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Sailing The Chesapeake The sailing adventures on
Aeolus II of West River
with friends and family
Joe McCary
The 2010 Sailing Season
Thursday, September 2, 2010
August 29, 2010 Finally, Sailing again... After what seemed like an
eternity, we were sailing again. The roller furler is back
from Sailmenders (Shady Side) and I am happy to report she did a
great job on budget
This weekend was the "Sail With Courtney" weekend and we proudly flew our burgee (see above). It must be difficult to loose a daughter so young to such a nasty disease. I applaud her father for the courage to challenge the sailing community to share in her memory and to make a decent statement. I have a young daughter and I wonder how I would have reacted. We purchased a burgee and proudly flew it this weekend (see above) and will likely fly it more.
Saturday was a very light wind day so
Sunday was THE day to sail.
August 13, 2010 Not a sailing day... OK, so it's Friday the 13th... and still no sailing, but getting closer. The 150 genoa that had the blue UV protection coming loose has been repaired. I had dropped it off at Sailmenders in Shady Side and for just $120 and not quite 2 weeks it is back in my sail inventory. I have not had the opportunity to bend it on yet but as soon as I get free time and the weather is good I will go out and put it on and get some sailing in... it looks like we may get a break on Friday to go sailing, my fingers are crossed.
August 2, 2010 Not a sailing day... I noticed last Saturday while sailing that my blue trim on my 150% roller furling Genoa was coming un-stitched. Thanks to Tom, Catalina 27, Kiona #1914 who keeps his boat in Shady Side, I was alerted to a sail repair shop near my boat in Shady Side. I dropped off the sail today at Sailmenders of Shady Side (a very small sail loft but one that seemed friendly and, I hope reliable) and learned that her rates seem reasonable, $60 per hour and likely will be 1-2 hours, I should have the sail back in 2 weeks (I have out of town guests coming next weekend and this does not present any sailing delay to me … I will report back when I know more. I was surprised to learn some interesting facts about my problem. My sail has a Blue Trim cover which is a good UV shield, black trim is the absolute best and white is the least protective. The Sun’s UV rays destroy the Dacron fabric of the sail, so when the sail in wound on the roller furling drum only the blue is exposed to the sun. I learned 2 important facts, one is that the thread they sew the sail and sew the Blue Trim cover to the sail is NOT UV protected! So, in just a short time the thread rots and the trim must be re-sewn, which is significantly better than replacing the sail. So, my problem is a common problem that just shows that the blue protective trim is doing it's job. Another fact I learned is about half of the sails with a white UV trim are wound backwards and when the threads fail so too does the improperly exposed sail cloth. If this happens the sail mender must cut away the rotted sail cloth and make the sail smaller. The sail mender was doing just that on another sail when I arrived. Seems like a costly mistake!
July 31, 2010 Every once in a long while the gods shine on you... today was just such a day on The Chesapeake Bay! With recent temps in the record strings of days in the 90s, today's cool temps in the upper 70s was a blessing. We packed a lunch, Grapes, Ice Water and Roast Beef and Turkey subs and lots of water. We decided to leave home early again, about 8am this time and we picked up our nephews, David and Chris and Chris's friend Christine (David's fiancée, Ariel has left for NJ for school). After a quick breakfast stop at Panera Bread (a local bread and sandwich shop) and a stop for ice we arrived at the boat about 10 am. We pulled out of the slip to what looked like calm seas. We motored out almost to Parish Creek on West River and the breeze started to fill in. We sailed past Tolly Point and ate lunch as we turned to sail back. The wind picked up to about 12 knots as we reached West River. As you can see, David, seemed to enjoy the Perch Seats, and Chris & Christine enjoyed the time on the bow. Today was a beautiful day and a perfect day to sail on the Bay, our little day was about 20 nm. After we returned and buttoned up the boat we went to Pirates Cove for drinks and finally home by about 7pm. We are both tired but feeling great! We noticed that the blue trim seemed to becoming unstitched, I took the sail down and will find a sail maker to fix the problem.
July 25, 2010
We were ready to push out by 9:30 just as our friends, Albie, a Baltimore lawyer and Chris, a San Diego sailing enthusiast arrived. Albie is perhaps my oldest friend, we attended the same elementary school together some 50+ years ago. We have drifted apart, but a good friendship is easy to reignite, today was perfect for that. Chris was a high school friend also and is an active member of the Dana Point West Yacht Club. Her specialty is racing but she seemed to enjoy the change of pace of more casual sailing here.
The morning winds were forecast to be light and
variable from the West and they were just as predicted.
After a nice reach out the Galesville channel we turned to an
almost
dead run out of the river. After what seemed like an
eternity, we cleared the Green 1A we
had a better time on a broad reach to Bloody Point. We did
experience some dead spots while sailing across The Bay, but the
company was good and the Bimini offered some protection from
what has become a killer sun. Both Albie and Chris took turns at the helm while I relaxed.
With frequent bottles of water we survived
the excessive heat. As forecast, the winds picked up to 12-15 knots shortly after noon and our speed jumped from 1-3 knots to 5.5+ knots even though we were beating. After about 4 hours we decided to turn around and sail back in hopes of missing the squalls predicted. We had an early lunch of an assortment of sandwiched, roast beef and turkey that Chris brought. My rule of thumb is to be off The Bay before 4pm when bad weather is forecast. So after dodging a fast moving freighter in mid Bay we made for the Green 1 A again. After tacking several times into West River we finally made the Galesville Anchorage and dropped sails and motored into the slip. I started getting he boat put away while the other 3 made a dash for Pirates Cove and cold drinks. I am used to doing my own tying up and lashing the sails down and putting on the sail cover. It is easier to do it myself than try to explain to someone else just how I want it and then watch to make sure it is done that way, so I didn't mind be left to handle the cleanup. Just as I was finishing I noticed the clouds darkening in the West. I hurried to finish and gathered all the gear to take home. I opened the car and stowed the gear and hopped into the driver's seat just as the sky opened up. Last week's storm seemed to have more rain, but this squall had more wind. I was glad to be safely tied up for the day and not being caught out like last weekend. I glanced at my watch and it was 4:05, just as I have always said, if you are off The Bay before 4pm you will likely be safe, and I was just that. Some summer squalls come early; but the majority are late arrivers.I drove the short run to Pirates Cove to learn that a tree had fallen on our waitress's car and taken down the light line as well. The result was drinks were just fine, but no dinner at the Cove was to be had tonight. I opted, in honor of the storm clouds, to have a "Dark & Stormy", it just seemed appropriate for the day. After we finished drinks we elected to head for the Green Turtle in Edgewater for an early dinner. We talked and talked and finally we left. It was a very hot day but a good time was had by all.
July 18 2010 Yesterday was a HS "Rconnection Picnic" for the Wheaton HS Class of 67, this was like an unofficial reunion. As like so many of these events I made connections with old friends. Today Steve Ellis of Tucson, AZ accompanied me for a day of sailing. We slipped the dock lines by 2pm and made a slow run out of the river. By 4pm we were in The Bay and decided to turn around, Steve needed to be back to New Carrolton Metro by 6:30. After several brisk tacks in a half an hour later we ran into a small squall. The wind was about 25-30 knots and the rain was cold and horizontal. Steve didn't seem to mind, enjoying all the experiences The Bay had to offer. We waited until the rain stopped and tied up the boat and left just in time for Steve to make his deadline for the soccer game at RFK stadium. Another fun afternoon with an old friend.
July 15 2010
It was amazing that in the entire afternoon we only crossed paths with 2 other sailboats. That seemed pretty amazing for a beautiful afternoon of sailing. We finished the day with a pleasant dinner at Pirates Cove and had their special soft-shell crabs stuffed with crab-imperial and topped with a cheese sauce and baked. That left us all wishing they had just simple soft-shelled crabs. The mix sounded good but was over the top with just too much. Saturday brings us to our unofficial high school reunion picnic, perhaps some other classmates with be sailing with us this week.
July 3-10 2010 Just because I own a sailboat doesn't mean I get to take all my vacations on the boat. This year my adult daughter wanted to go someplace close to home (my 2 granddaughters don't like road trips at almost 2 and almost 4) so we decided on a nice house in Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard. The house was on the water overlooking Vineyard Harbor and I had quite a view! (see below).
The view was a sailor's dream with boats of all sizes and descriptions coming and going. The surprising, to me, was the large number of gaff rigged boats. There were plenty to be seen, unlike my beloved Chesapeake. We had little day-sailors and up to large commercial schooners available for day trips and sunset cruises. I am sure glad I took my spare binocs, cause they got a workout when I found idle time to sit on the deck (behind the house, not the floating kind). An assortment of the different boats can be seen below. I have to say that I was a bit taken by the general size of these boats. Most could be divided into two distinct categories; day-sailors and cruising boats (small and large). I even saw a boat I have only seen in pictures, the 30' International Shields one design (lower right). It was heading out for a Saturday club race in Edgartown as I ate lunch. I spent most of the week thinking that a boat like my little 27' Catalina would never be seen on these waters. But then on my last day, when visiting Oak Bluffs for lunch we went by marina basin and there was a Catalina 27 anchored as proud as could be.
Friday
June 25th, 2010
With a heat wave putting a lid on mist outdoor
activities Lessons learned, a sharp lookout is paramount at all times! It is refreshing to know that help is a radio call away, and it seems that 15-20 minutes is the minimum time required to wait even with perfect weather. After the sailing we looked for someplace different for dinner. We drove through Deal looking but all the places were either too crowded or not what we had in mind. By 7:30 we were back in Edgewater and found Fuji, a Japanese Steak House. Mary had a nice portion of Hibachi Shrimp and I had a Sushi & Sashimi combination. The dinner was great but a bit high priced for a regular venue, dinner for 2 was $75 including tip. We drove home and were there by about 10:30.
After a busy late Spring with weddings, holiday weekend with the grand kids in Boston and a special Anniversary getaway weekend I finally was able to go sailing for the first time in almost a month. It was so good to get back on the water even for just a few hours. Work was starting to get in the way but we managed to get out of the slip by about 4pm. The winds were light, about 5 knots, but very pleasant. We sailed for almost 4 hours, it was a great time. Pictured here are the Ospreys who have built their nest on the West River Red #2, a proud pair standing guard for my river. And as we sailed in we passed the boat above we both enjoying the splendid afternoon. Saturday would have been a great day for sailing again, but alas, it is the annual DC Soap Box Derby and another photo assignment. If you want to see my efforts (all done while proudly wearing my Catalina 27 Cap of course) can be seen at www.dcsoapboxderby.org . Sunday is Father's Day in the US and we have planned a crab feast at the boat, but as I write this early Sunday morning the plans are shifting to indoors (temps are predicted upper 90s), so no boat today!
Friday May 21st, 2010
Oh WHAT A DAY! The winds were forecast to be 0-5kts, so we
decided to try some fishing. My brother, Mike was with
Mary and I today. I stopped by K-Mart and dropped a Grant ($50)
for a boat fishing license. Then we went by Bayside Beef &
Bull to picked up 3 Roast beef sandwiches (this is THE best, THE
cheapest and THE fastest lunch anywhere). Then we
stopped for gas at the local Shell station, it seems that Giant
food store
and Shell have some summer marketing campaign that gives
On
to the boat ... we filled the gas tank and took off the sail
cover and noticed a nice breeze on West River. We motored
out of the slip and put up the sails. After a short run
out of the river we turned to head toward The Bay. Then we
noticed another Catalina 27 motoring toward us. As they
came up close we exchanged waves and small talk, the boat was
Raggdoll. Raggdoll's crew was
husband and wife and a small child. We sailed on together
for a few miles or so and then we heard the cries of the small
crew. Raggdoll, waved and turned back to
West River and hopefully more peaceful water. It is always
fun to sail with another Catalina 27, fair winds to our new
friends on Raggdoll.
We sailed on out past the West River number 1 marker (us
old-timers still think of it as #73), my brother Mike has always
wanted a set of Stern Rail seats (perch seats and they are
advertised), so this spring I bought a set of these seats and
Mike made the first sail with them. I think he enjoyed
them (see right). MIke likes to be close to the wind and
feel sailing. When he has a Seafarer 22 and someone else
was on the helm he would stand at the bow pulpit in front of the
sail. So, now in his (our) old age, he sits on his perch! We tried some fishing, remember we went to the bait shop so we had to try our luck. After several passes we had no hits and reeled it in and headed back to the slip. The temps seemed to stay at a constant 72 degrees and the wind was nice constant Even that was a very rewarding sail, with winds at a constant 5-10 knots we were able tack all the way back to our little cove and ran the engine just a few minutes. As I said, OH WHAT A DAY!
Friday May 7th, 2010
This was one of those Fridays, appointments and work filled
morning and then a glimmer of free time in the afternoon meant
we had to see if we could
A Beautiful Sailing Afternoon
So, with the weather forecast to be rain for the next week, We arrived at the dock about noon after our usual lunch at Bayside Beef & Bull. It was an opportunity to try out our new Self Tailing winches (Lewmar 30ST) see photo at right. After a few tacks we were able to get the art of releasing the sheets down and it was easy.
We sailed out of the river and into the main channel of West
River. On one tack we took a side trip all the way into
Rhodes River down past Camp Letts and A little after 4pm the wind started to die, so we cranked up the engine and made it in about 5:30pm. Mary met up with Don and he gave us the CD of images. Don was excited to also include photos of his Osprey (on a nest in back of his house) that were enjoying Spring in a family way. More Osprey chicks to follow we hope. So, with warmish temps and a nice breeze we set out and sailed for about 5½ hours. After buttoning up the boat we headed over to Pirates Cove for a nice fish dinner. Simple and tasteful is the only way to describe Broiled Rockfish (that is the local name, the rest of the world call it Stripper or Stripped Bass). Speaking of Rockfish, here in Maryland this is the Trophy Season for the fish and the radio was filled with reports of 32", 36" and even a 44". I have to go spend the $50 for a boat fishing license so we can get one of those big fishes.
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 No sailing, a work day. Thanks to my brother, Mike, today was a great work day on the boat. I had ordered a pair of Stern Rail Perches and had a pair of Lewmar St 30 2 speed self tailing winches. I was worried about the removal of the old winches which I don't think had ever been removed and maybe not ever cleaned. This was surprisingly easy to remove the old Lewmar 10 (single speed) chrome number one winches. There was only a very thin split ring sitting in a slot to hold them together. Once the ring was pried open the then carefully removed, the winches came apart easily. No springs lost not parts in the water, we even kept ALL the screws and and washers and nuts! Then a quick cleaning of the old surface and filling the old holes with epoxy (packing tape covering the bottom) and a nice new backup boards (there were none on what was most likely the original installation) and nice new longer screws (the accommodate the backup board). The entire job start to finish was under 2 hours plus the 2 hours to run to West Marine to get the new screws. We also installed a pair of Stern-Rail perches (seats). That was pretty easy and straight forward. Of course the weather forecast is for rain next weekend... I promise pictures for of the new seats and new winches on the next sail. It is a good feeling to get some new hardware installed... a few more projects remain.
Sunday, April 12nd, 2010 FINALLY, Sailing!
After what can only be described as a setback, cracked ribs and all, we are finally sailing again. Today's outing was ever so brief, we were out just 3½ hours. The time was fraught with small problems. We quickly scrubbed down the bird poop and ran the engine to charge batteries and I unfurled the main and got the dock lines ready to cast off. With the admiral on board we set out. We motored out a few hundred yards and I began setting the main. But since we had set up the Bimini it was hard to see the main as it went up and of course one of the battens got hung up on one of the jack lines. I lowered a few feet and started again, this time another batten got tangled. So I lowered the Bimini so I could watch the sail and keep it free. With Mary driving and heading into a nice 8-10 kts of wind and then the engine dies. I restarted it and began to raise the sail again. The engine dies again: sheer frustration, half a sail up and now bearing off I tried without success to restart the engine. OK, this is a sailboat so we bore off and allowed the sail to luff and raised the main to the top of the mast. Now we could actually sail, with n o engine, I was a bit worried about venturing too far from the gales anchorage so we tacked a few times under main alone (this boat sails fairly well under just main). I wasted some 15 minutes to allow the engine a chance to breathe a bit in case it was flooded. But still it would not start! I then checked to see if there was gas in the tank and to my surprise there was none showing on the dipstick (this is an outboard). I poured in the small emergency 1 gallon can we keep on board and BINGO, it started and ran just fine. After motor sailing for about 15 minutes to charge the batteries after many attempts to start the engine earlier we unrolled the Genoa and cut the engine. Out of the river we flew, wing & wing. We gybed over the main and our speed picked up and turned as we past the Red number 4 and turned onto a close reach. We were speeding along but without the GPS our speed is only a guess at 5.6 kts. We sailed out to the Red number 2 and turned to come in. By then the wind had picked up to 15+ knots and we were a bit over powered (full main and full 150) but we continued on with weather helm a bit hard. After we crossed behind the lee of Curtis Point the wind dropped enough to let us step out at some real speed (6+ knots?). We sailed back to the Red number 4 and rolled in the Genny and lowered the main as we motored into the channel and the wind. After a short trip in we were tied up in the slip again. As the sun set, we buttoned up the boat and then it was off to dinner at Pirates Cove for some simple fish dinner. Other than running out of gas this was an uneventful first sail, quite pleasant.
Friday, April 2nd, 2010 My Worst Day on the Boat EVER! I have never had a day like Friday (4/2). Here on The Chesapeake Bay the weather was outstanding, our first day with temps in the 80s. A perfect day to make my first sail of the season, or so I thought. After some last minute work and it was off to the boat. I had loads of "stuff" to carry to the boat. I loaded up for the first trip carrying a duffel bag and camera in one arm and the boat's silverware box and a new box of flairs for the season. No hands for me. This was my first glimpse of the boat after spending 3 days cleaning the deck and cabin over the last 2 weekends and it was that glimpse that left me in agony. The birds appreciated my cleaning efforts and found a new home on the starboard side of the boat which is covered in bird poop. I have to find a way to scare off the birds. And now I have to re-clean the boat, damn birds. I had left the lifeline gate down, so while balancing all the stuff I was carrying, I stepped on the boat and turned to step into the cockpit. Somehow, and I don't know exactly what happened, I tripped or stumbled and fell into the cockpit finally ending up with my butt on the cockpit sole and my back bouncing hard against the corner of the port seat. It knocked the wind out of me and at first I thought I had beckon something. I sat for a minute or two (the wife was still in the car and missed the ballet) to regain my composure and breath. I used the main sheets to pull myself up to the seat. I fully expected to have broken something or maybe to see a pool of blood, but no such luck. I sat there regaining my breath and feeling like I had been kicked by a mule. My left side really hurt and left arm hurt too. I decided not to go sailing just as a precaution if something was really wrong. I texted my daughter (the Doctor) and asked her what might be wrong ... she rattled off a list of possible serious problems but my symptoms didn't point to anything beyond maybe a cracked rib. So, after a time of rest, I managed to head home... not my best day of sailing. Two days later finds me still in agony, surprising, no bruises but I am really sore. So, maybe I will be up for sailing soon, I have to feel better. At least nothing is broken except maybe my ego. Thank goodness there are no pictures or worse yet video, something good came my way Friday!
Saturday, March 27th, 2010
More cleaning, some on deck and mostly in cabin. I am hoping the temps will rise enough to actually go sailing in the next week. The long range weather is for temps in the upper 60s this week, so MAYBE we can get out for a day. The water was WAY up at the dock today, maybe up 18" more than normal. The 2009 Sailing Season Visits
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
SPRING! I spent the day cleaning the boat. Not fun, but is good to spend any time on the boat even if it does involve scrubbing and boat soap. After many stops; breakfast, West Marine, gas we arrived at the boat around noon. I spent the next 6 hours cleaning the deck and cockpit. I ran the engine to charge the batteries and it worked well. seems to be pretty topped off now, and ready for some sailing. I still need to spend a day cleaning the inside, but that will wait for another day. We had a delightful dinner (steaks on the portable grill) and then we discovered car problems... well, I won't go into that on a sailing blog, but it did put a damper on the fine day.
Sunday March 15th, 2010
After a cold rainy and very windy weekend I thought it a good idea to just make a check on lines etc (I had a line badly chaffed over the winter). The water was way up and the boat is very dirty, but other than that she is fine.
The time has come to make the switch to a new sailing season. I hope you will find this filled with fun adventures with family and friends as the days tick off on the calendar.
To email Joe McCary
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and and on time
(see left). And we have 3 "new"
sails in the locker, not really new but new to us. A full
batten main and a 120 and a 150 both for a roller furler.
The two jibs need a blue stripe before I can fly them but they
look to be in pretty good shape. And the main will be tested
soon.
The
winds started out very light, but by noon they started to pick
up to about 5-9 knots. We motored out 
to
Parish Creek and set sail and sailed slowly out past the 1A and
across The Bay, then we tacked south and then across the
Bay out almost to Bloody Point. We turned around and
headed back about 3:30. Broad reaching was slow going.
Just as we turned at the 1A the wind picked up to about 8-9
knots and we raced in. We had a glorious afternoon.
We returned to the slip about 5pm and after a stop at the market
for dinner fixings we were home by 7pm. We crossed paths
with 2 tugs and barges as we crossed the Bay. They seem to
me more dangerous than ships, the ships do move fast but they
are easy to see, tugs are low in the water and not in the
general shipping lanes, they tend to hug the western shore.
We keep a sharp lookout when near the shipping lanes and so far
have been lucky to avoid both of the Bay monsters...
The
weather forecast was a heat advisory with severe thunderstorms.
We had 2 more high
school friends that wanted to go sailing so,
we decided to go early. Mary & I went left for the boat
at 6:40am. After stops for cash at the bank, some ice and
water at the Edgewater Giant and lastly gas we arrived at the
boat about 8:20. I spent a short time mounting the new
portable head and a bit of cleanup after last weekend's squall.
Sometimes
the best place to catch up with an old friend is a sailboat.
Greg, a high school friend was in town for family and a HS
reunion picnic. Sailing seemed like a good time to catch
up those so many years. So, in spite of the reported high temps
and no wind we set out and found that The Bay obliged with not
so hot afternoon with pleasant winds. We sailed past
Thomas Point lighthouse to the mouth of the Severn, and back to
the slip in about 5½ hours. Greg, a retired City of San
Francisco arts director who recently relocated back to his old
college town, New Orleans, seemed at home on a sailboat.
We talked about some favorite topics, theatre, books and food
and our all time favorite topic, grand children. 
in the Chesapeake Bay region for a week and record
temps at 100° on Wednesday, when the temperatures dropped below
90° we decided to go sailing for a few hours. So, after a
few hours of morning work we set out. A couple stops and
we were able to leave the slip by 2:15. We set sail just
out of the slip and sailed out past 1A and headed east. At
about 4:30 The powers that be on the boat decided it was too
warm so we turned to sail back. We were half way between
Rhodes River and the turn toward Galesville when a call came
over the radio for the Coast Guard. A message that was
very loud and clear but the voice showed signs of stress. The
captain said he was on a sailboat at the entrance to West River,
we had just passed that a few minutes earlier. The
accident was a cigarette boat had hit a jet ski and the driver
of the jet ski was bleeding badly in the water. The
captain said, "we need a helio immediately!" The time was
4:56. I turned and started to tack back out, keeping to
the northern shore so as to stay out of the way of rescue craft.
The sailboat who hailed the CG and the cigarette boat and a
second jet ski were all gathered close together between Rhode
River and Parish Creek . A few minutes later a CG RIB
arrived as well as an Anne Arundel Fire boat. And shortly
later, just 18 minutes form the first call a MD State Police
Helicopter was circling overhead. A few minutes later the
TV helicopters started to arrive. The State Police
helicopter found a place to land just off Rhode River. And then
the CG Rib started toward Rhode River with the victim on board.
At 5:40, about 45 minutes after the first call the State Police
helicopter lifted off on their way to the hospital. The
last I heard he was in critical condition in Baltimore, I sure
hope he pull through.
Friday
June 18th, 2010
you a
discount and because I spent $300 I got a 30¢ per gallon
discount. The tank on the van was near empty so after 25
gallons of gas and the discount on our bill was $7.50! We
went by the bait shop and picked up some worms and then ...
squeeze a few precious hours of sailing. The weather
forecast was rain for Saturday and Sunday is Mother's Day for
sailing is out. We set out and made a quick stop for a
late lunch in Bowie (Panera Bread) and then right to the
boat. I noticed a brisk breeze on the water so I figured
it is easier to shake out a reef than to put one in later, so I
reefed the main. Out we went. At first, as we ran
downwind out of the river I thought the reef was just too
cautious. But after we turned the corner and reached out to the
main body of West River the wind picked up and by the time we
passed the red #2 we were flying along at about 6+ knots.
By the time we were within half mile of Thomas Point we
came about and turned for home. The wind was still
building and we would round up under the gusts.
After we passed Parish Creek and well within the lee of Shady
Side shoreline we lowered the main and furled in the Genoa.
Then it was a quick drive back to the slip. We were both
beat, but it always feels good sailing. Mary likes out new
winches (Lewmar 30ST) and she was able to crank in sheets, the
2nd speed helped in today's high winds.
Mary & I decided to sneak off for an afternoon sailing.
Boy was it the right decision. The wind and temps were
just on the barely warm side and the wind was barley enough, but
it was glorious! My friend Don, skipper of Der Baron, a C&C 35,
that is near by was oh so kind and took some photos of the
boat under sail, thank you Don! 
then we turned and sailed back out into West River and out into
The Bay. 
