Scott’s friend, Lars, has a 28 foot Tartan that he wanted to move from the Washington Sailing Marina near Regan Airport out to Deale, MD. Someone called it a pseudo bachelor party for Scott and there ended up being six of us total. It would be an overnight trip around 155 miles (135 nm) sailing the whole way. Matt was the only person without sailing experienced. I think the rest of us had all done long overnight trips before. A lot would depend on the weather.
Robert and his wife had us over for dinner and to stay the night on Friday so we could leave early Saturday morning. Scott and Robert had dropped Scott’s car off at the destination marina. We ate chili and spicy enchiladas for dinner. Everyone passed out pretty early and by 11:30 I found I was the only one awake. I wasn’t ready for bed on this Friday just yet so I drove the 10 minutes home and eventually passed out in my own bed. The next morning I showed up for breakfast. We had breakfast tacos with farm raised pork I believe. It was a good way to start the day.
The plan was to leave the dock around 9:00 and we got there 15 or 20 minutes beforehand to pack. Lars and Steve’s wives and kids were there to see us off. Once the boat was loaded and all the hugs and kisses were given we left around 9:30. In for the long haul.
We had lots of food, water, beer, and music. The GPS guided us the whole way. Lars had all the way points in for the whole trip so we just followed the route and rounded a buoy on every turn. The GPS map included depth and it was surprisingly shallow in many areas of the Potomac. We had to motor most of the way down the Potomac because of a southern breeze. We used the jib or main as much as we could. The weather wasn’t perfect but not too bad on Saturday. The overcast kept the sun away mostly. It rained around us a lot and on us a bit. We passed the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Fort Washington, Mt Vernon, and a ton of other landmarks. A fire boat passed us with its lights on but we didn’t spot any boats on fire ahead of us. I’ve driven over the RT-301 bridge a lot going from Annapolis to Richmond but had never been under it. We were able to use the auto pilot often and just set the course that the GPS told us to go. After the 301 bridge the river really opened up. Once night settled in we just followed the route on the GPS and watched out for other boats.
Around midnight I think everyone passed out but Steve and Lars who sailed all night in the rain.
I slept in the back berth which was nice because I had walls. Matt and Scott slept in the cabin benches so when we heeled over or came about they would tend to roll off their bench. Around daybreak everyone woke up but Scott. I sailed for a bit on a nice easy beam reach. We had a nice wind coming from the west that kept us on a reach up the Bay until it died. Then we sat in the hot sun with no wind while we motored the rest of the way. The last leg was brutal in the sun and humidity. I managed to protect myself mostly but it wasn’t easy with as much as you sweat in 100 degree heat index. We also managed to drink all the beer but one of the 10% ABV Gubna’s.
The wives and kids met us at the destination marina in Deale, MD. It looked like a nice marina. There was a wedding going on and people hanging out at the beach. We saw two crabs mating in the water at the dock. Once the boat was unloaded and the cars packed we were off. It was a long trip for only being 36 miles away by car. After leaving at 9:30am on Saturday we arrived around 1:30pm on Sunday (28 hours). Our route was 166 miles (144 nm).
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