last sail of the year, the next sail, Merry Christmas

The photograph above is from hauling out in Chestertown the morning after the Sultana Downrigging Festival.  The festival was a treat, and it was also the perfect conclusion to the Chesapeake Bay cruise.

It was an excellent year on the water.  I had a goal of four cruises and completed them all - the winter trip from Charleston, South Carolina to Palataka, Florida with visits to Beaufort, Hilton Head, and Georgia's beautiful Sea Islands; the spring sail on Pamlico Sound and the rivers of North Carolina that included visits to Oriental, New Bern, Beaufort, Cape Lookout and (my favorite) Ocracoke; the summer sail in Maine with 33 days on the water and I think 600-something miles of sailing as far east as Roque Island and as far west as Rockport, with visits to Sommes Sound, Merchants Row, Isle au Haut, Vinalhaven, Islesboro, Belfast, Stonington and Castine; and ending with the fall sail on Chesapeake Bay (which was an unusually social sail for me).  There are a lot of memories tucked away from all that time on the water.

Yesterday was the last sail of the year, a shake down sail in Elizabeth City to test out the new halyards - throat and peak halyards for the main and the jib halyard.  All worked well, which is what I had expected.  It was 35 degrees when I launched, maybe a few degrees warmer than that when I came in three hours later.  Nice wind and with some layered thermals I felt surprisingly comfortable.  Blue skies and sunshine helped.

Sailing in 2025 is not too far away.  Weather cooperating, I'll tow SPARTINA south on New Year's Day and launch the following morning in Charleston for the winter sail.  This will be an abbreviated sail, not the usual Charleston to Palatka cruise.  I've got some not-on-the-water traveling in February and have limited time.  I plan to sail south to Hilton Head, where I will visit with friend Webb.  From there I will turn back north and explore some of the places I typically bypass as I make my way back to Charleston.  There are a handful of rivers, marshes and islands that I think will be worth visiting.  

Merry Christmas to all my friends, I wish you a wonderful 2025.  See you on the water.  Steve