Steve, Lynn & Ange 8-4-2010

I was able to take a day off to spend with my brother, sister-in-law and niece! We were blessed with a two-night stop in Annapols as they were on their way from FL to NY. What a treat! We headed out to the Bay after breakfast on Wednesday morning as that was the weather window we had. With a 40% chance of afternoon thunderstorms, Steve said 40% will get wet and 60% will be inside! Well, the clouds broke and we had good wind and a great time together! No rain!

Lynn and Ange doing some kind of leg wrestling. Ange won every time!

Steve at the helm and Ange in the background

Lynn and Ange dragging behind the boat to cool off

Ange on the rail

A serious drain on boat speed!

The "B" Sails the Chesapeake 8-1-2010

Today was a rigging and sailing lesson for Mike Sorensen, keeper of the B. The B is Leah's and Matthew's sailboat on loan to mike for the foreseeable future. We launched at our community launch and beat up the creek, probably 20 or 25 tacks, heading for Lake Ogleton.

Mike rigging the rudder

A couple of pirates needing to make a decision...Lake Ogleton or Chesapeake...Hmmm.

Chesapeake for sure! We headed out the channel into a breeze from the South. I was surprised how well the B handled the power boat wakes.

Mike looking like he enjoys this sailing thing!

A shot of our neighborhood beach and overlook

Round Two 7-31-2010

After our afternoon sail with the Sorensens, we met my work mate Ava and her boyfriend Blazej for dinner at the Boatyard Grill in Eastport. Both live in NYC... kind of. Ava is helping me out in Malaysia and has been there since the beginning of June. She is back for one week of vacation and came to visit us in Annapolis. We had a nice dinner and then went out for a sunset sail. It was a fantastic evening for sailing with ample wind, good friends, libations, and a picturesque sky! We sailed on a reach past the Bay Bridge in 12 knot winds. The wind started building as the sky was darkening to the East. In no time, we were in 18-20 knots and hit a top speed of 7.4 knots over ground as we beat back to port.

AHOY!! Ava at the helm while Blazej takes it all in!

Oh wow! Ava's comment in our guest log!

Sorensen Family 7-31-2010

The Sorensens came for the weekend (minus Sandy and Kelsey). They are our friends from Ithaca, NY. Mike and the kids drove down on Thursday night. Here are some pics from our sail on Saturday. Friday night was an adult sail but no camera to prove it, so I guess it didn't happen!

Left to right, Elise, Noah, Emma, and Gabby

This is like 10 minutes into the sail. It put Elise right to sleep!

These guys are best buds when they are together!

Mike at the helm. He is learning how to sail as they now have a new-to-them sailboat. Leah and Matthew are moving to SC and won't have a place to store their sailboat so the Sorensens are going to use it until they know where they are going to move next!

Amma and the gang!

Collateral Damage 7-25-2010

We had no plans to go sailing today as we had two parties to attend. While in between parites, I was watching the Orioles game on TV. Don't ask me why, I just was! It was hot and sunny here in Annapolis, but the wind was blowing like crazy in Baltimore and the game went into rain delay. So I checked the radar and there was a pretty impressive line of thunderstorms heading our way. I figured I had 15 minutes before it hit so I went and checked on the dock lines, etc. I adjusted a couple of them to make sure we didn't get blown up against the bulkhead. As I finished up with my boat, my dock neighbor was in much need of help. His Audi convertible top wouldn't go up! I helped him cover his car with a tarp just in time. I sat there for a while and watched the squall come through. The sound of the wind blowing through the sailboat rigging was amazing!

After the second party, Eileen and I rode our bikes to the marina to check things out. We talked with some friends who were there throughout the storm. The wind speed at our marina was measured at 77 knots. Yes, seventy seven knots! That is 89 miles per hour. Here are a couple of photos I took with my blackberry. Not the best quality, but you will get a sense of how bad this storm cell really was.

The headsail on this boat was shredded

Zoom in on this one (click the picture)! This is a 34 ft catamaran being brought in via SeaTow. The mast is snapped in half. I'm thinking 77 knots was too much wind for a full main! I am thankful that we had no damage to our boat which was safely in her slip.

Girl Talk 7-24-2010

Another hot one in the Mid-Atlantic! Eileen and Clarissa spent most of the time on the swim platform chatting. We took turns jumping in and hanging on a rope I had cleated to the stern. So good to cool off! I am loving the auto pilot! The new bimini top is great too as it provides much needed shade while out on the Bay!

Padre's 40th Birthday Sail 7-23-2010

On a blistering hot Friday night, we took our dear friend Chris Dunn (Padre) out for his birthday. What an event-filled sail we enjoyed! We had a steady 9 knot breeze from the South and cooler temps on the Bay than the triple-digit temps being experienced on land! We ended up sailing 15 NM before all was said and done!

Happy 40th Chris!

First and Second mates!

Yasa Team from Majuro, Marshall Islands. It really is amazing how big these tankers and freighters are!

Here's a first...cooking red and white Zweigle hots while sailing on a reach with the auto pilot! These along with the awesome salads Eileen prepared ahead of time made for a great meal on the Bay!

Heading back to port before Dylan called my cell phone to let us know that he and Elise were just coming out of Lake Ogleton, just off our port bow! We came about and headed back out for more adventure!

Well, we hooked up...literally. Elise came aboard Domingoman and...

Eileen disembarked and boarded Jinx! Since we didn't think about sending the camera along, we made use of the boat hook to extend the reach and pass the camera to my first mate! Elise took the helm for a while before I engaged the auto pilot again. Elise yelled to Dylan...Look! We are on auto pilot! Dylan said me too as he proudly held up his hands (Eileen had command of Jinx)!!

I am always interested in how our boat looks to others. I am quite pleased! Thanks Eileen for catching some great shots!

The moon was almost full and you can't see it here, but the moonlight just shimmered on the bay. It was breath-taking! This Friday night sail will rank among some of the most memorable. Thanks for joining us Padre, Dylan and Elise!