Had a wonderful sail this past weekend. Started out on a day sail from Dahlgren, VA to Port Kinsale but detoured to Cobb Island instead due to a heavy weather front coming in around the Port Kinsale area. Going south on the Potomac, the water was flat and the wind was non-existant. Once we headed into Wicomoco River we picked up a little wind so we let the sails loose and had some fun. Finally made it into Cobb Island and stopped by the Pirated Den Marina to pick-up some fuel. Ran into the owners of Java and visited with them for a while. Jim Simons and his wife are an awesome couple. Next we headed over to Schamansky's for lunch. These folks have some of the best lunch baskets you would ever want to try. After lunch we headed out for the return trip to Dahlgren. On the way back up the river we finally ran into some real wind. It started out with 10 knots over the deck so we once again put out the sails and had a ball. Pretty soon it kicked up to 22 knots and was constantly rising the further north we went. Since I have in-mast furling on this boat I started furling in the main and jib to gain a comfortable feel to the boat. At 25 knots we had approximately 50% reefed. As the wind climbed somemore we decided to bring all sails in and motor the rest of the way home. It was a good thing we did too. About 5 minutes after we had everything secured, we literally ran into 35 knot winds across the deck with 38-40 knot winds at the top of the mast. Needless to say, the water conditions deteriorated also. We finished our ride home in 2-4 foot chops with nice white caps. This was the first time I had had any real inclement weather in the new H31 and I am happy to report, this boat took it like it was nothing. She sails well in light as well as heavy winds just as advertised. BTW Jim, did you ever make it to the cliffs? Mike Akridge s/v Cariña II
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Forecast NNW @3
Damn, the forecast said hot humid and 3 to 4 kts. So I stayed home did fun things like mow the lawn, pull weeds, invite friends over. Then see the wind pick up and curse...... Should have packed them and the cooler up and headed out. But by that time I-95 was its typical afternoon parking lot.
Damn, the forecast said hot humid and 3 to 4 kts. So I stayed home did fun things like mow the lawn, pull weeds, invite friends over. Then see the wind pick up and curse...... Should have packed them and the cooler up and headed out. But by that time I-95 was its typical afternoon parking lot.
Hi Mike
Yes we made over to the cliffs and was having a ball. I was watching the thunderstorm coming down from the NW and then saw your sails up. I tried calling you but got no answer. With the XM weather on the gps we can watch the storms coming. We were anchored close to another boat and split up further apart. I put down 100' of scope in antipation of the thunderstorm. It split one piece to the south and the other to the north. We never got a drop of rain. It was nice meeting you and your wife. You have a nice boat, I was trying to talk another sailor into buying it while you were tied up to the dock. Sailing was great Sunday afternoon, mostly 8-10 kts until around 6:00p. Jim S/V Java
Yes we made over to the cliffs and was having a ball. I was watching the thunderstorm coming down from the NW and then saw your sails up. I tried calling you but got no answer. With the XM weather on the gps we can watch the storms coming. We were anchored close to another boat and split up further apart. I put down 100' of scope in antipation of the thunderstorm. It split one piece to the south and the other to the north. We never got a drop of rain. It was nice meeting you and your wife. You have a nice boat, I was trying to talk another sailor into buying it while you were tied up to the dock. Sailing was great Sunday afternoon, mostly 8-10 kts until around 6:00p. Jim S/V Java
Your Very Lucky
Jim, When I saw the clouds over in your direction I could have sworn that you were getting a soaking. My radio has been on the fritz ever since I got back. And the little hand-held leaves much to be desired. The "crazy" one is coming up this weekend to get all the "little" problems fixed. I guess we were lucky too. No rain but one heck of a wind. Maybe after I get the hang of the new boat it will be more fun but for now, I'm using max caution. I saw the split and I headed right between the two. Hope to see you again in the future. Mike Akridge s/v Cariña
Jim, When I saw the clouds over in your direction I could have sworn that you were getting a soaking. My radio has been on the fritz ever since I got back. And the little hand-held leaves much to be desired. The "crazy" one is coming up this weekend to get all the "little" problems fixed. I guess we were lucky too. No rain but one heck of a wind. Maybe after I get the hang of the new boat it will be more fun but for now, I'm using max caution. I saw the split and I headed right between the two. Hope to see you again in the future. Mike Akridge s/v Cariña
Remember this
Salty Dog's day is worth remembering the next time someone complains that sailing is too much maintenance on the hards and too much work on the water. What a great day!
Salty Dog's day is worth remembering the next time someone complains that sailing is too much maintenance on the hards and too much work on the water. What a great day!
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