Ellen and me loving life, racing in the BBYRA.

I've been away from it for way too long and this past summer was just

 the start.We both battled and conquered cancer in '24 and realized

 we needed to get back to things that meant the most to us.

 

Yours truly sailing my Marshall Sandpiper with brother Hans,

 the human vang. We had a blast this past summer racing in 

the BBYRA. New sail from Mark Beaton on the horizon....watch out!

 

A Three Hour Tour?

Sea Girt, our go-to beach.

O Docker, I could have helped you had you given me a ring!

 

Sailing Jones

 Hangin with the boss on Silent Maid, Callahan Memorial Regatta,

 Metedeconk River, NJ 

2018

What A Wonderful Life!

 Hannah and Josh Smith

Littleton, Colorado

October 13, 2024

Fridge Raid

Penne with sweet sausage, arugula, tomatoes, leeks, 

shaved sharp provolone, basil, lemon zest, and vin cotto.

The Year in Flavor 2017

Crispy Pork Ramen

Riblets and Oysters

Scallops, Lobster, Caviar, White Asparagus

Pork Roll, Cheese, Onions, Mushrooms

Baked Clams and Oysters

Korean Wings

Salad and Sandwich

Beef Wellington

Canapes

Salad, Mashed Potato Croutons

Shrimp Varie

Ribs and Shrimp

Oysters, Spinach, Turkey Neck, Mushrooms

Sandwich and Chips

Scallop and Mushroom Risotto

Swordfish

Seafood Risotto

Peking Duck, Pork Belly, Foie Gras

Steak, Mash, Mushrooms, Arugula

Braised Chuck, Knob Gratinee

Salad and a Sandwich

Prosciutto, Arugula, Fennel, Tomatoes

Bacon-Gruyere Omelet, Crispy Cauliflower, Beef Marrow

Grilled Ham and Cheese, Salmon Tartare

Spam, Egg, and Cheese

Happy New Year!

New Year's Day, 1971.  Manhasset Bay Yacht Club,

Port Washington, NY. Penn State was playing Texas

in the Cotton Bowl, Dad had hot buttered rum in his thermos,

and all I could think about was what was for lunch.

Jersey Fresh

New Jersey Yellowtail Flounder, Sea Scallops and

Lobster with local zukes, cukes, and sweet corn.

World class 

String and a Prayer

Let's go fly a kite!

Upper Crust

Beef Wellington with smoky pommes dauphinoise,

asparagus with caramelized onions and lobster butter, and 

rosemary-scented glace de boeuf.

Dinner at home

Peppered albacore tuna on brussels, bacon-

mashed potatoes, and wasabi cream. Wondermous

Nolo Contendere

It's so heart-warming how Giants fans come together in the face

of a potentially crushing defeat at the hands of one of our most

hated divisional opponents. We always park far away from the 

stadium, next to the curb and exit, for a quick get-away regardless

of the outcome of the game. Gotta beat the traffic.  

Dedication

These guys debated endlessly throughout the tailgate as to whose 

team was better.  What they all agreed upon was that pork was the

protein of choice on the grills, and it was well-represented and 

prepared by all that chose to participate.

LOL

This guy almost always goes home happy, but yesterday

he was a bit melancholy.  Love him.

I'm always tentative when we play the Cowboys, especially

in the swamps...thankfully we drove home happy.

A Tale of Two Designs

It is the best design, or was it the best design?

Frostbiting season is fast approaching in Newport.

Will Tilly join his frosty friends in Laser Fleet 413, or will

he be heading south with the geese to the Barnegat

Bay to shred with Clay and Kyle in RS Aeros?

Stay Tuned...........

Hope

Feeling old and crumbly this winter, but this 

perked me right up.  Imagine the beverages one

could stow up forward.  There is hope

Merry Christmas!

I may not be much of a presence here, but I still visit all

of my blogging friends quite often.  Merry Christmas and/or

any celebration or observance you may be a part of this season!

Dueling Cameras in Chestertown, MD

Roger Prichard, owner and skipper of Gwylan, a lovely 

wooden Herreshoff ketch from Riverton, NJ, snapped

 this photo of Spartina while Huck and I sailed with Steve

up and down, then back and forth, on Chester River, just off

the piers of Chestertown.  We had a perspective of the 

Downrigging Fleet that few other visitors were lucky to have.

Steve Earley, owner and skipper of Spartina, a lovely 

wooden, home-built, gaff-rigged yawl from Chesapeake, VA, 

snapped this photo of Gwylan while Huck and I sailed with Steve

up and down, then back and forth, on Chester River, just off

the piers of Chestertown.  We had a perspective of the 

Downrigging Fleet that few other visitors were lucky to have.

A Winter's Lament

So close to the water, yet so far.  Seems like just yesterday

she was launched for the summer.  Where did the summer go?

The time goes more quickly with each passing year.  When she's

in the water, we take her for granted.  When she's in the yard, the

days and weeks and months go by at a snail's slimy pace. 

At least she's facing the River.  Gotta move to warmer climes.

Wooden Ships: Sultana Downrigging 2014

My brother Huck and I spent the day in Chestertown, MD

last Friday, for the first day of Downrigging festivities

orchestrated by the folks from the Schooner Sultana. The original Sultana was a Boston-built merchant ship that the British Royal Navy used to patrol the coastline of colonial North America, enforcing the Townsend Acts, or "Tea Taxes". In 1997, a replica of that schooner would begin to be built in Chestertown, and our Dad was among the original volunteer shipbuilders, devoting hundreds of hours of his time in re-creating this robust vessel.  

The first order of business was lunch at the Fishwhistle with 

Steve, from Log of Spartina. 

Steve home-built a 17 foot gaff-rigged yawl, 

Spartina, and has been invited to display her for the last few years.

I've read his blog for as long as I've been writing, and this was the

 perfect opportunity to not only meet him, but to get out on the

water in this gorgeous little sailboat. 

After a few minutes from leaving the dock, I asked the

 inevitable question and, I was sailing Spartina around the

Chester River.  It felt great to have such a lively boat beneath

me again after having sailed a big fat boat for so many years.

Everything about Spartina is immaculate...the spars gleam

of varnish and the cockpit is battleship grey. We sailed back and 

forth, and up and down for about an hour, and got some nice

shots of the ships that land-bound visitors could not.

 

Kalmar Nyckel was the largest visiting ship

Oyster schooner AJ Meerwald up from Bivalve, NJ.

Rosie Parks is an oystering Skipjack owned by the 

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

The pushboat was originally used to power the skipjacks to the 

oyster beds.  There, the sails were hoisted and dredging took

place under sail only.  Over the decades laws have changed,

and dredging can be done under power only two days a week,

but one of those days cannot be Sunday.  Sadly, these days 

most dredging takes place on power-assisted days only.

Miss Sue, a Hooper Island Draketail, was launched

in 2012, but has a 1930's vintage engine.  

Cargo schooner 'Lady Maryland' with the pink and green hull,

and Baltimore Clipper 'Pride of Baltimore II' inside.

Spellbound, a 1970 ketch from Oxford, MD.

Muriel Eileen

Silver Heel, out of Chestertown, is one of only

20 or so Log Canoes still in existence.  

Photo from Sultana Downrigging Website

Silver Heel with a slight heel.

Double-ended Sharpie Gaff Schooner, EE Moore,

built and owned by John Swain, Sultana's Master shipwright.

Silent Maid, along with Barnegat, a wooden motorsailer,

made the long trip from Barnegat Bay.  Friday was the only

day of the weekend where there was beautiful sunshine and

moderate wind.  Saturday was cold, blustery and rainy,

basically a washout, and Sunday was dry but cold and windy.

The non-profit attending ships lost a lot of expected  revenue

from the public sails that were to take place those 2 days.

 I just learned that the owner of both Silent Maid and 

Barnegat has pledged to donate money to the ships to 

compensate them for their loss of revenue.

The centerpiece of Downrigging Weekend: Sultana

Huck and I were allowed to get aboard for a few minutes

to sniff around the ship that's held together by the 10,000

trunnels that JW mostly made. Captain Tanya Banks-

Christensen was very accommodating and happily answered

 any questions we had.  She's been with the ship for several

years, first as a mate, and then as Captain.  

Of course I had to check out the galley.

The red bricks used for the oven/grill are from Williamsburg, VA.

Sultana coming back to the pier after a quick jaunt.

In the background to the right lies Barnegat, probably

awaiting a berth assignment.  Spartina is sailing directly behind.

JW sometime during construction of Sultana

in her yard.  He's holding the serving mallet

that was used to wrap the ship's shrouds with

manila hemp.  Action photo here.

Some of his work.

JW during a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party.

He relished firing any cannon or gun that involved

black powder.  The swivel guns (one below) were favorites of his.

Photo taken on an earlier visit

The red and black leather swivel gun covers were recently

replaced and it was suggested that Huck and I take them

home as mementos.  No-brainer.  I have become, since age

2 or 3, increasingly sentimental with each passing year.

I will find a place for them.

George Albaugh of Mid-Atlantic Musings

snapped this shot of us on the way to Sultana's office to

pick up the old covers. He and his wife made the trip from 

outside Annapolis.  It was fun meeting George and Steve

whose blogs I've followed for years.  Great people.

Home in NJ.  

Oh yeah, we had some oysters on Friday too.

Four times this amount. Big, meaty Chesapeake

oysters with a couple draft beers.  Perfect.

Spartina at dusk.  All wrapped up for the impending foul

weather forecast for Saturday.

This may just be my favorite shot of the day. 

So happy to have finally made it down for Downrigging.
Surprisingly, it was my first in the 10 years since Dad's
been gone.  We could feel him next to us, and he was
thrilled we made the trip.