43 replies to this topic

[Ajax]

A couple of years ago, Mr. Bitches recommended that I go see Oxford, Maryland over on the Eastern Shore.

One, short trip and I was in lurrrrve. The place is tiny, quaint, and steeped in history. It's totally walkable, and has excellent food. Excellent anchorage, or accommodations.
That trip wasn't without it's flubs. I misjudged my timing, and ended up sailing alone, at night, in an unfamiliar place, all for the first time ever. The next morning, due to a faulty O-ring, I caught my galley stove on fire, and was lucky not to burn my boat to the waterline.

Here I was:



And here I is, now:



Now? Fuggedaboutit!

I had food, glorious food. A safe(er) working stove, plenty of cabin space, plenty to drink (both alcoholic and non), music, cooling fans, hatch scoop (for funneling the breeze down below), a working chart plotter, a fresh water system with totally drinkable water, rail grill, plates, cups, bowls, pots, pans, utensils and all that jazz. The breeze was light for all 3 days, but my 170% genoa (a no-no in PHRF), kept me moving, nice and steady.

I visited the Cutts & Case wooden boat museum and shop. Charlie Cobra would have been right at home. I saw "Foto", apparently it was one of the first boats used to photograph yacht racing in the US, when yacht racing (as we know it, I guess) was just getting started.

[Ajax]

I anchored 2 nights, and stayed at Mear's Yacht Haven for one night.

When I anchored, I grilled well marinated chicken, had side salad, dessert, the works. Pepper and onion omellete with coffee for breakfast.

When I stayed in Oxford, I ate at the Robert Morris House Robert Morris (Signer of the Declaration of Independence). Eggs Benedict, topped with Maryland crab meat, sausage, toast with marmalade, hand-made that morning at the restaurant. Dinner and dessert were just as awesome.



A cold shower in the clean marina was a nice break from the building, summer heat.

As I sailed, I passed one of my favorite curiosities on the Chesapeake: Sharp's Island Lighthouse. I always hear "Zoinks!" in Shaggy's voice from the Scooby Doo cartoons when I sail past this thing. It's a cassion style lighthouse, that was nearly ripped away by an ice floe in 1976. The cast iron cladding is badly cracked, the windows are blown out, and the concrete foundation is also heavily fractured. Creepy. Cree-py.




One thing I learned in a hurry: "Big boy" cruising costs a lot more than small boat cruising. More of everything, slip fees are more, etc. Next time, I might bother with the dinghy but it was kind of nice not to be dragging it along.




That's the end of my travel monologue. Nothing broke, and I made it back alive.

[MoeAlfa]

Glad you made it there again! One of our favorite places. You can get a cheap and friendly slip right at Cutts & Case's Temple of Wood, if you don't care about a very funky shower. Did you walk their docks? There are usually some amazing boats there.

[Tucky]

Foto belonged to the Rosenfelds, the great American sailing photograph family who documented American yachting for three generations from the 20's to the 70's.

For some reason I can't get it to embed-

http://www.youtube.c...d&v=A_-4yJVr1bk

[Catalina 36]

Sharps is definitely one of the Chesapeakes more interesting lighthouses for sure. We also passed close to it twice this weekend to anchor our at Latrappe Creek.

I know better now to expect that place to ever be anything less than packed mainly with powerboats, but we found a place a bit further up and had our small cove to ourselves. The first time we've been alone at anchor since we moved north from Deltaville 3 seasons ago. Sadly, we were only able to sail about 1/4 of the way on Saturday and Sunday little wind there was wast right on the bow but still a weekend on the bay beats not being on the bay.

[Ajax]

C-36: I forgot to mention that you motored right past me on your way in.

[SereneSpeed]

Thanks for the nice pictures and the story. We've sailed a few times this year, but have not spent any time "crusing". Now, I'm motivated.

I'm drooling thinking about the "Eggs Benedict, topped with Maryland crab meat, sausage, toast with marmalade, hand-made that morning at the restaurant".

[歐開倫]

That's the end of my travel monologue. Nothing broke, and I made it back alive.

Great write-up, and nice pictures. You are making me want to tool around that part of the sailing world.

I especially like the attitude! That's like what I say about my grown kids - no one's on drugs, no one's in jail, and no one's pregnant.

[Hike, Bitches!]

Ajax, Nice story..glad you had a more successful trip, this time around. Great pics.

Next time you are there, you gotta get some ice cream at the "grocery" and walk across the street to the park and swing on the swing. Some of my earliest cruising memories watching boats up & down the Tred Avon river.

(I made it on the water this weekend, but we drifted around on an Albacore...I worked on house projects otherwise.)

[Cruisin Loser]

So Ajax, gonna make it north this summer?

[Ajax]

Ajax, Nice story..glad you had a more successful trip, this time around. Great pics.

Next time you are there, you gotta get some ice cream at the "grocery" and walk across the street to the park and swing on the swing. Some of my earliest cruising memories watching boats up & down the Tred Avon river.

(I made it on the water this weekend, but we drifted around on an Albacore...I worked on house projects otherwise.)

I did, in fact. Maple walnut fudge, instant sugar coma. I asked for a single scoop in a cup. After the chick pounded the 4th scoop into the cup, I begged her to stop. It was delicious but I ended up throwing 2/3's of it away. I've lost 25lbs. and I ain't putting it back on.

So Ajax, gonna make it north this summer?

CL- I doubt this summer. I'm learning that I need mo' money, but this is great practice. Next summer is a real possibility, and I definitely want to cruise north, before I look at travelling south. I have one month of vacation stockpiled so far. Oh- I need a much better anchor than this Danforth if I'm going to cruise in your neck of the woods.

I find that I enjoy the logistical and navigation exercises of cruising just as much as the planning and decision-making processes of racing. Arriving at exciting destinations in an unconventional method is totally awesome.

[Catalina 36]

C-36: I forgot to mention that you motored right past me on your way in.

We I'd say you should have given us a hail to say hello, but as usual the VHF was jam packed with idiotic jabber. I'm totally amazed at the people that continue to hail "Wet Dream" to "Passing Wind" 15 times while the Coast Guard is struggiling to respond to a boat taking on water.

[Ajax]

C-36: I forgot to mention that you motored right past me on your way in.

We I'd say you should have given us a hail to say hello, but as usual the VHF was jam packed with idiotic jabber. I'm totally amazed at the people that continue to hail "Wet Dream" to "Passing Wind" 15 times while the Coast Guard is struggiling to respond to a boat taking on water.

Yep. In this day and age of smartphone technology, people insist on jamming up the radio with idle chatter on 16. I thought about hollering to you, but figured you wouldn't know who I was, and all I'd do is confuse you.

Much to my surprise, Mears' Yacht Haven insisted on talking via radio after I called them on my phone. Ok, no problem. I made damn sure that my statements were short and consise, and that we moved to a working channel as soon as possible.

[MoeAlfa]

One morning, I heard some guy on 16 reciting a long list of sadistic things he was going to do to some woman. Really sick stuff. I shut the radio off after a few minutes. Then there's the music, the unsupervised kids, the idiots idly keying the mike...

[Catalina 36]

C-36: I forgot to mention that you motored right past me on your way in.

We I'd say you should have given us a hail to say hello, but as usual the VHF was jam packed with idiotic jabber. I'm totally amazed at the people that continue to hail "Wet Dream" to "Passing Wind" 15 times while the Coast Guard is struggiling to respond to a boat taking on water.

snip: I thought about hollering to you, but figured you wouldn't know who I was, and all I'd do is confuse you.

Yes, that could have been the case. A few years ago I passed Barquito from SN at York River Yacht Haven he hollered a friendly hello and I hollered right back. It was about 3 hours later that it dawned on me that he was an internet aquaitance, so that's evidence I'm generally in a mild state of confusion at all times. I even knew he was going to be there from his posts and it still didn't click.

Let me add the the kudo's on the great write up. I'm now moving Oxford to number 1 on my list of places to be sure and visit this season. I really wish we'd have done that instead of Latrappe. It was nice being the only boat in the anchorage again but it was pretty hot and some ice cream sure would have been nice.

[Ajax]

You would have enjoyed Mears' beautiful, crystal-clear swimming pool as well. I sure as hell did. I have no bimini or dodger, so I wore a hat and pounded water and Gatorade all day until I got there.

Next thing to purchase: Solar shower.

I used one after the Miles River Race on a buddy's catamaran and found it to be totally acceptable. I simply can't afford to tie up in a marina every night that I'm cruising, nor do I want to miss out on all the beautiful scenery and tranquility of the bay's anchorages but I do love my daily shower. Being a submariner, I don't need an endless "Hollywood" shower, but I do need a daily rinse.

[Clove Hitch]

I was there a few weeks ago. Great place. I think I'm doing the Annap to Oxford Race on Aug. 10th.

[Ajax]

Awesome!

You should definitely do Summer Oxford. Your light boat, will be the only one moving in the summer doldrums.
I'll probably hold out for Fall Oxford, when there's a little breeze.

[Catalina 36]

You would have enjoyed Mears' beautiful, crystal-clear swimming pool as well. I sure as hell did. I have no bimini or dodger, so I wore a hat and pounded water and Gatorade all day until I got there.

Next thing to purchase: Solar shower.

I used one after the Miles River Race on a buddy's catamaran and found it to be totally acceptable. I simply can't afford to tie up in a marina every night that I'm cruising, nor do I want to miss out on all the beautiful scenery and tranquility of the bay's anchorages but I do love my daily shower. Being a submariner, I don't need an endless "Hollywood" shower, but I do need a daily rinse.

I totally agree with on the prices we pay for the privilge to sleep on our own boat at some of these marina's. Like you, I just need a quick wash and rinse, fortunately P.M. has a transom shower which suffices for me if its just a day or two and if on a longer trip you can plan to take slips at the less touristy marinas that are more reasonably priced when a real shower becomes mandatory.

If you have a dinghy, you should check out St Domingo Creek next time you head out to cruise. I enjoy St Mikes much, much more when I'm not paying over $100 a night to visit, and other than the dingy ride, the walking distance to everything is nearly the same. Granted sometimes the pool is worth $100, but not EVERY time.

[A_guy_in_the_Chesapeake]

Glad y'all liked it. The lower eastern shore is a wonderful place. St. Michaels is worth a visit, though I prefer it in the off season.

[IrieMon]

Great pics ! I'm doing a short-jaunt for a $100/night Sat stay at Herrington Harbor this weekend. Sisters in town for her birthday, so thought the beach/pool/tiki bar scene would be worth it. Tried to get her into the Baltimore Tall Ship scene, but she wanted something a bit more quiet.

I'll give you a shot-out as we sail by the West River !

[Hike, Bitches!]

Ajax, we have a Sun Shower..it works a treat.. I've done everything from lash it to a shroud with the hose into the head window, or simply tie it to the boom and bathing suit shower in the cockpit..If it is not warm enough, you can boil a few quarts on the stove to add to it, but usually, I've found the opposite..I have to add some tank water to cool it off.

When I was a kid, we had an insecticide sprayer aboard...we'd use the hot sun shower water and some tank water to make it tolerable..our family of four showered with one refill of the sprayer..so 4 or 5 gallons total. We were frugal back in the day..

[Ishmael]

Ajax, we have a Sun Shower..it works a treat.. I've done everything from lash it to a shroud with the hose into the head window, or simply tie it to the boom and bathing suit shower in the cockpit..If it is not warm enough, you can boil a few quarts on the stove to add to it, but usually, I've found the opposite..I have to add some tank water to cool it off.

When I was a kid, we had an insecticide sprayer aboard...we'd use the hot sun shower water and some tank water to make it tolerable..our family of four showered with one refill of the sprayer..so 4 or 5 gallons total. We were frugal back in the day..

Frugal enough to use the sprayer for insecticide in the off-season? Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

[Ajax]

Ajax, we have a Sun Shower..it works a treat.. I've done everything from lash it to a shroud with the hose into the head window, or simply tie it to the boom and bathing suit shower in the cockpit..If it is not warm enough, you can boil a few quarts on the stove to add to it, but usually, I've found the opposite..I have to add some tank water to cool it off.

When I was a kid, we had an insecticide sprayer aboard...we'd use the hot sun shower water and some tank water to make it tolerable..our family of four showered with one refill of the sprayer..so 4 or 5 gallons total. We were frugal back in the day..

Damn, this is brilliant. My head sole is all fiberglass liner, and there is a drain to the bilge. Except that you shouldn't make the bilge pump process pubies, dead skin, and soap.

[PNW Matt B]

String a long piece of flexible conduit (1/2" pvc) through the rings of a shower curtain. Bend it into a circle with a connector to keep it that way, overlap a couple of those rings to keep the curtain closed. Instant solar shower enclosure for the deck or cockpit.

[Hike, Bitches!]

Ajax, You can easily glass in/screw/adhere a separate box capable of a gallon or so capacity with another pump & float switch, & even plumb the output to the same line. I am thinking like a small Rubbermaid container that will fit in the bilge. That way you aren't subjecting your primary bilge pump to the abuse & the pubes are contained to a smaller area.

[MoeAlfa]

So are we finally going to have an SA Chesapeake Chapter raft-up? I know you two mooks will come out if you can, but we might even entice some of the shyer and more anonymous folks. I propose 25 AUG, Baby Owl Cove/Broad Creek/Choptank or environs, weather permitting. We'll bring, inter alia, rum, homemade tonic, and limes.

[Hike, Bitches!]

Moe..that could work. There is a club cruise to Naptown that weekend for the play next to the old Fawcett's, but that is usually the 'older' crowd.

I will keep it in mind & check on the interest....

[MoeAlfa]

Moe..that could work. There is a club cruise to Naptown that weekend for the play next to the old Fawcett's, but that is usually the 'older' crowd.

I will keep it in mind & check on the interest....

Let's think about it. July is gone. Then there's the Gov Cup on 3-4. I'm not doing Oxford on the 10th, so that's also a possibility and then and I'm in Europe on the 18th. If nothing works, at least I'll see you at Screwpile and we'll be back down your way in Sep, same as last year.

IB, Slick and Slickette, Kent_Island, C36, et al., what say ye? Merit25, if you make it, you can crash on my boat.

[Slick470]

We might be able to make that work. Still getting the hang of the baby on board, but as long as nobody minds a potentially screaming little one...

[Ishmael]

We might be able to make that work. Still getting the hang of the baby on board, but as long as nobody minds a potentially screaming little one...

You could FedEx the baby to Bob, he likes babies.

[Innocent Bystander]

We'll have to see. I'm still power boat only this season trying to get some very significant bottom work done on the "real" boat. May lose the sailing season. Dealing with some medical shit so it may not matter that sailing is limited this year. Nothing like getting a "pre arthroscopy" EKG and getting a "Err, you need to see a cardiologist prior to surgery" during a visit to my GP this morning. Getting old really sucks.

Chez IB is always available for a CA destination cruise. Up to 8 feet of draft can anchor in front of the house amd 5.5/6 can get to the dock. I cooked 42 home caught crabs tonight and a mess of chicken and veggies for my wife's drinking (bunco) group. Be happy to host a CA crab feast anytime.

[Ishmael]

We'll have to see. I'm still power boat only this season trying to get some very significant bottom work done on the "real" boat. May lose the sailing season. Dealing with some medical shit so it may not matter that sailing is limited this year. Nothing like getting a "pre arthroscopy" EKG and getting a "Err, you need to see a cardiologist prior to surgery" during a visit to my GP this morning. Getting old really sucks.

Chez IB is always available for a CA destination cruise. Up to 8 feet of draft can anchor in front of the house amd 5.5/6 can get to the dock. I cooked 42 home caught crabs tonight and a mess of chicken and veggies for my wife's drinking (bunco) group. Be happy to host a CA crab feast anytime.

I'd love to be there, but I'm thinking not this year. My wife would love your crab group. I rarely eat anything with more than four legs.

[MoeAlfa]

We'll have to see. I'm still power boat only this season trying to get some very significant bottom work done on the "real" boat. May lose the sailing season. Dealing with some medical shit so it may not matter that sailing is limited this year. Nothing like getting a "pre arthroscopy" EKG and getting a "Err, you need to see a cardiologist prior to surgery" during a visit to my GP this morning. Getting old really sucks.

Chez IB is always available for a CA destination cruise. Up to 8 feet of draft can anchor in front of the house amd 5.5/6 can get to the dock. I cooked 42 home caught crabs tonight and a mess of chicken and veggies for my wife's drinking (bunco) group. Be happy to host a CA crab feast anytime.

We'll make it a stop on our "long" cruise again, but we'll have to cook and clean or take you guys out this time. Hope the medical stuff goes off well. Old age does suck, indeed, or so I hear.

[Cruisin Loser]

So are we finally going to have an SA Chesapeake Chapter raft-up? I know you two mooks will come out if you can, but we might even entice some of the shyer and more anonymous folks. I propose 25 AUG, Baby Owl Cove/Broad Creek/Choptank or environs, weather permitting. We'll bring, inter alia, rum, homemade tonic, and limes.

You make your own tonic? Where do you get the bark?

[MoeAlfa]

So are we finally going to have an SA Chesapeake Chapter raft-up? I know you two mooks will come out if you can, but we might even entice some of the shyer and more anonymous folks. I propose 25 AUG, Baby Owl Cove/Broad Creek/Choptank or environs, weather permitting. We'll bring, inter alia, rum, homemade tonic, and limes.

You make your own tonic? Where do you get the bark?

How'd it go yesterday?

You can get anything on the Internet.

[Ajax]

I'm in for 25 August. Doesn't matter if it's in Annapolis, or The Land of Bystanders and Bitches. I'll tack it to my calendar right now.

[Hike, Bitches!]

If anyone is in the Patuxent area the weekend prior (August 18-19), we'll be in Battle Creek..It is officially called the "couples race", but it is usually our biggest on-the-water club event (excluding Screwpile) with about 25 boats rafted up. Sometimes, we even throw out a 2nd anchor..

4KSB's, power boats, catamorons, racers, cruisers, all welcome. I even take the 6 second rating credit for my 3-blade fixed prop to get me to 198..

[mrgnstrn]

So are we finally going to have an SA Chesapeake Chapter raft-up? I know you two mooks will come out if you can, but we might even entice some of the shyer and more anonymous folks. I propose 25 AUG, Baby Owl Cove/Broad Creek/Choptank or environs, weather permitting. We'll bring, inter alia, rum, homemade tonic, and limes.

Shit.

I have a Cub Scout thing that weekend.

I can't wait til my boy is in Boy Scouts and the adult leaders (me) get to hang back.

-M

[MoeAlfa]

So are we finally going to have an SA Chesapeake Chapter raft-up? I know you two mooks will come out if you can, but we might even entice some of the shyer and more anonymous folks. I propose 25 AUG, Baby Owl Cove/Broad Creek/Choptank or environs, weather permitting. We'll bring, inter alia, rum, homemade tonic, and limes.

Shit.

I have a Cub Scout thing that weekend.

I can't wait til my boy is in Boy Scouts and the adult leaders (me) get to hang back.

-M

Don't wish too hard, Daddio; it goes by in a heartbeat. We'll do this again, if we manage to do it the first time.

[crash]

Ajax,
Lastest issue of Sailing has a Used Boat Notebook review of the P-30. Though you would enjoy...
Crash

Page 2...

Attached Files

•  P-30 Used boat notebook pg1.pdf   629.26K   13 downloads
•  P-30 Used boat notebook pg 2.pdf   807.67K   11 downloads

[Merit 25]

Might be helping a friend with a charter company on the 18th or 25th of Aug. Dates aren't set in stone, so I may be able to make it.

[Ajax]

Ajax,
Lastest issue of Sailing has a Used Boat Notebook review of the P-30. Though you would enjoy...
Crash

Page 2...

Hey, thanks for that. I enjoyed the article, and I am interested in what people consider to be the weak points of the boat. I'm really, really glad not to have to contend with that compression post issue. The boat has obviously been very dry for nearly it's entire life. The bottom of the post is quite sound.

Ah... mi amore. I love her even more than on the day I bought her. She has become my trusted companion.

[froggie]

So are we finally going to have an SA Chesapeake Chapter raft-up? I know you two mooks will come out if you can, but we might even entice some of the shyer and more anonymous folks. I propose 25 AUG, Baby Owl Cove/Broad Creek/Choptank or environs, weather permitting. We'll bring, inter alia, rum, homemade tonic, and limes.

Shit.

I have a Cub Scout thing that weekend.

I can't wait til my boy is in Boy Scouts and the adult leaders (me) get to hang back.

-M

Don't wish too hard, Daddio; it goes by in a heartbeat. We'll do this again, if we manage to do it the first time.

My Cub Scout graduated from high school a week ago. So much for pinewood derby cars and raingutter regatta boats.

It is one of those things where the future is always a long way off; the present crawls by, and looking back? When did he grow up. and how did he get so darned big ?? Went by in a flash.

And I still don't have enough time to work on the boat!.
.