Manhattan bridge and the Brooklyn bridge.  We also  got our first glimpses of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Empire State Building.  Wow!  We are really sailing in New York City!

We then went a short distance up the Hudson R. to Liberty Landing marina at Jersey City, NJ, and took a slip that Stephanie had reserved for us.  We settled in and then all five of us rode the Liberty Landing ferry over to the Manhattan financial center for lunch.  We sat outside under thick shade trees at “Southwest NY”, looking out over the Hudson. 

After lunch, Stephanie and Lance took us inside a nearby building that had a great vantage point for seeing the construction of the new Freedom Tower on the site of ground zero for the 9/11 attack.

On August 8, we left the New York harbor area, caught a nice 10 kt breeze on our beam, and raised the spinnaker, which we have flown on every opportunity on this cruise.  We had a good run down the Jersey shore, with boat speed over the bottom of 7.5 to 8.5 kt, including a nice following current. 

Sheila came on her first night watch at 9 pm and had an uneventful leg past Atlantic City.  All the casinos on shore were lit up.  One tall building looked like a giant projection screen, with colorful animated scenes flashing in succession.  There was very little commercial ship traffic and nothing she had to avoid.

We rounded Cape May, went up Delaware Bay, and into the C&D canal to a free dock at Chesapeake City. During lunch, a huge thunderstorm hit.  It was good to be inside.  Later, Coleman arrived in his truck.  He came to get back on the boat and allow Sheila to return home.  We walked across the street to the ice cream shop for gelatos to celebrate her successful ocean overnight and Coleman’s return.  We said our goodbyes and Sheila was off for home.

Our next stops were Annapolis (Photo: breakfast at Chick & Ruth’s) and Solomon’s Island (Photo: Bottlenose at sunrise), before arriving back at RRYC. 

The next day was the Timm’s picnic, which is close to where Ted and I live, so on the morning of August 13^th, we picked up Stephanie and sailed from the Rappahannock river, up the Corrotoman river, to the picnic, collecting Sheila and Ted’s wife, Ene-Mai, on the way.  A nice way to end our cruise.

In all, our trip lasted exactly three weeks and covered about 1000 nautical miles, half of which for Bottlenose was blue water ocean sailing.  We sailed as much as we reasonably could, usually only motoring when our boat speed dropped below 3 kt.  We also used the spinnaker a lot.  Ted said it was the most he had ever used it in the 10 years he has owned Bottlenose.

All in all, a fantastic blue water adventure!