The Anatomy of a Cruising Season

By Bryant Gorrell

NC3 Cruise Director

 

So, you just joined a sailing cruising club… Now what?   You have so many questions and no idea where to get the answers.

What do they mean when they say, “Go cruising?”

I want to go but I am not sure what to expect or who do I talk to about the trip?

How do they travel? Separately or in a group?

How do you get a bunch of sailboats anyplace together and once we arrive, then what?

Do we raft up? Do we dock?  Do we anchor?  How close? How far apart?

I know how you feel.  We’ve all been there and have felt the same way when we joined the club.  I was so excited, but I didn’t know anything because we had just bought our first cruising sailboat.  In fact, on the first planned cruise…  I was the only boat that went.  Everyone else drove their car because they called for bad weather. It didn’t matter. We had a great time and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Here’s a little bit about what to expect:

Cruise Planning

At NC3, each year a cruise schedule is put together during the Winter months by the cruise Director, Fleet Captain, and anyone else who the Cruise Director thinks can remember what we did the year before. You’d think that would be easy but some of us like to drink and cannot remember which members do not drink so we ask around until we find anyone that remembers. We try to roughly follow the same schedule and dates as the year before.

Cruise Leaders

Each cruise will have a cruise leader (CL) who has volunteered to oversee a particular cruise.  It is their cruise to plan but cruise leaders are welcome to solicit ideas from others. They are responsible for picking out the destination(s) of the cruise.  A day’s cruise distance is somewhere around 15 to 30 nautical miles. To put that into perspective, the distance from Baltimore to Annapolis by water is 28 NM. On longer cruises, we try to get to a marina every other day so we can stock up on ice, provisions and charge batteries if needed. Other nights we may anchor out.  In the heat of the summer, pools are a big attraction at marinas so we try to grab transient slips frequently on summer cruises.  The cruise leader will plan where we are staying each night.  The CL will also try to be sure that things like dockside depth is considered so every boat can make it without issue. The cruise leader will typically check with marinas and let them know the cruise is coming.  CL will provide information as to your depth, width and length requirements and an estimate of how many slips might be needed in total. The CL will ask about discounts and rates get information on the type of accommodations they offer.  The cruise leader will then disseminate that information back to the group.  Each boater is responsible to make their own reservations and payment after a marina has been chosen.   The CL will also plan any special events on the cruise like tours in town or dinning at restaurants, pizza night, drink night or whatever floats your boat (That was a pun!).  CL will make any required reservations for special events after he or she has checked with those on the cruise to see if they want to participate or not and collect any money needed in advanced. The CL will also be your point of contact on the cruise for departure time, he or she will try to make adjustments to keep everyone safe due to weather or other things that happen on a cruise.  Please feel free to contact your Cruise Leader to get any trip information. The most important information is usually what time is happy hour and what boat is hosting it?

Cruise Happy Hours

Happy hours are typically BYOB and everyone brings an appetizer to share.  The host boat is only responsible for a floating place to meet; the rest is up to the guests.  Happy hours are usually 2 hours max unless asked to stay longer.  Please don’t overstay your welcome on the host boat.  It is their house, and they probably need to make dinner or get in a quick nap.

Daily Departures and Arrivals

We try to get underway each day around 10 am weather permitting and arrive at our destination between 2 and 4 pm.   Breakfast, lunch and dinners are on our own unless there is a group planned activity.  Typically we do not raft up as a group due to weather that has been known to come in.  If invited to raft up, that is a decision made between the boats. When you arrive please let your CL know so he can keep track that all the boats have made it to port safely.  Any medical emergency should be reported to the Cruise leader immediately!

Yearly Event Overview

In our event line-up you will find the following typical events and trips:

1. Spring Meeting – This is where you get to brag about all the new toys you put on your boat during the winter along with any warm weather trips you took while the rest of us froze our butts off marking off the days until spring on the calendar. This is also where we let everyone know about the great trips we have planned for the year. Your Cruise Director will be begging and trying to talk you into taking a bit of responsibility and agree to run a trip for him or her, i.e., BE ALL YOU CAN BE! BE A CRUISE LEADER!  Be quick to volunteer before the old salts quickly grab the weekend cruises.  They are the easiest to run and require little to no responsibility.  Arrrg.
2. Spring Non-Cruise Events – We have a few more non-cruise events in the spring before the real cruising takes place.
   1. Mast raising and yes, I have been to one where we actually raised a mast. Well actually 4 people raised a mast while the rest of us looked on offering critique of the others working while we raised drinks to our lips. If you need some help getting your boat ready, this is a great time to ask others.  FYI – no one shows up if you request help for bottom sanding.
   2. Sock Burning, is another excuse for a party because in the spring someone decided sailors do not need their socks any longer.  The tradition started right here in Maryland and you can learn more about Bob Tuner and the first sock burning here.  Personally, I am not shoveling a spring snow without socks so my advice is to never burn all your socks no matter how excited you are about Spring.

3. The first official unofficial cruise – The old salts and prepared call it the shakedown cruise. Those that started sanding the boat bottoms before the snow melted are truly ready for the shakedown cruise. For those others waiting on 70-degree weather to launch, this is called a “breakdown cruise” so a tow back to the dock is never very far.  We usually pick a nice, sheltered cove not too far from Middle River and go out for the night and drop the hook.  We hope someone has brought a dingy so we can at least try to get everyone together, pre COVID-19, for a happy hour drink.
4. Memorial Day Cruise – 3 Day / 2-night cruise. A celebration that warm weather has finally arrived!  Leave on Saturday and anchor out.  Sail Sunday and anchor out.   Return on Monday!
5. Thank God It’s Summer Cruise – We combine a weekend cruise and a summer cruise. If you only want to do a weekend cruise, you start on Saturday and return on Sunday while those on the weeklong continue on. We sail and play each day going from one place to the next.  I highly recommend it.  It is always a great time.  In a week you can get a good way down the bay and back.  You will see many special places and enjoy lots of happy hours.
6. 4^th of July Cruise – Based around the 4^th of July. This is an extended weekend cruise many times to the top of the Chesapeake Bay such as Havre De Grace or any town with awesome fireworks and a small-town parade. There’s nothing better than a small-town celebration on the Fourth of July.
7. The Moonlight Cruise – This is where we dip our toes into a night sail under a full moon. We sail across the bay and enjoy the sunset, usually at Tolchester, and we sail at sunset on a full moon.  In theory it’s beautiful weather, however, the gods do not always bless us.
8. Mid-Summer Long Weekend Cruise – Thursday thru Sunday. This is a great longer than normal weekend cruise where we usually pick a fun destination. Winds are normally light and the weather can be hot. Hopefully the jellyfish have not moved up the bay by this cruise.
9. Late Summer Cruise – Again, there is a weekend start off cruise that then flows into the Late Summer weeklong cruise. This is what it’s all about! A week of hot summer sailing on the Chesapeake Bay exploring all the unique towns along the bay. Sailing, exploring and rum filled happy hours are always a favorite and sometimes flows right into Labor Day weekend for bonus time.
10. A Weekend Cruise – Just your everyday, “damn where has the summer gone?,” let’s get out and go sailing cruise. September is the best time on the bay. The winds are getting better and the days are still long enough to enjoy.
11. Fall Foliage Weekend – Our end of summer party across the bay is at one of our favorite anchorages; Worton Creek. We enjoy an extended happy hour under the trees looking down at our enjoyable anchorage. This cruise is always well attended.
12. Last Rites of Summer Cruise – This kicks off at the end of Fall Foliage weekend. A CLs choice, this is your last chance to cruise with all the great friends you enjoyed all summer before we all cry in our coffee that the summer is all but done.  Do not miss this wonderful cruise!  Usually, the winds are beginning to get up and some speed is happening under the keel. When two boats with sails up are heading in the same direction, it’s a race!
13. Change of Watch Meeting – This is our last event of the year. We vote in new officers and reward all those that made a stupid mistake during the year and share the pictures of those mistakes. Just kidding (maybe).  Come and see for yourself!

A Group Like No Other

This is a little about what to expect of our cruising season with NC3.  Destinations are always changing but the fun is endless.  If you’re thinking of joining, stop thinking about it and just join.  I promise you that you will have a great experience and the knowledge shared in this group is awesome!  One of the many great things about NC3 is that someone will always come to your rescue should you ever need help.