OSPREY JOINS WAYFARERS ON CHESAPEAKE CRUISE 2009
by Linda Heffernan

I’ve always considered cruising on OSPREY, our 36-foot ketch, a “roughing it” adventure until last May when we journeyed to Crisfield, Maryland to join up with five Wayfarers and one CL-16 participating in the four-day Chesapeake Cruise sailing from Crisfield to Tangier and Smith Islands.  As I watched the Wayfarer cruisers prepare their boom tents, fix simple meals and stow their gear before the day’s sail, I realized that by comparison, cruising on our sailboat registers as luxurious!

Although we are regularly stopping those pesky leaks at portholes and hatches, OSPREY’s cabin is snug and dry in a downpour.   The cabin, measuring eleven feet across and high enough for a six-footer to stand, has two opposing settees and a fold-out table integral to the centerboard trunk.  The V-berth is large and certainly allows you to turn over easily, a difficult task when sleeping on the floorboards of a Wayfarer!  There is no refrigeration aboard, but OSPREY boasts a spacious icebox and for this two-week trip, we stored 200 pounds of block ice plus several bags of cubed ice and returned with ice left over.   OSPREY’s two water tanks each hold 50 gallons and a foot pump in the galley provides water readily.  Our meals, (always delicious, the Captain tells me) are cooked on a one-burner butane camp stove.  The ship’s battery is used for lights and radio.

OSPREY flies Wayfarer burgee in Tangier Harbor.

OSPREY’s roomy cockpit was an excellent place to host the ten Wayfarer Chesapeake Cruisers the first evening at Tangier Island.   It was a hot, still evening and we found creative ways to block out the sun and fight off the no-see-ums.  Fortunately, Tony Krauss brought the mixings for Dark and Stormies and our attention turned to passing the glasses for refills and laughter and boat stories.

Chesapeake Cruisers assemble in OSPREY's cockpit the first evening on Tangier Island.
Steve dons his netted hat to be ready for the pesky no-see-ums!

Travelling to the rendez-vous in Chesapeake Bay was half the fun.  On Wednesday, May 20th, Jim and I and our dog, Zoe, left Beaufort, NC for the 200-mile trek north.   In fact, just outside the channel of our marina is Mile Marker 200 and every five miles along the Intracoastal Waterway there is a post marking the miles from Mile 0 in Norfolk.   With the long days of May we planned to put in fifty miles a day which would give us time to sail when possible and motor when not.

Crew members Linda and Zoe observe the life jacket requirement in Great Bridge Lock near Norfolk.

The route to the Chesapeake strings together like a watery necklace of rivers, canals, and sounds.  On this cruise we traveled north on the Newport River, Adam’s Creek, Neuse River, North River, Goose Creek Canal, Pamlico Sound, Pungo River, Alligator-Pungo River Canal, Alligator River, Albemarle Sound, North Landing River, the ICW into Virginia, and Currituck Sound into the Elizabeth River and Norfolk.   On our return from Norfolk, we took a route through the Great Dismal Swamp, the Pasquotank River and into the Albemarle Sound where we reconnected with the path that had taken us northbound.   The quiet, less traveled section of the GDS was an opportunity for bird watching along the nearby shores of the narrow canal.

OSPREY motors south in the Great Dismal Swamp.

Most of the nights we spent at anchor and since this was our fourth trip to the Chesapeake some of our anchorages were return visits.  OSPREY is a very shallow draft ketch with a centerboard that allows us to nestle into coves and creeks offering less than four feet of water.    The marinas gave us a chance for hot showers, diesel fuel, and trash removal.  On the way north, we stopped at Coinjock Marina, a unique spot along the ICW canal where boaters gather to refuel, restock and rehash boating stories.  In Crisfield we stayed at Somer’s Cove Marina, a very friendly, state operated marina, and joined the Wayfarers assembling there.   On Tangier Island we berthed at the unique Parks Marina alongside the Wayfarers.  We had been to this Marina in 1993 and nothing had changed except the population of the cats who live with the owners.

Jim rows Zoe ashore for one of her twice a day chances to "sniff around."

Our goal was to sail every day and the amount of time spent sailing had to be adjusted with the desired destination at the end of the day and the wind conditions and direction.   During this cruise we enjoyed some wonderful hours of sailing.  On our second day, favorable southwest winds carried us across Albemarle Sound escorted by pods of dolphins.  The surfacing dolphins were great entertainment for Zoe who tried to join these playful animals.  Our week in the Chesapeake provided excellent sailing from Hampton Roads to Kiptopeke Beach and then on to Onancock.  The one day we had too much wind was Tuesday, May 26 when we left our anchorage outside the town of Onancock, Maryland to sail to Crisfield to meet the Wayfarers.  The forecast was southeast winds 10-15 knots.  We weighed anchor about 10 AM and motor-sailed out the Onancock River once again with a dolphin escort.  Within the hour the winds dramatically increased, and we frequently used our hand-held anemometer to verify the increasing winds.  Before we left the protection of the river, we had double reefed the main and put out ¾ of the jib.  After about two hours of winds increasing to over 30 mph, we decided to douse the sails and motor into Crisfield.   We arrived safely with only the cover on our jib damaged during the furling.  Fortunately, in Crisfield the following day, we were able to find a canvas seamstress who picked up the jib at the marina and returned it mended two hours later.  Completing this task prevented us from sailing out with the Wayfarers departing for Tangier Island on Wednesday.

OSPREY, berthed at Somers Cove Marina, where we met up
with Gary Hirsch and son, Brian, and the other Wayfarer Cruisers.

 

The damaged jib cover wasn’t the only boat challenge we encountered on the cruise.  As we motor-sailed into the North River, OSPREY’s engine, coughed, sputtered and stopped.  Jim checked the fuel filter and discovered a large amount of water that must have been stirred up during the bumpy Albemarle Sound crossing.  Another problem surfaced when we tried to use the 12-volt outlet.  The charger would not work and while we were in the process of fixing that, the primary engine ignition switch failed.  Captain Jim applied some masking tape for a temporary solution until a part could be ordered.

Fortunately, the days without boat problems far outnumbered the ones with problems.  And the enjoyment of life on the water keeps us coming back to cruising.  Whether you are on 36-foot ketch or a 16-foot dinghy, cruising allows you to blend everyday activities of eating, relaxing, sleeping, and exercising against the challenging and exciting background of the sea.  And after observing the Wayfarer Chesapeake Cruise up close, I tip my hat to the sailors live out the days and nights within the confines of a 16-foot Wayfarer!

OTHER PHOTOS:

Captain Jim aboard OSPREY approaching the Hampton Roads channel into Norfolk.


Travelling through the Norfolk harbor offers the opportunity
to see numerous US Navy vessels such as this aircraft carrier.


Southbound we passed the beautiful pirate schooner, MEKA II, whose homeport is Beaufort, NC.