Ahh… July
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n addition to great Fourth of July celebrations, our Chesapeake Bay clubs are enjoying the seventh month for many reasons. July brings 31 days for longer range cruises on the Bay, hot racing action, the happiest of hours, festive raft-ups and rendezvous, man-overboard drills, wine tastings, hippie high
Cruising Gets in High Gear
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or Singles on Sailboats, July 4-10 bring an extended cruise to Leeds Creek and the Miles, Choptank, Rhode, and South rivers. At least two nights will be spent at marinas, with opportunities to visit shoreside attractions. Then we have the overnight cruise to Solomons July 13-16. Many members will participate in the Eastport YC’s Race to Solomons. All will take part in the festivities ashore. As always, daysails are scheduled on Wednesdays and non-cruise weekends. We also host happy hours throughout the area, including Annapolis; Baltimore; Washington, DC; Philadelphia, PA; and numerous sites in surrounding suburbs. The public is welcome, and we invite you to join us, swap sailing stories, learn about the club, and generally share our love of the Bay. —by Alex Doyle / singlesonsailboats.org ##Photo courtesy of Joe Casey
Follow us!
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jinx, celebrations to mark big birthdays, and other great stories about cruises and other club events gone by and those yet to come. Grab a cool beverage, sit back, and enjoy. By July 10, send ruth @spinsheet.com your Club Notes, high-resolution photos, Club Directory updates, and parmesan roasted corn on the cob.
Big Bug Beats Bad Habit
his race was far less about competition and winning than about contributing to a foundation that helps people live with quality and die with dignity in their final days. For the Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation’s regatta June 2, the amazing weather and the sail race provided a beautiful backdrop ##(L-R): Betty Caffo, Dave Thompson, to an event that raised a recordBetsy Kimmel, and Al Caffo breaking level of funds. The Havre de Grace YC partners with the foundation every year to make this event successful and entertaining. The overall winner of the race represents the club at the national hospice event in St. Petersburg, FL, the following spring. Five classes of boats participated. First-place winners were Dick Weber’s Big Bug (Daysailer), Chuck Sheet’s Bad Habit (J-24), Martin Hoover on Nova (NS-C), William Woodford on Latika (NS-D), and Al Caffo’s Summer Semester (Spin) (also overall winner). The perpetual trophy (above) is on display at the Senator Bob Hooper Hospice House in Forest Hill, MD. —by Betty Caffo / hdgyc.org
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Ham on Wye?
dozen boats from the West River Sailing Club Cruisers rendezvoused and rafted over the Memorial Day holiday on the Wye River for “Ham on Wye” (left). Following an afternoon repast of food and drink, crews regaled the audience (and other boats in the anchorage) with a wide array of performances including “Star Wars,” Letterman’s Top Ten reasons why we sail, the infamous scene from “When Harry Met Sally,” insulting Shakespeare lines, the cowardly lion’s speech in the “Wizard of Oz” about courage (the best performance), and a “Fractured Fairy Tale.” For Sunday brunch, Dave Dawson produced 27 flawless omelets that went well with the mimosas. ‘Oscars’ were awarded for various best-of categories. That evening, crews enjoyed a performance by fiddler Bernie Doyle. The cruise featured great weather and excellent sailing. This is one of many cruises we sponsor from April to November every year. —by Bernie Doyle / westriversc.org SpinSheet July 2012 57