blow us!

Summer sailing often turns into summer motoring. The normal hot weather pattern in eastern Virginny teases you in the morning with a nice 5 – 10 knot breeze. So you hurry breakfast, put things away, get gooped up, pull the anchor, hoist the sails, and suddenly realize all the ripples on the water have laid down. But, you don’t give up – you float around in the sun while the mast flogs the sails back and forth each time a ground swell rocks the boat. Sweat beads on your face and flies swarm around your legs as you peer across the Bay trying to will the wind toward you. Finally, you turn the radio off, turn the motor on, take the sails down and become a hot, slow motor boater for the day. Sometime around 10:00 PM the wind picks up and blows the boat around all night. Repeat process. This is the normal scene most days during July and August. But not us – not this year!

We have been riding the breezes this week!
N 15-20 close reaching from home to Kiptopeke
N15-20 close reaching from Kiptopeke to Fishing Bay
SE 15-20 broad reaching from Fishing Bay to Urbanna
SW 5-10 broad reaching from Urbanna to Mill Creek
NNE 10-15 close reaching from Mill Creek to Tangier Island
NW 5-15 from Tangier to Crisfield
W 10-20 reaching from Crisfield to Hooper Island
S 15-20 broad reaching, and running from Hooper Island to the Choptank

We have had to reef the sails twice, and dig out our jackets! Yes in the summer! Oh great wind gods (and atmospheric thermodynamics), please keep blowing us!