Monthly Archives: November 2016

Drivin’ South: Tangier Island To Hampton, Virginia Single Handed

Drivin' South 2016, Sabre 42, Single Handing

By Rich

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The evening of Sunday, October 23 found me feeling a bit anxious about Monday’s forecast. As I sipped my evening scotch I listened to the weather over the VHF and looked online at Sailflow. The very same 20-25 knot westerly winds that I could hear whistling unrestrained through my Sabre’s rig were forecast to persist the next day – at least until 11am or so. At that point the forecast called for the winds to clock to the right and to moderate. If I left at dawn – which was necessary if I was to ensure a pre-dusk arrival in Hampton, Virginia – I would be leaving the tight Tangier inlet in a brutal chop and would need to beat straight into that same steep chop for 4-5 hours before the wind moderated and I could reach under more civilized conditions. Continue reading Drivin’ South: Tangier Island To Hampton, Virginia Single Handed →

Drivin’ South: Solomons To Tangier Island Single Handed

Drivin' South 2016, Sabre 42, Single Handing

By Rich

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On Sunday, October 23 I had a wild beam reach from Solomons Island to Tangier Island. I set a full main and jib shortly after sunrise and briefly worried that there may not be enough wind to make it to Tangier before dusk under sail alone. Boy was I wrong. Continue reading Drivin’ South: Solomons To Tangier Island Single Handed →

Drivin’ South: Annapolis To Solomons Island Single Handed

Drivin' South 2016, Sabre 42, Single Handing

By Rich

With a gale forecast to fill in during the evening, I was in a bit of a rush to make Solomons Island well before dusk. I caught a wonderful sunrise after leaving Lake Ogelton and TURNING RIGHT (south) instead of left (to haul out) for the first time since we’ve owned the boat. SO EXCITED.

img_6180 Continue reading Drivin’ South: Annapolis To Solomons Island Single Handed →

Annapolis To Fort Lauderdale!

Drivin' South 2016, Sabre 42

By Rich

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It’s that time of year – when a train of sailboats packs up and head south for the winter. For the first time after two years of dreaming about it, WE’RE GOING WITH THEM! More exciting still, I’m doing most of the trip south SINGLE HANDED!

In fact, the trip is already under way. I’m home for a quick break while Le Saberage catches a brief rest in Charleston, South Carolina. I fly back tomorrow to resume the trip. Today, however, I am have some time between loads of laundry to work the keyboard and get some blog posts out! The articles will be significantly time delayed since I haven’t had any time at all during the voyage to blog.

I’m going to headline the series of articles Drivin’ South and will endeavor to make each as media heavy and commentary light as possible. I’ll also focus as much of my content as possible on “lessons learned” about the passages and destinations to benefit others who plan to head south.

Enjoy!