Still in the Studio...

Pullin' Pots
© Curt Bowman 2014

In the Studio

Checking Pots Off Freeport Landing
© Curt Bowman 2014

Urbanna Revisited

With a scheduled meeting at the Deltaville Maritime Museum I decided to get out on the Rappahannock. When I arrived yesterday morning is was cool and there was 8-10 knots of wind. Using the boat ramp at the Urbanna Town Dock it was easy to quickly move into the river. Sailing east northeast on a reach, we meandered into Corrotoman Bay and after a few hours turned back to make the meeting. 

The ramp pier was well populated with kids at day camp from the local YMCA. They were crabbing and fishing and having great time.

On return from Deltaville I passed beautiful farms that flowed toward the river. It reminded me of when we lived in an old farm house overlooking the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland. But that's another story.

Grabbed a nice dinner in town and found a quiet place to anchor in Urbanna Creek. With a low dew point I decided to slept in the cockpit under the stars. 

Morning started a beautiful day as I watched watermen work the creek.

My friends John and Vera... at whose place I store Annie... left out just before my return. They are taking the museum's buyboat F.D. Crockett to Washington DC via the Potomac River. They have an annual meet-up and are leading players in buyboat preservation on the Bay.

So as I buttoned up Annie I took these pics of their world... 

John sells white cedar boat wood

They have quite a collection

Ultralights

A quick trip... but we got on the water. What more can I say?

Roller Reefing

Annie's headsail was made with a wire sewn in the luff that formed the head stay, an eye swaged at each end. The stay was pinned into a Harken roller-furling swivel at the head and its partner reel at the tack. In light airs this configuration is very effective and welcomed by a single-hander with a cabin between the bow and the helm.

I found out quickly that when the wind freshened the ability of an unassisted wire luff was of little use in reefing. The tack furled positively, but the head swivel could not hold under the pressure. The set was less than desirable to say the least.

A couple of years ago my friend Terry and I set out to stiffen the luff. I bought a length of Schedule 40 aluminum pipe and with a jig on the table saw we cut a slot that the sail-covered luff wire could fit in. Before cutting the pipe we stretched the luff using the trailer hitch on my truck. The pipe length was cut to just cover the wire eyes at each end and holes were drilled in the pipe ends corresponding to the eyes.

Since the luff was originally cut short and required additional wire pendants, it was necessary to add rigid, dinghy-sized chain plates to each end. The tack included a stainless snap shackle. When all set up, including additional spaced grommets seized to the pipe along the luff, the whole run became rigid.

The modification has worked. On occasion, in a force 5, the reefed sail sets well. The $50 cost has been well worth the investment. 

The seizing (at the horizon level) keeps the wire in the pipe

Furling hardware

Snap shackle makes for quick connection when raising mast

Speed Check

Made it!

The backpacking trip was a blast. Twelve people of every age and description climbed up and down, over rocks and through heavy brush, in the rain and shine. It was beautiful. I got my pack down to 25 pounds and it is a good thing. Another pound might have done me.

An Alternative

I'm not much of a hot weather sailor. In fact with afternoons in the 90s I've been thinking about the mountains and the shade of the high trees there. So backpacking is back in the picture after a 40 year hiatus. Have joined the Central Virginia Trailblazer group and am looking forward to an Shenandoah trip in about a week.

Essentially it is what we do in small craft. A strong back (hopefully) substituted for a bit more gear in a strong boat. So as the sun beats down outside I am pre-packing in the basement and hoping all will go well. More later...

Using gear out of Annie's boxes

With Ty, 1975

Yippee

It was a good week for sales with two large maritime-series paintings finding new homes. I also got in a fresh batch of small 8 " x 10" prints that I'm offering through my website. Thanks to Ellie for encouraging me to 'hold fast'. Check it out here.

Fresh Paint and Varnish

Yesterday I went to visit my new friend Eddie who lives in the Richmond area and is an avid sailor (here's his building log). He was getting ready to put the last coat of varnish on his new build, Una, an Iain Oughtred-designed Sooty Tern. She is a beautiful open double-ender that barely makes it diagonally in the double-car garage. At 19'6" the Sooty Tern is a stretched Arctic Tern. Narrower that the Caledonia Yawl, I am interested in how she sails. Maybe I'll get the chance to find out someday!

Eddie's happy. An he has the right.

She will have the lug-rigged main with mizzen 

Ride 'em hard...

A favorite Drascombe pic' from "across the pond" 

Outer Banks Old School

As posted before, my first job after grad school was at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island. After that 'went south'... a water spout wrecking my apartment in Kill Devil Hills, bad choice in girls, and a grant that faded... I moved to Duck, a few miles north. My good friend Joe Britt was building some of the first beach houses there and asked me to help him start a small recreational sailing business for the new new vacationers. Got a free apartment out of the deal and a lot of studying time for my, then, upcoming cruise south to Florida.

1979

I recently googled Nor'Banks (see here) and found that it is still in business and has grown to one of the Outer Banks "go to" fun spots offering every water sport you can think of. Jon, the son and owner, was a boy back then with a keen interest in what was going on. It paid off.

Annie on the Move

Last week our stay at Morningstar Marina came to an end. My friends John and Vera have generously offered to let me keep Annie at their house just north of Urbanna off the Rappahannock River. The folks at Morningstar were very helpful and always interested in my trips. I wish them all the best.

There is a boat ramp nearby and a shorter commute... only a hour each way. I am working on plans to explore the river and its tributaries and learn more about the Middle Peninsula of Virginia.

John, Vera and family

A Perfect Wind

Day 7
As the day lightened and breakfast ended, I weighed anchor and motored south around the shoal waters. Once in the Bay proper we moved north skirting Tangier Island until reaching the western entrance to the harbor. This northing insured that the westward course across to Smith Point would leave the large prohibited area to port. Under full sail and a freshening southwest wind, good time was made. It was perfect.

Smith Point Light, Chesapeake Bay

Steady 15 knot wind on the beam under full sail with 1 foot waves. In an hour Annie was moving into the shipping lane that funnels by Smith Point. The tide had reached full flow and as I heard the centerplate vibrate I looked down at the GPS and saw we were making 7.7 knots over the bottom!

The wind kept freshening and as I approached the protective jetties I dropped sails, started motoring and crabbed sideways under wind and tide. Once behind the rocks it was over. I moved slowly through the creek toward the marina and my road rig.

The rest of the day was spent sorting gear, loading, traveling back to Gwynns, a wash down and back to Richmond. Great trip I have to say.

Tangier

Day 6
The wind had temporarily clocked around to the NW and with the forecast calling for a return to SW the next day, It seemed advantageous and a bit more adventurous to head south and then reach west later. Tangier Island lay south and being a 'must visit'... I set off leaving Smith Island far to starboard.

I usually sail barefoot. And it is a good thing because, in my water sandals, I slipped on wet port rail and landed on my shin. A 'goose egg' for the mistake...

Tangier Sound was busy in the morning with work boats running north and south. Within a couple of hours the channel penetrating the shallow eastern side on the island came into view. The channel was blocked by a dredging barge that was pushed aside as I squeezed through the narrow channel. I continued along the thorofare, tied up to a deserted dock and went ashore.

It was Sunday morning, everyone was in church and the tourist ferry had not yet arrived. I passed rows of battered fish huts, simple but well maintained houses and yards full of crab buoys, boat parts and nets  either being mended or in need. Having been up and sailing I was ready for lunch... just a little too early. One restraurant was preparing to open for the noon after-church business. The other two were still closed for the off-season. 

I was informed that I needed to move Annie to another dock and headed back. Tying up at James Parks Marina and returned for a sandwich. After lunch as I started out to explore Mr. Parks intercepted me on his golf cart and took me back to retie again. Seems Annie was sitting in a slip soon to be occupied by a big motor yacht. If I didn't have cleating skills, I do now.

Tourist ferry arrives...

Stalled construction

Folded flounder

New traps for the new season

PVC pipe pilings

Christmas artifact

Easter colors

Sea level resting place

A buoy fence 'necklace'

Decided to move down to the south end of the island for the afternoon and the evening's anchorage. Friend Steve had talked about the protected spit on the south end of the island. As I approached the small inlet to curve behind, Annie ran aground in heavy grass. It was dead low tide so after throwing out the anchor I hiked around the point and found the inner bay dry except for scattered tide pools. They were populated with skimmers and oyster catchers. The sun was warm and it was very quiet. 

Passing the harbor dredge heading south                                                                      

In the grass

As the sun set and the tide rose I anchored out in deeper water to insure that leaving in the morning wouldn't be delayed. If the truth be told... staying around wouldn't have been the worse thing.