Sculling Oars: Part 5

After the shaping process of the oars was competed, the laminates were fastened using silicone bronze screws. The screws were countersunk to hide them from the surface and allow the screw to have more bite into the bottom piece. 

The holes were drilled using a hand drill. First hole for the threaded portion of the screw, the second hole for the shank of the screw, and the third hole to countersink the head.

A trick when driving screws with a blade screw driver is to attach a small box wrench to the shank of the screw driver. This will increase the leverage you can use to drive stubborn screws into the wood. This was really helpful when driving a 1 3/4" screw all the way home.

When using blade fasteners, it is nice to make sure that all the slots line up in the same direction. It doesn't matter which way you choose, just that it is all consistent. It just shows that the craftman who made the piece took the time to do everything, even line up the screw heads.

Now the construction of the oars is finally completed and they are ready for their protective coatings.

Summer Cruise Day 25

Today was the last day of our summer trip. We set sail in the early morning to make it back to Baltimore at a reasonable hour. The winds were predicted to be light and variable, so I wanted to give us plenty of time.

We slowly made our way out of the river, mostly thanks to the current from the leaving tide. Once out in the bay, the winds were just as predicted: light. We set the drifter and set ourselves on a broad reach. 

As we rounded Thomas Point Lighthouse, I saw something rather interesting off in the distance. The epitome of speed sailing, a maxi yacht, motoring along. with all of its sails covered and put away. 

We figured that if anyone were to be sailing on a day like this, he would be the one, but instead they were moving along very slowly under power. I would have loved to see this yacht under full sail!

We continued our way North towards Baltimore, but as we were passing Gibson Island, the winds died. We sat for quite some time and I offered the idea of anchoring for the night and returning to port tomorrow morning. Maddie had her heart set on being home today and wanted to keep sailing until we made it home!

We pushed on, watching the sun set over the trees of the western shore. Around 11pm, we finally entered the Patapsco River. It was pitch black around us with the glow of the city off in the distance. Four drones came down and buzzed by our boat, then disappeared into the darkness of the night. Another boat passed by us with no navigation lights on, we couldn't see him, but we could hear his engine noise. We were concerned because his noise kept moving around very erratically. Luckily he also disappeared into the distance. 

While we were away, a fatal boating accident occurred when a power boat slammed into the pilings of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing several of the passengers and wounding the rest. Because of this tragedy, more navigational lights were installed on the bridge and in the river. 

All the new lights severely disoriented me. I used to sail the river by night and know exactly where I was and where I was heading without the need for my chart plotter. I knew where the buoys were and where the unlit buoys were! With the new lights and the buoys flashing at different rates from before, I was completely lost! I turned to my chart plotter to find my position and found that I was so far off course, I was going into Curtis Bay thinking that I was on course for the Inner Harbor!

I resigned myself to following the chart plotter and compass for navigational aid as I made my way up the river. I was finally able to locate the range amongst all the new lights to lead me up the river and into the Inner Harbor. 

We pulled into our slip at 12:30am, dead exhausted and ready to sleep. We were also starving and decided to tie up the boat, and then go out into town to find someplace open to get a good land cooked meal! Luckily, our favorite place was still open. Off to Koopers for a delicious burger! 

We made it back, our trip was a success, and we got engaged! It's a wonderful introduction into our cruising life!

Summer Cruise Day 24

Today we sailed further up South River towards Liberty Marina. Maddies brother was performing that afternoon, so we borrowed a car to go see it. The marina was the easiest way to get back and forth from the boat and car.

Maddie took the helm while I worked the deck to get us going. It's important to make sure that all hands on board are capable of doing all the tasks of keeping the sailboat running. Should something happen to one of the crew members while out at sea, all responsibility will fall on the other crew member.

Maddie pointed out how much smaller the volume of our boat is compared to the powerboats around us. I pointed out to her how that is our entire home!

Summer Cruise Day 23

After our adventure, it was nice to be in the same waters where we began. We took this day to relax and lounge around all day!

We rowed Morty to shore and explored Quiet Waters Park. Morty was so happy to be back on land! It was nice to spend the whole day relaxing, reading, and lounging around.

Our parents came out to join us in Harness Creek and to celebrate our engagement, as well as our safe return!

Summer Cruise Day 22

We picked up anchor this morning, just like any other morning; but today was going to be very eventful!

The winds were strong and we would make it to Harness Creek on the South River in no time! As you can see on the map, we jibed a few times while getting lined up with the river, our course was generally steady as we quickly cut through the water. When we arrived at the mouth of South River, conditions deteriorated instantly!

A weather alert was issued for the area due to the strong storm approaching

We quickly put two reefs in the main, raised the staysail, lowered the jib, and readied the anchor. We didn't raise the trysail because we wanted to still be able to move to windward since we were very close to shore. If the wind would shift, we would soon be on a lee shore! 

This storm came out of nowhere! Today started off as a gorgeous blue sky day until this cloud system rolled in. 

My sister called me to warn me about the storm. It took out the power at her boyfriends office when it rolled through Bethesda and she was concerned about what it would do to us. 

We had no options, we had no water to drift, we had shores close by on all sides, and we were faced with this monster of a storm system. The weather alarm activated and the report stated that this storm was predicted to have winds in excess of 50 knots. Our plan was to try to continue making our way into the creek and hope the wind doesn't shift. If it were to get out of hand, we would heave to and if we were drifting towards shore we would drop anchor and wait it out. 

It is important to come up with a plan before heavy weather situations arise, that way in the confusion of waves, howling winds, and flapping sails, you will know what to do and do it quickly without the need for talking. 

We watched as other sailboats around us lowered their sails and began motoring into port while one other sailboat raised their storm sails and began making their way South to run before the storm. 

All of a sudden, the wind stopped and the water went calm. I knew that we were about to enter the storm and was prepared for the wind to shift. I stood at the ready with my hand on the mainsheet and the wheel, ready to set the sails for the new storm force wind we would be facing. 

All of a sudden, the water was churned up as 20 knots of wind hit us. We trimmed the sails and tried to use the wind to get us into the protected waters of South River. The wind began to build up to 25 knots and then leveled off for a moment. I was waiting for the 50 knot winds they were calling for on the radio. 

I looked at the weather app on my phone and saw that the Annapolis Bay Bridge just North of us was experiencing the 50 knot winds, but we were still only in 25 knots of wind. South of us was also experiencing 45 knots of wind. Suddenly, the sun began to poke through the clouds and the winds slowed to a mere 5 knots. 

Looking at the Doppler map on my phone, it appeared as if the storm parted around our boat and we were in the clear! We sat with our storm sails up for a few more minutes waiting for conditions to deteriorate again, but the storm had gone by and we escaped unharmed. 

We shook out the reefs and raised the drifter as we ghosted our way up the South River towards Harness Creek in the very light winds. We made it!