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Sailing The Chesapeake The sailing adventures on
Aeolus II of West River
Joe McCary
The 2009 Sailing Season
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
Friday, January 1st, 2010 HAPPY NEW YEAR! I suppose the inevitable has come to pass... the 2009 sailing season has come to an end. It is hard to admit, but it seems true, the sailing season is over. OK, we might get a warm winter day but for now it seems unlikely. Today, as the Holidays draw to a close and after a stretch of bad weather (our region re3ceived a record snow storm on December 19th, we had about 2 feet in the Shadyside area) I finally found some spare time to go to the boat and check her out. The water was high, and there was still some snow in the cockpit, but the bilge was dry! I checked the lines and took some pictures (see below). The next few days are predicted to bring some harsh conditions with 35 knot winds and temps in the low 20s. So, as soon as we get another break I will go down to check her again. My brother, Mike, gave me (and the boat) a nice new Life Sling as a gift. Thanks Mike, it is a perfect next addition to the boat's gear.
Sunday, November 8th, 2009
It was one of those rare fall days; the temps soared up to nearly the 70s (on land) and was a very pleasant 61° on the water. The winds were light and much of the afternoon we ghosted along. The morning started when we left home around 9am and after filling up on gas we headed to The Bay. We stopped for a Brunch at Pirates Cove. After a nice breakfast we headed to the boat. While I prepped the boat, Mary went for some emergency gas in case the wind died. We waited a bit for the Pirates Cove Race Club to get started and then we squeezed in front of them while they were running prestart maneuvers. Sails up at the Red #4 and then we ghosted out of the river and into The Bay. As the wind veered to the South and gradually died we decided to head back at about 3:30. It was one long last broad reach until just before the Green #3, the wind died and we cranked up the "iron genny" and took down the sails as we motored back to the slip. After packing up the gear and jackets and our lunch trash we headed for home at about 5pm. We made a put stop at Carman's Italian Ice shop in Rockville for a wonderful Galati. If you haven't had one of these delightful dishes (a layer of frozen yogurt (fat free of course) and a layer of Italian Ice, my favorite is Strawberry-Lemon) and a final layer of frozen yogurt).
Sunday, October 25th, 2009
The last time just Mary and I went sailing was way back in August! She had spent the end of the summer helping her parents make the move from rural MS to the Washington DC area. She was ready and clearly nothing short of a downpour would keep her away today. The sun was mostly hiding behind banks of clouds, but her heart was shinning bright. So, we take the opportunity to sail in cool temperatures and cloudy skies, I mean, after all it is late October and who knows how many more opportunities we will get this year.. take them when you get them.
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Thursday, October 8th, 2009 Annapolis Sailboat Show! I decided to head to the boat show early this year. My brother, Mike, and I went to the show on VIP day (yes we paid the extra fee) and had a great time with low crowds. I looked at all the tents of material, I re-subscribed to my 2 sailing magazines (Good old Boat & Sailing) for another 2 years each. And I bought 3 rolls of emergency repair tape (special stuff that doesn't use adhesive, but it sticks to itself), and I bought a new fancy wind meter (measures wind speed, compass, air temp, etc). And I bought a cute sweatshirt hoodie for my 1 year old granddaughter and a nice sailing dress for the 3 year old. I looked at some new boats and came away disappointed that I didn't have the cash in my checking account for a new Catalina 309... oh well, next year, at least I have a paid for boat!
Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
The weather was warm and sunny with temp about 70° and the wind was light at 6-9 knots. So, at about 3:30 out we went! OH what a grand decision! I hoisted main at the slip and had the genny out before we turned to head out toward river on a broad reach, when we turned at the red 6 we were close hauled all the way out.. We didn't sail far, but it was just the therapy the doctor ordered; we made it out only as far as the green 1a and then turned back for home by 4:30. We were safely back in the slip by 5:30, just 2 hours. And then after buttoning up the boat we headed off to Pirates Cove for some Crab Cakes. It turned out to be a perfect guys outing. The moral of this story is you are only as old as you let yourself feel and Jessie, my father-in-law, is feeling pretty young. We will do this again for sure!
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
We departed home at just after 8 in the
morning to brave the Beltway's RUSH hour traffic. After a
couple errands (post office and bank and Starbucks and a stop
We stopped for gas at the Edgewater WAWA ($2.37.9 a gallon, not cheap, but not as bad as home). Then it started to rain. We were really lucky with today's weather; not too hot and no rain until after we were on our way home.
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
After a pleasant stop at Pirates Cove for a nice Sunday
Brunch and then on to the boat, we were able to slip the dock
lines by noon. The afternoon took a slow start, the engine
started and then stalled and would not restart. We began
to think the day was over before it started. But,
after we finished getting the rest of the boat ready, the engine
started and ran just fine. We motored out of the
slip and out to the main part of West River where we hoisted
sails and Stu took the helm and sailed us out well past Thomas
Point. Stu and I both used to crew on our good
We will have to do this more often.
Friday, August 28th, 2009
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
Thursday, August 20th, 2009
What a Beautiful Morning! Up early and driving the boat (under power) to Casa Rio Marina to get the bilge pump worked on. Beautiful morning, but whoa the humidity is like a Turkish bath! When I arrived at Casa Rio I waited for the mechanic to show up (he had a personal emergency) and then they discovered my problem was less extensive than I anticipated. Turns out that it was a corroded connection and a bad float switch. I had a new float switch so, after an hour and new crimped connection I was back in business. To Casa Rio's credit I was prepared to replace the pump, but they said there was no reason. I saved over $150 from their honesty, thank you! I rewarded them with a case of beer after I paid the yard bill.
Saturday, August 15th, 2009 A special day sailing with niece Laura and boyfriend Peter. Peter had never been sailing before, he was a power boat person. So, I took my brother, Mike and my sister-in-law, Barbra and Peter and Laura sailing for the afternoon. Being college aged people we got a late start (they had been up late the night before) so it was set to 10:30am. By the time we loaded the car it was almost 11 am. Then we needed to drive the 1 hour and fifteen minutes to the slip. Of course we had to stop to pickup lunch (roast beef sandwiches from bayside Beef and Bull in Edgewater to have later on the boat. Then another stop for some ice and a 6 pack of beer. By the time we left the slip is was about 12:30. In the light wind we motored out to the main leg of West River and set sails. We sailed along for 4 hours before turning back. We sailed between 0-4 knots but we were sailing and Peter and Laura seemed to be enjoying themselves.
And after sailing the experience is complete with Crabs!
Saturday, July 25th, 2009 A day at the dock, working on the bright work. Today I started the sanding and refinishing of the bright works. After a trip to the Annapolis West Marine store and a quick purchase of lots of refinishing goodies I was armed with some 120 grit sandpaper and some brushes (why are brushes so expensive) and a $45 can of Cetol. Then it was on to the boat. Sanding wood is not my favorite thing in life, but I did discover it can be somewhat relaxing. So, I sanded and made quite a mess. And eventually ran out of sandpaper, so I had to stop. I have about 1/3 of the wood left to sand and then start applying the finish.
Sunday, July 19th, 2009 After being away for a while and then non-stop work it was great to be back on the water again. The winds were light but fairly steady. We arrived at the boat and were out of the slip by 1:30. We sailed out to Thomas Point and back. The boat seemed fast as we passed many larger boats. On the way back, with the wind dropping we passed several boats that switched from sail to power. It was a lovely cool afternoon.
Wednesday, June 23th, 2009
What a special day! Our granddaughter Claire came to town for a visit (mommy was at a meeting in DC) so we went sailing! We were out for a record 3½ hours! Previously she had only been out for an hour or so, but with the cool temps and light winds we made an afternoon of the trip. Claire said she wanted to go fishing so we bought some worms and tried her hand. But in reality, all she wanted to do was reel in the line as soon as it hit the water. So, fishing lasted just a few minutes and sailing was the remainder of the afternoon. Not a whimper or a tear, we sailed slowly (no heeling in the light airs) but she had a good time. She doesn't complain about the PDF but clearly she doesn't like it. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon than sailing with a granddaughter! Maybe as she gains a few years and more experience we can brave more wind, but for now the gods have been right on the money on what she needs wind wise. Thank you AEOLUS!
Sunday, June 7th, 2009 The winds were forecast to be light and variable and all morning I watched as the wind at Thomas Point hit a blustery 5 knots at 11am. So we decided to go do some maintenance on the boat. On the last afternoon sailing I had a broken mast tang that attaches the boom vang to the mast, so I went by West marine and picked up a new piece ($4.50) and a few extra items ( a new float switch for the auto bilge pump, 2 screws in case the existing screws on the vang were damages or had to be cut off. I also bought my granddaughter, Claire, a nice whale flashlight. Then on to the boat. My landlord, Joe was there doing some yard maintenance (a good thing, I'll explain later). I started to remove the old screws. But, the screws (I have no idea how long they were in the mast) were frozen solid. I tried some oil, but they didn't budge. Joe, the landlord offered a "Nut Driver" he had in the shed. It is basically a manually operated hammer drill. You whack the end with a hammer and the force is converted to not only with a blow in but also a ¼ turn to unscrew the screw. The top screw broke loose in about 5 whacks. But the lower screw took repeated blows until it finally began to turn. But turn it did and the both came out and surprisingly, were reusable. The $4.40 tang needed to fit in the mast slot but wouldn't quite fit. So rather than repeat the same banging process to loosen screws further up the mast (big cleat would have been in the way) I drilled out a ½ inch of the mast slot. The rest was simple, the boom vang was back in working order in about a half hour. Now I was ready to go for a short sail. I started getting the boat ready. But Mary (the Admiral) let me know she wasn't feeling great and would rather skip sailing. So, after some other projects, skip it we did. We went to Ledo's Pizza for a late (6:30) lunch, maybe hunger was the problem... And then a pleasant drive home. Maybe sailing will come next weekend.
Saturday, May 20th, 2009
Memorial Day Weekend
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 A Great Summer Evening Oh, What a night! Mary and I went to the boat about 6pm. We dodged the PCRC fleets as they raced out of the river. Our clean bottom gave us a feeling of extra speed and the engine purred along smoothly. After clearing out of West River's narrow channel we headed out for the Red #2 and the Bay beyond. At about 7 we turned around and headed back. As we approached the mouth of Rhodes River we noticed the last 4 non spinnaker boats heading for the finish line. They last boat was about 300 yards ahead of us and moving slowly. We easily gained on her and by the time we reached the anchorage area we were ahead but since we were not racing and she was, we luffed up and let her pass and head for the finish line. It was great sailing on a nice cool evening at 5.8-6.2 knots. Two very relaxing hours on the water is worth their weight in gold. The spot record below is missing a half hour of our trip, the half hour would have extended us out further in the Bay by 1.5 miles. So much for super accurate tecnhology.
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 SPLASH DAY 2! One the first try the engine alarm went off and the boat was re-hauled and Casa Rio Marina mechanic came back and waved his magic wand and 3 days later it was running like a sewing machine, better than it has run since I got it. Today I was called and told the boat was ready to re-launch. I was busy early in the day and could have it wait in a slip for me a few days. But the weather report is for rain and thunder storms later in he week, so after our scheduled meeting for Mary's retirement we made our way to Casa Rio and I drove the boat to her slip. The engine purred all the way in spite of bucking 20+ knot head winds most of the way. It was a relief to she her safely in her slip. Next step will be some actual sailing!
Friday, May 8th, 2009 SPLASH DAY!
It has been raining for months here, well ok, for days anyway. It has rained everyday this month . My boat has been waiting for the yards to finish some work. They did a beautiful job on the bottom paint and they buffed the topsides to a nice shine, she looks new. The engine, a 4 stroke Honda 9.9 needed the oil changed and some new grease and I decided it was time to replace the impeller (preemptive maintenance)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The boat is nearly ready to re-launch. All that remains is the ready the outboard for the season (new oil and new plugs, etc). And I have to wait until the marina can schedule the re-launch and then drive back to the boat. Of course there is still some cleaning work that needs to be done, but that can all be done from the slip. The year is about to begin...
Friday, April 24, 2009 The bottom is painted!
The week has been cool and rainy. Yesterday (Thursday) was the first nice day . I was glad I had asked Casa Rio marina to handle the painting, they handle the daily charge and all the prep and paint and I just have to wonder when they will be done. So, today I drive down and am pleasantly surprised to see the bottom and hull polishing are both done! They did a nice job. With the purchase of an eight foot A frame ladder I venture into the cockpit to start cleaning. On my last visit to West Marine I purchased some new biodegradable deck cleaner and mildew stain remover. These Are the new West Marine Pure Oceans line of products. I am pleasantly surprised to find they really work well! Upon reading the instructions I learned that you do not dilute them in a bucket of water like most deck cleaners. Instead you wet the surface and then spray them cleaner on let it foam a bit and then scrub off. It was like magic. And the West Marine Mildew Stain Remover worked as well! In my 35 years of sailing I have found mildew the hardest to remove of all the various sailboat messes and this seems to always come with a very noxious smell. But the new West Marine Mildew Stain Remover works with ease AND doesn't have a bad odor. This winter left the cabin side of the main sliding hatch covered with a black mildew. To remove it I just sprayed on the remover and wiped clean with a paper towel! Easy! Tomorrow will find me back cleaning more of the deck and some inside the cabin. All that will remain is for the mechanic to take care of oil and grease and change the plugs on the outboard. Last Summer Mary and I met some new boat owners from New Brunswick. They were having lunch at an adjacent table and we over heard they had just purchased a new boat. Today found Rik and Linda just 4 boats down the line getting their boat ready for the long trip home in a couple weeks.
Thursday, April 16, 2009 Haul Out DAY!
The taxes are all done (tax day in the USA is April 15th) and the boat was scheduled to be hauled today (10 am). I went to the boat early and started the engine (the battery held a charge over the winter!) on the 2nd try. After a quick trip out of West River and over to Rhode River and up Cadle Creek. The trip was cold and seemed windy, but was uneventful. I made my way to Casa Rio Marina at the prescribed time of 10 am. The yard guy carefully hauled her out and power washed the bottom to clean all the scum off. Then a short trip to the yard space. So, there she sits, high and dry on the hard. Some observations, no blisters and no "Catalina Smile" so I am a happy owner. She is very dirty, so a good cleaning is first of the "projects" I have to do. And then there is the new winches and the traveler to install. Hopefully she will be done in a week to 10 days. She is sporting her new Maryland annual registration decals and a new fishing license ($50) so she will be ready for Spring in a couple weeks.
Saturday, March 28th, 2009 Just a quick note to thank my site viewers. Today is the archive day for the Cluster Maps statics. In the past year there has been 1443 hits from 31 countries. That is a nice number, so, thank you. And to those 13 hits from Mongolia, well you have my attention. Fair Winds and following seas to all...
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Sunday March 22nd, 2009 When I was finally released from the boot I was able to make a visit to the boat to check for water and how she was tied. Much to my surprise, she was dry as a bone! Not a drop in the cockpit or in the cabin. And she was tied well. I was so relieved after spending the past several months worrying about the water she surely had taken on. I was accompanied by the wife, Mary, and my mom. We had a nice lunch at Pirates Cove. While at the boat I marked the location with my new SPOT, so you can see the slip. I would warn that the Google Maps image is over 2 years old and that is not the boat, but instead, the older Seafarer 22. The SPOT will remain on for a week (3/29)., but also I have put a version of the same map above. While at Pirates Cove we noticed that they are doing some shoring around the public dock. They are installing some large rip-rap to help fight the erosion. Rocks are not too common on The Bay so I made a mental note that these are large boulders. The next step is to arrange to have the boat hauled and get the bottom painted and the new hardware installed.
Friday March 20th, 2009 My foot is well on it's way to being healed! An early morning visit to my Doctor confirmed that my broken foot has been healing. Although the doctor said it is not completely healed but is well on it's way to being completely filled in. Now I am allowed to "transition" from my ugly boot to shoes, that is 2 shoes! He warned that I may experience some pain and might want to wear the boot. Well, he is the doctor so I won't question his wisdom, but I don't see it hurting again. Of course, I will take it easy and be very careful with my foot. My next project is arranging to have the boat pulled and the bottom done. There is plenty of work I need to do this spring, things like installing the new traveler and mounting the Bimini and installing new winches. Loads of general cleaning and some varnishing are on the list. Also, I purchased a "new" new roller furler and and 3 sails, a 120% and a Mylar 150% and a fully battened main. This Sunday I plan a visit to check out the boat and will report back then.
They are predicting snow tonight, the most of the winter, 4" to 8" and the worst will be East of DC, so the boat will get dumped on. My foot is still in that ugly boot and will remain so for another 3 weeks. I can't wait to get that thing off... Now for the fun news. My granddaughter, Claire, who lives some 400+ miles away keeps me smiling through all the winter. Today she painted me a picture of Aeolus (see left). I can see it, sailing along on a starboard tack on a calm Chesapeake Bay. When everyone else is looking at the prospect of snow and more snow and cold winter, Claire keeps thinking of warmer times and sailing! She sure knows the way to my heart when she keeps asking, "When do we get to go ride on Aeolus, Granddad?" Spring is just a few weeks away and then a little bit of work and then we can go sailing Claire, Granddad can't wait!
Wednesday February 18th, 2009 I had a doctor's visit last week and the foot "appears" to be healing. But that sounded a bit tenuous. He said he will know more in a month or so... This has to be done before sailing season! This boot is beginning to be a real drag. Any wet weather means a wet sock and cold toes. This better be cleared up before April first. I have begun thinking about this season's upgrades to the boat. My plan now is to have it pulled in April and while on the hard to have the engine looked over and checked out. I will also add the long awaited traveler. And IF I can find the funds maybe a new set of Self-Tailing 2 speed winches. And parentally install the Bimini top. I have been thinking about doing some modifications to the interior. The admiral wants a more comfortable bunk and make it wider, so I am looking into that possibility too. And heck since I am day dreaming/planning why not a new teak and holly cabin sole?
Tuesday January 20th, 2009 Winter is supposed to be the time to get ready for sailing season. We make plans for our first weekends and keep adding to that ever expanding "To Do" list for spring haul out. But today I had a setback. I went to a former neighbor's wedding Sunday the 18th and while walking across the floor I felt a sharp pain in my foot as I turned around a table. A visit to the Orthopedist today confirmed that I had a non-displaced Jones fracture of the 5th Metatarsal bone in my left foot. Talk about a klutz? So, while everyone else is bundling up, I am wearing this way less than fashionable black boot with my sock sticking out the front end. It doesn't hurt much but what a pain in the neck.
My BEST Christmas present ever...
December 25th 2008
My wife & I decided to venture to Massachusetts to visit the grand kids for the Holidays this year. We gave Claire, our 2 year old granddaughter, a doll house that came equipped with furniture and some small doll figures. We also give her a small wooden bathtub sailboat. Of course she instantly dubbed the boat "Aeolus", but the surprising part was, she went and took out the small dolls from the doll house and put 2 of them in the boat and told me it was Claire and Granddad! What a special moment it was for me to see she was putting herself and me into a sailboat. I feel I have a convert! The boat was eventually moved from it's place behind the doll house to a more convenient location and she played with it the entire week we were there. I see a bigger boat in this kid's future! But for now, this was my nicest Christmas Gift, what more could a Sailor/Granddad ask for than to have the apple of his eye put herself and him into a boat without anyone else suggesting it to her? I was, and still am, touched!
To email Joe McCary
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After
a long weekend in Boston, celebrating Claire's 3rd birthday, we
are
back home and the warm fall temps brought us out for a nice
afternoon on the water. My in-laws had recently moved to
the Washington area so Mary and I decided to take them out for
an afternoon on the water. I worked in the morning and
Mary met me and we made the drive to The Bay. We stopped
at Ledo's Pizza in Edgewater, MD for some pizza. We
arrived at the boat for about 2:30 and they waited while I
readied the boat. We pulled away and in spite if the warm
temps (I was in a short sleeve shirt) they were both chilly s
out came the fleeces (the wife's and mine). The wind was
light, but we sailed and talked for a long while. We
turned back a bit after 4pm and with dying breeze we motored the
last bit back to the slip. After cleaning up the boat and
tying her up we went to Pirates Cove for dinner. Of course
we had crab cakes and Mary had oysters. A good time was
had by all, it was a grand fall afternoon.
my 85 year old father-in-law, Jessie (if you follow this you
might recall my daughter is also named Jessie, she was named for him).
He and my mother-in-law last sailed with Mary and me last over 30
years ago when the Seafarer was new. But time marches on ... and
now
circumstances have forced them to move from their beloved
Mississippi tree farm to be near their daughter, Mary.
They arrived last Wednesday evening and had what can only be
described as a whirlwind few days dealing with purchasing a
condo at Leisure World. The move in was in record time,
finishing by Friday afternoon. Their son Howard and his
wife Linda drove the truck up and orchestrated the move-in
but had to depart on Saturday morning in spite of the invitation
to go sailing (some people just don't understand the benefits to
one's karma from sailing). So, faced with the prospect of
shopping for some needed furniture or going sailing, my
father-in-law opted to go sailing. The forecast was for
small craft warnings and winds 10-15 knots with gusts, but the
weather just didn't seem like that. A quick check of live
conditions at noon for Thomas Point
showed
just 6-8 knots. Since we both had the choice of driving to the
boat and checking it out OR going shopping, we opted for the
prospect of sailing!
After
a glorious day sailing on Sunday and a beautiful fall day
predicted for Tuesday, My Brother and I skipped other
commitments to spend the day sailing. 
to
pickup some sandwiches for lunch from Bayside Beef and Bull in
Edgewater), we arrived at the boat a
bit before 11 am and were able to slip the dock lines before 11
am. The wind was light, about 5 knots and out of the North
West. We made a couple short tacks in Galesville and were
able to tack out on a port tack to the main part of West River.
We were able to fetch the Red #2 in West River on the same tack.
As we headed ENE past the Green #1A and on toward Thomas Point
the wind started to die. We broke out lunch! Those
guys make the best Roast Beef sandwiches and for
a
great price! With the wind dying we pressed on and shortly
the wind picked up again, but this time it was almost directly
from the East. We continued close hauled on a Port tack
and as we did the wind continued to shift to the SSE. At
about 2 pm we decided to tack over toward Popular Island. We
sailed about 4½ miles in an hour and decided it was time to head
back. When we turned the wind was directly behind us and
we sailed along slowly. After almost an hour we decided it
was going too slow, so we cranked in the Genoa and turned on the
engine. We motored for a half an hour and when we cleared
the shoal off West River we again turned off the engine and
sailed all the way to the turn into Galesville in just 20
minutes. We powered into the slip by 5:10 and were packed
up and pulling away by 5:30.
What
could be better, two old friends out for an afternoon sailing.
Stu and I have been good friends since the mid 80s where we
worked together (we are both photographers) and have kept in
touch ever since. We continue to work together on various
projects. We both love photography and we both love
sailing, Stu is also a private pilot.
friend,
Joe's boat, Irresponsible. Just past Thomas Point the wind died,
we ghosted along and limped further out in the Bay. We
turned South and caught a little breeze for about a half an hour
then it died again. We rolled in the Genny and motored
toward the slip, but in a short time I noticed other boats that
had wind so we stopped and started sailing again. What a
good decision! The wind re-filled in at about 12 knots.
The boat charged ahead with the rail down having a glorious end
to a beautiful afternoon for 2 old friends. We sailed all
the way into the anchorage in Galesville where we took down the
sails and motored to the slip. In just a few minutes the boat
was tied up and buttoned up and we were off to a nice
dinner at the Green Turtle where we watched most of the Redskins
game (they lost to the Giants 22-17, but who cares!).
Sunday March 1st, 2009
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