Newgale Ship's Blog

Yesterday I took my friend Mike, his son Ben and his friend Matt out for a quick inaugural sail.  Mike and Ben had hoisted me to the top of the mast the previous weekend for a two-hour hellish experience trying to replace the jib halyard (don't ask) and the anchor light. All is good now but their payback was the first sail of the year.

 

I stayed overnight on the boat on Friday night and woke to absolutely calm conditions, but sunny and warm.  The wind was still light by the time we left and we motored most of the way down the river before hoisting the sails.  The temperature was in the high 60s/low 70s and the sun was shining.  A gorgeous day. 

 

We made better speed than I thought given the light winds (forecast 5-10 knots), consistently hitting 5+ knots on a beam reach.  Once on the open bay, we were doing >6 knots and sailing very comfortably through the fishing boats.  We ate lunch, tacked once and headed a bit further south before the wind died almost exactly at noon.  We motored back and sure enough the wind picked back up as we headed back toward the river.  We sailed almost all the way to the mouth the the West River. 

 

Overall it was a gorgeous day and we had no issues with the boat, motor or sails.  Here is a shot of the crew on the way out.

 

 

 

I knew it had to come but it was still sad to see her get pulled out of the water.  I had spent the previous three days cleaning and winterizing her.  When they came to get her, the sails and gear were of, the engine and systems were winterized and all the lines had been pulled.  The boom was even below decks for the winter.

 

They pulled her out and pressure washed the hull, which was in decent shape since being cleaned in August.  I marked a couple of blisters I already knew I needed to take care off and they drove her off to the yard.

 

I miscalculated and Newgale ended up being in the first row of boats at the faaaar end of the yard. She looks like you could just slide her down the embankment into the water. 

 

 

 

Thus ended my first season as a boat owner...always looking forward, of course, to next season.

 

The season was winding down and I knew the boat had to come out of the water soon.  Not only that, but I need to find a job soon too, or the boat payments would run out and that would be bad.  My last paycheck was deposited on 1 Nov and my first retirement check didn;t come until 1 Dec, so I was officially unemployed.

 

But never mind all that stress, I had to get a some more sailing in!  Time (and wind) was a wastin'!  I reconnected with my old boss, Jason, at my retirement ceremony, who was once himself a sailboat owner.  He’s permanently retired now and was interested in getting out sailing again, so we made plans to go out.

 

It was a beautiful day when we set out with light winds (<2 knots), but forecast for 5-10 knots later.  It was crystal clear and in the low sixties, but the sun kept us warm.  As we motored out the West River, I got a call on my cell phone with a job offer (the one I wanted!) starting the next week.  Timing is everything.  Of course I accepted, which also meant I really had to get the boat out that weekend.  Fortunately, it was Columbus Day weekend, so I had an extra day.  But for now, life was good.

 

The wind built quickly when we hit the open bay and we pushed out toward Thomas Point and back and then out to the center channel.  We were really flying when we turned to head back in as the wind had come up to 16-18 with gusts to 20 knots.  The GPS said we hit 7.8 knots, which was the fastest I had ever seen her do!

 

 

Of course that meant docking was a challenge as well.  I got her in the slip and left Jason tying the bow lines.  I stepped onto the finger pier to get the stern lines and she started to drift out of the slip.  Jason didn’t have enough leverage to get her back in against the wind.  Nor would he be able to sail her alone, so I jumped to get back on board. 

 

And I almost made it.  One of my feet sorta made it, and I grapped the stern rail, but my foot slipped and I ended up hanging in the water, up to my waist.  It was a bit chilly and fortunately the engine was in neutral!  Jason dropped the boarding ladder and I made my way around to the stern and got out.  A shot of reverse got us back in the slip ok and we got her tied up.

 

Fortunately I had dry clothes, ‘cause in that wind, it was COLD. We did a little work getting her ready for the winter but then I headed home for a hot shower. 

 

It’s ironic that the only time I went in the water at all this year was at the end of my final sail.  Oops.

 

 

I knew the season was coming to a close and soon I would have to go back to work after my two month “sabbatical” between retiring from the military and starting a new career.  Time was a-wasting!

 

Despite a complete lack of wind, I took her out overnight to explore the Rhode River anchorage I had previously discovered.  I ended up motorsailing over there and got a great spot, sheltered from anything from NW to S to SSE.  It was late in the day, so as soon as I anchored, I grilled up some shrimp and had dinner.

 

The temperature droped quickly when the sun set and I was soon wearing a hat and gloves.  I had a small Coleman propane heater that took the chill off below decks, but the night was too clear and quiet to ignore.  I ended up laying on the cabin roof looking at the stars.  I did call and text message a few people (especially those whose boats were already out of the water for the season!) to tell them how beautiful it was here.

 

It was a beautiful if quiet night and I turned in early.  I was up early as well for a quick breakfast and some reading as I enjoyed my coffee.  If I could just get someone to delive the Washington Post, life would be awesome.  When it warmed up later in the morning, I ventured out in the dingy and rowed up the creek.  I was having motor “issues” with the outboard, so I went with the oars instead.  The wind was picking up, but I got some great pictures of the boat at anchor with the fall colors.

 

 

 

There was enough wind to raise the sails on the way home, which was a short sail, but a good one.  I even made it home in time to hand out candy for Halloween.

 

I will definitely keep that anchorage in mind for next season.

 

 

 

21 Oct 07 - 7nm

 

My sister Lisa came to visit from Michigan (they had already had their first SNOW of the season!) for my retirement ceremony.  That Sunday, we didn’t have a lot of time (or ANY wind), but I wanted to get her out, so we motored up the Rhode River and had lunch. 

 

On the hook, we snacked on retirement party leftovers (sandwiches and cookies) before motoring back.  It was absolutely beautiful with some fall colors and sunny and warm.