Chestertown to Rock Hall Yacht Club on Chester River, Md.
Leisurely cruise? Not!
Millers win June 10 point-to-point race as Wayfarers impress at RHYC
Right about the time “Wrong Way” Corrigan was flying solo from New York to Ireland (he claimed he was trying for California!) 84 years ago, a handful of small boats raced down the Chester River in Maryland from Chestertown to Rock Hall to participate in the Rock Hall Regatta (for many years there was also a return race). This year, 34 various small boats, including four Wayfarers (our fleet has been absent for a few years), made the 12 nautical mile trip down the river.
Chestertown is a quaint, colonial small town filled with traditional architecture, tree-lined streets and numerous great places to eat. It is also home to the riverfront Chester River Yacht and Country Club. The club has a launch ramp, beach and hoist and enough dock space to handle fifty or so small boats. The 43-mile Chester River runs down to the Chesapeake Bay and with as many switchbacks as a mountain road, it also has numerous shallow spots, fish weirs and other uncharted obstructions.
This year, the Down River Race was at the beginning of a four-event sequence we dubbed “The Wayfarer Quadruple Challenge!”, which also included the Rock Hall Regatta, The Chesapeake Cruise and The Governor’s Cup. Four events over 10 days. Was anyone up to doing all four? Well, no. One boat did sign up for all four but wasn’t able to complete it. Maybe next year!
For the Down River Race, the Wayfarers included 971 with Dawn and Paul Miller from Connecticut, 2428 with locals Ken Noble and Wendy Costa, 3854 with Uncle Al (from Canada) and Stacy Spaulding (from the Maryland-based Chesapeake Traditional Sailboat Association and whose partner, Ray Wiles, took the great pictures in this article with Al’s camera) and 11158 with sisters Peggy Mezies and Kathy Sanville from Michigan. According to Ken, 2428 was “an e-bay special” which lacked rigging for a kite, plus many other parts. Hopefully, we can help him track those down and we will see him at more events!
Thursday night the out-of-towners arrived to take advantage of the free camping at Rock Hall Yacht Club and pitched their tents near the swimming pool before heading off to crab dinners. Friday morning started with a pleasant temperature and a light northwesterly (“down river” means roughly south) with the forecast of a slight building with some backing to the southwest and then tapering off.
After a short skipper’s meeting in the shady waterfront pavilion, the boats jostled for the start on a line that spanned the river. Not wanting to be over early in the remaining ebb, the Wayfarers held back, and the spinnakers didn’t start flying until a minute or so later. Uncle Al took an early lead and held it for about a mile until the Millers, staying in deeper water with favorable current, nudged out to a 50-yard lead they held for about six miles, until Peggy and Kathy, finding a bit more wind, took the lead. Throughout the 12 mile race the boats were within shouting distance.
In spite of us agreeing that this would be a leisurely, cruise-like affair, the closeness meant the cruise concept was ignored! Meanwhile, the A-Class cats had done their expected horizon job and the Comets, Windmills, Hobie cats, Lasers and others were all around the Wayfarers.
Gradually, as the wind backed, it filled into a beam reach with about 12 knots and the Wayfarers even planed a bit, before the wind settled to the southwest and lightened down to 1-4 knots. Playing the shallows in the fitful wind, the Millers slowly crept up to 11158 and by ducking inside the last fish weir managed to grab the lead for the last half-mile to the finish at Rock Hall Yacht Club.
Overall, the race was won by an A-Cat, which was fast enough to get in before the flood started running. But the next three boats were all Wayfarers. W971 was just 50 seconds behind the A-Cat after nearly four hours of racing, with 11158 a couple minutes later and 3854 a few minutes after that, showing yet again the great versatility of the Wayfarer design. FR2428 finished 23rd of the 31 finishers.
Uncle Al and Stacy were in the hunt until Al tripped and gashed his arm badly and they began sailing more conservatively. Fortunately, after the race our vet tech student was able to patch him up with vet wrap and gauze, then scratched him behind his ears and after some crab cakes sent him home to Oakville, Ontario and his wife Julia.
Later, while Peggy, Kathy, Dawn and Paul were relaxing on the club’s patio, we heard numerous comments from other tables about the “Wayfarer domination” of the race!
Point-to-Point races often provide more scenery and variation than round-the-buoys races, and this year’s Down River Race was no exception. No doubt, Wayfarers will be back again for a leisurely cruise down the Chester River!
