Logbook: 10-23-2022
Solomons, MD to Reedville, VA
Summary
Avemar and SV AKA sailed out of the Tiki Bar anchorage in Solomons, MD at 1000 on Sunday morning. I put the first reef in the mainsail and sailed away under a full staysail. The reach out into the Chesapeake Bay was nice, especially seeing this moderately heavy full keel boat keeping up with all of the motoring sailboats on the way out.
AKA fell in behind our stern as we left the Patuxent River and followed us downwind to Reedville, VA and she stayed within 2 miles of Avemar for the whole trip.
I sailed wing-on-wing without a pole (I do have one now but it isn’t rigged yet) with the jib furled and full headsail out under a reefed main the whole day in 16-23 kn north winds directly from behind. The Wind Pilot steered for most of the trip.
It was misty and rainy and I stayed below for much of the time until we reached Point Lookout when I came on deck to deal with navigating through the somewhat normal wave slop crossing the mouth of the Potomac.
It was a damp and cool, fairly uneventful trip.
We passed a half-dozen or more anchored boats – all of the sailboats that had motored down the Bay instead of sailing – and the fish processing plant on the way up Cockrell Creek.
When AKA arrived at the anchorage, Avemar was on the hook with the bridle set and the new purple spreader lights were on. We rafted together for a very quiet night.
Trip Notes
Avemar surfed decent (<2 meter) waves down the Bay but they were on the starboard quarter for the most part and I really didn’t even notice them. They didn’t bother the Wind Pilot or Avemar at all.
After rounding Smith Point I attempted to furl the headsail and it backfilled inside of the jib forestay and went onto the roller in the wrong direction. I could not get it opened again to furl it correctly and so I left it with about 2 feet out until I got into the calmer waters just outside of Reedville. When I did get it to unfurl, it was blowing in the low 20’s and the two sheets had somehow gone around the headstay in the wrong direction.
I untied the stopper knots on the standing ends in the cockpit, led the lines forward and around the forestay and brought both sheets back along the port rail.
The moment I put pressure on the sheet to the clew to bring them in to a cleat or winch, the loose tail ends of the sheets flailed and tangled like two angry cobras fighting in mid air which ultimately ended up in what looked like a huge flailing monkey fist knot that flew inboard and hit me squarely in the nose.
There was a brief moment where I thought I might look like an MMA fighter after a losing bout, but after getting the lines in and the sail furled properly, I took a photograph of myself and I was not bleeding.
I really don’t know how I would have dealt with that situation any better. I’m just glad it worked out ok and I didn’t get injured.
There was one other thing that I did that wasn’t so bright.
I didn’t really want to sail wing-on-wing and so I tried boom end sheeting the ginny for a deep reach. Back in my racing days this technique was popular in non-spinnaker races and worked pretty well at the time.
Immediately after I rigged it, Avemar was heading off course. I decided to gybe the main to port but I couldn’t reach the block on the end of the boom, plus it was jammed so I couldn’t pull the pin. The block hanger moves backwards and forwards under the boom and with the pressure pulling forward it was pinching the shackle and pinning it to the bottom of the boom.
Most normal people would say it was a risky maneuver to hang out over the water and beat the block hanger back into submission to free it but it eventually came loose. Once free, the snatch block promptly rode up the sheet towards the clew of the ginny which was now even further out over the water.
It all worked out in the end but my note to myself is to not try this technique while sailing single handed in heavy air, or next time to try ‘almost boom end sheeting’ and connect the snatch block somewhere more in the middle of the boom.
Other than being a very wet and damp day and the two “incidents” turned out to be fine and overall it was a pleasant sail. I would much rather sail in heavier air than be drifting along all day for a short 40 mile trip.
Oh, and Avemar crossed below the 38th parallel yesterday!
Logbook: 10-23-2022
Crew? Solo
Where to? Reedville, Virginia
Where from? Solomons, Maryland (38° 19.291 N 76° 27.349 W)
Anchor weighed: 1000 on 10/23/22
Where did I end up? Reedville, VA (37° 50.445 N 76° 16.413 W)
Anchor set: 1800 on 10/23/22
Sailing distance? 41.54 nm
Total miles since 11/2022? 3,433.02 nm
Cover Photo
Avemar rafted up with AKA in Reedville, VA