[Rhodes22-list] Chesapeake Re: steaming light fun .... mystery partially solved

[Mary Lou Troy]

Mike,
A few answers to your Chesapeake questions.

Sketchy plans are good. You' do want to take your planning tools and 
be flexible. Your plan (Annapolis, St. Michael's, Rock Hall) is a bit 
ambitious but doable if the weather cooperates. If you could squeeze 
an extra day in there it would be easier. I wouldn't try to go as far 
as the Choptank.

If you are looking for an anchorage in the Magothy, I can personally 
recommend the big triangular cove at the top of Gibson Island (often 
called Eagle Cove or Eagle's Nest but not marked as such on any 
chart). It's quite beautiful. If you want something a little more 
sheltered if the winds are kicking up the cove on the east side of 
the island in Broad Creek is very nice. the island barely shows as 
such on the charts but it's very visible once you are there.

Crossing the Chesapeake is generally only a couple of hours depending 
on wind direction. If it's on the nose, it could take a lot longer 
under sail. Remember to add the time from the Chesapeake proper to 
your destination to your calculations. I.E., it's probably only an 
hour plus a little from the Severn to Bloody Point at the mouth of 
Eastern Bay but if you are headed to St. Michael's, it's a good half 
hour from your mooring in Annapolis harbor to the mouth of the Severn 
and it's probably another 2 to 3 hours motoring from Bloody Point up 
Eastern Bay and down the Miles to St. Michael's. (My distance chart 
says 14 nm from Bloody Point Light to St. Michaels - might be 14.5 by 
the time you get into a slip).

There ought to be moorings available in Annapolis. Later in the 
season, we tell people to get there around noon because that's when 
people who are leaving have to vacate. This time of year it shouldn't 
be a problem even on a Saturday. If the moorings in the main harbor 
are taken, there are usually some available up past the drawbridge 
which opens on the hour and half hour (except weekday rush 
hours).  If the winds are from the South or East the main anchorage 
gets rolly and it's better up under the bridge. Naval academy 
graduation is Friday 5/22 so the city may be starting to get busy. 
While you are out and about toward the end of your stay watch for the 
Blue Angels practicing. They may not start practicing until Wed. but 
they do a fly-by for the graduation and we often see them ahead of time.

St. Michaels is a full day trip from Annapolis or Rock Hall - 
especially if you want to sail. It's worth it but you ought to spend 
a good portion of a day at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. 
Michaels. I just compiled marina listings for a sailing association 
trip there. I'll send them to in a separate email back channel.

Kent Narrows drawbridge opens on the hour and half hour. Make sure 
you call to let them know you are waiting. If you call on the VHF, 
other boats waiting will hear you and know you are there. There was 
at least one instance where I had to call on the cell phone because I 
couldn't get an acknowledgement on the VHF. The current is really 
strong through there so if you are waiting give yourself room to circle.

We generally figure 4.5 - 5 hours motoring for Rock Hall to St. 
Michaels. Motoring time Rock Hall to the Magothy is about 3 hours. 
Rock Hall to Annapolis is just under 4 hours motoring.

We'll be out of town until Monday afternoon. Would be glad to connect 
after that.

Mary Lou
1991 R22  Fretless
Rock Hall, MD


At 08:21 AM 5/13/2009, you wrote:
>Still planning on a Chesapeake run this Friday through next Wednesday.  The
>weather for the early part is not encouraging, but looks better from Monday
>on.
>
>Sketchy plans still:
>
>Friday, launch in or near the Magothy, overnight nearby; probably on the
>hook
>Saturday, Annapolis for the afternoon, dinner and overnight; probably on a
>mooring if we can get one
>Sunday through Tuesday .... cruise the Chesapeake roughly between Rock Hall
>(to the North) and the Choptank (to the South); we'd like to hit Rock Hall,
>St Michaels, and maybe Kent Narrows enroute between them, but the wind and
>weather will have a lot of say in when we end up where.
>Wednesday, back to our launch point, haul out, and head back to Ohio.
>
>Will firm things up a bit if I can after looking over the cruising guides
>piled on my work table and maybe connect with some of you Chesapeake Rhodies
>(Mary Lou and the Crab Alley Rhodie esp.) if things work out.
>
>For the Chesapeake Rhodies ... a question or two .... It sure looks like in
>most places in the cruising range we're planning to use that we should be
>able to cross the Chesapeake in about an hour or two.  Is that pretty much
>your experience?  It also looks like St Michaels to Rock Hall (or vice
>versa) should be easily done in a day of sailing.  Is that reasonable?
>
>We'll probably dry provision Muireann and plan to take dinners ashore most
>nights.  It's our first long cruise and I don't want it to be too much like
>camping for my Admiral.  I'm thinking that of the five nights we won't spend
>more than two on the hook, but since I'm not making marina reservations,
>that could be an underestimate.
>
>Muireann is sporting her new sails so she'll be a red hulled R22 with black
>Sunbrella on the sails.  She's got her hull number (113) on her genoa.
>
>Mike Cheung
>s/v Muireann
>
>
>
>Mike Cheung wrote:
> >
> > I'm troubleshooting a recalcitrant steaming/anchor light and am slightly
> > perplexed.  The forward masthead/anchor light, which is also the steaming
> > or running light, has not been lighting so far this season.  I finally
> > carried a multimeter up to Muireann and checked things out more
> > quantitatively.  As you know there are four pins on the mast wiring
> > harness for lights.  The one at 10 o'clock appears to be the ground.  The
> > next one clockwise at 2 o'clock or so appears to be the aft anchor light
> > and is working when the anchor light switch is on.  One would expect that
> > another pin would also be energized then for the front anchor light /
> > steaming light, but it is not.  Okay, maybe that's the problem because the
> > front light is not lit when running light is selected either.  But, a
> > check of continuity shows continuity only between the ground pin and the
> > aft anchor light pin.  This implies that both the foward anchor light /
> > steaming light bulb is out (hence not continuity) and that there is a
> > problem getting power to whatever pin it is connected to on the four pin
> > harness.  Since the probability of this is the product of the individual
> > failure probabilities, I'm suspicious.  Anything I"m missing here?
> >
>
>--
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