Catching Up

I just received a photo of the Mahi I caught on the trip up from Florida on the Hylas.  Really good eating!

Aboard S/V Patriot off of Cape Hatteras

Last week I sailed on the Helberg Rassy in prep for the the 1500 and then went to the Corsica River on Eau de Vie for a Bastille Day party with the Corinthians.  There was not a lot of wind but we all did get to see the Log Canoe Races.  They were in the Chester River near the Corsica.  If you have never seen them they are a must.  You can check out the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum to learn more about them.  They have no keel, but are kept from capsizing by the weight of the crew sitting at the end of long boards. When you tack, you need to do so slowly so the crew can come in, move the boards to the other side and hike out on them.  

Woman on the helm / off the stern

Vintage Boat supporting the race 

Offshore Adventures Planned

OK, the best laid plans.....

There is actually good and bad in that intro.  The bad is that I will not be going to Maine this year...  The good is that it is because I will be racing in the Governor's Cup on August 2nd and 3rd from Annapolis to Saint Mary's.  This is to provide an sailing trip for the entire crew of a Hallberg Rassy 43 in preparation for this year's Caribbean 1500.

  I could go after that but have now been invited to sail to Beaufort, SC beginning in Mid September to prep for a Crossing to either Falmouth England or Portugal (not decided yet) on an IP 420 "Advernturess".

I am really looking forward to all the trips but this means that I only have from August 5th to the end of August for any travel on Eau de Vie.  I am therefore biting the bullet and remaining in the Chesapeake in August.  More to follow...

Two days after returning from France I flew to West Palm Beach to help a friend bring his new boat back to the Chesapeake.  What a beautiful boat - a 2004 Haylas 46 with custom hard top and custom Arch.  They now have to sell their 39' Pearson once they get it ready.

S/V Patriot

There was quite a bit to do to get the boat ready as the former owner had taken everything off and moved it to a storage locker.  Everything had to be put back on, all systems checked and the boat provisioned (luckily there was a Wynn Dixie within walking distance of the marina.  In addition, we had to get familiar with the boat and plan for the passage.  Thursday and Friday were consumed by the prep work and by Saturday morning we were ready with the Corky and Deb (the owners) me and Dick Tudan as crew.  The forecast was as good as could be hoped for with wind out of the South or SW for the next several days as we proceeded up the coast toward Norfolk.  The only hitch was the possibility of scattered or isolated T-storms.  We did hit rain, sometimes heavy but no thunder or lightning nearby.  Winds were as predicted and ranged between 13 - 18 kts on most of the voyage, hitting 22 - 28 for one small portion.  Much of the voyage was under sail, which was GREAT.  The icing on the cake that made the trip even better was that we caught 2 mahi on the hand line I had rigged as we approached Cape Hatteras.  The biggest one was about 15 pounds.  

Corky

Deb 

The route

We left the Dock in West Palm on Saturday 6/29 at 6:30 am and pulled into the slip in Annapolis on Wed 7/3 at 10:30 pm - very fast and very much fun!!

This week I meet with the owner of "Starburst" a Halberg Rassy 43 on which I am potential crew member for this year's Caribbean 1500.