Annual cruise on waters of Tangier and Smith islands
Sometimes ‘sporty’ conditions show how Wayfarer shines on ocean waters
Richard Johnson and Michele Parish join Paul and Dawn Miller on long-anticipated cruise
By Richard Johnson — W11336
All photos by Richard Johnson and Michele Parish & Paul and Dawn Miller
There have been about 20 years of Wayfarer Chesapeake Cruises and we had missed the last 19 or so, which was frustrating. My interest in Tangier and Smith islands goes back to a family cruise we did on the Chesapeake when I was young. Then, we avoided Tangier; it was considered a rough low backwater and an island of ill repute. So of course I’ve always wanted to go. So early in this year we made the Chessie’ Cruise a priority, blocked out the calendar, and locked in the dog care.
The Cruise, held June 12-16 this year, consists of three legs. Crisfield, Md. to Smith Island. Smith Island to Tangier Island. Finally, Tangier back to Crisfield. It is a tidy triangle around the Tangier sound about 41 nm. Hardly the stuff of legends, but enough of a stretch to make you feel like you really did earn a beer for your efforts.
Early in the year, we had three boats signed up and we were hoping for a complete armada. But in the end it was just two: Paul and Dawn Miller in their classic wood Wayfarer Mk I, Windshadow, and Michele and I in our very modern GRP Wayfarer Mk IV, Fetch, opposite ends of the Wayfarer spectrum. If you were to choose the perfect cruising partners, you want them to have actual oceans of sailing experience, have the building experience of having built and launched a small fleet of boats and, in their spare time between semesters of work, riding their motorcycles around the world. Paul and Dawn were all of that and more. Michele and I were grateful they were on the trip with us.
We rolled into Crisfield on Sunday afternoon. The Crab Capital of the world was quiet. Not much traffic, most businesses closed. Two young men fished from the city pier downtown. It is a town in transition. Fishing built the town and crabbing sustains it, but the high rise apartment condos and the nearly gentrified downtown indicate the new catch is the urban escapee.
Monday, June 13 – Crisfield Cruise
Paul and Dawn had arrived late the night before. Michele and I were up early brewing coffee on the hotel steps with our MSR stove and percolator. The winds were light. The forecast for temps to 85 and a SW wind at 6 set up a gentle start to the week.
We met Paul and Dawn for breakfast. I don’t recall the restaurant, but it was a waterman’s haunt. Egg and cheese sandwich and coffee for about $4. Old men gaunt from the sun, work and tobacco, argued by the front window waiting for breakfast, no longer in a hurry.
Our goal for the day was to get rigged, get out on the water and get oriented. We met at the Somers Cover ramp next to the Coast Guard station about 10 a.m. After a couple of hours of rigging and fussing we launched at noon. It took us a couple of hours to sail from Somers Cove, down the Little Anne Messex River, past the stack on Janes Island to Janes Island Light then to R”8” which marked the main channel of Tangier sound. On our way back up Little Anne Messex River, we sailed up Daughtry Creek to Brick Kiln Channel. We looped back down to Somers Cove, all the time using our bailer bucket to splash cool water on ourselves.
By 5 pm. we were back at the hotel.
Tuesday, June 14 – Forecast
Temps: 75 to 83
Wind: SW clock to NW to N
Wind speed: 7-11
Rain: 50 percent
We had agreed to meet at the ramp at 9 a.m. to launch by 10 a.m. There were afternoon storms predicted and it did not seem to make sense to wait. We left on time.
As we were sailing downriver south of Janes Island we saw Paul and Dawn turn back. We radioed them, they had a problem to fix on the boat and I believe they had left their foul weather gear in the car. So good reasons to return.
As we got back to the dock, radar was showing some storms in the area. We decided to wait until they cleared out. By 11 a.m. they seemed to be gone.
As we were prepping to leave, a guy come by in a truck. He asked if we were heading out. I said we were. He told us not to go, bad weather was coming in. The forecast had not changed, the thunderstorms were gone, so we left.
As we headed west below Jane’s Island the wind was stronger than earlier and had clocked to the NW as predicted. The tide was coming in, moving from the south to the north. We could see white caps stacking up on the shoal west of Jane’s Island. The wind was building but not out of control. Both boats were rigged with cruising mains and 100 percent jibs.
Halfway between R”8” of the main channel and G”11” of the Big Thorofare leading into Smith Island we took our first wave over the bow.The bailers, sucking like those things they stick in your mouth at the dentist, took care of the water, but things were getting more difficult. Michele indicated she was scared; she wasn’t alone. Then her new Tilley Hat went overboard.
We took a couple more waves across the deck and I looked back. Paul and Dawn were reefing their main. Michele and I had done this on another boat, and we had talked our way through the process the day before, but there was a lot of movement and water. Michele got the main un-cleated, lowered and the clew snugged at the gooseneck. She could not get the leach line snugged. I gave it a pull and ended up pulling off a cheek block I had riveted to the boom. But that made things better. Michele was able to sit on the fore deck, lean back and get the leach tight. We were reefed, not tidy, but stable. We furled the jib and steadily made our way up the Big Thoroughfare.
Paul and Dawn were manually working on their reef, but under control and seemingly not too bothered. We had to tack our way up the Thoroughfare once inside the island, but without the waves and with the board partially up, the boat was very manageable. It was no longer a question of if but when. We landed at village of Ewell on Smith Island at 1:30 p.m. and had traveled 12.2 nm since 11 our 11 a.m. departure.
We got docked. Michele found four beers, bless her. Paul’s first words were, ”Well, that was sporty!” We replied that it was mildly frightening, but there is a fine line between the two. We then complained that we had lost Michele’s hat. Dawn said, “Well, we just happen to have this extra hat that Michele could borrow. It’s a little wet, though.” Michele looked at it, tried it on and was amazed it fit perfectly, and did look like her hat. She looked inside and her name was there. Paul and Dawn, despite the wind and waves, had rescued Michele’s hat.
A few days later Dawn checked the wind for the sound that afternoon, the gusts were 29kts with sustained winds in the 20kts to 23kts range. Sporty indeed.
Having arrived early, we had a chance for a rest and a look around. The charm of these islands is that they are still fishing villages.
Despite that, our accommodations were superb.The Smith Island Inn is a bed and breakfast that could not have been more inviting or relaxing.
Wednesday, June 15 – Forecast
Temps: 75 to 85
Winds: North early then from the south
Wind speed: 0 to 5 kts
Rain: 10 percent
Tide: South to North
The wind was light from the north, the current was not. The channel leaving Ewell was narrow. We could tack, just couldn’t make much, if any, headway. Once we made it to Swan Island, we gave up on sailing and walked the boats.
Finally, after two hours, we made it to mark WR2 on the west side of Smith Island and were able to turn south toward Tangier. The wind had swung around to the south and perked up to about 7 kts. The new breeze and the apparent wind made for a very comfortable sail. The water was calm, the sky clear and blue. We ladder tacked south. Short port tacks to get away from the shoals on Smith Island and long starboard tacks to take us to Tangier.
There is an archipelago of sandy islands between Smith and Tangier. In the 1990s, a few pairs of pelicans started nesting there. It is now estimated there are between 2,500 and 5,000 nesting pairs. The island are now off limits to humans to protect the birds while nesting and there is a burgeoning birding tourism business.
That said, we felt we would never escape Smith Island. About 1 p.m., we could see the water tower on Tangier. I radioed Paul and Dawn who informed me we were perhaps half way. Later, 3ish, we started to make our final approach into Tangier. The real world is not quite as orderly as navigational charts, so we allowed Paul and Dawn to lead us in. The city docks were completely open and we slid into a long narrow slip. We tied up and unloaded the boats. We had covered 17.3nm, at a max speed of 7.2 kts with a moving average of 3kts. We were on the water for 5.50 hours. A perfect day.
Standing in the shade of a building with our gear waiting for the golf cart from the Brigadune Inn to pick us up, I asked Paul if the inn was as nice as the Smith Island Inn. He hesitated, “Last year most of the Inn was stripped down to the studs, so not sure what to expect.”
Barb with Brigadune Inn arrived by ATV. We threw our gear in back and as she drove she gave us the lowdown and background on the island – its residents and which businesses survived Covid and which ones didn’t. After taking us to the high point on the island, an ear popping 12 feet above sea level, we arrived at Brigadune. They had been busy. It was quaint, modern, well appointed and very comfortable. Perfect. It was next to the runway, and the beach. As Barb said, every day they make progress and every day they do a little better. It was a treat to stay there.
Thursday, June 16 – Forecast
Temps: 70 to 80
Wind: South, south east
Wind speed: 14 to 17 kts building to 20kts in the afternoon.
Rain: 100 percent with thunderstorms
Tide: South to north
Michele and I woke to thunderstorms at 5:30 a.m. We had planned to leave early, but there was no reason to rush. There was a line of storms coming from the northwest. It was a long line but shallow. Paul consulted with Barb’s partner and he agreed once the current storms passed we should be clear to go. It looked like 10 a.m. was the hour to leave.
Given the forecast, we agreed to leave reefed with jibs furled just to be sure. As I mentioned, the slips were long and narrow and the wind was coming from an awkward angle. We got the boat packed, but bungled our departure. As we were sailing out, there were two guys on a 30-something sailboat chuckling at us and told us to have a nice time out there. I think they expected us to return shortly.
As we entered Tangier Sound, the conditions seemed reasonable and we unfurled the jibs. We were surfing and planing almost continuously. The GPS recorded a top speed of 9.8 kts. Most impressive is that it felt perfectly controlled. If you had to do a sail for all eternity, this would have been the one.
We landed in Crisfield at 12:45 p.m. We left Tangier officially at 10:50 a.m. and had covered 11.6 nm. Our moving average was 6ish kts. Fairly Sporty.
Summary
At Crisfield, we de-rigged. Paul and Dawn were returning home after having raced the prior weekend in the downriver race and one-design regatta at Rock Hall Md. We were heading to Kerr Lake in N.C. for the Governor’s cup regatta. Long hauls for both of us.
Michele and I had waited 20 years to make this trip. I don’t believe in fate, but it was definitely a stroke of luck to have Paul and Dawn as our cruising partners. Dawn kept mentioning how good the Wayfarer feels in almost all conditions and that it was no wonder Frank Dye sailed it across the North Atlantic. I would agree and if Paul and Dawn were to head off on a similar trip, we might just follow.