Mia won the piece of Nautical Jewellery and is the editor of the Sailing Club Newsletter (www.thesailingclub.org ). She shares the story from trip leader Mary Ann below:
As we gathered Friday afternoon, June 20th, at Haven Harbor marina the weather was perfect. There was a good breeze, temperatures were in the low 80s and it was sunny with a few white, puffy clouds for contrast against the blue. Our five boats slowly filled with provisions and gear. Most folks checked out the antique car show on Main Street before heading over to Harbor Shack for dinner out on the porch overlooking the harbor. Old friends were greeted and new ones introduced. Skippers Jeff Hamer, Julio Menendez, Steve Krakauer, Mia McCroskey, and Bob Rainey took the opportunity to get to know their crews, including five first mate candidates.
Saturday morning at the skippers meeting the weather forecast disappointed everyone – cloudy, with a chance of rain and little or no wind.After discussion of the destination cove, raft structure, and radio channel to monitor, the three skippers that would be joining in our raft from the Philadelphia Sailing Club were introduced. As trip leader I was asked for any other details. I handed out some decorations for the evening raft-up and commented that weather forecasts are often wrong and I had a feeling we’d get winds closer to ten knots.
My “feeling” proved true. Winds on Saturday were great, steady 8-10 knots with gusts to 15. The bay was almost empty and it never really rained … a few drizzles only. All boats had a good day of sailing!
The raft-up in Tar Cove in Rock Creek off the Patapsco River was well planned and executed. At completion the eight boat raft became a floating party, with people making the long climb from one end to the other. Many of us did not make it all the way to the end, but sat down somewhere around boat four or five … as the food choices were excellent everywhere! Some used the excuse of the long climb between boats to request additional grog and were quickly accommodated.
As the sun was setting, the ethereal sounds of piano and flute music provided by Ron Vitali played across the water. Boats were decorated with string lights, paper lanterns, and battery powered candles. The sound of happy people talking, laughing, and a few breaking into song punctuated the night. was a great way to celebrate the summer solstice. Additionally, the trip leader’s boat, Legacy, was flying a Summer Sailstice burgee in support of Summer Sailstice. This annual event strives to inform and mobilize sailors, their families and communities to enjoy and conserve the beauty of the oceans, while raising awareness of human impacts on the fragile marine environment and wildlife. See more at: ://www.summersailstice.com
Sunday dawned clear with light wind. The Sailing Club boats bid farewell to the Philadelphia Sailing Club boats, which were returning to Haven that day. Our fleet sailed lazily and with reverence back across the bay to our destination – Castle Harbor Marina on Kent Island. Once tied up in our reserved slips, crews headed to the Olympic size pool for fun, exercise, and good conversation. A few headed to the onsite restaurant to check on the World Cup soccer games … at least that was their excuse for visiting the bar. With temperatures in the high 80s and in a very protected location, the pool became the place to be. The hot tub nearby provided a place to warm up and relax after a good swim.
Mia’s crew on Intention stayed settled near the pool for a barbecue using the marina’s grill. Walking to the nearby restaurants, more than a few from the other boats questioned our decision to shower, change, and head out to a restaurant instead of staying by the pool. In the end, everyone enjoyed their dinner and the convenient layout of the marina made the trips back to boats easy. Most boats were quiet by 9:30 p.m. Legacy’s crew became involved in competitive game of dominoes and stayed up all the way to 10:30, with our youngest member, Molly, providing lighting with a flashlight.
Monday, most boats enjoyed a late morning and headed out to the bay for the trip back to Haven Harbor. Skipper Bob Rainey was disappointed that the Legacy crew did not provide the standard peanut M&Ms (crucial to his theory that by making this offering to the water, wind speeds increase – once you see it work, you never doubt). But despite several generic "M&Ms" thrown astern, we had little success at raising the wind speed above five or six knots and most boats turned on engines at about the halfway mark.
This trip was unique in many ways. This was the first trip of the year … late compared to previous years. We filled five boats. We had five First Mate candidates. We provided an opportunity for five skippers to sail at once on a Club trip. And, lastly, this was the first trip I’ve led … using lots of advice and information from Sr. Skipper and Assistant Trip Leader Mia McCroskey. Club rules require that either the Trip Leader or Assistant Trip Leader be a skipper, due to the technical points of navigation in planning destinations. I’m not a skipper, but according to all reports, I did fine. If you’ve read this far in the report, I want to encourage everyone in the club that has an idea for a trip or destination to reach out to a board member and ask for assistance.
Finally, among the interesting sights we saw while on the Bay, all boats spotted small dark fins in the water. Most were able to see them close enough to determine that the fins were attached to a ray or skate. Research has proven that the fins were from a feeding cownose ray … which is common to the Chesapeake in mid summer. If you’d like to learn more, check out http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/cownose_ray
