Sailing Through the Winter Solstice – 2022

The day started out sunny and, while not exactly warm, was pleasant for a day in early December and a crew of 9 looked forward to enjoying the sights, sounds and culture that Frederick, Maryland has to offer. The plan was to meet at Smoketown Brewery in Frederick, Maryland at 4:30, spend a few minutes catching up, then head to Carroll Linear Creek in Downtown Frederick to see the lighted model boat display. As this writer made the trek from home in Bel Air, Maryland out to Frederick, the skies turned from mostly sunny to mostly overcast. Roughly 15 minutes outside of Frederick, a few drops of rain scattered on my windshield. “Ugh!” I thought to myself… “I hope we don’t get rained out.” As luck would have it, that brief shower was the last that we saw of the fun dampener. But even if it had continued to mist, I don’t think it would have dampened our fun at all.

Everyone caught up over a beer at Smoketown, then Amy Sloan ushered everyone out the door over to Carroll Linear Creek so that we would make our dinner reservation. The Creek was just a minute walk from the Brewery and the lighted boat display only a few yards beyond that. The boats this year were fun and imaginative as always, and with one or two exceptions all new entries for this year. We spent some time enjoying the beautiful displays, then headed a few blocks up N. Market Street to Brewer’s Alley where our table was waiting. The group enjoyed good food, great conversation and even better company. After dinner, we strolled back down Carroll Creek to our vehicles where everyone wished each other safe travels home and Happy Holidays!

Special thanks to Amy Sloan for coordinating everything and making the dinner reservations. It is the people of NC3 like Amy that make this club the best on the Chesapeake Bay!

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see Sailing Through the Winter Solstice in Frederick, the boats are on display until March 4th, 2023.