Sailing on the Chesapeake Memorial Day Sunday

[Suky]

What a beautiful sailing day !
I was invited to daysail with the neice of a woman I introduced to sailing last August. The neice is the owner of a 1991 Nautor Swan, 44 LOA, slipped in South River, just south of Annapolis. She is planning on taking off in a year or so, to cruise indefinitely.
The weather forecast for yesterday, Sunday, was disappointing ~ only 3 to 5 knots, and a good chance of thunderstorms. I was praying and visualizing better winds and the winds came through. No thunderstorms - turned out the system shifted to the northwest.
We had a beautiful summer day, cloudy but warm, with winds to 20 knots, dropping to 8 just as we sailed within sight of the slip. It was near perfect and pure joy !
I am organizing a couple of woman's cruises this summer and fall and the Chesapeake is one of the places being considered. After yesterday, I would sail there til mid-June and after Labor Day, to avoid black flies, that "hurt when they bite" and too hot temperatures in August. So we're going to go to New England.
btw, our skipper, loaned me 'By the Grace of the Sea', by Pat Henry. Now that I'm back to being a "dirt dweller", I can't wait to dive into it.

[LOLA]

Sounds like fun...I am not ready yet

[debbie]

you are going to love the book---i couldn't put it down. it makes you really want to untie and go for it! after reading it i was interested in how many other women have done this and i did a search, there i read about donna lange and her voyage around the world alone. amazing!! she does not have a book yet but is planning one. you can read all about her though on her web page. i was fortunate enough to meet her when i was in florida. it was the highlight of my trip.
debbie