Search Party!

Fall is in the air and the recent cold snap has turned the verdant landscape into vibrant bursts of colored foliage. It's Holly's favorite season, leaves turning bright reds and yellows, shifting summer winds into fall with some of the best sailing anywhere on the east coast, and our first voyage with CAYUGA beyond the safe harbors of our beloved Annapolis. Tomorrow morning, after an extra hour of sleep (!), we begin our transit from Whitehall Creek over to the Eastern Shore, up the Choptank River, and ultimately to the Town of Denton where CAYUGA will get some tender loving care over the winter at Mathews Brothers - the picture is of me with Pete Mathews at the recent powerboat show. Given the time change and earlier sunset, we're breaking up the travel into two days, plus we need to arrive on a weekday for the haul-out. So, our trip tomorrow lands us in Cambridge for a tie-up overnight at the Cambridge Yacht Club. In addition Holly's pleased to dock locally for a visit to one of her favorite breweries... RAR. It looks to be a spectacular few days ahead, favorable wind at our backs, minimal current, and today was already a success with a lovely road trip over to the boatyard to drop off one car for the ride home on Monday. Fingers crossed for reasonably calm waters and decent temps as well; I think it's going to be chilly sleeping weather Sunday night aboard, but we're fearless sailors. (is there a power boater version?). We've been looking forward to the run across the Bay and up the length of the Choptank for many reasons, but one is traveling where we have not yet been. While it should be easy-peasy, even a short trip in mostly familiar waters requires a bit of forward thinking. That includes boat prep, passage planning, and provisioning. The better the prep and planning, the less likely we are to have I love yachting issues. Thanks to Holly, on the maiden voyage, we had the first aid kit when I was unfortunately sprayed by hot coolant fluid from a broken hose. That said, CAYUGA has been running well – knock on varnished teak. Boat prep will consist of the usual visual inspection including checking fluids, belts, and hoses. And making sure all safety gear is aboard and in operable condition. The rest is up to the ole gal. Holly has sailed on the Choptank for log canoe racing, out in the river off the shore of the yacht club, but never power boated further than Island Creek right around the corner (so to speak) from Oxford. Oxford is where CAYUGA began her forays into Bay waters when she was delivered from CT, on a very, very rainy, cold early May day. That inauspicious start behind us, tomorrow, we will motor through Knapps Narrows (with a pit stop for fuel), past Oxford, Island Creek, and onward up the river to our dock for the night. Monday will be the true adventure as we wind our way slowly up the remainder of the Choptank into historic Denton. The Choptank is meandering and narrowing from Cambridge to its headwaters. And probably has some wicked current too... the guidance given is stay in the middle of the markers and closer to the outside of the turns (where the water runs deepest). Oh, this is going to be interesting! Mathews Brothers enjoy space along the river next to the Choptank River Yacht Club (a delightfully unassuming place) and there's where CAYUGA gets hauled and then towed into her own indoor space. The picture is of CAYUGA being delivered to Campbell's Boatyard in Oxford where she first arrived to MD. I can't pass up a bit of the old-school world of passage planning, which is pretty straightforward, to share with you. Holly and I are still loyal Power Squadron (now known as America’s Boating Club) members, therefore, we (mostly me) plan and plot courses in advance with nautical protractors and paper charts. For this passage, we will be using Chart 12266 to get through Knapps Narrows and to Cambridge. From there we venture to Chart 12268 to get from Cambridge up to Denton. Looking at the 12268 chart, and how that river just keeps on going, reminds me of a movie with a river and a crazy Marlon Brando character, but regardless, this is going to take some time... CAYUGA is equipped with an older version Garmin chart plotter, and we both have navigation apps on our phones, but we always have paper charts at the ready just in case. Furthermore, reviewing paper charts is still the best way to get the big picture of where we are going and the obstacles between start and finish. It’s also a way to gauge how long the various legs of the trip will take. Yep, good old course, time, speed, and distance - dead reckoning. We will leave the dock knowing where we are going – magnetic courses to steer – and about how long it should take to get to the destination at average speeds. With the hard part of navigating an unknown body of water researched, my provisioning is the easy part. It'll be the usual cooler bag with ice, Modello, some wine and healthy snacks. No chance I'd forget the water, Holly always makes sure we have that too. With extra blankets, warm clothing, first aid kit, the usual music playlists and some jazz and Chicago (for Don), full tank of gas, and an attitude of "time to get off the dock", wish us luck. And with fingers crossed, next week we will NOT have an I love yachting story to share with you. But then, what would be the fun in that? Remember, where there's a boat, there's a story.

Let's start at the beginning because it's a very good place to start. While feeling rather musical about that statement, it's true because there are three parts to this I love yachting story and we must begin where it all started. The first, which is really last, is Holly and I coming into our now simpatico relationship with the joys of brightwork (varnished wood for those uninitiated) and becoming stewards of our own little varnish farm, affectionately named CAYUGA. Holly secretly refers to varnish as vanish, because that's what it does across a summer of boating. Of course, there would be no story I tell without referencing one of my favorite quotes from The Wind in the Willows, "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." And believe me, I can make a mess in the process of varnishing. So going correctly to the origins of this varnishing epic is Holly and the story she's told me many a time about her father and his boats, back on Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, NY, at the Johnson Boat Yard. I've never been there but can only imagine. Holly's father, Scott, was a classic wooden boat lover, but before his passion for runabouts and restoration started, he owned a few cabin cruisers along the way, culminating with JULIANNA, a 38' Chris Craft covered in varnish (note the US Power Squadron Ensign). As most kids are, patience is not usually one of their talents, and for Holly, while watching and helping her dad with his projects to get ready for the boating season, she tells me that while other boats went out, dad kept at his projects - seemingly always varnish and it was a bummer to still be at the yard. This may have been Holly's first I love yachting moment... The adventures in varnish I learned of shortly after Holly and I met when I made the grievous error of offering to varnish the cap rail of Holly's Beneteau 473, CALIX. To me, that unfinished teak was crying out for a beautiful coat of shiny varnish. However, I was firmly informed that the only thing on her boat I would ever varnish was the flagstaff. Being no room for negotiation, the cap rail remained au-naturel until CALIX was sold; a cap rail that I endeavored to clean to a gorgeous wooden glow each season. The second part to this story, and what got a varnish brush in Holly's hand, is when she began sailing on the log canoe, FLYING CLOUD. The canoes had become her sailing focus and passion. If you've never witnessed a log canoe race, you are definitely missing one of the most beautiful and graceful sailing events, and this is not an exaggeration, held on any body of water anywhere. One of the things quite evident with the canoes is their demanding upkeep and amount of varnish, as a number of them are well over 100 years old. CLOUD was built in 1932 so she's almost there. So, with camaraderie in the mix amongst crew (and a beer-infused lunch break), winter and into the spring is prime maintenance and upkeep time. This may range from fiberglassing weak spots and spars to re-bedding sail tracks, but always it involves lots and lots of varnishing. Holly dug right in and had a blast being a part of history and taking care of CLOUD. I dare say it may have changed her mind about what was formerly the bain of her boating existence. Thus this story is brought back around to where I started, the third part, when Holly forwarded me the listing for CAYUGA in April. My first glance elicited the remark and warning that the boat had a lot of brightwork. Holly said, quite plainly and a bit to my surprise, that was fine. Now, without faint of heart, I decided it was time for me to practice and improve my varnishing skills, I've dabbled but not the likes of what CAYUGA has for us to work with. I'm not horrible with a varnish brush, but getting it perfect is very challenging. It was more about adequate coverage for the log canoes, and an imperfect varnish job was of little consequence. But on our boat, it has got to be done right – smooth flow and no drips, runs, or sags. Being there is no shortage of opinions or advice on how to varnish like a pro an entire weekend could be spent watching how-to YouTube videos. My approach, believe it or not, has been to embrace the Zen of varnishing, the entire process – the prep, the application, and clean-up. I'm buoyed by knowing that even when a coat doesn't go quite right, the next day's sanding will provide an opportunity for excellence. So all in all, Holly digs the time loving a classic boat and remembering her father (he's laughing at her she says), and I'm closer to the boat, as maintenance always brings you, finding out I love varnishing.

Not to be a curmudgeon, but does anyone else out there feel that yachting is not as courteous as it once was? Boaters still wave at each other while passing by. But it's an insult to injury when we get happy hand waves from a bigger boat as they blow by, forcing us to quickly maneuver to take their large wake bow on. Many times I want to wave back with the Digitus Impudicus, but I don't. I hold on, shake my head, and say to Holly, I love yachting! While preparing to address my irritation over massive boat wakes, the hilarious scene from the movie Caddyshack popped to mind. Also spurred on by seeing SEAFOOD in the Annapolis Harbor over Labor Day weekend! The boating mayhem is funny when watching a comedy movie. However, on summer weekends, the scene can plays out for real in the mouth of the Severn River. And it is not so funny. Now back to the topic at hand, the root of my angst, and what I think may be the possible cause. Anyone can go out and buy a big, powerful powerboat without knowledge of piloting, the fundamental right-of-way rules, and basic boating etiquette before leaving the dock. And, most captains (I use the term loosely) would get lost if their chart plotter crapped out. But that is for another post – this is about being aware of and responsible for wakes. The boating boom has brought with it the need for new boaters to learn the Rules of the Road (*applicable rules at the bottom) and yachting etiquette (picture from my 1964 Ed. of Piloting Seamanship and Small Boat Handling by Charles F. Chapman). Not only are there now more boats on the water, but many first-time buyers' "starter boats" are large with a lot of muscle. They skipped over starting with a Whaler as a kid, and now it's not uncommon for first-time boat buyers to begin with a 40-plus foot center console with three or four 350 HP outboards strapped to the stern. Then there are the ubiquitous cruisers – the ultramodern compilations of fiberglass, odd-shaped windows, and big engines. I am not picking on any specific brand, but there are many shapes and sizes that money can buy in today's boat market. Let me step back from my biased analysis and offer thanks and appreciation to new boaters who wisely avail themselves of training resources. Onboard training, such as that provided by the Annapolis School of Seamanship is excellent. Another exceptional resource is America's Boating Club (formerly known as the US Power Squadrons). But clearly, many beginner boat buyers hit the water with little to no prior instruction or training. The I love yachting point is that wakes can and do cause damage, and big powerful boats leave large wakes behind that can swamp smaller vessels. Some captains seem utterly oblivious to the mountainous waves they create. I want to attribute their disregard for smaller vessels they encounter to being new to boating and simply unaware (which ultimately is no excuse). I get frustrated because while our older boat can handle most waves, we prefer to treat her more gently in hopes of avoiding harm to her systems. The Ray Hunt Design deep V hull is built for taking on rough seas, but when slamming into or off of waves, things can get loosened up or break at inopportune times. There is no need to exacerbate yet discovered faulty parts by beating the boat into a heavy chop. Sometimes that is hard to avoid, such as when we take CAYUGA into Annapolis to get to our club or creek cruise. Getting into the Annapolis Harbor (Spa Creek) requires running the mouth of the Severn River and on the weekends, the boat traffic is akin to rush hour on the Beltway – but without lane lines or speed limits. So, we maintain a keen lookout for large, fast-moving, big wake-producing, oblivious power-driven vessels. It's not uncommon for 50-foot boats to run at tsunami wake-producing speeds with reckless abandon as opposed to smaller powerboats like ours and sailboats. After all, they are in a hurry to relax. In case you are thinking I'm just nuts or rude, I offer the story of a powerboat owner being held legally responsible for their wake. This event occurred on the Chester River in 2015 when an oblivious boater capsized two log canoes. The 58-foot cabin cruiser's wake not only swamped the log canoes but also inflicted damage. The owner was found guilty of negligent operation of a vessel and hit with a small fine and court costs. In closing, this website is intended to be interactive. So if anyone has had similar experiences to share, please either leave a comment or submit a short story. I'm not here to just tell this story, I also want to provide you with the knowledge to not be the Rodney and end up making someone's day an "I love yachting" misadventure. Below are the regulations from the US Coast Guard concerning wake effects, wake damage, and boater responsibility. Regarding one's wake, vessels over 1600 Gross Tons (GT) are specifically required by Title 33 CFR 164.11 to set the vessel's speed with consideration for...the damage that might be caused by the vessel's wake. Further, there may be State or local laws which specifically address "wake" for the waters in question. While vessels under 1600 GT are not specifically required to manage their speed in regards to wake, they are still required to operate in a prudent matter which does not endanger life, limb, or property (46 USC 2302). Nor do the Navigation Rules exonerate any vessel from the consequences of neglect (Rule 2), which, among other things, could be unsafe speeds (Rule 6), improper lookout (Rule 5), or completely ignoring your responsibilities as prescribed by the Navigation Rules. As to whether or not a particular vessel is responsible for the damage it creates is a question of law and fact that is best left to the Courts. For more information, contact your local Marine Patrol or State Boating Law Administrator.

So one day at band camp... No, no, just kidding, but one Saturday morning, while I was supposed to be reviewing my dad's estate taxes (and do you blame me for getting sidetracked?) I said, quite out loud, "Heck with this, I'm going to look at boats". I had no intentions but to get lost in the YachtWorld rabbit hole looking and dreaming and maybe someday when I found the right boat... and well, so I proceeded. I've been looking at boats since 2013 when I sold CALIX, a Beneteau 473 - in the picture she's anchored in the west fork of Langford Creek, one of my favorite spots. I've yet to find a sailboat that I love, except for one back in 2015 out on the west coast in Seattle, SILVER APPLE, a 1985 Swan 44. She was perfect, so perfect that she sold right away and barely a week before we arrived for a wedding. A close friend of ours, who lives out near Seattle, (not related to the wedding visit) went and took a look at the boat and called and the exact words are still with me today, "Are you serious?" He said it with incredulity in his voice like it was impossible this boat could exist. But yes, Berke, we're serious, and he proceeded to describe what you might call my dream sailboat. Anyway, we thought our trip out was going to be so conveniently timed to look at the boat in person. Nope. Nothing has lived up to that sailboat since. A few years ago, we started looking at center consoles. Then we pivoted to Chesapeake Bay deadrises. Then back to sailboats and I pushed the idea of a day-sailer for a short while. I even went as far as let's get an Etchells and join the fleet at the club. Then after a run of other boats that I found that Brad poo-pooed (mind you, he asks around to other folks for valuable opinions), I stopped. Brad kept looking but nothing he found we loved either, not really. So, that Saturday, I decided to look at powerboats again. Why? Because the reality is I don't have the time for sailing as I want to do it. Whether racing or cruising. If it was going to be powerboats, I decided to channel dad. Dad had Trojans and Chris Crafts. The first Trojan I ever knew was Dad's 1968 Trojan Sea Skiff named TRIUMPH. That's me in 1970 sitting in a deck chair (safety first!) while Mom and Dad went through the locks on the way up or down between the Finger Lakes and somewhere, maybe Lake Ontario. Photographic gold. I gave Chris Craft a moment's thought. Dad bought into the first or second year of the newly re-designed, overhauled, total re-imagination of what Chris Craft could do on the water. Glad he did, I enjoyed that boat quite a bit - he almost always stood at the end of the dock when I left or arrived. While yes, beautiful boats that my dad spent oodles of time loving, I thought to myself, what would be the boat that if I were to have it, dad would maybe, just maybe, be pretty excited about? And it popped into my head - let's research Hunts. I cried a little and laughed a bit while memories streamed through my head of boating experiences because of dad, etc. It got a bit emotional... At this point back in May, Dad had been gone but a year and a few months so I like to think he would be happy for me and maybe even guiding my boat-buying thought process. Armed with experience and knowledge from Dad and my own boating adventures, I typed in Hunt, and away I went. I figured it was folly to find one I liked and wouldn't break the bank, but then she scrolled into view. What?!? Who is this girl, this most beautiful powerboat, such classic lines, not utterly out of my financial reach, what? This all happened in about 20 minutes. I copied the web link to Brad and said, "Dig in". Here's how the boat looked in the listing with FINAL GOAL shown at her mooring in Scituate, MA. They say the happiest two days of a boater's life are the day they buy a boat and the day they sell a boat. I knew this was the boat when I found the listing, there was no question. So that was the first happy day, but I'm still pretty darn happy, even with a bunch of I love yachting moments since the boat arrived in Maryland. Thinking about it, "I love yachting" could explain most of the days between the first and last day. But thanks to Dad, and I hope he likes it, I found a boat Brad and I love.

Sailing as in life, generally, is influenced by the axiom S=k. I think of the late Edwin “Nasty Ned” Shuman when an I love yachting moment occurs. About twenty years ago while making an ocean passage, Ned provided some priceless advice about what happens when you think things are going fantastic. The short version of the story of S=k is as follows. Going back those twenty years or so, we were both sailing on the Swan 44, TONIC, from Guadalupe to Annapolis. It had been a rough couple of days, especially getting through the Mona Passage. It is the strait that separates the islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico, and it connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. It's an important shipping route between the Atlantic and the Panama Canal, but aboard a small sailboat, it can get turbulent. A few days after getting tossed around in the Mona Passage, we finally got treated to some great sailing. I was at the helm steering the boat comfortably on a beam reach, warm sunshine on my face, and a freshly opened cold Heineken in hand. I looked over at Ned and exclaimed, “This is perfect". Ned’s reply was, “Yea, but don’t ever forget, S=k.” I looked back at him and asked what he meant by that cryptic formula? Ned then explained to me, just because conditions were excellent at that moment, “shit is constant in the universe” and shit would return. I thanked (yes for the explanation but not for the newly found wisdom of knowing shit was always right around the corner) Ned and then reminded him that I wanted to enjoy the cold beer and pleasant conditions while it lasted. I have never forgotten that bit of simple insight, though, and use it often. It is so true, it seems that just when things are going well, S comes back to mess things up. You might be sailing along thinking what a lovely time you’re having – bang, the main halyard breaks. S=k.

And here I am with some uber concentration... really mostly b/c as soon as Brad says "smile" I do about everything but - if it's not a naturally caught photo, anyway, I said we'd be back at this and here we are, getting this steering fluid sorted out. In my opinion, a minor I love yachting moment, the fact that we had to do this ALL over again, but thankfully it's not a major problem. The Seastar tech told us to do it this way for the second attempt: keep the bleeder caps on and turn the wheel all the way and then another turn past. For both port and starboard turnings. Getting the wheel to turn past where it stops was a hard over while watching the rudder indicator. I did this twice. By the way, it's messy even if you have paper towels everywhere, drip pads, and containers within containers. But thankfully none of that created an inadvertent follow-on I Love Yachting situation. Result? We may have gotten things where they should be. Or at least closer than they were before our outing Friday. The wheel "catches" almost immediately. No major lag or nearly a turn and a half for nothing. Brad's got it all neatly stowed away now. So until next season, at least the steering fluid and performance of the SeaStar system is off the I love yachting ****list. I can't say the same for the electrical system...

It was a rather warm day in Annapolis yesterday and we were expecting some storms to roll through later but that did not stop us from taking CAYUGA off the dock and motoring into town for a fuel up and our first ever dip in the pool at the Activity Center. It was a very welcome dip too. After that, everything seemed a little cooler. Around 4ish, the storms came rumbling as predicted. I had already run down to the dock and buttoned up the canvas. So we sat at the Burgee Bar and watched the lightning show with the rest of the former pool-goers and folks who had started to show up for happy hour. Once the skies started to clear I turned to Brad and asked what his radar app was showing and if we had a window to get back to the marina. Yes, but it was time to leave! It was a beautiful ride home in cooler air with dark 'n stormy skies behind us. Brad shared this picture he got - I love the steam from the exhaust and the perfect wake. We docked the boat and had about 5 minutes to roll down the canvas from the ride then blammo, the rain came with a cool blast of air ahead of it. Under the dodger, we enjoyed a glass of wine and marveled at our girl. Great day, great boat!

A friend defines yachting as fixing a boat while in exotic places. The marina where we keep CAYUGA, while not exotic, is a pleasant place to tie up and a suitable yacht yard to make repairs. There is an old saying that necessity is the mother of invention. Out of necessity, because of difficulties getting expert assistance these days, we are rolling up our sleeves, bloodying knuckles, and fixing what we can ourselves. Our most recent self-fix earlier this month, was to bleed air out of CAYUGA’s SeaStar hydraulic steering system. The play in the wheel was way too loose. Holly was making almost 3 full turns before the wheel would "catch". While not difficult or a knuckle-buster job, hydraulic fluid bleeding can get messy. Holly and I prepared by watching a few YouTube videos. Holly found a person who showed a way to do it without needing two people. I ran it by SeaStar tech support (trust but verify) and got instructed to stick with the instructions in the SeaStar manual, and here's a link for your reading enjoyment. So, along with needing a bottle of SeaStars' hydraulic steering fluid, filler bleed kit, tools, and lots of paper towels, I needed a friend to volunteer to help me (it turned into a weekday job, as Holly could not break away from hers.). By the way, this story is not intended as another “how-to” bleed a Sea Star system, but more “lessons learned” by me for the next time. Anyway, as luck would have it, longtime friend (a retired airline Captain) John Yackus offered to lend a hand. And, John has done the job on his Saberline 42. What could go wrong? John showed up at the marina at the appointed time, and we knocked it out. Start to finish took less than thirty minutes – except for the clean-up afterward. John took the helm end of the job and I the hydraulic cylinder at the back of the boat. Assuming the bottle of fluid gets properly connected to the fitting at the helm, that part of the operation should be a breeze. However, my end of the job was to be a mess. Full disclaimer, the reason for the retroactive photos is that my hands got coated in hydraulic fluid at the time, making holding onto my camera impossible. The short version description of the job is as follows. John held the fluid bottle at the helm and turned the wheel from side to side as instructed. I loosened the two fittings on the ram where the fluid comes out while simultaneously holding the cylinder rod and trying to contain the fluid squirting out of the fitting as John turned the wheel. And re-tightening the fittings. I should have gotten a piece of tubing to attach to the fittings to control where the fluid bleeding out of the system went. Instead, I sawed the top off an empty Modello can (from out of the trash!) and attempted to catch the fluid in mid-air as it squirted into the bilge. The lesson learned is to connect a piece of tubing to the fittings next time. John’s debrief echos that the plastic tubing would have made the job go better and cleaner. It also would have enabled me to watch the air bubbles come out of the fitting, as well as regulate the flow to a container. With a hand free, I could have adjusted the fittings and held the ram. John also suggests that when referring to instructional YouTube videos, look for the helpful pointers derived from experience. The videos about bleeding SeaStar systems always seem to have that clear tube going to a containment bottle. Yep, I should have gone to the ship’s store and purchased a foot of clear tubing before, and my day would have been easy-button. Then again, CAYUGA’s bilge is even a bit cleaner now! The bottom line, proper tools help, but patience, patience, patience is always the key. In the end, we got the feel of the wheel better than it was, and Holly would be the judge. John went on his way, and I stayed behind to mop up the mess. Other than that, I felt it was a modestly successful “do it yourself” job. But! In the true spirit of I Love Yachting, there is more to this story... and tomorrow morning, Holly (on a day off) and I will be doing it all over again.

First off, a wholehearted thanks to everyone who took the time and interest to share their thoughts and opinions about CAYUGA's graphics options. The bold blue lettering got a slim majority. And we loved your comments on the matter. They ranged from, "whatever is less expensive...ha" to "Get ‘er done! ….spill some rum on the letters to give it patina!". There were some very thoughtful comments on how the blue would be a better contrast and seen from afar to "likely to be outvoted but the stern is big enough". In the beginning, it was all bold blue carrying the day but as the vote went on, bold white was pulling up fast. Bold blue got 10 votes and bold white 8. There were a few folks who sent texts and unfortunately, the poll won't reflect those votes, but thanks to Jack and Berke for their bold white votes, so in the end - we have a tie! So, what did we ultimately go with? With history on our minds, we took the cue from PUG and did what was originally done. The blue outline would be our little touch but PUG led us to the right font. I know there's a graphics person out there who is grateful... We can't thank Accent Graphics enough for putting up with a zillion font ideas, pondering and then some more pondering, and finally this past week, Wednesday morning, Jake came out to the marina and applied the name to the transom. Done!

Yesterday was a fine yachting day. CAYUGA cooperated - no I Love Yachting stories, thankfully. Sometimes when we leave the dock all I want to do is turn around as fast as possible and dock her and call it a 5 minute day. But the longer we go without trouble, the more I think there's gonna be a massive issue, or well, maybe we'll have a whole bunch of beautiful outings and I should calm the f*** down. I wasn't feeling well, might have been a bad crab the night before but I promised Brad I would attempt an afternoon rally and we'd poke the boat's nose out into Whitehall Bay and maybe that would be it but we'd find out. Once I got away from the dock, I didn't start feeling better, no, but I was enjoying the light breeze and low chop so the ride was comfortable, and CAYUGA was humming along. She felt like she wanted to keep on going. Who was I to say no? We first called a friend to see if they were still at their place on Back Creek but they'd just left to get back to the DC area, so we went rode up past Naval Academy Bridge and then leisurely turned around to do a tour of Spa Creek, like everyone else. CAYUGA never fails to catch someone's eye and this time it was a friend who was anchored out above the draw bridge. We'd just passed their boat and I was looking forward and Brad was glancing admirably backward at a beautiful yacht and the owner popped out onto the deck and waved - it was Bernard! As I waved back, he was already putting out fenders for us to pull alongside. Guess I'm going to be practicing some raft-up maneuvers unexpectedly - with a breeze. Brad, master of the obvious says, "Make sure you don't hit Bernard's boat". oh... really... What do you do? You go slow and you observe how the other boat is swinging. She was swinging our way so I adjusted to have the breeze gently blow us up to the boat but then she started swinging away so now I've got to give our gal some juice. With 3 fenders on CAYUGA and 3 on RENATE, we landed softly and proceeded to join Bernard aboard with his guest Justin. It turns out that Justin was the one who saw CAYUGA and pointed her out to Bernard - well he knew the boat and wasted no time rolling out the welcoming mat (AKA fenders). We hopped aboard Bernard's Hunt and enjoyed a quick tour of the boat and the engine compartment (it is stunningly clean and impressive). Talk about massive sea strainers, geez, the biggest. The boat is kept at a local marina and Bernard had gone to the gas dock in hopes of a few days away from Annapolis to visit Oxford but this week's weather report had dashed that idea so the anchor was rolled out and they were just relaxing when we happened along. Bernard's wife rang and it was time to get back to the dock and meet up for cocktails, so we gave Bernard and Justin a short look around CAYUGA and then we shoved off. These are the moments that make all the "I love yachting" headaches seem like distant, fading memories that must have been in another life. I have missed being on a boat, a boat of my own to be specific, so much these past 8 years. Life on the water, days like yesterday, are worth every penny and moment and shared on-the-water experience. This was a day when friends got a little closer and laughed a little lighter.

Holly is typically laser-focused and a task master. But there are times she can’t seem to make up her mind. Deciding on the graphic design and font for lettering CAYUGA onto the transom is stymying her. It’s like when we sit at a bar with more than two IPA’s on tap to choose from. Me, if Stella is on tap, done. Not Holly. She will get tastes of the various IPA options and thinks about each seemingly forever. It’s not uncommon for me to have finished my first before she decides and orders. That’s how the boat name graphic design choice is going – slow, with no selection yet. She directed me to a website called MrFonts.com and to click on the Google Fonts tab. I immediately found one I liked on the page with font names that begin with the letter A. Holly wanted me to look at the font page for every letter in the alphabet. I am way too ADD for that. So, as luck would have it, I got sent a photo of the boat when she was called PUG, with a fine shot of the transom. The yachtsman, Blair Brown, who had her built, is at the helm. Anyway, I like the font he used and suggested we copy it. Holly agreed to my surprise and utter amazement, sparing me another night on the Mr. Fonts website. But we are not done and still have to make a final decision between the designs. We are using Accent Design in Annapolis for creating and applying the name. Chris has exhibited the patience of Job while being asked for just one more mockup. I swore to him that this was the last one we would ask him to do. So, here's a poll for you to vote on what you think would look the best. Holly took a quick, highly un-scientific poll at her office and it was a tie between two of the choices with an outlier picking one of them no one else did. Let's see if you can do any better! Looking forward to your choices and thanks for joining the fun.

Over the past forty years of big boat racing, I have had the good fortune to crew for some exceptional owners on their extraordinary boats — the kind of skipper who values competition and how to have some fun along the way. Without a doubt, Mike Duncan was one of those types. DRIVEN, as his boat's name implied, made clear Mike was a fierce competitor. However, he was enjoyable to sail for as part of his racing crew. In short, sailing with Mike on his Frers 40 was a good time. Mike bought DRIVEN from Bert Jabin and kept the boat at the old Junk Jungle docks at Jabin Yacht Yard. Bert Jabin's son and current Yard owner, Rod, talked to me about racing with Mike when I asked and he described DRIVEN as, "a brut, one of the early German Frers IOR mast head powerhouses built in Argentina. It would go upwind like crazy". I came to the boat through a connection with a friend of Mike's named Juan Cameron. Still fresh out of college, in 1982, I lived in an apartment connected to Juan's home in Georgetown. He was a longtime Washingtonian and accomplished yachtsman. Juan was serving as Mike's tactician and recommended to him that I join the crew. I was initially unaware of what an accomplished person Mike was; a Washington, DC attorney with one of the big-name firms who had grown up in New York City. Mike was a graduate of the Hotchkiss School, Yale, and Harvard Law School. But when aboard his boat, Mike was seemingly a regular guy who loved sailing, winning, and like most sailors, beer. I visited with Mike's daughter, Diana, on Gibson Island a couple of years ago. Mrs. Duncan lives there full-time now, and Diana was visiting from California. She recalled that her father began sailing while at Hotchkiss on Lake Wononscopomuc. She remembers how focused he was to win the start, even on longer races. And that he was driven to excel in everything he did, hence the name. Getting to the title of this post, the first time Mike requested that I go below and get him a barley sandwich, I had to ask for an explanation. It turned out that "barley sandwich" is what he called a can of beer. To this day, I use that Mike-ism to ask for a beer when aboard a boat. I did a lot of racing with Mike aboard DRIVEN that year. The highlight came at the end when we won the fall classic known as the Skipper Race. I'll not forget it for two main reasons. The first is that the return leg back up the Chesapeake Bay from Bell Buoy "57" off of Cedar Point was a tough upwind slog. DRIVEN ate it up, but the late October wind was hard out of the northeast, and there was a big chop. It was a nasty, wet, and cold beat back to Annapolis, finishing well after dark. The second is that we won our class. I fondly remember back in the slip and tied up at Junk Jungle, Mike passing around whiskey shots to warm us up and celebrate the hard-fought win. I moved on to another boat the following year. But I have never forgotten sailing with Mike. Sadly, he made his "final passage" in 1991 at the young age of 60. It's always fascinating to me what gets included in accomplished people's obituaries. Even though his life was cut short, Mike certainly had many achievements. Interestingly, included in his New York Times obit was mention of that 1982 Skipper Race. It reads, "An avid sailor, he won several major races on the Chesapeake Bay, including the Annapolis Yacht Club Skipper's Race in 1982." I feel fortunate to have been there aboard DRIVEN for a race that was worthy of mention in the short summary of his life. Mike, will never be forgotten. He and the Skipper Race are memories now – both are gone. But they live on in the history and stories of the sport of yacht racing. Next time you need onboard refreshment, call for that cold beer by asking for a barley sandwich and think of Mike.