Small Reach

Pictures from my new friends John & Pat Shinaberger. and a flick by Ron Paro. It really is the 2008, so now you know.

Maine

ME
Aug 14-17

Friends

Had a nice sail with Wood & Nicole. Wind was light ~ 5, but enough to beat the tide. Mostly west with some backing & heading. We sailed toward Beverly point and back a couple times.

Burlington Island & Back

Fri. Aug 8. Made a run up to Burlington Is, took the SE passage past Curtin's. Wind died, rowed against the tide down river, Sailed across to PA. Wind rizing. Row under the bridge on Pennsy side. BY now the wind is really blowing hard. 2-3' chop in the channel, rowing is a chore. Decide to sail across below the power station. Check the buoy data, the gusts are 25. Made 5.5 over the bottom according to GPS across the tide. Rowing against wind & tide 1.2.-1.5. Sailing up avg about 2.3 against the tide. Great data from bouy 41.
http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/buoy/2008/8/8/bdrn4.html

The vellow is upriver track, mostly running against the tide. Orange is the return mostly rowing, some beating, against turned tide and wicked wind.

Downbay Regatta

Little Egg Harbor hosted this one. Started out nice, Henry towed us out. I got to drive TORCH under tow, fun. Sails up, tacking around, lightning to the west. TAMWOCH, SPYDER, SPY, GHOST, VAPOR. Races cancelled, sails down, tow back in. We are offered BULL and take up the task. Sail her off the mooring, Lovely style. Beat out into the bay, not enough rail meat to press her, but we have fun. Roger Allen up from Cortez, John, Nick, Christian, Ed, & me. Lot more lines on the sandbagger.

Night Row

Last night, Peter & I took URCHIN upriver against the tide rowing doubles. Had dinner at Curtin's and rowed back at dead low & dark night. Got in around eleven.

A-cattin'

From DeRouville's Boatyard. John, Chuck, Matt, Newt, Nick, Judy, Christian, & I went sailin' TORCH. Rum results, but a great day sailing. Nice weather warm water, fluky wind especially around the weather mark. 8th, 7th, and 5th, and we only hit the committee boat once. 720º. Another time we were over the line before the start, so a 360 back over the line. SPYDER looked good. LIGHTNING was back out, WITCH, TAMWOCK actually won one, LOTUS, SPY, VAPOR made a day of it.

Newbie

Took Patrice out sailing on URCHIN yesterday. She enjoyed it very much. The wind was light, URCHIN behaved herself, not missing stays and tacking around well. The breeze (from the West) was just enough to beat the tide (going out). We sailed slowly to PA, ran across to the marshy bit by the power station and beat home with the tide back to the dragon.

Callahan Cup

Fri Jul 18
Sailed TORCH out of BayHead Yacht Club with John, Chuck, Bobby, Judy & Nick. The wind was on the light side, no reefs. Due to position and a hang up at one of the marks we got a third in the first race. During the second race there was a bunch up of sandpipers at the last course mark and we slipped by MARY ANN and SPY for a second place. GHOST came in first both races, SPYDER looked super out there, TAMWOCK hit the committee boat. Best of all I got a ride on BARNEGAT. She is a beautiful cruiser, very sexy lady. The sandbaggers sailed a couple races with a load of kids on board. There was a covey of sandpipers. These look like comfortable boats, a bigger beetle cat. Best of all, four sneakboxes were out and sailed close races.

Been Sailin

Burlingtom & back

Cape Cod Spring

Had a great time visiting Mom & Dad. Took URCHIN up on her trailer. It is just like having a new puppy, folks come over to see the boat. The whole family was there. We made a picnic trip to Strong Island with the whole floatilla. Later in the week, Marie ame up and we sailed (she paddled) over to Hog Island for another beach read. We all ended up reading in the boats though, because the greenheads and deerflies hatched out. The week before was great, no bugs.

Solstice Sail

Solstice Sail, July 2, from Ocean Gate Yacht Basin across Barnegat Bay to Tyson's Shoals. We made a lunch stop somewhere on the barrier beach. Went for a swim in the Ocean; it was cold and I got trounced by the wave I was surfing. We had 10 boats out. I sailed on OBADIAH with Pete since my trailer lights quit working that morning. No scurvy, good wind with interesting dynamics. Everyone made it home safe, except for John. He served as bait for greenheads. The last three photos are his. The first three are Jim Luton's. We saw Jim & wife Holly again at the Small reach. see Jim's blog at sailingskiffs.blogspot.com

July TSCA

Cookout at the dragon. Pete fidding aound, a little shanty singing, Kevin's wonderful boat.

At the Cape

6/23 Sailed to Strong Island with the floatilla. The Golden eye, yellow 2 man and FIDDLEHEAD, a 6hr canoe. All the paddlers beat me over to the island. Had a interesting experience sailing along the edge of a shoal with the tide coming in. I was beating into shore and thought I'd have to beach and walk the boat across, but the incoming tide was strong enough to hold the boat about a foot clear of the edge and I was able to skirt along the boundary until I made the channel. Very interesting. Great reach back to Quanset Pond. Hit most of our favorite beaches with the fam; Skaket, Nauset and Quanset.

6/25 Rained hard yesterday, Hail. Pumped about four inches out of the boat.

Wooden Boat Festival at Philly Seaport

The rebirth of a boat festival at the seaport. Good sailing for the Delaware, with all the usual building deflection, reverses, wind gusts, gaps, etc. plus tide rip that always make sailing here interesting. It is really the folks that make the event. John Brady was the smiling host to the event, coordinating the folks who came and presented. A good number of boats; WHITECAP from Tuckerton Seaport, VIDA MIA from Cape May, a herreshof H28 from Riverside, BULL & BEAR sandbaggers from Barnegat, and ELF from Maryland made up the contingent of larger boats. The really big boat category was JUPITER and GAZELLA from the Ship Preservation guys.
The smaller craft came from TSCA members and other contacts. I had URCHIN sailing about, the LITTLE KEY resprented Delaware, There were the tuck-up, two duckers, my two 6 hr canoes, Carl's Melonseed, REDUX, MUD HEN, Ron's Celebrity, Phil's Enterprise, the museum's garvey and sneakbox, and some others along with TRIUMPH from Rocking-the-boat in the Bronx.








Sailed Friday, on MARION BREWINGTON, our TSCA tuck-up bringing her to the event from Gloucester City with Tom & Ed. Saturday, sailed on BEAR, took URCHIN out on the river in company with MARION and THOMAS EAKINS, Pete's ducker. Phil came out in his Enterprise along with Rocking - the - Boat in the garvey. The garvey looked terrific! Sunday early morning went for a lovely sail in elegant comfort on MUD HEN with Ron & Tom, then back again on BEAR. Love sailing sandbaggers.

Tuck-up Back on the Delaware

Tom tapping in the mast wedges.
Wendy, putting in a reef.

Skipper Tom doing a good job avoiding tugboats & barges.

Ed, the ever faithful bailer.

We ran down on three tacks, sailed down to look at Jupiter, and then fought our way back beating into the wind against the tide to the basin entrance. Took about five or six tacks to work out way back down river to the seaport. It was an historic sail. Tom told me the last time a tuck up was on the river was in the seventies.

Here we are tied up at the museum in good company with VIDA MIA, a friendship sloop from Cape May.

June TSCA

The June meeting was held at Cooper River Yacht club. It was the yearly pond boat meeting, which I missed because I was sangbagger sailing on the Delaware. I did make it after dark, just as the last three guys were leaving.

Wading River

Sat. June 7. the dragons paddled the Wading river down in the pines. It was hot.

Spring is Here

I've been out sailing for weeks now. No time to write when the breeze is up. The wind has been over 10 all but one day. URCHIN sails best at about 15. She has new topside paint and about 2/3rds new varnish. I am working my way around her gunwales. I was finally able to get numbers so I can use the engine legally. Next step is making some trailboards since I don't want to disgrace her all the time with ugly digits & plastic stickers.

May TSCA

Mike Wick gave a talk on building a cold molded melonseed. It's thin and will be very light. I did not have my camera that night, so I'll have to get a picture later. The boys were going out for the Chesapeake cruise on the 16th. Hope the weather was warm & dry. Pete & I went to the cape and kayaked round Sipson during the only dry spell we had that weekend.