Would someone please share some experiences or information regarding sailing on the Chesapeake, especially around the Norfolk area. My wife and I are contemplating a move to the Norfolk area and plan on taking our CD25 with us. Currently we sail on Lake Norman in the Charlotte area, and would appreciate any information.
dhodossr@aol.com
CD 25 Sailing on the Chesapeake
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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chris mullins
Re: CD 25 Sailing on the Chesapeake
david,i'm on my way down there in my cd25,i'll let you know how it is when i get there.i have great expectations,she is currently performing very well in long island sound.a couple of days ago she positively ate up a number of much larger boats west of fishers island,going to windward.i see there is a chesapeake cape dory club among the links from the home page.in my opinion,the cd 25 is probably more of a sea boat than a lake boat,should be just about perfect in the chesapeake. happy sailing,chris.
douglas_rock@hotmail.com
douglas_rock@hotmail.com
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Jonah Bowles
Re: CD 25 Sailing on the Chesapeake
David,David Hodos wrote: Would someone please share some experiences or information regarding sailing on the Chesapeake, especially around the Norfolk area. My wife and I are contemplating a move to the Norfolk area and plan on taking our CD25 with us. Currently we sail on Lake Norman in the Charlotte area, and would appreciate any information.
You haven't sailed until you have sailed the Chesapeake Bay (and other places, too.) You will very pleasantly surprised how well your CD 25 likes the bay. Have fun.
Agritrade@aol.com
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Mario
Re: CD 25 Sailing on the Chesapeake
My wife and I have sailed on the Bay, mostly on her father's boats, for years. He kept his boats at Willoughby and was active in the racing scene until his health interfered. Many active sailors, regattas, nice marinas, and boat maintenance services.David Hodos wrote: Would someone please share some experiences or information regarding sailing on the Chesapeake, especially around the Norfolk area. My wife and I are contemplating a move to the Norfolk area and plan on taking our CD25 with us. Currently we sail on Lake Norman in the Charlotte area, and would appreciate any information.
We now have our own boat. There are a ton of spots around the Bay to sail to, but the wind can be iffy at times, particularly in July & August. This summer we've been very unimpressed with NOAA's accuracy--we can be sailing in 10-15 knots one minute, and totally becalmed the next. Thunderstorms can whip up quickly too, and you have to keep an eye out. They're generally pretty brief. It's not unusual to have dolphins escort you around. We've even seen them in the Rappahannock.
Just watch out for the Navy near Hampton Roads!
Mario
CD 20 "Rhapsody"
forenzic@aol.com
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Jim Swiatocha
Re: CD 25 Sailing on the Chesapeake
I would generally agree with everything Mario said. I have never sailed the lower bay south of Tangier Island, but for years we sailed the mid bay around the Annapolis area. Now we are in the lower Potomac about 30 miles from where the Potomac flows into the Chesapeake and the conditions are very similar except we have much less boat traffic.
You really want to cruise if you are going to sail the Chesapeake. There are so many great anchorages and places to visit that it will take you years to see them all. The CD 25 is maybe not the best boat for this from an accomodations standpoint, but for a couple, unless you get an extended stretch of bad weather it should be fine. As far as sailing characteristics, the CD 25 is nearly ideal. It's shallow draft will get you into a lot of creeks where the deep draft boats can't go and you should feel secure in any weather conditions except a bad thunderstorm.
July and August can be very light for winds. I don't agree with everyone who says that the CD 25 is not a good boat in light air. I think it handles just fine in 4 or 5 knots of wind, but you'll want a big genoa and a cruising spinnaker.
One thing the Chesapeake has that Lake Norman does not is SHIPS!!!!! That's right, great big ocean going SHIPS! They could run over a CD-25 and not even spill any coffee in the galley. So you'll want a good set of charts to show where the ship channel is and you'll want to practice taking bearings to determine whether or not you are on a collision course.
Another thing the Chesapeake has is TUG BARGES. These are closely related to SHIPS in that if they run you down there will not be a great deal of difference in your remains. The major difference between SHIPS and TUG BARGES however, is that TUG BARGES don't stay in the ship channel. In other words, they don't play fair and they can get you no matter where you are. This becomes especially significant at night so you need to study your navigation light configurations so, if you are sailing at night, you will be able to tell a SHIP from a TUG BARGE and will know your relative odds of living 'til dawn.
Another difference between the Chesapeake and Lake Norman is that on the Chesapeake the Navy will attack you with rockets, while on Lake Norman I think they pretty much leave you alone. But I will comment on that in another post.
You will appreciate your full keel in the Chesapeake. The bay is full of crab pots which will snag on a fin keel boat. This can get dicey in August when the Bay is full of jellyfish and you have to dive over the side to free the crab pot that is snagged on your keel. As far as I know, no Cape Dory owner has ever died of jellyfish stings in the Chesapeake.
Next Post: Rockets on the Chesapeake
cpgjim@erols.com
You really want to cruise if you are going to sail the Chesapeake. There are so many great anchorages and places to visit that it will take you years to see them all. The CD 25 is maybe not the best boat for this from an accomodations standpoint, but for a couple, unless you get an extended stretch of bad weather it should be fine. As far as sailing characteristics, the CD 25 is nearly ideal. It's shallow draft will get you into a lot of creeks where the deep draft boats can't go and you should feel secure in any weather conditions except a bad thunderstorm.
July and August can be very light for winds. I don't agree with everyone who says that the CD 25 is not a good boat in light air. I think it handles just fine in 4 or 5 knots of wind, but you'll want a big genoa and a cruising spinnaker.
One thing the Chesapeake has that Lake Norman does not is SHIPS!!!!! That's right, great big ocean going SHIPS! They could run over a CD-25 and not even spill any coffee in the galley. So you'll want a good set of charts to show where the ship channel is and you'll want to practice taking bearings to determine whether or not you are on a collision course.
Another thing the Chesapeake has is TUG BARGES. These are closely related to SHIPS in that if they run you down there will not be a great deal of difference in your remains. The major difference between SHIPS and TUG BARGES however, is that TUG BARGES don't stay in the ship channel. In other words, they don't play fair and they can get you no matter where you are. This becomes especially significant at night so you need to study your navigation light configurations so, if you are sailing at night, you will be able to tell a SHIP from a TUG BARGE and will know your relative odds of living 'til dawn.
Another difference between the Chesapeake and Lake Norman is that on the Chesapeake the Navy will attack you with rockets, while on Lake Norman I think they pretty much leave you alone. But I will comment on that in another post.
You will appreciate your full keel in the Chesapeake. The bay is full of crab pots which will snag on a fin keel boat. This can get dicey in August when the Bay is full of jellyfish and you have to dive over the side to free the crab pot that is snagged on your keel. As far as I know, no Cape Dory owner has ever died of jellyfish stings in the Chesapeake.
Next Post: Rockets on the Chesapeake
cpgjim@erols.com
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M. R. Bober
Re: CD 25 Sailing on the Chesapeake--Talk to Bob Ohler
bobohler@chesapeake.net
Bob is the Secretary (Vice Commodore Nominee of the Cape Dory Sailboat Owners Association). He is a skilled skipper of a CD25 with lots of Chesapeake experience. Plus "talking Cape Dory" is his strong suit.
I sailed a CD27 on the Chesapeake for 17 years (nearly all in Maryland waters) before finding our CD330 (which has been in Virginia, but not quite to Norfolk). Other writers have given you good advice.
Consider the Bay to be a lake opened at both ends. Tides and currents do exist on the Bay although not so much as in other waters. Midsummer is hot & humid with high probabilities of afternoon thunderstorms (the longest half hour of your life).
The cruising grounds are great with lots of sheltered anchorages (more in the mid and northern Bay than in the south). There are friendly Cape Dory sailors in abundance (all with lots of good advice).
You have a good boat for the Bay. Come on down!
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
thebobers@erols.com
Bob is the Secretary (Vice Commodore Nominee of the Cape Dory Sailboat Owners Association). He is a skilled skipper of a CD25 with lots of Chesapeake experience. Plus "talking Cape Dory" is his strong suit.
I sailed a CD27 on the Chesapeake for 17 years (nearly all in Maryland waters) before finding our CD330 (which has been in Virginia, but not quite to Norfolk). Other writers have given you good advice.
Consider the Bay to be a lake opened at both ends. Tides and currents do exist on the Bay although not so much as in other waters. Midsummer is hot & humid with high probabilities of afternoon thunderstorms (the longest half hour of your life).
The cruising grounds are great with lots of sheltered anchorages (more in the mid and northern Bay than in the south). There are friendly Cape Dory sailors in abundance (all with lots of good advice).
You have a good boat for the Bay. Come on down!
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
thebobers@erols.com
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Jim Swiatocha
Rockets on the Chesapeake
This subject deserves its own posting. The major difference between Lake Norman and the Chesapeake is that Navy fighters will not attack you with rockets on Lake Norman.
Forget SHIPS and TUG BARGES. The major threat on the Chesapeake is bored Navy pilots with JET FIGHTERS and ROCKETS.
You see, there is a Naval Air Station in Patuxent MD. When a carrier goes into Norfolk for an overhaul, the jets are flown off to Pax River Naval Air Station. There the fighter pilots sit around playing Old Maid and Chutes and Ladders until their carrier is seaworthy again and they can go off and practice takeoffs and landings on a carrier deck in gale force winds.
If you think Old Maid is tame compared to carrier landings, you are right. So the Navy has provided a diversion. They have anchored an old WW II Liberty Ship in the Chesapeake. When the pilots get bored with Old Maid, they fire up their afterburners and go and attack the Liberty Ship. The rockets they use have no warheads or the Liberty Ship would have sunk long ago. But take no comfort. If you are in your CD-25, it will matter not whether or not the rocket that hits you has a warhead.
To keep errant CD-25's out of the path of the rockets, the attack zone is marked on the charts. However, you either need to be good at dead reckoning or have a GPS to know whether or not you are in the path of the rockets.
It is your choice. If you want a safe and boring life you can get a GPS unit. If you like a little adventure, you can rely on dead reckoning.
Fortunately, there is some Navy reg that prohibits crediting a CD-25 as a recorded kill. So before they fire the rockets at you they will try to warn you off (do you get the idea that this is now personal experience?) They are not sure whether CD-25's monitor the military frequencies, so they warn you off by buzzing your boat at about 100 ft altitude. Let me tell you, this is impressive. And just in case you didn't get the message the first time, they do a rollover and buzz you again.
So there you have it. Aside from SHIPS, TUG BARGES, and Navy FIGHTERS with ROCKETS, there really isn't much difference between the Chesapeake and Lake Norman. Let me know if you will be moving to the Norfolk area. I think we will be one good day's sail apart. Maybe we can get together in some creek and raft up.
Jim Swiatocha
CD-25 #748 "Needful Thing"
St. Patrick's Creek - MD
Forget SHIPS and TUG BARGES. The major threat on the Chesapeake is bored Navy pilots with JET FIGHTERS and ROCKETS.
You see, there is a Naval Air Station in Patuxent MD. When a carrier goes into Norfolk for an overhaul, the jets are flown off to Pax River Naval Air Station. There the fighter pilots sit around playing Old Maid and Chutes and Ladders until their carrier is seaworthy again and they can go off and practice takeoffs and landings on a carrier deck in gale force winds.
If you think Old Maid is tame compared to carrier landings, you are right. So the Navy has provided a diversion. They have anchored an old WW II Liberty Ship in the Chesapeake. When the pilots get bored with Old Maid, they fire up their afterburners and go and attack the Liberty Ship. The rockets they use have no warheads or the Liberty Ship would have sunk long ago. But take no comfort. If you are in your CD-25, it will matter not whether or not the rocket that hits you has a warhead.
To keep errant CD-25's out of the path of the rockets, the attack zone is marked on the charts. However, you either need to be good at dead reckoning or have a GPS to know whether or not you are in the path of the rockets.
It is your choice. If you want a safe and boring life you can get a GPS unit. If you like a little adventure, you can rely on dead reckoning.
Fortunately, there is some Navy reg that prohibits crediting a CD-25 as a recorded kill. So before they fire the rockets at you they will try to warn you off (do you get the idea that this is now personal experience?) They are not sure whether CD-25's monitor the military frequencies, so they warn you off by buzzing your boat at about 100 ft altitude. Let me tell you, this is impressive. And just in case you didn't get the message the first time, they do a rollover and buzz you again.
So there you have it. Aside from SHIPS, TUG BARGES, and Navy FIGHTERS with ROCKETS, there really isn't much difference between the Chesapeake and Lake Norman. Let me know if you will be moving to the Norfolk area. I think we will be one good day's sail apart. Maybe we can get together in some creek and raft up.
Jim Swiatocha
CD-25 #748 "Needful Thing"
St. Patrick's Creek - MD
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chris mullins
Re: Rockets on the Chesapeake
great post,made me smile.so many of these postings are so dry.sounds like these rocket attacks would be something to see,if,as you say,a person was to make sure to stay out of the target area.
douglas_rock@hotmail.com
douglas_rock@hotmail.com
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M. R. Bober
Re: Rockets on the Chesapeake--redux
Just a couple of things about aerial rocketry on the Bay--some good, some less so. First I've never heard of the lads going target shooting on the weekends during the boating season (good thing). Second the target zones are for training (new pilots?) so accuracy may be an issue (less so good thing) if you're not in the zone or (good thing) if you are. In addition to the moored hulk target, they have a "bullseye" (about 1nm in diameter) south of Cedar Pt formed by a center target and four yellow markers. Remember, during times of emergency the good pilots are over there and the rookies are over here. Then there is Bloodsworth Island, which has been a bombing range for longer than any living person can remember.
Also some of those cozy creeks near Solomons Island are periodically in the flight path of "night operations."
Up north the Army can be depended upon for entertainment near Aberdeen Proving Grounds. They test explosives, flares and other things that make a fine day sound like a thunderstorm and can brighten up your night. Many years ago when young (then Private) Bober was being trained at APG they tested machine guns for about 30 straight days. Sleep isn't what it's cracked up to be.
It's almost enough to allow you to forgive the inconsiderate generator running you-know-what that drops anchor directly over your anchor. IMHO
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
thebobers@erols.com
Also some of those cozy creeks near Solomons Island are periodically in the flight path of "night operations."
Up north the Army can be depended upon for entertainment near Aberdeen Proving Grounds. They test explosives, flares and other things that make a fine day sound like a thunderstorm and can brighten up your night. Many years ago when young (then Private) Bober was being trained at APG they tested machine guns for about 30 straight days. Sleep isn't what it's cracked up to be.
It's almost enough to allow you to forgive the inconsiderate generator running you-know-what that drops anchor directly over your anchor. IMHO
Mitchell Bober
RESPITE
CD330
thebobers@erols.com