18 April 2011 | Alexandria, VA
11 May 2010
31 July 2009
26 April 2009
24 January 2009 | Cadle Creek
27 December 2008 | Chesapeake Bay
09 November 2008
13 October 2008
30 September 2008
13 July 2008 | Warehouse Creek
30 May 2008 | St. Mary's River
26 May 2008 | Rhode River & Chesapeake Bay
24 May 2008 | Chesapeake Bay
04 May 2008 | Chesapeake Bay
29 April 2008

Tilghman Creek Raftup

09 November 2008
Well, the season is coming to an end, but we managed to get in another weekend trip. We cruised over to Tilghman Creek in Eastern Bay to raft up with Dave. Winds were a bit light so we motored into the Chesapeake keeping my keel up and cutting across the shoal to save some time. Once out in the open bay, we found enough wind to sail about 3.5 knots.

We were able to sail for about an hour until I heard some flapping sound on the head sail. I immediately take a look and see about a 2' tear in my leach! Oh well, not much I could do so I continued to sail. Winds were light so it didn't seem to get worse, that is until we tacked and then the tear caught right on the spreader and then created a 10' tear! Oops, should have thought about that. So, I went forward and took down the genoa.
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I got out the duct tape thinking maybe I could make a temporary fix to allow us to continue sailing, but it wasn't working out too well and it was too large of a tear. I also figured with the small craft advisory due to be sailing back on Sunday in, the patch probably wouldn't hold in those conditions. I threw the sail down in the cabin.

We motored the rest of the way to the creek, getting there just after sunset.
Looking aft of us down Eastern Bay:
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Rounded the point and now heading into Tilghman Creek.
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We rafted up with Dave and enjoyed the evening. An exciting thunderstorm come rolling through which was a bit unexpected, but was entertaining.

Sunday morning went exploring in Dave's dinghy. Here's our raft up.
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Our boats anchored in the distance:
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A blue heron I managed to snap a photo of as it took flight:
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The Chesapeake Bay Cruising Guide mentioned that there are a bunch of derelict fishing boats up the creek. Sure enough, here is what we found:
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Charred sunken remains:
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After exploring all of the creek, we headed back to our boats and packed up. Dave was going to wait for Daren to sail over and planned to either stay there another night or find another anchorage. We got under way to head home. It turned out to be very calm all day and that small craft advisory definitely did not happen. Since I didn't have a useable genoa, we just motored the entire way home. We didn't miss much of any sailing. It only took four hours to get back to my creek.

We met up with Daren on his C-25 out on the Rhode River:
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Turns out Dave decided to head back and Daren just went for a day sail into the South River and back. Daren took this photo of us making our way home into Cadle Creek:
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We packed up the boat and met up with Daren at his marina. Dave was running late having some minor engine problems that would not get his boat up to cruising speed, but he was okay. We then went over to The Stein down the road for some good German beer and food.

My sail is currently being inspected by North Sails Direct, where originally purchased 2.5 years ago. It appears they had a bad batch of thread that deteriorated in the sun. The Dacron was just fine and it was the leach trim edge that just came completely free. Stay tuned for the results; I hope they take care of it. The thread on my 26 year main isn't showing this kind of wear as this newer genoa is.

This trip made for an excellent final raft up trip of the season; we had a great time. With all the motoring we did, I got a good idea of my gas usage. It was about 20 miles each way, we motored 4.5-5 knots, took 4 hours, and a total of about 4 gallons. Therefore, 1/2 gallon per hour going 4-5 nm. Not too bad I think. Hopefully I'll get my sail back soon and get a few more sails in before it gets too cold!
Comments
Vessel Name: Sapphire Breeze
Vessel Make/Model: 1982 Catalina 25 SK/SR
Hailing Port: Mayo, MD
Crew: Justin
Extra: This site is all about my experiences with my first boat; from restoring it, to my sailing adventures. I enjoy hearing from my readers, so feel free to send me an email. I'm also interested in meeting new people in the area, especially people in my age range since I hardly know any that sail.

Who: Justin
Port: Mayo, MD