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Cat TalesNovember 1999 |
Bill Weeks, Commodore
Afternoon All:
It is
raining here in Hawaii and will continue through tomorrow. We have a low
pressure area, called a Kona Low, moving through the islands, along with a cold
front. I am sitting in my hotel room on the beach at Waikiki. I am over here on
business, and will not return until the 1st of November. I am going to miss the
Halloween cruise.
From my hotel room, I can see a sailboat anchored off
Waikiki, beyond the surf line. It has been there for two days and appears to be
about 40' long. For the past two days the weather has been such that it has had
a smooth anchorage. This morning is a whole different story. The wind is coming
from the southeast at about 15 knots, the waves are about 5 feet and it is a
very rough ride. I don't know why they don't move, as they are very
exposed.
I was going to have to miss the Halloween cruise anyway, as I
moved Fortnight down the bay to her new home on Glebe Creek, off the Coan
River. I got a window of opportunity about two weeks ago and I took advantage
of it to move Fortnight. I had a novice sailor with me, Dennis Lohrmann; he and
I work together. This was the first time he had been out on a sailboat for more
than an hour at a time, much less three days. He was like a kid with a new toy;
he could not get enough of it. We had great weather, but had to motor most of
the way if we were going to get to the Coan River. He could not believe the
beauty of the nights and mornings. Having coffee in the cockpit with the sun
coming up was about the most enjoyable thing he has ever done, or so he said.
Anyhow we did have a great trip.
My new best friend, Vinnie Baby, aka
Vincent Haynie, has started construction of our house; he is putting in the
foundation, even as I speak. By the time I get back, it should be complete and
the framing started.
The slate for Club officers is set for next year,
Pete Denholm, Commodore, Ray Nieves, Vice, Joan Savage Treasurer, and Mike
Davis, will do the newsletter again. This year has been interesting. We have
accomplished some things, and missed a few, but all in all, I think it has been
a good year. I wish we could have gotten a few more new members, but that is an
on-going effort.
I want to thank everyone for all the effort that has
made this year successful. I will not be as active next year, although I plan
to make a few meetings and some of the cruises. Maybe the Club could plan a
cruise down to the Coan and we could all tie up at my dock. I do have a spare
slip and lots of room for visitors.
The finishing touches to this have
been added about a week after I started it. An update, the sailboat is still
anchored off the beach. A sea kayak comes and goes and sometimes a bright light
shows on board. I think someone is living aboard and coming into Waikiki to
work. I have walked the docks a few times at the local marina and, boy, what a
collection of junk. About half of them should be scraped. Most are
live-aboards. Well it is time to close, the skies are clear and I must go watch
the sunset over Hawaii, Noka Oi (The Best). Maybe I will see the green flash. I
just found out that there is a good reason for the flash, even tho it is rarely
seen.
See you next month.
The November meeting will be held on Friday, November 19th
at the Fleet Reserve Club in Annapolis. Plan on starting the evening by meeting
other members for dinner at 6:00 (call for reservations at 410-263-4614),
followed by a pre-meeting social in the meeting room upstairs at 7:30. The
meeting will start at 8:00 with officer elections for next year -
2000!
Following the election of officers, we will have a special treat!
Our guest speakers will be some of our own members who traversed the ICW last
winter. Last October, the Gandys (Luv It), Helldorfers (Ragtime II) and Wesleys
(True Blew) headed south together on the ICW. The Gandys and Wesleys have made
this trip several times while it was the first trip for the Helldorfers. In the
spring they all returned under different schedules. Come join us for a mixture
of experiences from some "old salts" and some "new salts" and I am sure plenty
of tall tales.
The annual CCYC Holiday Party will be at our house this
year. Informal holiday dress is appropriate and holiday cheer a must. Time to
meet and greet old friends, to tell stories about this summer's sailing
adventures and just catch up. The club will furnish a turkey or ham as well as
wine and beer. Attendees should bring hors' d'oeuvres, a side dish or a
dessert. Please call us (703-802-0355 or 703-802-6627) or send an email
(SailCCYC@aol.com) to coordinate the dish you plan to bring.
Directions:
Take the Beltway to I-66 West. Take I-66 exit 55, Fairfax County Parkway, to
the south. Continue south to the second exit and turn right onto Braddock Road.
At the next traffic light, turn left onto Clifton Road. After 2.8 miles, turn
right onto Compton Road and go another 0.7 miles to Balmoral Forest Road. Turn
left, go past Ivakota Farm Road and you will find our house at 7030, the first
house on the right.
I've put these details, with a map, on the CCYC web
site if you need to check it later <Go there>. I hope
everyone can attend so we will have a great time.
Wayne and Joan Savage, Jubilee
Well,
because Joan was in Hilton Head, I was responsible for getting everything
together for the cruise. Needless to say Winston and I were running late. After
picking up the wurst and the bier, we met our guest Carolyn Wilson (Atlantis, a
34' custom steel-hulled sailboat with a pilothouse) at the boat and made the
12:30 Spa Creek bridge.
Upon exiting the harbor, we found wind of about
10 knots from the SE. We let out all the sails and headed for the shipping
channel where we tacked towards Thomas Point. The tack took us directly past
the light and to R2 on the West River. As we headed down the Bay the wind
picked up to about 15 knots and we were cruising at 7.5 knots. Even Winston was
feeling good, trying to stay on the low side and out of the way.
As we
headed up the Rhode River at about 3:30 (I know, we were late) we picked up
some CCYC radio traffic. When we reached the anchorage there were already 4
boats in the raft. The Davis' were the anchor boat with Mike, Bev, Diane and
Copper (Ayewash) helping Phil and Linda Ferrara (Wanderlust), Rod and his two
guests (Wye Wait II), and prospective member, Melody Miller (Spice of Life) tie
off. As we were joining the raft off Wye Wait II, Ray and Carolyn Nievis
(Classie Chassie) and Ray Harris (Aurora) arrived. Because Melody had to leave,
Spice of Life broke off the raft and Aurora took the spot in the
raft.
As soon as everything got settled munchies were brought out and
the first biers (from a mini-Becks keg) were passed around while folks
discussed their adventures getting to the raft. Somewhat later Rod and I
started the grills for the wurst. As we cooked the other rafters gathered on
the Davis' boat to continue their serious discussions. When the wurst was
ready, most of us adjourned to the Davis' cabin to eat as it was getting cool
outside. The German wine, bier, and food seemed to be a hit, with very little
left over. Everyone slept well with a 50-degree temperature and no
wind.
We were treated to another adventure the next morning as Rod gave
one of his crewmembers an offer he couldn't refuse. Go up the mast and replace
the bulb, or walk the plank. Good thing there were two folks to man the lines
as he was hoisted up the mast. With Rod's great planning and preparation and
the crew's heroism, the bulb was replaced and he was returned to the deck
unscratched. Medals were awarded to all.
You should have been there! We
were glad we were.