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Cat TalesJuly 1998 |
Wayne Savage, Commodore
Wow, the summer is going by so fast! It's
almost the end of July, and we haven't spent nearly enough time on the water.
However, we have been busy. Joan and I are pleased to announce that on July
7th, we became grandparents. Helene, the wife of my oldest son Chris, gave
birth to 6 lb 3 oz, Zachary James Savage, and all are well and doing
fine.
We also added a new member to our household, an 8-week-old Sharpei
puppy by the name of Winston. His little wrinkled face and pleasant personality
have made him a hit with all that have met him. Our second training program for
Winston, after house training, has been sailing lessons. We have had him on the
boat three times to help him get his sea legs and get accustomed to sailing as
a normal part of life. Well, isn't it?
In any case we are looking
forward to exercising the boat more frequently the rest of the summer, and
spending time with other club members. We will, of course, be seeking advice on
sailing with pets, so feel free to offer some.
The Annual CCYC Crab
Feast, to be hosted once again by Charles and Freda Gandy, is sure to be a
wonderful time. It's a great chance to get together, swap stories about sailing
experiences so far this season; start planning for rafts and events for the
fall; begin planning for longer adventures down the Intercoastal (as many of
our members are planning to do this winter); and simply have a good time eating
crabs and drinking beer with good friends. What a way to spend an August
Saturday afternoon. Nothing better.
We'll see you all there.
Charles & Freda Gandy, Luv It
804 Holly Drive
East
Annapolis MD 21401
ARRIVE BY LAND OR BY SEA
By Sea:
Whitehall Creek of the Severn River, almost directly across from Whitehall
Marina above red marker #8. Watch for Luv It (Irwin 38) tied up at the
dock.
By land from the west: Rt 50 east of Annapolis to exit 29A (south
service road). Go to blinking red light (St. Margaret's Road) and turn right.
First left onto Holly Drive. Follow winding road to 804.
By land from
the east: Exit 29 to the intersection of St. Margaret's Road, turn left. Cross
over Rt 50, take 2nd left onto Holly Drive. Follow winding road,
etc.
What to bring:
- A VERY LARGE pot-luck dish that will go with
crabs and BBQ. This crowd really likes to eat!
- Lawn chairs.
Will we
cancel if there is bad weather? Yep. Call the Gandys (410-757-6794) that
morning if you think it's a possibility. We could shift to the next
day.
Feel free to arrive by boat on Friday. All are welcome to come then
if you choose. We'll go out to a local restaurant for dinner Friday night,
probably to Broadneck Cafe in Cape St. Claire. Anyone may meet us for dinner by
car, just let us know you're coming and we'll tell you what
time.
Continental Breakfast Sunday morning for all crew from the boats
that stay overnight on Saturday.
What to do next: Fill out the enclosed
form and send it in with your check. That lets us know how many are coming so
we can plan how many crabs to buy and tables to set up. We must place the crab
and brisket orders by Wednesday the 29th, so time it to arrive before
then!
When should you arrive? Whenever you like, but at least by 3 PM on
Saturday. That's when the crabs will arrive and serious eating/socializing will
begin.
HOPE YOU CAN COME!
Bill and Sharon Weeks, Fortnight
III
The Memorial Day Cruise started with no wind. Sharon and I
departed Herrington Harbour North on Saturday morning about 10 AM under mostly
cloudy skies. We motored across the Bay through Knapps Narrows and on to Dunn
Cove. We set the anchor about 1:00 PM.
We no sooner had the anchor down,
than the clouds went away and the day turned sunny and warm. The first boat to
arrive was Ray and Carolyn Nieves on Classie Chassie. We got them tied up and
Bill and Liz Wesly arrived on TRUE BLEW. Pete and Karen Denholm arrived on
Scimitar and we whiled away the afternoon under sunny skies.
We all
repaired to TRUE BLEW for the evening's refreshments, snacks and conversation.
As the sun headed for the horizon, Earl, Lola, and Sherry Holliman approached
on Papillon. They were about 40 yards astern of the raft when they went
aground; they have a full keel. As they got closer to the raft they went
aground again. It seems they had been aground 3 or 4 times on their way to Dunn
Cove. We moved Scimitar to the other side of the raft, for balance. Because of
the proximity of where Papillon went aground, we decided to move the raft to a
deeper spot. We finally got everyone tied up and settled.
Earlier in the
afternoon I decided to try out my new dinghy. Well, I got it fired up and took
a spin around the anchorage. I came back and picked up Sharon for a little
tour. We were having a great day, the sun was warm, the motor was running
smoothly and the water flat. What to my wandering eye should appear, but a DNR
police launch. They seemed to take a special interest in me; maybe it was
because I did not have any registration numbers on the dinghy. Well to make a
long story short, I was cited for not having life preservers onboard, we forgot
them and warned about the registration. I have since made a grand contribution
to the State of Maryland. I also have registered the dinghy and will not go out
without flotation devices.
A quiet evening was spent onboard, with
everyone catching up on the latest gossip. The next morning, the group was
deciding what to do. The forecast was not good - clouds and rain. Most of us
opted to head for home. Pete and Karen on Scimitar decided to continue on to
Plaindealing Creek.
The raft broke up about 10:00 AM, everyone heading
their own way. We, again, motored across the bay. Oh, by the way, the forecast
was wrong. Sharon and I spent a quiet evening at the dock.
Joan Savage, Second Wind
The western sky was
filled with dark and menacing clouds. The forecast was for severe afternoon
thunderstorms, yet undaunted two boats of the CCYC women left the Herring
Harbour area for a skill building cruise. Bev Davis hosted Carolyn Nieves and
Joan Savage on Chantilly Lass while Karen Denholm on Scimitar sailed with Sue
Dennison and Jeanne Helldorfer. The concept of the weekend was for women to
sail without their male counterparts to give the women some experience they
don't always get when sailing with their husbands. Sue Dennison outlined some
skills we wanted to practice including rafting, docking, man overboard and
reefing.
It was decided to sail directly to the rendezvous point at
Harness Creek before we did any of our drills since the afternoon forecast was
so bleak and thunderstorm sailing was a skill not on the agenda. The wind was
light as we left Herrington Harbour and both boats sailed, then motored, then
sailed, then motored again. Scimitar led the way into Harness Creek and dropped
her hook. Chantilly Lass with Bev then Carolyn at the helm did some rafting
maneuvers. When Second Wind with Wayne Savage, Mike Davis and Ray Nieves
entered the creek, we suggested they entertain themselves elsewhere until we
were finished with our drill. Shortly, Foxfire with Walt Dennison and Pete
Denholm arrived and rafted with Second Wind. With renewed confidence in their
boating skills, the ladies joined the raft without incident. A few moments
later, Jerry Helldorfer arrived on Looking Glass. As cocktail hour progressed,
so did the thunderheads. Almost sea-green clouds were upon us, but the raft was
dismantled in the nick of time. Almost two hours went by before the raft
re-assembled with Looking Glass as the new anchor boat. Dinner that night was a
group effort and as the stormed lingered, concern mounted that dinner might not
take place. A calm overnight forecast allowed the boats to stay rafted for the
evening as the spouses paired up again for the evening. No doubt we were the
talk of the anchorage as we all arrived and men and women and overnight bags
were shuffled from boat to boat.
The next morning brought clear skies
and considerable wind. The same crews reassembled the boats and headed down the
South River. The wind started to build as the day progressed and the reefing
exercise became a necessity. It was a fast and exhilarating sail home. As Bev
said , with the wind in her hair and the boat heeled 20 degrees, one reef in
the main and over 20 knots on the meter, "I would have given the helm back to
Mike by now, but this is fun!". Scimitar looked as if she was having an equally
fun sail. She went up to Herrington North while Bev guided us home to
Herrington South. The last "lesson" was docking. Chantilly Lass stopped to pump
out as Bev skillfully laid her alongside the dock. We then proceeded to their
dock, a new one for the Davis'. I was coaching Bev not ever having docked at
their slip before. The wind was much stronger than necessary for this delicate
maneuver. But perseverance prevailed and with an audience from all the
surrounding boats and some fancy fending, Chantilly Lass safely came to rest in
her home berth.
Bev, Carolyn and I celebrated our successful return with
lunch at the club and decided as much as we love our husbands, sailing with
just other women added a measure of confidence and fun that we hadn't often
enjoyed. We'll do this again next year. Won't you join us, ladies?
Pete and Karen Denholm, Scimitar
We
had a wonderful week on the Bay and made some new friends. It should be noted
that Scimitar completed the week without any mishaps. We will continue to work
hard this season to avoid another Ol' Kedger award.
Day 1 - Dunn Cove.
Scimitar got a late start for the first day of the cruise; 5 p.m. to be exact.
To top off our late start, there was no wind. We were further delayed at the
Knapps Narrows bridge by a parade. The parade started just as we were arriving
to signal the bridgetender. It did not matter, since there were no club members
waiting in Dunn Cove for us when we arrived at 8 p.m. Scimitar was alone all
night.
Day 2 -Spring Cove Marina. Another late start - this time due to
weather and Pete 's need for sleep. When Pete awoke at noon, the rain had
stopped so we headed for Mill Creek in the Patuxent River. As we left the
Choptank for the bay, we saw a dolphin! We didn't know that Flipper visited the
bay. After six hours of sailing, we were at Cove Point lighthouse. Mark and AJ
Eller of Maraj were the only ones that we knew would be joining us for the
evening so we called them to confirm the plan to anchor in Mill Creek. After
confirming that no one else was joining us, Mark suggested that Scimitar anchor
near Spring Cove Marina (Maraj's home), use the marina's facilities, and have
dinner at a local restaurant with them. We changed our plans and anchored near
Spring Cove Marina at Solomons Island. Upon arrival, we enjoyed a tour of
Maraj, a Tayana 42. What a beautiful boat!
Day 3 - No Sail. The plan was
to set out at 7 a.m. for Mill Creek on the Great Wicomico River. The winds were
from the south. We were not looking forward to a possible long day of motoring
with winds on our nose. Sometimes things work out for the best. Papillon (with
Earl, Lola & Sherry Holliman) was planning on joining us but as they were
motoring to meet us at the mouth of the Pax their engine overheated. They ended
up being towed to Zahniser's Marina. It turns out that their impeller had to be
replaced. Maraj and Scimitar continued motoring out to the bay until Maraj's
engine died. (Maybe they should have bought a Catalina.) Scimitar to the
rescue! We towed Maraj back to Spring Cove Marina where Mark and Pete worked on
the engine while AJ and Karen shopped. To fix the engine, Mark and Pete had to
bleed the fuel line and replace the fuel filters. Since Papillon and Maraj were
not repaired until the afternoon, we decided to spend another night in Solomons
Island and set out for Crisfield in the morning. Besides the weather for
tomorrow was predicted to be favorable with winds 20-25 from the SW. (This
sentence was written by Pete.)
Day 4- Crisfield. Pete woke up with his
eyes swollen and irritated. We flushed both his eyes with bottled water and
received some medical advice from AJ. Following AJ's instructions Pete was able
to recover by the next day. Pete thinks that while he was working on Maraj's
engine, he got diesel fuel in his eyes. All three boats and crew were ready to
go. The weather wasn't favorable; 20-25 SW winds with 2-3 foot seas. (This
sentence was written by Karen.) The first two hours were the roughest then
things seemed to calm down (winds 15-20). Maraj left Scimitar and Papillon in
the dust. She averaged over 9 knots while we were doing 6.5-7. Maraj decided to
spill the wind off her main to bring her speed down to 7 knots. With Mark's
excellent navigation skills we reached Crisfield in record time (43 miles in
7.5 hours). The Coast Guard was only too happy to greet us as we entered
Crisfield. After tying up at Somer's Cove Marina, they boarded Maraj and
Scimitar. Both boats passed the inspection with flying colors. Master Chief
Mark convinced the Coast Guard petty officers not to board Papillon. You'll
have to ask him for the details. After a relaxing dip in the pool, all of us
had a wonderful meal at the Captain's Galley where 95% of the menu consisted of
crab dishes.
Day 5 - No Sail. We all took the ferry to Tangier Island
where we ate at Hilda Crockett's Chesapeake House. After lunch, we only had one
hour before we had to reboard the ferry. Pete and Karen decided to rent bikes
and tour the island. The rest of the group opted for a tour by golf cart. One
hour was plenty of time to tour ALL of the roads and trails. Dinner was a
cookout at the marina. Music was provided by Mark - sailing shanties. We
recommend that Mark isn't the DJ at the next Christmas party.
Day 6 -
St. John's Creek. The bay was like glass, which made for a long motor back to
the Patuxent River. The calm weather did enable us to try out our autohelm for
the first time. In St. John's Creek Papillon rafted up until after happy hour
and then left Maraj and Scimitar for its home port at the Pax Naval Air
Station. The highlight of the afternoon was seeing a motorboat on fire and
watching it drift into a fuel dock. We're hoping no one was injured, however;
there is one less powerboat on the Bay.
Day 7 - Battle Creek. What a
pleasant surprise! - Chantilly Lass (with Mike, Bev & Diana Davis along
with one of Diana's friends, Mahalia) had anchored less than 200 yards from us
around 10:30 p.m. last night. They tried to hail us but we didn't have the
radio on at that late hour. As Scimitar, Maraj, and Chantilly Lass motored to
Battle Creek (another no wind day!), Papillon rejoined the group. We were a
flotilla of four. Again Papillon left after happy hour (Earl - maybe you should
bring more vodka so you could stay longer than happy hour) to return to their
home marina. After happy hour the rest of us planned to take the dinghies to a
restaurant across the Patuxent, but we were delayed. After a long 1.5 hours of
trying to get his dinghy's engine started, the group convinced Mike to quit and
go to dinner. We dinghyed across the Pax and accidentally found the Seagate
Inn. Mark and Karen went to unload some trash into a dumpster and were scolded
like school children. Only I hope no one uses this same type of language with
your children. After eating at the Seagate Inn, we can say that it has the
slowest service on the bay.
Day 8 - Mill Creek on the Patuxent. This
morning we dinghyed to the head of Battle Creek to see some 600-year-old Cyprus
trees, while Mike stayed behind to continue his assault on his outboard. We
found some Cyprus trees, but we have no idea how old they were. On our way back
to the boats we find Mike has won the battle of "man versus machine". For the
sail today, the wind was a little too close for Maraj, so she motored ahead to
Munger's Landing on Mill Creek. Scimitar and Chantilly Lass were able to "race"
down the Patuxent, only to nearly collide under the bridge. We believe the race
ended in a tie. When we arrived at Max Munger's place, the party was in full
swing. The guest that got the most attention was the short, wrinkled, shy, guy
named Winston Savage, the Chinese Shar Pei. Among the guests were the crews
from Papillon, Scimitar, Maraj, Chantilly Lass, Second Wind (sans the boat),
Shermax, and Fortnight III. Mike took everyone (sixteen in all) on Chantilly
Lass to see the fireworks. All the boats stayed tied to the Munger's pier for
the night.
Day 9 - Sail home.
Bev, Diana and I have moved. Our new address is 7030 Balmoral Forest Road, Clifton, VA, 20124. Please send all newsletter info to the new address. Our phone number and our email address remain the same.