Autumn Bay Cruise 2009 (continued)

Day 4 - On to Annapolis

The crews of the Chesapeake Bay Table awoke at sunrise and left Solomons Island at 8:00 AM. There was little to no wind to speak of so everyone motored north up the Chesapeake Bay. Orza left Solomons late and arrived at Annapolis early. Fenders were out to form a raft when the rest of the fleet arrived. This is the time Incident No.1 occurred: just after Talisman had rafted with Orza, a large trawler - Sea Bear - came through the anchorage at about 12 knots, plowing up a good sized wake that rocked all of the boats rafted up to Orza and everyone else in the anchorage. Some heated words between myself and the Captain of the trawler revealed that the Captain had revenge on his mind. Apparently, Orza's wake had given the trawler some trouble off of Cove Point and he was in payback mode. His revenge was completely void of any consideration for the other boats at anchor.

Because this incident and the substantial amount of boat traffic in and around the anchorage, conditions were not favorable for a raft. Most of the fleet anchored around Orza and used their dinghies to transport over to the "Mother" ship. Tardis couldn't find a place to drop anchor as the schooner Dove II had just anchored and had warned Tardis off for being too close. Maybe this was a good thing.

A water taxi picked everyone up around 5PM for dinner at the Rockfish Restaurant. It was a fine meal and a great time for everyone. Then it was back to Orza for dessert. A short time after returning - before many of the other crews had arrived, a Captain from a neighboring boat came over to inform Orza that it was about to collide with the schooner Dove II that was, apparently, drifting at anchor. No one initially believed him. But he described how the bowsprit had bent the bow rail on his Amel 53 and implored the crew to have a look. This is about the time June and I were coming over in our dinghy. We couldn't figure out why this schooner had its bow alongside the port bow of Orza.

As we tied up and boarded Orza there was a certain degree of confusion while some sailors on Orza fended off the careening schooner and others tried to figure out a strategy for dealing with the long term problem as there was no one aboard the offending vessel. Bui and I went back to our dinghies to push the boat away. This was about the time we discovered there was no tension on the schooner's anchor line. Bui followed the line and determined the problem: an abnormal amount of scope had been deployed for a shallow, crowded anchorage. It was careening around the calm anchorage with currents determining its direction and speed.

No one wanted the potential liability of boarding another boat so the authorities were contacted. That proved to delay things even further: The Harbor Masters Office was closed for the day (during a boat show weekend??!) and the Coast Guard referred us to the Maryland DNR. Finally we contacted them and somewhere between a half hour and forty five minutes later, a single officer showed up in a large inflatable boat to deal with the situation. He got the help of the Amel Captain who boarded the schooner and pulled in approximately one hundred fifty feet (150") of anchor line before there was enough tension on the line to hold the boat in place.

With that situation dealt with, everyone turned their attention toward a dessert of chocolate chip cookies. Later on, the Captain of the schooner returned and apologized profusely. He related as to how his inexperienced crew was to blame. That point fell on deaf ears as he is the captain of his vessel! Fortunately, he had adequate insurance.

The next morning, we saw some paint and physical damage had been inflicted on Orza so their were subsequent conversations with the Captain of the schooner.

Debutantes

Like the ships of old where each ship had its own culture, protocols and rules, each table of the Brotherhood has its own culture, protocol and rules. When the brothers of the Chesapeake introduce an engagé, there is a gathering and celebration. When the brothers of the Solomons Table introduce an engagé, it is more like a debutante being introduced to society. So was my experience during the Columbus Day weekend as I and other brothers from the Chesapeake Table gathered at Solomon’s Island while en route to Annapolis during the Autumn Bay Cruise.(see "Autumn Bay Cruise" blog entry.)

The whole affair started innocently enough. In 2008, Go-Go, of the Solomons Table detected what he thought was an intruder and was preparing to defend his territory. In actuality, the intruder was Cruz, of the Chesapeake Table, trying to slip, quietly and undetected, through the Patuxent River area without notice. But before the canons could be made ready, Go-Go recognized the flag of the intruder to be that of the neighboring Table and ordered his crew to stand down. While the two brothers where glad to see one another, Cruz was reprimanded and told that due notice should be given in the future to avoid any type of friendly fire.

Not wanting a similar situation to occur, as a part of coordinating the 2009 Autumn Cruise, I sent a simple Email to Sea Devil that brothers from the Chesapeake Table would be sailing the territorial waters of the Solomons Table. A response came that Go-Go would coordinate a reception with details forthcoming. With some discussion, the Solomons brothers put a two evening affair together including dockage and support for the visiting fleet. It was decided that Saturday’s evening event would also mark the introduction of the Table’s first engagé’s. It was only fitting in light of the fact that the Chesapeake Table had been so involved with the formation of the Solomons Table.

So, we gathered at the home of brother Easy along the Banks of St. Johns Creek with passenjeros John and Dennis. A larger crowd gathered this evening, including Blue Stache, who had arrived earlier in the day by land. Ceremonial tricorns were worn as crews from all three Tables - Snapper King was representing the Marathon Table - settled in to a dinner of barbequed rockfish and cobia, hamburgers, hot dogs and various side dishes. Easy’s bar was well stocked with (the demon) rhum and was well attended by the brothers.

After a fine meal, Go-Go, representing the Table in the Captain’s absence, called the group to order. Snapper King was asked to relate the history of the Solomons Table, of which he played such a large part, for the new engagés and their captives. Parson Fish Monger was asked to say a few words and related an inspirational, albeit ribald tale of the marriage of an old man from his home on Smith Island. Then Go-Go called upon the new engagé to read aloud the Octalog to the assemblage. Upon completion, they were awarded the black bandana of the Solomons Table. Thereafter, Rhum was rationed and the traditional Andanada was issued to aid in its consumption.

The Chesapeake Bay Table congratulates the new Solomons Engages and wishes them the best of luck as they endeavor to attain the the status of Brother.

Autumn Bay Cruise (formerly "Up The Bay with Carraway")

DAY 1 (Oct. 8, 2009):

The fleet of three Brotherhood boats - Fresh Air, Talisman and Tardis - along with guest boat, No Problem, leave Hampton Roads just after dawn. Strong NW winds persisted from a front that crossed the area on Wednesday. We took a course heading of 30° (magnetic) which kept us from pounding the waves and allowed for some sail power.

Our destination was the Ingram Bay area, a 60 nm run from Hampton Roads. We spent most of the day slogging to the NE in 3 - 4 foot waves. Then, around 2PM, the wind died, the seas calmed and we took a direct heading to Cockrell Creek (Reedville) where Shanty was waiting for us to arrive.

We arrived in Reedville around 5PM. Talisman transferred Shanty's Captive to her Captain. Bui and Upwind set about to some hatch maintenance on Talisman while the Ladies worked up the dinner plans. No Problem had clogged fuel filter problems during the day and joined the raft after dark. There were still left-overs waiting when they arrived after 7PM.


DAY 2 (Oct. 9, 2009):

While at anchor, the winds shifted to the SW and had continued to build overnight. We broke the raft down in record time (under five minutes) and had four sailing vessels leaving in a line just before 9AM (Tardus had stayed with friends up the Great Wicomico River but came through to check on us).

As we left Cockrell Creek, it became apparent just how strong the SW winds were: 15 -20 knts with gusts up to 25 knts. It would be another day at the wheel. As we made the turn north, some adjustments had to be made as a number of the boats rounded into the strong gusts. Shortly thereafter, everyone but No Problem had balanced their rigs for the day's conditions. No Problem couldn't seem to find a good balance and ended up turning back toward Reedville as the rest of the fleet progressed north.

The gusty conditions lessened as we crossed the wide mouth of the Potomac River. By early afternoon we were crawling along slowly with 6-8 knt winds. While it was nice to let the auto pilot take the helm for a while, we weren't making good speed to our destination for the day: the Pawtuxent River. The motors came on briefly before the winds reestablished themselves. The fleet arrived in Solomon's in late afternoon. We were made welcome by the Brothers of the Solomon's Table.

After freshening up, everyone met at the beautiful home of Brother Easy for a dinner of oysters, crab soup and chili. We were a bit worn from two days of pushing hard up the Bay but were happy to be in the company of our brethren in the mid Chesapeake Bay region.

Day 3: (Oct 10, 2009)

After pushing hard for two days, we took the opportunity to sleep in and relax. A late breakfast, washing salt off the boat and, generally, taking stock for the next leg of the trip on Sunday. In the early afternoon, the crews of Talisman and Fresh Air took their dinghies over to the Calvert Marine Museum for the Patuxent River Appreciation Day festivities. Free admission to the museum and with Arts & Crafts Vendors as well as food & music. We watched and were fascinated by the speed and grace of the two River Otters. It was a good day for soaking up the culture and the nautical history of the Patuxent River area.

Then it was back to the boat to get ready for the main event of the evening: the introduction of the Solomons Table's first Engages!

[nota bene: Details of the engage introduction, "Debutantes", and continuation of the Autumn Bay Cruise can be found is subsequent post]