Recently it came to my attention that the last time I went sailing was two months ago. In my defense, I have been super busy with work and the month of humid, blazing hot weather didn’t help either. Anyway, after looking at the weather I decided to take my boat out on a really long trip from Windmill Point to Gloucester Point on the Chesapeake Bay. In the morning the wind was forecast to be westerly with a falling tide, while the afternoon would be southerly winds and a rising tide. That means I would have a beam reach down to the York River, the wind and tide would change, and I’d have another beam reach up the river. Easy peasy. If all goes well it should be about 36 miles.

I didn’t realize the sprit was outside the brail line until I’d gotten everything rigged and I was ready to launch. By that point I was getting on for 45 minutes late, so I decided to go with it. Besides, Thames sailing barges brail their sails like this and they seem to know what they’re doing.

Heading out of the Windmill Point Marina on a nice beam reach. The waves were just below whitecap stage and I was making 6.5-7 mph.

I had a nice pink sunrise while I was rigging the boat.

One last look at Windmill Point. Those houses have a beautiful view, although probably a little too good during hurricanes and nor’easters.

I had a stroke of genius heading across the Rappahannock. Since I’m going to be on starboard tack for 20 miles, why not put all my stuff on the windward side to help with the hiking? I bet fishermen figured this out hundreds of years ago.

A bit south of Gwynn’s Island the wind started to die down, so I figured I’d head out towards the Wolf Trap lighthouse in hopes of stronger wind. You can just make it out on the horizon.

Unfortunately the wind seemed to die altogether as I approached the lighthouse. I was staring off at the horizon wondering what I should do when I heard a blast of air and a pod of dolphins swam by! I wish they were closer for a better picture, but whistling and yelling “here boy!” didn’t seem to have much effect.

About a mile from the lighthouse I resigned myself to rowing. It was interesting to see first hand how it takes the waves a while to settle down once the wind dies. I’d always assumed if there are waves then there must be wind, but that’s not the case.

I brailed up the sail and started rowing at 4.5-5 mph, although an unknown amount of that was due to the tide. My plan was to head closer to shore in case I decided to pull out at Winter Harbor Haven, but it was only 11:30am so I still had the whole afternoon to see what happens.

After rowing about 1.5 miles I noticed a few catspaws so I quickly lowered the brailed mainsail, raised the jib, and started sailing. The wind had shifted southerly like it was forecast, but I hadn’t made it as far south as I’d hoped. The tide was still helping a little though. Anyway, that’s New Point Comfort and the entrance to the Mobjack Bay. I’d been sailing with four catamarans since the Piankatank River but they peeled off and headed there.

Because of the angle I couldn’t quite make it into the York River, so I tacked and headed out into the Chesapeake Bay. Eventually I figured I’d be able to just slip in so I tacked again and headed for the oil refinery. I couldn’t point quite that high, but I did the best I could.

Into the York River! There’s a lot of low lying marsh that made it a little difficult to determine where to head, but in the end I just snuck through. Maybe in the future a drawing of the land and some sort of device that always points in the same direction would help. Nah, probably a crazy idea.

To be honest, this trip has been a little boring. Sailing 40 miles in a 15′ boat will be a nice accomplishment, but otherwise I’ve been too far off shore to see much. All day it’s been the horizon on the left and green smudges dotted with houses on the right. So I decided to sail through Allen’s Island to liven the trip up. The wind was just a whisper while I ghosted along. I stood up to try and spot any shallow parts since I’ve never been here before.

Looking back after gliding through the marsh grass. It reminded me of videos I’ve seen of those English guys sailing the Mersea duck punts.

Unfortunately Allen’s Island is suffering from rising water and erosion just like everything on the bay. The picture on the left is from 1994.

The end was in sight but the wind just had to die again. You probably can’t make anything out, but the schooner Alliance is out for its daily sunset cruise and there’s a tall memorial at the Yorktown battlefield marking the end of the Revolutionary War when Cornwallis surrendered.

A small puff of wind hit and I tried sailing wing and wing. I was going nowhere fast and my folks were coming to pick me up, so I needed to be making progress!

Time to brail up the sail and row for the third time today. One of the guys on the fishing pier asked me where I’d come from and had a shocked look on his face when I told him.

Finally tied up at the Gloucester Point boat ramp, 40 miles later! It’s pretty wild how fast the current moves through here, although it makes sense. The river is only 1/3 the width of the mouth so all that water has to speed up. You guys in the north west probably think this is child’s play though. So that was my trip. 40.8 miles in just over 10 hours. My maximum speed was 7.9 mph as I was coming across the mouth of the Rappahannock, but the average was 4.1 mph. It definitely would have been slower without the tide helping me… it was a pretty calm day.

And here’s a shot of the boat ramp. I’m glad my folks came to get me with their pickup because I’m not sure my little economy car would have done too well. I probably would have to put the trailer in the water by hand and pull it up the ramp with a rope.

Today was forecast to be 90º with 10 mph wind and I thought it would be a great opportunity to attempt to round Wolf Trap light again. A few months ago I made it to within about 350 yards, but I turned back because the wind really picked up and it didn’t feel entirely prudent. I talked my wife into coming with the promise that we’d stop at the sand bar on the way home. We went 19.8 miles in 4:22 with an average speed of 4.5 mph. Our max was 8.8 mph which is the best yet! I think the extra weight of two people and gear might have helped keep her flat.

Rigging the sail in the parking lot which wasn’t nearly as packed as it was the last time we launched, although we did arrive a bit earlier. I managed to get launched in just under 30 minutes which is a record too. I’ve got a few ideas to make rigging simpler that I’d like to experiment with.

I’m pretty pleased with the name I painted a few days ago.

Setting off from the ramp and heading down Milford Haven close hauled. We had to make one tack to get angled right to make it through the channel which leads into the bay. How was this photo taken?

By my lovely wife risking life and limb!

Out into the Chesapeake with the lighthouse just a tiny spec on the horizon six miles away. It’s incredible how calm things are compared to the last time I was out here.

Starboard!

Getting closer to the lighthouse. We were making good progress towards the light, but the wind shifted and we had to bear off out into the bay a little further. Then I tacked too soon and we missed the light, so we tacked again to work our way back.

But eventually we got there and rounded it.

Coming around the southern side.

Somehow I doubt the uh… facilities… were a particularly comfortable place in the dead of winter with the wind howling up the bay.

Heading back towards Gwynn’s Island.

My wife got feeling a little seasick while we were going downwind, so she retreated to the starboard settee in the salon. The waves were probably 2′ or so and produced a rolling motion which thankfully has never been a problem for me, although after a long day I do feel like I’m still rolling when I go to bed.

Coming back through the hole in the wall we made a right and found an empty spot on the sandbar.

The wind had picked up a bit, so I brailed up the main sail and we came in with the jib only in an effort to keep our speed down. However, that didn’t really help as we were still going 5 mph downwind towards the shore. I tossed my homemade anchor out, payed out some line, and it immediately brought us to a screeching halt. I’m impressed with how well it works.

Anchored on a lee shore in ~15 mph wind. I felt around the anchor with my foot and the shank had dug in completely. I paced off back to the boat and found we had about 7:1 scope. Probably hard to mess up with that much line out, plus the bottom was sandy.

Hanging out on the beach for the afternoon. The point was packed with boats and one guy was busy trying out a kiteboard. A few times our tent threatened to join him.

We found some washed up cedar trees and erosion on the other side of the sandbar. It’s always a little depressing seeing stuff erode way. Growing up I sailed my Sunfish to Grog Island once, but it’s completely gone now.

Eventually we decided to head back to the ramp and disaster struck. Trying to sail off the anchor on a shallow lee shore with no practice in gusty wind with someone with little experience with other boats anchored around is not a good combination. Eventually we made it, but not before briefly putting the rail under and losing the anchor in the process. My wife looked traumatized, so I decided to just leave it and come back tomorrow. Plus it’s a prototype and I’ve got some ideas for improvements.

After hauling out and heading home I saw this knucklehead on the bridge. Three slack tires and one completely off the rim. I ran up to his window to let him know but he said it was ok because he wasn’t going far.

The next day we decided we’d make our ship sail against wind and current by lighting a bonfire under her deck. Yes, this is a British Seagull 40 Plus a friend gave me and it turns dinosaur squeezings into noise and vibration. As a side benefit you even get some forward thrust! Not great for the environment, but I figure with biodegradable oil and a 25:1 conversion it’s not too bad for how little I use it.

We motored out to our spot from yesterday at 5.5-6 mph, but the anchor was gone. I guess I have too much faith in humanity to have hoped someone would leave it coiled up on the beach. I improved the tiller with a piece of cedar driftwood whittled to wedge inside the handle.

We sat on the beach for a little while before the daily afternoon thunderstorm showed up so we headed back.

Puttering back to the ramp while everyone else passed us in a much quicker and quieter fashion. Sitting on the bow improved our speed by about .2 mph to just over 6mph.

Close to the ramp it started to rain, but we made it back in one piece! For some strange reason my wife says she is done with boating adventures for a while.

Today my wife and I took the boat out to a sand bar on the eastern end of Gwynn’s Island. We launched from the public boat ramp just after coming across the bridge and we had an easy run down to the sand bar. Coming back the wind was still from the west, so we had to beat. Unfortunately my phone overheated and shut down, so I didn’t get a complete GPS track, but this is my best recollection. At times we were moving 5 mph, but there were periods of really light wind too. Overall the trip was only 6 miles.

Rigging the sprit. The parking lot was packed with boat trailers and it seemed like someone new arrived every 5 minutes. I started rigging the boat in an out of the way spot until this space opened up which we nabbed. The ramp was pretty busy with two boats launching at a time, but that all went well. Getting back to our spot was absolute chaos though. The parking lot turned into gridlock with people blocking the exits while waiting for a guy to figure out how to back his trailer. One advantage to having a small car is I was able to sneak through, unhitch my trailer, and get us back into the parking spot. As I was walking back to the ramp, the guy who can’t back up just about creamed a little car until it peeled out of the way.

Picture every space filled, people double parked along the edge of the trees, both exits blocked, people waiting on the road to turn in, and four or five boat trailers jamming up the approach to the ramp.

With that craziness over, we set off on a run down Milford Haven towards the sandbar. The winds were light, but we did hit about 5mph at one point. Eventually the traffic jam at the boat ramp must have gotten sorted out because a stream of boats came past leaving big wakes for us to bash through.

This is the first time since our trip to Ocracoke last year that my wife has been with me. I think the downhaul is a little too tight for these light conditions.

Once we got out to the sand bar I brailed up the sail and rowed in to let my wife off with our bags and tent. Then I rowed out a bit to anchor. There’s probably 100′ of 2-3′ water around the sand bar, so it’s easy to walk back.

Anchored with my homemade fisherman anchor! This is the first time I’ve used it, so I was anxious to see how it works. As best I could see it dug in down to the shank and it felt like it was holding firmly when I tugged on the rode.

The wind was pretty fickle and as we sat on the beach I noticed the boat swung through at least 270º and probably 360º. When we got ready to go I saw the anchor had turned onto its side and the rode was wrapped around the flukes twice. This is an inherent flaw with fisherman style anchors, since the lazy fluke will always stick up. I’ve got an idea on how to fix it, although maybe I’ll talk about that later.

Once we got the boat loaded up I had my wife steer while I raised the jib. That got us moving and then I unfurled the main and we started back to the ramp.

Two thirds of the way back we saw a commotion and what looked to be the bow of a boat sticking vertically out of the water! Fortunately the occupants had been picked up by a passing boater and a work boat was on its way to help. I could hear a quiet gurgling sound as the trapped air bubbled up to the surface.

The Hannah Carol got a line attached to the bow and pulled her out of the water. They made a few laps around while a smaller boat attached a line which then pulled her into shallower water. I’m really not sure what happened, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it had something to do with a kraken. I’ve seen drawings on Wikipedia of them pulling down fully rigged ships, so a 16′ center console should be no problem.

The plan for today was to launch at Windmill Point and sail northwestish to Bluff Point before making a counterclockwise circuit of Fleet’s Bay. I’d go past the mouths of: Barnes, Henrys, Indian, Dymer, Tabbs, and Antipoison Creeks. Along the way I’d sail overtop of where Grog Island used to be. When I was a kid I sailed to it in my Sunfish, but it has since eroded away. Then I’d come around Windmill Point again and back into the marina for a 20 mile trip.

The weather was forecast to be north easterly winds of 10-15 knots when I started and gradually taper off to 5-10. The tide would rise the entire day and it ended up being about a foot higher than predicted.

Launching at the public boat ramp on Windmill Point. The best way I’ve found is to set everything up in the parking lot and brail up the main sail. Then once I row away from the dock a bit I can unfurl the main, raise the jib, and be mostly ready to go.

Heading downwind out into the Rappahannock River wing and wing. It was pretty windy and I didn’t have time to get all the lines situated up at the mast. The downhaul isn’t set and the brail line is flapping in the breeze.

I made a left and started heading for the point. Off to my right is a pound net. A 600′ fence directs fish into a heart shaped trap which then funnels them into a pound and a subsequent smaller pound. Then pelicans, cormorants, and herons get in there and eat all your fish. You can see the brail line flapping away.

After rounding the point the waves started getting bigger and the wind was pretty gusty. It was around in here where I decided that while I could probably do my original trip, it wouldn’t be very comfortable. There was 20 miles of fetch building up across the bay, so I decided to turn across the river and see what happens.

I ended up cutting south to Stingray Point, down the southern shore of the Rappahannock to the bridge, and then back upwind to Windmill Point. I did 26.2 miles in 5.5 hours with an average speed of 4.8 mph and a max of 7.8 mph.

Halfway across the Rappahannock I decided to practice heaving to so I could fix the lines up by the mast. I backed the jib and set the rudder to turn me into the wind. It was stable enough for me to go forward and tie the downhaul and secure the tail of the brail line. I drifted at 2-2.5 mph.

Getting closer to Stingray Point. In 1608 Captain John Smith explored this area and he was stung by a stingray. Apparently he was close to death, but the local Indians provided a cure from the nearby Antipoison Creek. Sailing downwind with a quartering sea was a bit exciting with a lot of rolling. I can see why tacking downwind is more comfortable. I averaged 5.5-6 mph through here.

Steering hands free across the mouth of Sturgeon Creek. The waves were hitting me more side on and big ones really tried to slide the stern around.

Heading along the shore towards the bridge on a reach. I hit my max speed of 7.8 mph along in here.

Looking back towards Stingray Point and the waves had gotten a bit smaller because Windmill Point was blocking the fetch.

Coming up on Parrott Island from the opposite direction a week ago.

After rounding Parrott Island I debated heading back to the ramp, but you can’t come this close without making it to the bridge!

This marker marks the tip of a large shallow section. I’ve been noticing daylight through it when I drive past on the bridge, but I didn’t realize it was this bad. I remember sailing my Sunfish around here 15 years ago and it was pretty solid.

Here’s some juicy local news for you. The wooden towers holding the 110kV powerline across the river were installed in the 50’s and they’re getting in rough shape. The Department of Transportation wants the middle section that hangs from the bridge removed since it has to be de-energized before they can do maintenance. Plus it cuts into the weight capacity. Dominion Power came up with a $26.2 million proposal for ten new towers across the river, but the comehere’s all raised sam hill and demanded it go underground because it’ll spoil the view. The SCC agreed so it’s going underground for the mere cost of $92.3 million. Just 2.5 times more, what a bargain! They should have passed a hat around if they wanted it underground.

Our bridge was painted two years ago but it’s already rusting. The concrete pilings are spalling and rusty rebar is poking out. I say we should have built the towers so when the bridge falls over we’ll have something to hang onto while we await rescue.

Anyway, enough ranting haha. I rounded the bridge and started tacking back to the point. Fortunately one leg was 5.5 miles long. There were tons of sailboats out, probably 20-30 that I saw.

Coming up on the point. At this point my tacking was getting terrible and I felt like I was never going to make it. I was going against wind and tide and my tacking angles averaged 112º.

So I dropped the sails and rowed 2/3 of a mile back into the marina. I averaged about 3mph, although that probably was a bit fast for all day rowing. It took around 250 strokes, so that works out to approximately 14′ per stroke. I really haven’t done much rowing with this boat, so it’s interesting to see what sort of performance I’ll get.