I'm Back For More Sailing...
Fall on the Bay is the best time of year on the Bay.
It is still hot and steamy here in the mid-Atlantic, so Fall is not quite here yet. But it won’t be long before we start to get some shots of cooler, drier, weather, and when that finally shows up that is the time to go sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.
For that reason I am happy to be shifting into Fall mode. Even though the summer has been pretty great:
AYC WNR, which we wrapped up in June, was plenty of fun due to a great crew, but surprisingly humiliating. I just never figured it all out, which delivered an always useful and motivating shot of humility. If you want a good measure of how crazy the weather can be in this climate-changing world, WNR has been cancelled 8 times this summer—for too much wind, too little wind, and thunderstorms.
The EYC Boomerang Race, which Rob Young and I raced doublehanded on July 10-11, was another solid dose of ego-adjustment. We thought we had finally managed to escape our gracious and friendly nemeses, Amy and Pat Teeling on Blaze Star. We jumped ahead early in very patchy wind thanks to our asymmetrical, and then felt like we had found a good groove on the long upwind leg. Upwind is where we usually make the biggest gains on them, and we sailed fast, found decent wind, and managed the current. It was dark, and Blaze Star had no AIS, so we were never sure where they were. But we were sure when we finished in the wee hours of the morning that we had put up a good result against them.
Much to our surprise, Blaze Star finished just four minutes behind us, easily covering their handicap. Pat later told me he was able to track on us AIS and make tactical judgements accordingly. That no doubt helped a bit, but the final result was not even close—yet another affirmation of how well they sail their boat to its rating (and how we have yet to do so!). Apart from slightly over-standing a mark and falling into one wind-hole when we went the wrong side of an anchored freighter (gotta love Annapolis racing), the only thing I could figure was that we were sailing a little too fast (and fat) upwind. So my takeaway is that I need to start paying much more attention to the polars, rather than sailing by feel. As always, though, it was fun to compete and a beautiful evening on the water. And yet another lesson learned. Someday the lessons will start paying off. I hope.
With my tail between my legs, I fled across the Atlantic to soothe my wounded sailing ego. A week after the Boomerang, my two children and I made our annual pilgrimage (though interrupted in 2020 by COVID) to a little fishing village called Glandore on the south coast of Ireland. Glandore is a gem, on a beautiful harbor (or should I say harbour?), on a beautiful coastline. There is plenty of sailing, swimming and kayaking (and of course some drinking at the pub—outside this year of course). COVID made the travel somewhat tedious (lots of paperwork, testing, and masking), but it was worth it for three weeks in cooler temps and unusually sunny weather.
Perhaps the greatest indication that Glandore is a true sailor’s paradise is the fact that it is home (either full time or in the summer) to:
—Don Street, still racing a Dragon at the age of 92 and a familiar presence around the waterfront;
—Lawrie Smith, an Olympic sailor and multiple Whitbread skipper;
—and the Warren Brown family (of Bermuda and War Baby lineage).
Clearly the sailors know something. But if you prefer glitz over salty experience you can rub shoulders in the Glandore Inn with Jeremy Irons when he sails his classic yacht “Willing Lass” in the biennial Glandore classics regatta.
Or you can go watch Fastnet racers sail by, especially if wind and tide bring them in close to the West Cork shoreline.
Here’s Skorpios on the outbound leg:
And Rambler88 chasing:
I sailed one Laser regatta while I was there, but otherwise ate, drank, swam, biked, walked, and hung out with the many great people drawn to the place.
On the water, my preferred mode of transport is a Cornish Shrimper called Seal Song. She is in need of some love and attention after many years of uncomplaining service, but is still perfect for any adventure you can think of.
If I can manage enough time next summer I will put effort into a full refit and get her into shape to do some coastal cruising.
What’s next?
Lots of Bay cruising on Moondust whenever it cools down, of course. In early September I train up to Stamford, CT to race with my friend Steve in the Vineyard Race aboard his super tricked-out Swan 44 MK II. And last, but not least, I plan to race again in the AYC Doublehanded Race in early October.
In the meantime I have started to dream about bluewater cruising boats. More on that later.
Worth Watching: Henry Bomby and Shirley Robertson sailed their Sunfast 3300 to second place in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Then they made a video. It’s pretty good.
Moment Of Zen: Our friends on Barba found themselves a big friend:
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Beautiful and heartfelt rendition of life in Glandore. How special that place is to you comes through and I love the picture of the group of kids, including yours, piled up in your boat