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Chesapeake Sailing ClubAnnapolis, Maryland |
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July 2011 SCUTTLEBUTTNewsletter of the Chesapeake Sailing ClubCalendar at a Glance Commodore's Column 
Our sailing season has started off wonderfully well! There was a little trouble with the weather early but our spring cruise was wonderful! The schedule was such that members could join by car at several points which made for more people enjoying the company. Of course our high point was the race but we also loved seeing all the people. A big thank's has gone to Liz and Frank's son and daughter for providing their house on the creek for a on land respite with air conditioning! Our newest members Shirley and Paul Berson arrived by car and we enjoyed their company. This coming month brings a water raft up in Queenstown creek, and a water or land get together at a restaurant in West River. We are looking forward to both these events. Keep an eye out for the info as it is great to get together with your friends. I'll be looking forward to seeing you! Vice Commodore's Report 
The only land /sea event on the agenda for July is the get-together in the West River on July 23- 24. We will try Thursday's Steak and Crabhouse at 6 pm. They do have slips for patrons eating at the restaurant but no overnight accommodations. The slips are first come, first served. If you have any concerns about the availability of a particular slip (e.g., depth) you could call them at 410-867-7200. Aquavit will plan, tentatively, to go there by boat. But, in late July, one never knows if the weather will be bearable. In any case we will be there early enough to put our names in for dinner. We will need to know a couple of days ahead of time who is going to come. I will put out a specific request for that in a couple of weeks. Fleet Captain's Report Memorial Day Cruise and Race Race day was cool and overcast with a light wind from the south. Quite unusual for Eastern Bay. All the boats except Lin Won (they were puzzled by their rating of 0) started. With perfect conditions, Cherette surged to victory followed by Ariel and Southern Lady. Tieve Owna was having so much fun that they just kept on sailing on the first leg. They showed up at the anchorage for happy hour. History was written as this was the first time a CSC race had wind enough to finish a race in Eastern Bay! Summer Cruise, 2011 After the hottest night at anchor in Dun Cove, the fleet called for a mutiny and retreated to Zahniser's for three days of air conditioning, rest, store bought food, and relaxation. The weather finally moderated slightly and the fleet sailed the Patuxent River in the wake of the British Fleet in the 1814 attack on Washington. To recover from the reenactment of the battle in Battle Creek the CSC fleet then sailed to St. Leonard Creek and attacked Vera's bar. The heat returned once again while the fleet was enjoying the beautiful new air conditioned home of the Cingels' daughter and son in law on Edgar Cove and it was decided to shorten the cruise and retreat to our various points where electricity for the A/C's was available. For a more complete and colorful description of the cruise, be sure to read Glen Whaley's column. Note: The Annapolis business buzz has reported an increase in requests for generators adequate to run boat air conditioning units. Clements Creek Raft Up, June 25 & 26 Upcoming Cruises Cruise Report- 
In the great tradition of sailors everywhere, the CSC fleet - at least a goodly portion of it - put to sea when the season was fairly launched. That would be Spring, when all good things happen on the Bay. T'was the annual Spring Cruise. At least it was spring according to the calendar. Summer used to not come until late June. But this year, Mother Nature must have gotten a little confused because it was hotter than blazes for a fair portion of the two weeks we were out, starting with Memorial Day weekend. Which, you will note, is in May. It is not in August. But it didn't really matter so pretty much - we had boats, lots of water, fun places to go, and good friends to enjoy it all with. For most of the cruise, there were five or six boats. And for the grand finale, a rendezvous at Frank and Liz Cingel's daughter's house off the Choptank River, there were 16 of us, including three couples who came by land cruiser. And the weather, while a consideration, wasn't the spoiler it might have been. By the way, did I mention that Liz' daughter's place had air conditioning? That was a particularly nice touch, seeing as it was well over 90 that day. But that's getting 'way ahead of the story . . . If you're interested in a blow-by-blow description of the cruise, starting Monday morning after the Memorial Weekend Race (detailed separately), here 'tis: Day 1 (Monday, May 30th): Bay GyPSy joined the great adventure after the weekend as there were family scheduling issues the Whaleys had to deal with, so we missed the race. We did get underway Monday morning from the Magothy, though, and high-tailed it to Dun Cove, off Harris Creek, off the Choptank, just in time for happy hour. "High-tail," in context here, means motoring as there was only a 5-ish knot breeze and it was from the south. In fact, that would pretty much be the theme of the cruise - little wind and busy diesels. On the bright side, the price of gas kept the big and fast boats, and their big wakes, in port so the travel was pretty good. Happy hour that night at Dun Cove was hosted by Ariel and Fleet Captain Dave and Lois Nance, joined by the Singermans (Tieve Owna), the Cingels (Southern Lady), and the Whaleys (Bay GyPSy). Happy hour was especially felicitous as the wine that night was booty from the last CSC shore party, and there was lots of it. (Lots of wine is good. We all decided that our very favorite vintage is free, cold wine. Thanks, Nances! By the way, our second-favorite vintage is free wine - the temperature is negotiable.) Day 2 (Tuesday, May 31st): As it was rather warmish on Monday night, the second day of the cruise started with a near mutiny. Okay, so that may be a little melodramatic. But the prospect of spending another overly warm evening and night on the boats in a nice secluded (read, "dead calm, hot, and humid") gunk hole, however charming, wasn't going down well. So, instead of heading as planned for Hudson Creek off the Little Choptank, we made for Solomons and Zahnhiser's Marina. We all ended up on the same facing pier, arriving around 1500, and muchly appreciated the 30 amp AC. (Zahnhiser's had been in the plan, but not until Wednesday. We jumped the gun by a day, and were grateful they were able to host us all on short advance notice. ) That evening, we had a grand buffet hosted by Tieve Owna - a scrumptious enchilada casserole by Susan, a wonderful three-bean salad from Liz, a nice tuna/veggie dish by Lois, and a fluffy white dessert of some kind with blueberry topping by Anne Marie. We weren't so sure about that dessert, though, so some of us had to try a second helping to see if we really liked it. Turns out we did. (Quite a lot actually. Can you make it again, Anne Marie?) And then Mal 'forced' some mighty fine cognac on those who weren't quick enough to cover their glasses. All in all, it was a grand event and everyone really enjoyed the food, fellowship, and air conditioning. Day 3 (Wednesday, June 1st): Our third day was destined to be one of those lazy, fun dockside days where everyone just tinkered, rested, and read. Being as it was 92 degrees in the shade and plenty humid, lazy worked just fine. Dave and Lois fixed their outboard, which had been acting persnickety lately (probably a case of ethanol indigestion). In the early afternoon, some of the ladies and Mal went food shopping. The only excitement that day, if you want to call it that, was when Bay GyPSy experienced a reverse power problem with shore power while the ladies were out shopping. The timing was significant: If Glenn didn't get the air conditioning working before they returned, it would have could have been a very great unhappiness. But, as it turned out, the problem turned out to be just a newly arrived power-hungry trawler that plugged into their pier's grid. Switching to another pier's receptacle that Zahnhiser provided solved the problem. (For which Glenn was very grateful! Sue was, too, although she didn't know why. After all, the air conditioning was running just fine when she got back from her shopping trip. Which, of course, is the right and proper thing for air conditioning to do.) As another note of happiness, Bill and Sandy Stine and Whistwind joined us at the marina that day just in time for happy hour. That evening, we all opted for happy hour at Zahnhiser's Dry Dock Bar with folks making their own plans after that. Altogether, a very fine day. Day 4 (Thursday, June 2nd): Another restful day in Solomons. Today, we were joined by Aquavit (Joe and Margie Powers). Again, it was mostly a tinker day for everyone. Also, Commodore Dave and Janet Ewing drove down for the day, and they and the Whaleys went to lunch at CD's Diner, a great discovery at Solomons. If you have the opportunity to get down that way, their lunch menu is highly recommended. That evening, the CSC crowd (now numbering 14 - Cingels, Ewings, Nances, Powers, Singermans, Stines, Whaleys) enjoyed a great feast at Stoneys's on Solomons Island, one of the few places on the island that could host a crowd that size. We had great seafood and the most glorious Chesapeake sunset behind the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge (the Solomons Island Bridge) that you've ever seen. Day 5 (Friday, June 3rd): Today was a day to die for - the weather broke clear and breezy, with temps in the low 80's and low humidity. The trip today was a short one, a bare five miles under the Patuxent River bridge to a really nice little cove off Mill Creek up the Pax River. We had a nice, relaxing morning and didn't even leave Solomons until after noon. Six boats anchored out in Mill Creek that afternoon (Aquavit, Ariel, Bay GyPSy, Southern Lady, Tieve Owna, and Whistwind). It was another relaxing day, with lots of reading, kayaking, and just hanging out. Five o'clock found us all at happy hour hosted by Whistwind and enjoying another spectacular sunset. Day 6 (Saturday, June 4th): After another really pleasant morning of relaxation, kayaking (for Glenn and Skittles of Bay GyPSy), reading, and such everyone eventually got underway by around noon for the 11 1/2 mile trek upriver to Battle Creek, the staging place for the British during the assault on Washington, D.C., in the War of 1812. It was a pleasant trip, mostly motoring up the river, and we were all safely at anchor or rafted up by 1600. We had an enjoyable, but abbreviated, happy hour aboard Aquavit due to a pending squall. Turns out it didn't happen, but we all had fun anyway. It was just compressed fun, that's all. The wind went from 0 to 20 kts and back to 0 in about 20 minutes all with no rain. But happy hour was fun while it lasted and we all had a comfortable evening at anchor and a restful one. And yet another beautiful sunset. Altogether another wonderful day! Day 7 (Sunday, June 5th): The day started overcast and a little weepy, although it cleared up soon enough. With temps in the low 70s, it was right pleasant. Sadly, Aquavit had to leave the flotilla for a scheduled appointment that couldn't wait. Meanwhile, Glenn and Skittles had a kayaking adventure that morning exploring the headwaters of Battle Creek, which you can read about elsewhere in this newsletter. It was a humbling, but fun, affair that only added to the fun of the cruise (but only because they came back in one piece!). By noon, everyone was underway for a motoring trip 10 miles back down the Pax River to St. Leonard Creek where we all anchored just off Vera's. Since Vera has crossed over the bar, her place has changed hands and is now much different than the veterans remembered: The beaded rooms are gone, replaced by an open room and bar arrangement, and Vera's pink Taj Mahal home is now totally refurbished and painted gray. And, yet another notable change, the food at the restaurant is actually quite good. The CSC crew enjoyed a great happy hour at Vera's, and the Singermans and Whaleys enjoyed dinner afterward at the much improved restaurant. Vera may no longer be with us, but her former establishment is thriving - Glenn and Mal will testify that the softshell crabs are to die for! After another glorious Chesapeake sunset, we all enjoyed a wonderful evening and good night's sleep tucked away at anchor. What a delightful day! Day 8 (Monday, June 6th): Monday dawned calm and pleasant, with temps around 70. A perfectly clear day, and very calm. Nice for a leisurely morning, but not so nice for sailing. But it was a nice day for a ten mile motor jaunt south down the Patuxent River. Most everyone was underway by 11 or 12, and we all sauntered (a new sailing term when there isn't any wind) down to St. John Creek, off Mill Creek, in Solomons. Actually, there did turn out to be some wind out in the mouth of the river and, being as it was a particularly leisurely day, some went out and just sailed around Solomons for awhile. The nice thing about just sailing around in open water is that you don't much care which way the wind is blowing. (By the way, just for the record, Skittles wants everyone to know that she kind of prefers motoring. That sailing thing, what with heeling over and such, isn't so much to her liking. Not that most folks would care or anything. But she just thought everyone should know that.) Anyway, everyone got to Solomons just fine and many took advantage of the free municipal pumpout and water, especially the water. Turns out the bugs at St. Leonard Creek last night had this terrible case of some sort of green diarrhea or something. There was green bug poo all over all the boats. And it wasn't just normal bug poo, either. The bugs must have ingested epoxy or something. But most of us eventually got most of it off with some liberal elbow grease so all was well. Happy hour that night was hosted by Bay GyPSy. A beautiful evening, 65-70, and yet another beautiful sunset. We're getting spoiled with the gorgeous sunsets! Day 9 (Tuesday, June 7th): Another pleasant, clear, mid-80s day. Even the humidity was lower. What a delightful morning it was! Most folks got underway fairly early for the 33+ mile trek back across the Bay to the Choptank. The day's destination was Baby Owl Cove, off Leadenham Creek, off Broad Creek. Like I said, most got underway early. But not everyone. Bay GyPSy had a mysterious sea water leak that, after lots of trial and error trouble-shooting, turned out to be a blown raw water pump bearing. Fortunately, Zahnhiser's had the necessary part so the Whaleys finally got underway from Solomons around 1045. After boogying across the Bay, they made it to Baby Owl Cove in time for the last bit of happy hour on Tieve Owna, full of sea stories about engine pump problems, balky chart plotters, and new autopilots behaving badly. It sounds painful, but it was actually kind of fun in a learning-curve sort of way . Anyway, happy hour was great, as was the weather. Although it was threatening to get very hotful again tomorrow. . . Day 10 (Wednesday, June 8th): The day dawned nice enough, but threatened to heat up considerably. The destination that day was Edgar Cove, only a four mile jaunt up Broad Creek from last night's anchorage. The rendezvous was to be at the waterfront home of Liz Cingel's daughter Karyn, where a grand grilled dinner was planned. Liz and Frank on Southern Lady got underway early, but the rest of the boats (Ariel, Bay GyPSy, Tieve Owna, and Whistwind) tarried until around noon, just enjoying the cove, before getting underway. Glenn and Skittles explored the whole cove by kayak, as well as much of adjacent Caulk Cove, before shipping off to Edgar Cove. What a great morning! The dinner that evening was a grand affair. Besides the five cruise boats, three other couples made the pilgrimage by land to join in the grand finale of the cruise. Commodore Dave and Janet Ewing, Vice Commodore Joe and Margie Powers, and new members Paul and Shirley Berson made it a great dinner that included 16 total CSCers -- how cool is that?! Each couple brought their own meat to grill and a dish to share. So, typical of CSC culture, no one went home hungry. And did I mention there was wine, too? And air conditioning. It don't get no better than that! Even Skittles enjoyed the cool patio and warm companionship. The festivities lasted until 2030. And during our evening of joviality and fun, a meeting was convened to decide on the course of action for the remainder of the cruise. Being as the prognosis from the weather-guessers was that it would be hot, hot, hot for the next few days, the consensus (actually, it was pretty unanimous) was that we'd had lots of fun, and some potential hot days anchored out might not add to the experience. Well, at least in a positive way. So the decision was that most everyone would return to home port on the morrow. Which would be .. Thursday (June 9th): Although Frank, Liz, and Southern Lady stayed an extra day at daughter Karyn's house, returning to the Magothy on Friday, everyone else made way for home early Thursday morning. It was indeed a hottish day, reaching the mid-90's, with humidity to match, and moderated only by the breeze manufactured with a strong diesel assist. That was because there just wasn't any wind. Seems that Mother Nature was on strike or something. It gets that way on the Chesapeake Bay during the summer, of course, but it was still most of a month shy of summer. What was with that weather anyway?! But, all in all, it was a grand time and everyone enjoyed great fellowship together, lots of fun happy hours, very nice anchorages, and special memories. Thanks to Fleet Captain Dave Nance for a great cruise, well planned and executed. He might need a little work in the weather production department but, hey, nobody's perfect. . . Member's Corner- Read about Glenn's precarious kayak experience in Augusts' Scuttlebutt Webmaster and Editor
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