SV
ISLAND TIME Fall 2021 Cruise
Friday,
September 24 – Saturday October 2
A fall sailing vacation began with our attending and
volunteering at the Seven Seas Cruising Association’s (SSCA) Annual Annapolis
Area GAM, held at Maryland Yacht Club on Rock Creek; and then we took a week
for sail cruising on a southern course from there.
Day
0 – Thursday Prep Day
Topped off fuel, stocked food, drinks, bottled drinking
water, bedding, and propane tanks (but did not fill up the water tank - big
mistake!),
Day
1 – Friday – Belvedere Yacht Club (BYC) to Maryland Yacht Club (MYC) in
Pasadena
The first 3 days of our trip was set aside to attend
Seven Seas Cruising Association’s (SSCA) Annual Annapolis Area GAM (an old
nautical term referring to gathering of two or more ships).
Got two bags of ice and left BYC at 11:05 with 15-18
north headwind. Motor sailed northeast/east until lined up with Seven Foot
Knoll light, then motored to the entrance of Rock Creek, passing White Rocks,
managing 3.4-4 kt. We were assigned slip B-15. Upon hailing MYC at Ch9, 3
volunteer members of the club met us at the slip and assisted with docking. We
got in our slip by 3:05PM. Because of the strong headwinds, we warped into slip
without any difficulty. The only problem was that the slip assigned to us was
much larger than what we needed and our dock lines were too short, we had to
improvise.
There was a pot luck dinner in the pavilion with good
camaraderie. Met some new members of SSCA who had travelled from NY for the
event. Weather was clear all day in 70’s with mid 50’s during the night.
Day
2 – Saturday – Attended GAM at (MYC)
Starting at 7AM, we volunteered in different capacities
during the event, as well as attended numerous seminars and workshops. We met
more long distance cruisers (Bill & Cathy) and learned from their
experiences. In the evening, we visited with a nice couple from PA (Bill &
Marty) and got to check out their catamaran.
Sometime during the day, our fresh water system stopped
working. The strainer filter had been clogged and the tank had run dry,
something we had not experienced before. 70 gallons of water used to last us
the entire season and had to be pumped out by the winterization. We are
guessing that we have been using our boat much more frequently for overnight
trips this season than ever before. We borrowed a hose from a neighbor at MYC
and topped off our fresh water tank for the rest of the week.
Day
3 – Sunday – Attended Gam at (MYC)
Did more volunteering at the gathering. Some of the
talks which stood out for us were; weather predictions for long range planning,
art while sailing, updates on Pride of Baltimore II. When the event was over by Sunday afternoon,
we decided to extend our stay one more day at MYC.
Day
4 - Monday – Return to BYC
After a quick pump out at the bulkhead, we left MYC
around 9:30AM. Winds were from south around 10+. With the headwind, we motor
sailed to BYC and got in out slip by 12:30. We drove home to check up on Logan
(our Boxer) and his BFF Chaucer (our daughter’s Greyhound) who was staying at
our place. Reloaded more provisions and packed for longer trip, put out kayaks
on our car and made it to BYC. By the time we got everything loaded, it was
6:30PM and we had just enough time to make a run to the top of the Magothy
River for overnight. Big thanks to Richard and Leslie for introducing us to
this location. We dropped anchor just as sun set and settled in for a homemade
dinner at anchor. Armed with a telephoto lens, we were able to capture some
shots of bald eagle sitting up in a tree, and in flight, what a majestic view!
Day
5 - Tuesday – Remained at anchor on Magothy and went kayaking
With the weather forecast constantly changing, and
overnight winds recorded at Thomas Point Light House (TPLM2 station) in excess
of 20kts, we decided to stay at anchor and went kayaking. It was a slow,
restful day followed by a beautiful sunset and home cooked meal on the
stovetop.
Day
6 - Wednesday – Magothy to West River/Galesville
By Wednesday we had enough of staying in one place and
decided on. Sticking with our guidelines of 30 nm/6 hours range, we decided to
stop at Galesville on West River. We left Magothy around 9AM and heading south
with gentle head winds, motor sailing most of the way. Arrived in Galesville,
after an interesting entrance to the combined mouths of West and Rhode rivers,
where crab pots greeted us in every direction. We tied up at the public pier,
which was not in best shape but served us well. With our draft of 4 ft, we had
just enough water under our keel at the bulkhead, would not advise anyone with
deeper keel this approach. Met with Beth and Jeff, Joyce’s sister and
brother–in-law at Pirates Cove for a lovely visit and dinner.
Day
7 - Thursday – West River/Galesville to Choptank/Tred Avon River Oxford
After a restful night tied at the pier, we left
Galesville around 9AM and heading back out to the bay and south toward Oxford
on Choptank/Tred Avon Rivers. Facing again head winds, motor sailed most of the
way, accompanied by two other Island Packets along the way. Arrived at Tred
Avon River around 3 PM and tied up at Tred Avon Yacht Club (TAYC) floating
pier. Walked around town in Oxford and had dinner at Robert Morris Inn (established
in 1710). After a great meal, we settled in for the night. The wind picked up
during the night and being tied at three points in the floating pier, our boat
hit repeatedly the pier and got a small scratch on the side. Lessons learned!
Day
8 - Friday – Oxford to Rhode River/Camp Letts
Left TAYC around 9AM, we started to head back on our
return journey north. Once again, we were faced with head wind and motor sailed
to Rhode River/Camp Letts on Sellman Creek. After six hours we arrived back at
the entrance of West/Rhode Rivers and this time we had a better idea on how to
negotiate the crab pots. Dropped anchor just passed Camp Letts and went
kayaking. We were greeted by another bald eagle at this location as well. We
had a nice home cooked meal and settled in for our last night out on the water.
With water temperatures at mid 70’s and air temperatures dropping to mid 50’s
during the night, we decided to turn on the propane heater in the boat and had
the most relaxing night sleep.
Day
9 - Saturday – Rhode River to BYC
After breakfast, we went kayaking for a second time and
explored different parts of the cove. Around noon, we decided to return home to
BYC. This time we had southerly wind in our favor and in order to make it back
home in a timely fashion, we motor sailed, reaching 6.0+ kts. It was a very
busy day out on the bay as many boaters were out enjoying the sun and good
winds.
Closing:
We had a great time meeting new people at the GAM,
exploring new anchorages and moorings, and connecting to nature while kayaking;
and thus wanted to share our experiences.
Look forward to see you all out on the water!
All the best from
Joyce & Ziya