2013 Fleet Rendezvous
September 28, 2013
The Chesapeake Bay Fleet returned to Herrington Harbor South for a rendezvous on Saturday, September 28. Actually, six Alerions, their owners and guests convened in early afternoon in the middle of the Bay, raced from there to the Harbor, and after a social hour and awards presentation, dined at the marina’s restaurant.
The weather was nearly perfect for the six boats that sailed that morning from their home ports to the green ship channel marker, “83”, southwest of Poplar Island. With 10 knot winds out of the ENE, the three boats from the Annapolis area, David Gantz and Cate Fagan on Orion, Mike and Tom Chernesky on Summer Solstice and Jack Detweiler with Jon Sauer on Skimmer, had a fine broad reach down the Bay. There they joined Paul Rohrkemper on Frolic, who enjoyed a beam reach out the Choptank River and south of Poplar Island. The two boats home-ported at Herrington Harbor, Resilient with Bob Spann and Mat Hansen aboard and Starry Night crewed by Bob and Dierdre Bradway, had to beat across the Bay but arrived in plenty of time for the start.
Our host for the event, Bob Spann, laid out an 8 mile course using government marks with an initial windward leg to the red “84” nearer Poplar Island, a long reach to the “81a” can near the western shore, a short beat up to Herring Bay’s “1” and another reach to the finish at “2”. His boat also served as one end of the starting line, sailing with wind abeam away from the “83” to create the line; he called it a “Rabbit Start”.
There were several position changes among the leading boats with passes on windward legs as well as the reaches. As the fleet recrossed the ship channel from the “84” a freighter split the fleet adding even more excitement to an already interesting race. First to finish by a boat length and a half was Skimmer, followed by Frolic, Resilient and Orion.
After returning to the marina, the racers reconvened in the picnic grove for some beverages and light refreshments. There they were joined by the ground support team of Beth Whiteley, Madonna Chernesky, Marti Detweiler and Lucy Fairbanks. Jack Detweiler was pleased to accept the winner’s trophy for his first place finish with Alerion logo hats going to the next three places. Dinner at Mango’s offered even more opportunities to talk sailing and racing.
