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Merroir

 Fresh raw oysters at Merroir

 

Regardless of how we faired sailing, there was one place I wanted to end up before the day was done – a restaurant on the south shore of the Rappahannock called Merroir.

In the wine industry, there’s a word used to describe how the same variety of grapes will produce a distinct flavor of wine, unique the place where it grows. It’s called terroir. The term merroir was created to reflect this same phenomenon for oysters. I love seafood, so anybody who loves it enough to invent new words for it is someone I need to know.

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Gwynn’s Island ~ Tandem Barry Boats

Sailing at Gwynn’s Island video link

 

Writer friend and fellow sailor Doug Lawson was out visiting from California last weekend. A crazy amount of stuff got packed into a couple of days, making the most of the trip. Top of his wish list was to go sailing, and sailing we did.

Doug owns a Crawford Melonseed. He sails it in lakes around San Francisco, at Tahoe, and estuaries near Santa Cruz. With an experienced Melonseed sailor in the house, this was finally the first opportunity since my boats were built to have them both on the water at the same time. Exciting!

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Vera’s ~ Wherein I Abandon Ship for Pleasures of the Flesh

The Lure of Sirens

 

The tradition of sailors abandoning their quest for the comfort and pleasures of shore – both real and imagined – is a pretty long one. I’m in good company. Or at least lots of company.

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30 Mile Day ~ Evening

Aeon stretching her wings. Video from the longest leg. 

 direct video link

 

The trip back was a 10 mile romp. The wind was now blowing at 15 to 18 knots, with a gust to 25 picked up by a buoy at the mouth of the Patuxent. Once we got away from the shore you could feel it. Most of the boats had reefs in. George stayed near the south shore where the chop was not as bad. I didn’t like what the trees did to the wind, so moved farther out, the rest riding it out in between.

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30 Mile Day ~ Afternoon

Spirited Reach up the Patuxent 

 direct video link

 

The basic plan is sail upriver until hungry, stop for lunch. Sail all the way back, and then some, to St. Leonard Creek. Hole up there for the night. If that ends up too far, turn into one of the smaller creeks along the way.

When scouting maps for launch spots, St. Leonard had looked promising. There was a place marked on the charts as a fairly large marina, but went by the odd name of “Vera’s Beach Club”. Hmm. A little googling rendered details of a seafood restaurant, bar, full service docks, etc.. Likely bathrooms and showers. Also, wet t-shirt contests. Bill’s on Broomes Island was more our style, but Vera’s did offer some appeal. St. Leonard was looking pretty good.

 

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