17 FBYC Members and guests in 3 Sailing vessels, one power boat, and several cars celebrated life with old and new friends on the historic grounds of what is now Ditchley Ciderworks. See: https://www.ditchleyciderworks.com/
Cathy Calhoon, Paul Grosklegs,and sister Pam treated the group to a fixed price open bar happy hour, wonderful dinner, and an over the top tour of the manor house that predates the Revolutionary war. Some stayed over and came ashore to enjoy grounds and Brunch before their Sunday departure.
Cathy and Paul recently (in historic terms) acquired this historic property and have chosen preservation over development, as a way of giving back.
Ditchley was once owned by the original Lee family (yes …
"Pop- Up Cruise" organized: FBYC cruise to Urbanna October 12 for the annual Oyster Stroll. Overnight at Urbby Marina. Breakfast at a local restaurant for those interested. Likely to add a night before or afterwards in the Corrotoman River.
July 6th: Be part of the 150th celebration of Reedville! Meet at Reedville in Cockrell Creek for an evening of fellowship, food and fireworks! Cocktails on one of our boats, then a FBYC dinner at the Reedville Market, https://reedvillemarket.com/, and end the evening enjoying fireworks from land or your boat. Return home on the 7th. Optional stop the night of the 5th in Fleet’s Bay for a relaxing evening for those who want to.
Calling all fathers and grandfather sailors. It's YOUR Father's Day weekend so grab your kids and grandkids to celebrate the way you prefer . . . on the water. Hope you can join us. Mothers are allowed. Or, treat as a rare "free pass."
The Cruising Division’s first on-the-water event, a Captain’s Choice cruise, is scheduled for this weekend, May 15-16. It will be preceded by drinks and snacks at Fannie's Friday, May 14th at 6:00 PM. It is a BYOB/BYOS event. Since it is a BYOB/BYOS event, cruisers who are not signed up for the event are invited to stop by.
Cruisers are encouraged to participate in the Sunflower Raft-up on Sunday, May 30th on the Fishing Bay side of the club. Early arrivals begin at 12:30PM and the raft-up's circle is scheduled to complete at 4:00PM.
Join FBYC members Carol Vaughn and Dave Tabor Wednesday, February 24 from 7-8 PM, online, as they describe how they sailed to exotic lands and foreign waters on other people's boats.
In 2018, Dave (right) and his wife, Carol (left), joined the Oyster World Rally as crew aboard a 54-foot Oyster sailboat. Although Dave has decades of offshore cruising and racing experience, Carol was a "relative" newbie. She became tremendously skilled at helming in 40 knot winds and ten foot seas and also became an expert at filleting fish. (She even helped with a 60-pound tuna!)
In their webinar, you'll learn:
How they found crew positions onboard these luxury sailboats
This pandemic has brought much tragedy, disruption and pain. But it has offered some opportunities that many of us would have never considered--such as attending multiple boat shows, simultaneously, online. So while we hope and plan for a beautiful sailing season, check out either of these two shows to lift your spirits and enhance your sailing skills:
The Toronto Show is going on now through this Sunday and is free. There are many sessions ranging from sail choice to cruising locations to electrical improvements to VHF communications. Your can see are the seminars at: https://virtual.torontoboatshow.com/seminars/
Another option is the Seattle Boat Show beginning Thursday, January 28-31. This show also has multiple sessions including Navionics usage, anchoring …
Should you require a slip prior to or after the parade, there are limited slips available on Carters Creek for early registrants. Please register your boat by November 14, 2020. Email your docking requirements to me at LightsontheCreek@gmail.com
Begin the Christmas season with a colorful boat parade!
In spite of challenging conditions having nothing to do with wind or weather, FBYC's Cruising Division had a stellar season. Boats, circumnavigated the Delmarva Peninsula on the outside and traveled from Baltimore to Norfolk on the inside--all the while being physically distant yet socially close. A number of our boats are currently traversing the Big Ditch for the winter, including Commander Nancy Powell and husband Chris Lindholm aboard Bolero. Others are enjoying the Bay's fall winds or laying up for the winter.
To put a fork in this season (or fid if you prefer!), join your fellow cruisers on Zoom for our Closing Cocktail Hour on Sunday, November 1 at 5 PM. We'll share stories from our travels, talk about …
The ATB (Around the Bay) cruisers have weathered headwinds, rain, and fog with good cheer and remarkable resiliency. Sailing Vessels Bolero, Joyful, Reveille and Whisper reached their northern goal of the Sassafras River four days ago. After turning their bows back south, they stopped in Chestertown, MD and Rock Hall. They're now "holed up" at the Cambridge Yacht Club on the Eastern Shore's Choptank River. After a week of cruising together, their little “ safe pod” of FBYC sailors are becoming like family in an otherwise slightly alien world. Photo: S/V Reveille hard on the wind with George and Lyons Burke at the helm near the Annapolis Bay Bridge.
The cruising division's interior circumnavigation of the Chesapeake Bay left three days late due to 20-25 knot winds from the north. (The wind is always in the direction you want to go, isn't it!) But that didn't keep our sailors from enjoying fantastic cool weather and wonderful socially distant companionship once they cast off. After a stop in Solomons, the next port on their 20-day cruise is Annapolis before they continue north. The second half of the cruise will be the southern bay--and the winds will probably be from the south! Continue to look for more updates as they explore our beautiful sailing waters.
This coming weekend we have a popular Captain’s Choice led by Doug and Alison Selden. Doug has been thinking of destinations where we will also be able to distantly socialize. We’ll meet at 5:30 at the picnic area near the East Dock, Friday, September 11 to discuss possibilities, taking into consideration the wind, weather, etc. Please sign up and join us on our last Captain’s Choice of the season.
The Around the Bay Cruise led by George and Lyons Burke is scheduled to start 9/18 for a 5:00pm pre-cruise get together at the club. Many are really looking forward to this event and the Burkes have spent a great deal of time and energy …
For this Captain’s Choice the cruise leaders have selected a marina designation. Set your sails for Cape Charles Town Harbor marina, leaving Saturday, July 25th. Several slips will be reserved but you make your own reservations on DOCKWA and identify our group. The hope is that we will be clustered together which will make happy hour and “distancing” easy. A pre-cruise “distanced” happy hour is planned for Friday, the 25th, at the picnic table on the club lawn near the East Dock. You may wish to bring chairs. It’s BYOB as we are not sharing food or beverages at this time.You may bring a snack for your group. Sign up on …
As of this writing three boats from the Cruising Division are signed up to participate in a Delmarva circumnavigation, June 27th through July 3rd. Several others have expressed interest. The three boats so far are Bolero (Lindbloom/ Powell), C’mon Wind (Gregory), and Mood Sway (Moody). This will be a counter-clockwise trip, heading South East out of DVL, through the mouth of the Bay, and an overnight sail North to Cape May, NJ. Following a rest in Cape May the flotilla will progress up the Delaware Bay, arriving at the C&D Canal at a time calculated to motor through the canal, going with the current. (Sailing is not allowed on the 13-mile canal.) Near the Western end of …
Want to go cruising but don't have a boat? There are loads of club members with cruising boats who would welcome you aboard for a day, a weekend or perhaps an even longer trip. Here's how to get started:
Beginning with two Richmond-based "get-togethers," on February 20 and April 2, you'll meet some of these skippers and learn about exploring the Chesapeake Bay. FBYC has numerous captains who are eager to share their time, their sailboats and their expertise with novices and experts alike.
Session 1: Cruising on the Chesapeake Bay Learn where we go sailing, the cruising philosophy, and meet others wanting to learn new skills and make new friends.
Register before September 20 to attend the Captains Choice Cruise to Mill Creek September 27 through 29. Attractions include wine tasting and catered dinner.
Cape Charles line honors and overall winner is claimed by Doug Anderson assisted by Brad Miller. In what is becoming a very popular annual event, this year’s version had twelve yachts and some fifty people enjoying the sail down to Cape Charles in near perfect conditions. The group was diverse; racers and cruisers, regular crew and families, racing boats and sturdy circumnavigators. The festival on the dock lasted several hours and after much deliberation, a trophy was selected and awarded…albeit somewhat depleted. The return Sunday to the club was uphill but, for an August day, simply fantastic. Look for the 7th edition on the club schedule next year, you will not be disappointed in your participation. It …
Saturday's "Women's Skill-Building" day on the water gave six sailors loads of practice docking (thanks Deltaville Boatyard for your new T-Head!) and "springing off" against an onshore breeze. Everyone had a chance to practice and embrace the old maxim, "approach a dock as fast as you're willing to hit it." Each sailor did a fantastic job and learned that a second approach is encouraged and more than OK when it's needed.
We also had a brief look at AIS radios, SOLAS flares and practiced fighting a fire with ABC extinguishers. "There is far less powder in an extinguisher than I appreciated before pulling the pin on one," said one sailor. (Thank you Brian for safely providing a fire …
Want to dock a big boat with more confidence? How about practicing quick stops and MOB drills? Or maybe you need to feel at ease on the radio?
Then come and spend Saturday, June 1 from 10 am-3 pm, on board S/V Soulemate as we do all the above and more. Skipper Karen Soule will run her crew through all those everyday tasks to help everyone feel more comfortable and competent on the water. Soulemate can accommodate FOUR more women. Email her directly at: karen.soule@gmail.com to reserve your place.
Calling all fathers and grandfather sailors. It's YOUR Father's Day weekend so grab your kids and grandkids to celebrate the way you prefer . . . on the water. Hope you can join us. Mothers are allowed. Or, treat as a rare "free pass."
