RED RIGHT RETURNING AT THE OSPREY NEST
At the '09 Annapolis Boat Show I watched the salesperson on the Morris 52 patiently explain, more or less continuously, to hordes of visitors that there were 12 coats of varnish on her fair top sides. No doubt about it, she was the belle of the ball and like most of us I aspire to owning such a fine yacht one day. But for right now work, travel and family commitments mean I need a very low maintenance to fun ratio with my sailing.
I have sailed, cruised and raced all over the world in all sizes and shapes of yachts, day boats, and dinghies and chartered endlessly in the UK, Greece, Turkey, South of France and Portugal. I’ve done a Fastnet and a Bermuda and delivered boats all over the Mediterranean. And yes, I too have had the pleasure of owning a pretty 25' Nordic (IE plastic) Folkboat for three seasons in the Solent, UK. A great find on moving to the USA, or actually one of the reasons for moving from the UK, was the discovery of Chesapeake Boating Club in Eastport just over the drawbridge from Annapolis Yacht Club. This is sailing heaven if you like your boats, fast, fun, easily accessible and you simply want to just go sailing with the minimum of fuss. I mean literally pack the Jeep with a picnic, your family/friends, collect some ice and be skimming across the Bay in no time. Our usual time from leaving the house in Arlington Va to puttering out of the slip is right on one hour.
So how does it work ? Chesapeake Boating Club own the fleet, which comprises, 3 x J105's (racy), 6 x J80's (sporty), 3 x J32's (cruisey), 3 x Harbor 20's (easy) and members join the club for unlimited use of this fleet for a fixed fee per year. Unlike a time share or shared ownership plan common for holiday properties and light aircraft the whole fleet is completely open to members 24/7 depending on their level of membership. Members simply go online and select from the inventory at will, no phone calls, book on the net and go. No fuss, and maximum spontaneity.
Here are typical questions about the club and the answers are from my personal experience;
- How often can you use the thing?
With Thursday nite racing (included
in membership) and w/e’s I did 50+
days in my first year but I did have
to go to work from time to time too!
What if there is nothing available ? It’s never happened, in 50+ days even booking last minute on Memorial Day w/e there was still “something” available for me
What’s included? Absolutely everything except breakages beyond reasonable wear and tear
Who can you take ? Like a rental car as many guests/family members as you can fit in, I’ve taken clients, colleagues, friends and even my Mum!
Fuel ? The idea is to do the decent thing and fill up from time to time
What about rig maintenance, anti fouling, insurance, slip fees, harbor dues, sail repairs, engine servicing? Forget it!
Its starting to make sense isn’t it ?!
Once you are off ‘on your own keel’ there is plenty to do, Annapolis Harbor is always a treat, lovely to skip through the moorings and spot visitors from all over world, the stately Naval College and Chapel, the majestic State House, the first capital of New America. Discover “ego ally” and find out why its so called! Next up sail into Whitehall Bay, have lunch at Cantlers (famous rustic crab shack) and then anchor in 8 feet of water for a swim, the river has a little current running in it which is why I have yet to see a famous “sea nettle" or jellyfish thingy.
> If it’s breezy set up a nice screeching (not screaming) fetch between the two UFO's on either side of the bay (actually they are water towers but I am an alien after all) this is a perfect point of sail for a J105 or J80 and very good for teaching. It’s exciting but not too exciting, tippy but not too tippy. Enjoy the Bay Bridge, it’s like the Golden Gate and Oakland Bridge all attached in one experience!
>On Thursdays put your name on the list and join the fleet for the evening J80 race, don’t worry about finding crew, lodging your race entry fee or picking up the spinnaker from the sail maker. It’s much simpler, just remember to put your kit bag in the car that morning and send an email!
Next you will want to overnight so it’s off to St Michaels in a J32 that you can boil a kettle on. About 4 to 5 hours and a very enjoyable piece of navigation around Bloody Point, the antipodes of Love Point, on Kent Island. Once in delightful St Michaels you can plug into the facilities and sleep onboard, or slip into a b&b, there is a pool and lots of restaurants, a great museum of Eastern Shore maritime history and lots of art shops. Slightly further afield, 6 to 7 hours from the Eastport base, sail around Poplar Island and you are into the Choptank River and the charming town of Oxford. Sleep onboard and listen to the wildlife or maybe check into the Robert Morris Inn where James Michener wrote Chesapeake. Both locations also rent bikes to add another dimension. The cycling is fabulous, very safe on the hard shoulder and dreamy lanes and dead flat like Holland. Look out for fields of wild turkeys and migrating geese.
The reality is that the really best part of sailing is stepping onto the slip, ready to go, with the whole day in front of you. My days on the water have cost about $100 and I suggest thinking of it like a gym or golf club membership. And certainly the ex boat owners amongst us will really get the favorable cost metrics of a club system verses ownership.
But the real hidden equation here is in the time factor. Time becomes an even rarer commodity than anything else within our busy lives. With this concept you are going to maximize your hours spent under canvass surrounded by your family and friends with a whole team behind you to worry about the watering and feeding.
And I will tell you about the Ospreys another time…………………………………………..