[Rhodes22-list] Artic Sail

Wed Mar 19 12:54:25 EDT 2008

Tom,

My wife and 16-year old son have spent the summers in Ocean City since he
was born.  They let me visit on weekends.

I've sailed and powered up and down big and little Assawoman, but I've only
powered through the inlet.  The inlet is real scary the first time you go
throught it.  Depending on the tide it can get unbelievably rough, and
weekends in the summer are bumper to bumper rush hour.  After you've done it
once it's no big deal.  My son has taken a paddleboard across and you see
jet skis and small boats going through all the time.  The line at the Route
50 drawbridge can get pretty long.

Assawoman Bay is not the best sailing area in the world.  My next door
neighbor's father docks his Rhodes22 there and a couple of years ago one of
our female sailors kept her boat there.  Don't know if she is still on the
list.  You'll definitely want a good set of charts because that is one
shallow body of water.  Our masts will go under the Route 90 bridge that
separates big A from little A, but you might want to check the clearance if
you get a different boat.  Come to think of it, with our short masts and
shallow drafts, the Rhodes is probably the perfect sailboat for Assawoman. 
Most of the boats out there are pontoons.

Good luck!

Lee

Tom Bickerstaff wrote:
> 
> Hi guys.
> 
> Kent Narrows isn't my favorite spot either - hard aground on the north
> side
> smack dab in the middle of the channel no less!  That was in our Hunter 35
> days.  We're in withdrawal for the time being, having sold the Hunter two
> years ago.  Looking to acquire a recycled R22 and sail her in the Big
> Assawoman Bay (BAB) just inside Ocean City, MD.  Is anybody at all
> familiar
> with BAB?  How treacherous is it?  And how treacherous is "going out" into
> the Atlantic through the inlet at Ocean City.
> 
> I'd like to hear from someone.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Tom Bickerstaff 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org
> [mailto:rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org] On Behalf Of Mary Lou Troy
> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 11:38 AM
> To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Artic Sail
> 
> Hi Lee,
> Isn't Kent Narrows fun? That's where our motor quit last year: on the 
> south side with the current sweeping us back towards the bridge.
> 
> Probably better to try the Narrows in those conditions than the long 
> way around under the Bay Bridge. The wind, waves and current would 
> not have been fun. We've done that under those conditions but not at 
> those temperatures. Makes the case for a good set of foulies over the 
> warm stuff.
> 
> Was there much chop on the north side of the narrows?
> 
> Thanks for the account.
> 
> Mary Lou
> 
> 
> At 11:16 AM 3/18/2008, you wrote:
> 
>>My marina was sold to a Sea Ray dealer and all sailboats were told to
> vacate
>>before the 1st of April.  Yesterday was the only day I had available
before
>>the deadline to move her to my new marina.
>>
>>By 8:00 a.m. the temperature had risen to 32 degrees.  Winds were
predicted
>>at 15 to 18 m.p.h. until mid afternoon.  Perfect sailing weather.  The new
>>marina was only three miles north of the old marina by land, but twelve
>>miles by sea.  Naturally, the wind was directly from the north.
>>
>>As bad as this sounds, it was a wonderful day of sailing.
>>
>>The first hour was mostly a broad reach with little sail out.  I left the
>>motor hanging down in the water and the wind was still pushing me at over
>>five knots the entire time.
>>
>>The second hour was motoring directly into the wind and chop.  I was
> dressed
>>for skiing to include polar mittens and a neck gator over my face, but my
>>front was soaking wet by the time I reached the Kent Narrows.  This wasn't
>>part of the wonderful day of sailing.
>>
>>The most challenging part of the day was waiting for the drawbridge. 
Since
>>I was the only idiot in the water, I assumed the troll operating the
bridge
>>would raise it when he saw me.  I was told that the current at Kent
Narrows
>>was strong but had no idea how difficult it would be to keep a boat
>>stationary in that kind of wind and current.  By the time I got to my cell
>>phone and called him I must have done half a dozen 360s.  He told me he
>>couldn't open the bridge until I let him know my intent, which I can
>>understand because he probably couldn't figure out what the heck I was
>>doing.
>>
>>When I got through the Narrows, the wind was decreasing and the
temperature
>>was increasing and life was good.  Spent the afternoon sailing in about 8
>>knot winds and nearly 50 degrees with not a cloud in the sky or a care in
>>the world.
>>
>>I should have bought a sailboat a long time ago.
>>
>>Lee
>>1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
>>Kent Island, MD
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>>
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> 
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