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THE PERFECT DAY!
August 22, 2002, one of the best sails ever on the
sloop “Recovery”. This was our last trip for the season! What a day it
turned out to be! Crew for this cruise is Liz, Mick, and Ron.
Liz and I arrived at Fairview Marina in Pasadena, MD
with our family for the day just after 10:00 am. Mick and Ron were already
there and had the boat ready to go. All we had to do was fit life jackets,
warm up the Perkins diesel, do a few chores below and we would be off!
The weather was calling for wind 10-15 mph out of the
southeast. From the looks of things back in our little cove they were
right. There was plenty of wind out there. I cast a knowing glance at
Mick---we were excited!
We got out of the slip without incident, everyone
settled down and got comfortable. Three of the kids went forward with Mick
and Ron. The rest of us were aft in the cockpit. As we motored out into
Rock Creek and headed into the Patapsco River, one of the boys took the
helm. He was thrilled to be “driving” the boat. His job would be to hold us
into the wind as we hoisted the mainsail. I coached him on what he’d have
to do. We motored out into the river going to the west towards the Key
Bridge to avoid the rocks at the mouth of Rock Creek. Small white caps were
in the river, wind out of the southeast at least 10-12 mph. Once we got
some sea room, we prepared to hoist sail. Our novice helmsman turned us
into the wind and held us there like a pro while we got the mainsail up.
Then we fell off the wind and pulled out the jib. I cut the diesel and we
were sailing! The sense of power under sail is exhilarating!
We tacked several times to get out of the river and
then we set a course for the Craighill Light. Fort Howard was on our port
(left) side as we sailed out of the river. You could see the red brick Va.
Hospital sitting in the woods at Fort Howard and the gleaming water tank.
It was a sparkling morning. As we neared the mouth of the river we could
see larger white caps out in the bay. They were a wake up call that we had
a real adventure awaiting us. On our starboard (right) side we could see
the bay bridge off in the distance.
Some of the kids came back into the cockpit and
others, after donning lifejackets, ventured out onto the fore deck. We
cautioned them; “Always keep one hand on the boat at all times!” Several
people went below for snacks and drinks, came back up and passed them
around. By this time the wind had kicked up a notch or two to around 15
mph. We were heeling about 15 degrees, which is “Recovery’s” best sailing
angle. It became obvious to all aboard we were in for some serious
sailing! We encouraged everyone on the fore deck to disperse themselves
evenly on the windward side of the deck to help keep the boat in balance.
We moved almost everyone in the cockpit to the windward side as well.
“Recovery” was well balanced, tracking easily and in her glory---clipping
along at over six knots! Waves were beginning to build to around 2-3 feet.
“Recovery” was slicing through them on her starboard quarter. The kids and
crew out on deck were getting wet from the spray from the waves as we
crashed through them.
Lunch time! Wow we were smoking up the bay at over 6
knots, avoiding crab pots and it’s time to eat! This ought to be a hoot!
Try standing on a flat surface tilted at a 15 to 20 degree angle while it’s
bouncing up and down and swerving to avoid hitting an object. And on top of
that it’s below decks on a sailboat where it’s very easy to become
seasick! This was Liz’s assignment! She was in charge of making (with
help from some of our passengers) sandwiches for everyone. I didn’t see
what went on below because I was too busy handling the boat but she fed all
of us in record time. She’s a hero in my book!!
By this time we are well past the Craighill Light,
Pooles Island is straight ahead. The wind seems to be increasing Mick
estimates we are moving at 8 knots, wind speed 18-20 mph. The sense of speed
is exhilarating. We are flying and crashing through waves. “It doesn’t get
any better than this!” Mick says.
Our family has a doctor’s appointment in the city at 3
PM so we have to be back by 2:00pm.We all prepare for our tack. Mick stands
ready to pull the jib (front sail) across as we tack so we don’t lose too
much boat speed. We bring the bow of the boat around through the wind, as
the wind catches the mainsail the boom swings across, and the jib, with
Mick’s help swings across also. Everything worked like clockwork! We’re
headed home!
Our trip back was just as exciting as our trip out
into the bay. The ride going back was a bit smoother on our port tack.
Once inside the mouth of the river things calmed done a lot so I let some of
the kids steer for a while.
As we approached the channel going into Rock Creek we
prepare to take our sails down. Our student helmsman steers the boat as we
drop and furl the sails. He did a great job holding the boat steady.
Back in our slip! What a perfect day on the bay!
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