Chesapeake Bay sailing - Labor Day 2010 (monohull content)

I didn't let Hurricane Earl ruin my sailing plans for Labor Day weekend on the Chesapeake! We left Annapolis a day later than we planned to allow Earl to move up the coast a bit.

Here is some catamaran content.. saw these as we headed out of Annapolis on Friday morning on our sail up to Rock Hall:



We had to deal with high winds overnight on Friday, did deck watch until 3:30 am to ensure no power boaters or other sailboats broke off their hooks or anything while we were anchored out in Rock Hall, MD... one powerboat couldn't get their hook to set... it was almost entertaining to watch them keep trying all night long.

Here is my Uncle standing on the bow of his baby, anchored out in Rock Hall, MD (Tartan 4300):



Saturday we again had 30 kts blowing around... we ended up on the motor most the way across the Bay to Baltimore.. but as we got to the West side, the ways dropped from the big 6's down to 4's and we put up the silk!

Here we are in Baltimore's inner harbor:



Here are some blue crabs "doing it" in the harbor:



On our way to Gibson Island on Sunday, we ran down my Uncles' old boat, a Tartan 37.



It's neat to see something you used to sail on, out there getting used and appreciated by it's new owner!

Here is the view from our campsite behind Gibson Island:



There were some races going on in Annapolis as we returned on Monday.. it's hard to explain that there were boats from one side of the bay to the other and really have an understanding of what that means... and the pictures don't do it justice.. but I'll try:







And I have to share a couple pics of me.

Here I am at the helm, where I spent most my time during the day:



And occasionally taking a break:



Really glad that Earl didn't ruin our trip... sure hope people escaped without too much injury or loss!

Annapolis hosted 4 major races last week:

* Cal 25 Nationals
* Farr 30 North American Championship
* J/35 North American Championship feeder regatta
* Farr 40 feeder regatta

We sorta sailed onto the edge of their course as we returned to the harbor... it was in a bad place and not marked very well.. but meh, what was worse was all the boats cutting people off on their dash to the harbor. It got a little crazy, had to play the tonnage wins game a couple times.

_________________
1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

Saw this in Baltimore:



Would you call it a trimaran or just a monohull with outriggers?

_________________
1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

If your sailing in the upper Bay was anything like what we experienced in the lower Bay, you had a *great* time out on the water.

_________________
Mitch

2010 Tandem Island
2010 Revolution
Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore

My sailing blog
Our sailing videos

that's a Dragonfly Trimaran.

_________________
Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

Yeah, we started in Annapolis and headed NE to Rock Hall on the Eastern shore on Friday, stayed the night there and dealt with the high winds Friday night and Saturday we motored West to Baltimore.. it was a rodeo ride and wet! When we pulled out of Rock Hall, half the people behind us turned around once they saw the waves on the East side!

Once we hit the Western shore, it was much more calm, wind and waves... and we had a nice sail.. Sunday and Monday were both nice sails as well.. down to Gibson Island (Dobbin's or whatever it's called..) and then back to Annapolis on Monday.

_________________
1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

Thanks for the pics. I love my Hobie, but I am currently in the market for a monohull, just not sure what kind. I am looking for something in the 20 - 24 foot range that is trailerable. I would like a boat to take the whole family out for a nice relaxing sail or the wife and I spending a night or two on the water somewhere. Your photos kinda stoke the fire in me again, but a 43 foot boat is way more than I want. Heck, your uncle could sail the world in that boat and may well have done so. Thanks.

_________________
'88 Nationals Blue
Hobie Alter Signature Model
Sail #11

Hobie Mirage Classic

Yeah, every single time I spend a week on that boat it sparks my interest in owning a "go somewhere" type of boat, which obviously, my h16 is not. I'd like to be able to take another couple out with my fiance and the dog and go somewhere for dinner or something like that. I found a nice looking J/24 on craigslist yesterday but I'm just not ready to drop the cash for a 2nd boat.... then I'll want a mooring spot, blah blah, costs continue to add up.

As for sailing the world.. his 43' would definitely be up to that task... This one has mainly been based right in Annapolis. His 37' was purchased in Rhode Island, we sailed it to the vineyard a ton of times, Nantucket and Block island once each... then he sailed it down to Annapolis where he ended up trading it in on the 43. My Uncle has done a lot of West coast and East coast sailing along with some Caribbean... but I think that is the extent of it. We talked about sailing it to Bermuda but after hearing horror stories of the crime in the harbors there, we decided not to do it.

There is something to be said about the comforts of a big cruiser! The generator, air conditioning, tv, dvd player, surround sound... but there are trade offs too.. like drawing 6 feet of water! What a hassle that is.

_________________
1982 H16 (C:\Worthy)
Yellow/White Prism type sails

You sound like us.

There are a number of boats that are trailerable - MacGregor and Catalina immediately come to mind and are readily available and affordable. There are also some that are semi-trailerable that are just a bit bigger, still fit on a trailer but take more time to setup; my fav is a 26 foot Tylercraft twin-keel monohull built in the 1970's.

As for us, we're looking for something bigger - think 34 foot catamaran - so we can go out for extended sails and not have to go back to a motel at night. Our TI has really ignited the sailing bug in Cindy and she wants to do it more than we are presently able.

_________________
Mitch

2010 Tandem Island
2010 Revolution
Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore

My sailing blog
Our sailing videos

There are some really cool big cats out there. That would be awesome. I love the saloon areas on the large cats. Lots of seating, somewhat open air and good views. Sailingtexas is a neat site with lots of boats for sale, but I almost never see the larger catamarans on there. I have to check it out every night looking for just the right boat. It'll come along someday.

_________________
'88 Nationals Blue
Hobie Alter Signature Model
Sail #11

Hobie Mirage Classic

Here here to that! After all this is a catamaran site and there are lots of cool 22 to 30ft. cats that you can buy for very reasonable prices.

_________________
06 getaway -- always remember, man with both feet in mouth have no leg to stand on.