schooners and friends

The fleet of schooners from The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race started trickling into Portsmouth yesterday evening after a long, long sail down the bay.  The winds were strong and on the nose.  Schooners do not sail well into the wind.  Of the 39 boats that left the dock at Fell's Point in Baltimore just 15 made it to Portsmouth.  Others stopped at various anchorages and marinas along the way.  I asked one captain what the race was like.  "Long.  Wind on the nose," he said.  "A trial of boats and men."

I was very glad to see my friend Barry on the waterfront.  We had met in person just once and very briefly, but we've been in touch over the internet the past couple of years.  It was fun to sit down and talk in person.  We've got a lot in common between boats, a couple of daughters each in college and an interest in the communication field.  Plus he is a great photographer, very skilled boat builder and wonderful writer.  Check out the work on his site.

Later on we ran into another friend, Mike, at right below.  I had met Mike at the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival sail in on the Wye River a few years ago.  He has a melonseed and does quite a bit of cruising with it on Chesapeake Bay.  We've compared notes and found that we've sailed the same areas and visited the same anchorages on Tangier Sound.  It was a treat to see both the schooners and some friends.

steve