boats

2012 Solomons Offshore Grand Prix

Great day for some speedboat racing … 70 degrees with a 15 mph NE breeze and some whitecaps to kick up some spray.  Check out the sponsor’s site for an overview: http://www.solomonsrace.com.  Here are some photos from our cliff side cabin of some of the participants.  Note that those heading left pictures were from the morning (11:30 AM) exit north and the right heading (2:50 PM) return south.  Higher res versions of the pictures are free for the asking … just send me a message with the comment from to the right …

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Solomon’s Island Screwpile Races 2012

As usual it is a hot July day with light winds for the first day of the Screwpile sailboat races outside Solomon’s Island on the middle Chesapeake Bay (see our Ship Tracker page for a map).  Looks like the boat count is just under 100, and the weather 93 high, partly cloudy and light winds from the north. (See graph at end of post).  But it a great day go spinnaker hunting and take a little video.  Below is a gallaery of some my shots and a short video or two.  If you would like a higher resolution photo without the watermark please use the contact form on the blog.

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Consolation prize

Well that 1812 sail by was a bit of a flop … but around 4 PM I got a nice surprise.  What started out as a white cloud on the horizon quickly revealed itself in my telescope to be a big structure on a big ship.  This combination was the tallest thing I have seen on the Bay and the sail by was perfectly timed for sunset.  So while the 1812 sailby was no big deal this was.  Check out the history of this bridge carrier here: http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/showallphotos.aspx?imo=8008761

UPDATE (6/20): They eventually changed the positioning of the cranes and closed the Bay Bridge to get them under.  Check out the story and pictures, video at WTOP: http://www.wtop.com/41/2910469/14-story-ships-cargo-closes-Bay-Bridge

1812 Sailby – No biggie

Well the 1812 – 200th anniversary sail by was no big deal.  Rain and bad timing left the 5 tall ships passing in the evening rain and mist on 6/12 and a couple military ships on the morning at 6/13.  Finally a Coast Guard schooner passed by around noon.  At least the weather turned out better sooner.

Crab Boats (and pots) return to the MiddleBay

The seasonal return of the Crab Boat is something we look forward to.  Unlike some waterways the Chesapeake Bay has a real mix of boats and ships, ranging from the smallest sailboat to impressive container ships that are bigger than a small football stadium.  The Chesapeake Crab Boat and its “throaty” engine start and stop off the waters below our cliff in all sorts of weather.  When its foggy I think of Maine and the places we have stayed near Acadia National Park like SouthWest Harbor (they built Hickeys there).  When its still the water ripples out across the glassy surface and you easily spot dozens and dozens of floats in the shallower waters.  Although I used to hate these in my sailing days they sure look pretty with the setting sun setting off the yellows, oranges, red and greens of the floats.  When it is rolling I feel sorry for the crabbers as the spring slat water spray must be cold.  For a nice little slideshow with some photos and a narrative of being on these small boats click here for JohnShorePhoto.

Amazing boat sail out of and back to the Bay

Follow the journey, story, pictures and chance to donate (http://www.solotheamericas.org), here is a excerpt:

Matt intends to sail single-handed East To West through the the Northwest Passage beginning this summer. “The ice won’t melt enough to make the attempt util August,” he says – and as if it weren’t challenge enough, he’ll do it in a 27 Albin-Vega donated to the Chesapeake Regional Accessible Boating (aka CRAB) specifically for his voyage.Despite possessing the soul of an explorer (or perhaps because of it), Matt also possesses the compassionate heart of a good man, and has spent his time in Annapolis working with CRAB, helping persons with disabilities get out and enjoy the water.  The voyage is aimed at raising money for CRAB, and Matt hopes to drum up enough support to get him through successfully while furthering CRAB’s misson.  He’ll be accepting sponsorship in the form of ‘money for miles,’ and all donations will go straight towards supporting CRAB.

We will be looking for his AIS signal as he gets close to home