4 days, 3 nights

It sounds like a short vacation, and maybe it really was.

Three day weekend and I skipped out early on the last day of work, had Spartina in the water by 4:30 and sails up by five for a beautiful sail until after the sun went down.

Then another evening sail the next day, followed by day sails the two following days.  A little warm, yes (it is summer), but a great breeze and had a wonderful time.

Excellent wind, dolphins, friends on the water.  Just a great weekend.  Wish they were all like that.  With all that time on the water I feel like I'm in good shape for the fall cruise.

Town Point Reach

sunset

arrived

Webb arrived in South Africa yesterday after a "hard passage" and a 50 knot gale on the nose as he approached the coast.  Can't wait to read the passage log.

  Here is a nice story from the local paper.

once more with feeling

It looks once again like Webb is headed into Durban.  Ken, who seems to have been watching the local weather closely, has a possible explanation.  From Ken...

It was interesting watching his track and seeing the predicted winds develop and then watch him run off before the small gale while heading out to get some sea room. Now he is able to turn back, it looked like the worst weather he encountered on the trip. He is truly amazing to follow.

off the coast

Webb did not make it in yesterday.  His most recent Yellowbrick track shows he approached the coast then turned back, most likely waiting on daylight to come into port.  

almost in, no sailing, no pitching, worth watching

Webb Chiles is almost in, or possibly he is already arrived in South Africa, his Yellowbrick track won't post his current position for a few  more hours.  I have to wonder if that little jog to the south in the track above was his waiting for daylight to make his approach to the coast.

No sailing this weekend, which is a shame because the weather would have made for some great sailing, particularly on Saturday.  But Brook from the American Rover did send me the photo above from a week earlier when we passed each other on the Elizabeth River.  A nice photo to add to the scrapbook.  It's good to have friends that I see out on the water.

No sailing as I was up in Charm City with my daughter to watch an O's game.  No pitching at all from the O's in the 12-2 loss to the Astros.  O's went through so many pitchers they finally had a utility infielder pitching in the 9th inning.  But a fun time none-the-less, always enjoy visiting Baltimore and always enjoy spending time with the daughter.

On the storm front 99L and 90L are worth watching, each having a chance of turning into tropical depressions.....and more.  Hurricane season, that time of year.

where's Munch?

If you had watched Homicide, Life on the Streets you would know what I'm talking about.

favorite Fells Point hangout

Charm City

the crab boil

I've paid for....

That's Serengeti, a very solid looking Peterson 46 out of Marathon bound for somewhere on Chesapeake Bay.  Where exactly they couple on board did not know.  Just somewhere.  Sounds like a great plan to me.  Warm (hot, really) and breezy yesterday, about as perfect a wind as we'll get mid-summer.  

I've paid for....

• my annual SPOT plan (which includes both tracking and linking to Boat US if needed) 
• my fee to the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival
• a new gas cap for the Honda outboard (The gas caps for a wide range of serial numbers have been recalled and Honda is replacing those for free.   My outboard is not in the serial numbers recalled but shows the exact same problem in the recall:  The vent on the gas cap is misaligned and leaks fuel when tilted forward.  I talked to Honda and they would not replace it under recall, but a local dealer can replace it under warranty.  I called the local dealer, they said drop the outboard off and they would look at it in four or five weeks.  I bought a new one for about $50, and will take the old defective one in for warranty service this winter.  (Never hurts to have a spare gas cap on board.)
• several four packs of cups of fruit
• a couple of packs of dried strawberries, a snack I did not take along on the spring sail and very much missed.
• a hardback copy of The Mathews Men:  Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler's U-boats, which will be a great read on the fall sail, along with the last few chapters of Wind, How the Flow of Air has shaped Life, Myth and the Land.

I've got plenty of freeze dried meals, need to get some AA lithium batteries, lunches and other food items, but I think I'm in pretty good shape with about six weeks to go.

watching Webb

Webb's yellow brick track, above,

and the earth wind map as he heads

for South Africa.

evening sail

Up at dawn to launch and enjoy the morning sail.  Had planned to spend just a few hours on the water, breeze was so nice stayed out to early afternoon.  Left Spartina on the water in the pm, home to wait out the heat and some heavy rainstorms.  Back for an evening sail.  It doesn't get much better.

this morning

(Nice to have friends that live on the waterfront.)

putting her to bed

From the Pilgrim, a photo showing me tying up Spartina 

after our evening sail a couple weeks ago.

retro repost from Barry

Just a beautiful photograph on Barry's blog, one of his retro reposts.  This one is from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival.  That looks like one of Barry's melon seed skiffs in the foreground and Kevin's Navigator Slip Jig right next to it.  Nice photograph, Barry!