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Alluring Ilur

On Sunday morning, many with long drives hauled out. A few of us, locals or those staying over, headed out to take advantage of the great weather with another sail. Chris H came all the way from Pittsburg, so he was staying another day to make it worth the trip. He invited me to join him on his Vivier Ilur Clarissa. Dennis K got a ride on Randy C’s William Garden designed Eel, Winkle. Harris and Barbara led the way in their new catboat, Mariah, just delivered mid-summer.

Winkle chasing Mariah

It was a real treat for me to be able to lay in the boat and let Chris do all the work, while I enjoyed the view. It let me keep both hands on the camera for a change. And what a great day for it. Beautiful boats and beautiful weather.

All three boats danced around each other all afternoon. Sometimes coming together close enough to chat, then veering off to points on the horizon. With the chuckle of water on a lapstrake hull tapping time.

As usual, most of our views of Harris were of his transom. He can’t bear to slow down enough for us to get close.

I shot a lot of video. Something to savor over the coming winter.

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Sunset Sail on a Sakonnet 23

Between the cookout and campfires, Jim A took four of us for a sunset sail on his family’s Sakonnet 23. What a sweet boat, a real thoroughbred designed by Joel White.

The Sakonnet 23 earlier that morning – photo by T.

We motored out the little harbor, through a neck of rock jetties, just as the sun went down. Clear of the channel, we quickly raised sail and cut off the clattering outboard. Suddenly silence like a sigh of relief as she eased into a light breeze. We sauntered across the water in the twilight, taking turns at the tiller, laughing and telling stories.

Your Chronicler – photo by T.
Jim A

With the last light fading, we reluctantly turned back, only to discover the outboard motor had other ideas. Wouldn’t catch no matter how hard we yanked on it, not even a cough. It was like some jokester had poured a couple to shots of scotch in the tank. Matt tossed out the anchor so we wouldn’t drift into trouble, while we sought the magic combination of curses and hand waving to break the evil spell. This whole episode followed a dozen shared stories of near disasters, all because a motor had failed. Maybe this motor was listening and thought this was a great opportunity to tell its own story. The idea of waiting for a tow, anchored in the channel in the dark, but not our idea of humor. Motors are why we’re sailors, after all.

Eventually, jiggling the choke and throttle, it caught. Relief, anchor weighed, sails dropped, and we motored back down the channel by the light from our phones. No harm no foul, and another story to tell later.

A short video from inside the boat that evening. Lots of laughter and ribbing. A great evening. Hope we get to ride on her again, soon.

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Salt Marshes of Mathews

direct YouTube link: https://youtu.be/VJ306yMVaLs

A nice reprieve from the middle of winter. This is 20+ minutes of sites and sounds from the salt marshes of Mathews County, Virginia. A week on a remote barrier island in the Chesapeake Bay. Over the holidays I had time to go back and review it.

We spent a lot of time kayaking through the shallow winding creeks, often just drifting with the current.

It’s long, so give yourself some time, and good audio – much of this is just the natural sounds of birds and beaches.

The odd noises starting at 12:00 are Clapper Rails. They’re really shy, I’ve never seen one up close, but one stepped out of the grass for a closeup, not realizing we were standing above it on the dock.

Birds seen and/or heard in the video:

  • Black Scoter
  • Sandpiper
  • Clapper Rail
  • Hooded Merganser
  • Boat-tailed Grackle
  • Double-crested Cormorant
  • Great Blue Heron

At night, there were Great Horned Owls, in the mornings Loons.

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Sunrise Paddle in October

direct YouTube link

A few weeks ago I posted photos from this little trip. I woke up before sunrise and couldn’t go back to sleep, so went for a paddle on Totier Creek.

There was steam rising off the water as the sun came up, a little chilly, but I had the whole place to myself. Just a glorious fall day. Leaves in peak color, glassy calm water, birds singing. So worth it.

Back up the creek I came across some Wood Ducks. They’re shy birds, and this was the first time I’ve seen one up close in the wild here. Even got a little video to prove it.

I could use a lot more of this, please.

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Two if by Sea ~ Video

direct YouTube link: Melonseeds Off Urbanna

Short clips from the trip. I didn’t have the wind cover for the mic, so as not much natural audio this time, but enough to feel right. Doug provided the nice clip of me as we crossed tacks along the bluff below Rosegill.

You can see how lumpy it was when we first left the harbor. Lots of bucking into the wind until the tide turned.

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Sailing on the Piankatank ~ Video

A dozen or so handmade wooden sailboats gather every spring at an old steamboat landing on the Piankatank River, a tidal river on the Chesapeake Bay. Sailors in the Old Bay Club of the Traditional Small Craft Association meet up with builders from the Deltaville Maritime Museum to camp and sail and admire beautiful craftsmanship.

Seen here are Caledonia Yawls, a Sooty Tern, Chesapeake Sharpie Crabbing Skiff, Melonseed, Matinicus Peapod, and a Herreshoff Coquina. As well as a few notable power boats of crabbers and fishermen.

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Short Sail ~ Season Re-Opener

The forecast changed abruptly on Sunday morning, and did a 180. A broad storm front was now approaching from the Midwest. So heading for the Bay was definitely out.

But there was still time to get to a local reservoir. Probably all for the best: It’s been so long since I’ve sailed these boats, so much chaos and mayhem in the intervening years, I need to step out slowly.

How long? Looks like four and a half years. Based on photos and posts here on this blog, the last time I sailed one of my own boats was MASCF in October of 2018. That’s incredible.

Got gear collected and did a dry run in the yard. Lights on the trailer work, tires not flat – check. Blocks corroded, but serviceable – check. Lines and spars intact – check.

We left home in sunshine and arrived thirty minutes later at Beaver Creek under grey skies, darkening to the west over the mountains.

How do you do this again?

Backing a trailer, turns out, is a little like riding a bike. It’s a part of your brain you don’t use for anything else; so once you find where that is and open the lid, it’s still there, right where you left it. Confusing and wobbly at first, but it comes back. Same with the sailing part. In a few minutes, everything feels familiar again. Fortunately, boats don’t hold a grudge. All this time ignored, and Aeon was just happy to be out on the water again. Light puffy wind, nothing too ambitious. Tacking and jibing, reading wind signs on the water and in the trees on shore.

After an hour the Blue Ridge to the west disappeared. We turned back. Got to the ramp and mostly loaded before the sky opened up and dumped rain on us.

Looking at these photos, we realize how much older and grayer we are now. It’s been a tough five years, for all of us.

More of this soon.