Sailing... Pass It On

In April 2018, I spent a 3-day weekend sailing the Choptank River and some smaller tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. In some ways, it was old hat since I've sailed the Choptank a couple of times before - but in other ways, it was brand new.

The two new things were a new boat (well, new to me) and having my son aboard with me. The vessel was an O'Day 192, which I bought in the middle of the prior season and had not been able to "cruise" aboard until I spent some time preparing it. This winter, I worked steadily on her in my backyard, outfitting her for cruising.

But having my 25-year-old son, Michael, join me for a 3-day cruise was a first. Looking back on how far he's come in the 7+ years since his near-fatal motorcycle accident, I realize just how blessed we are. That he's re-found his love for sailing is a bonus. When he was young (10 or 12), we used to race our Thistle together on Lake Nockamixon. He also used to enjoy tooling around on our family mini fish. But as he got into his teenage years, he found girls and other things to occupy his time, and sailing was not on his list of favorite pastimes.

This is not an unusual story, of course. Many children of sailors enjoy sailing in their younger years but leave it behind in their teenage years. But don't lose heart - many come back to it, like my son.

The weekend brought us some exciting sailing weather, as the spring winds on the Choptank River have usually been for me. The Choptank is a large river, in some spots wider than 5 miles. On our first day of sailing (Saturday, April 21), we were in sunshine, 75 degrees, and 10-15 knot winds out of the southeast - which was at our backs as we left the boat ramp at Cambridge and headed for our first night's anchorage. It was perfect sailing conditions, and Michael steered for the entire 3-hour trip, quickly guiding us into our anchorage in a small cove near the mouth of La Trappe Creek - a distance of fewer than 5 miles.

The weather on the remaining days was not to be quite so accommodating. That night, the wind clocked around 180 degrees, the temperature dropped into the 40s, and the wind picked up enough to signal a small craft advisory. We planned to sail 10-12 miles northwest to Tilghman Island on Sunday, where we would stop for dinner at a restaurant on Knapps Narrows before anchoring in Dun Cove for the night. However, with 10-15 knot winds gusting to 20 and predicted high temperatures in the low 50's, beating to windward was not our idea of a fun afternoon.

So instead, we slept in on Sunday, cooked a hearty breakfast, read, played games, and talked. (Luckily, my galley was ready for use in the cabin or cockpit.)

We ventured out to sail for a couple of hours in the afternoon, exploring more deeply into La Trappe Creek but didn't go far. We had plenty of food for three days, so we opted for an easy day.

It was also a good time for long discussions and father-son bonding. It reminded me of some trips I had taken as a child on my father's sailboat as we explored the waters of Long Island Sound. Fond memories and a lifelong love of sailing were nurtured on those trips, and I think my son gained some of these too on our 3-day excursion.

Monday morning, we were up early to sail back to Cambridge. The wind was blowing harder than it had been Sunday, with 15-20 knot winds gusting to 25 (and again, a small craft advisory). Fortunately, the wind would be at our backs, so we reefed the main and headed out into 1-2 foot seas on the Choptank River. Once into open water, I considered raising the jib, but Michael talked me out of it, as we were already moving along at near hull speed under reefed main alone. The waves increased to 2-3 feet as we surfed back the 5 miles to the Franklin Street boat ramp in Cambridge. We were there in under 2 hours, including the time it took to navigate La Trappe Creek.

Sailing can be an excellent way for families and friends to take outings. It can teach children life lessons about preparation and self-sufficiency (and it can be a fun way to learn). Find a young person in your life and pass it on.