2007 Raft Up

 

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2007 Raft-up  Yankee Point Marina on the Rappahannock

To view photos, click on the blue underlined text.  This year the photos are larger so view with screen set to 1024x768 minimum.  They will also load slower than previous years photos due to their size.  I hope you agree with me that they are worth the wait.

 Photos and text by John and Cindi Myers with some photos also by Jim Brewer

 

Day 1 – Friday, May 25th

· We arrived at Yankee Point Marina at approximately 3pm.  We are the first boat to arrive.

· We launched with no problems [though the ramp was at a crazy position, and sand had washed over the pavement and their was no dock beside the ramp.

·   We even got the mast up, with just Cindi and I with no problem!

· While we were raising the mast Marion arrived, single handing her 29 ft Watkins!

· It is very hot so we take a break and tour Marion’s boat.  Marion lends us a chart book and cruising guide to the Chesapeake which proved invaluable during our cruise.  We cool down enjoying Marion’s Marine AC.

Unable to place our boat in it’s assigned slip because there is something already in it we stayed the night in the travel lift well!

Day 2– Saturday May 26th YANKEE POINT Photos

· We placed our boat in it’s slip and finished setting it up in the morning.

· In the late morning People start showing up!  Jim Brewer and Al on “Wildest Dream”, Paul LaPoint single handing “PFM”.  Susan Brewer comes by car and stays in a rented a cottage that is very nice right next to the snack-bar.

· Lou and Deb arrive and also rent another cottage.  Cottages Photos

We spent the afternoon catching up on stories and touring the large Yankee Point boatyard.

Cindy and Rick come by way of their 36 ft Watkins “Misty Blue”

Day 3 – Sunday May 27th  Ice Breaker Party Photos,   Sunday day sail

· Marion sails home to Mobjack Bay early in the morning due to bad weather forecast for Monday, then drives back for the Ice Breaker!

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· Some of us decide to go for a quick day sail before the party begins.

· John and Sharon Peterson and Kevin and Melissa arrive by car.  Terry and Lena arrive on “Do U Wunna”. Roy and Irene arrive on their 32 ft. Watkins.

· The “Ice-Breaker” dinner begins at 5 PM with a large buffet by the pool!  Great food!

· After supper Melissa passed out welcome gifts to everyone.

· Lou Spagna dolled out his stash of pirate loot to everyone.

Everyone sat around and talked till dark, and then the party moved to the Brewer cottage where more stories were told!

Day 4 – Monday May 28th Memorial Day - Skippers Meeting Photos, URBANNA Photos

· Everyone met for breakfast & skippers meeting at the snack bar and using pirate’s rules, the consensus was to sail to Urbanna for lunch and return to Yankee Point for supper.  Everyone doubled up so only 3 boats were needed for the trip!

· Kevin and Melissa came with us!

· We have a nice sail over!  And then the wind dies!  Lou and Deb crew for Terry and Lena.  Cindy and Rick take Paul, and Roy and Irene take John and Sharon.  Roy and Irene have other plans for the evening so, and John and Sharon join Cindy and Rick for the return trip.

Some folk ate supper on their boats but eight of us in two cars attempted to find a seafood restaurant called the Upper Deck.  After a couple attempts and bad directions we found the place only to have it closed for the Holliday observance.  We then drove to Irvington and ate at the only restaurant open apparently for many miles.  The service was unusually slow, after a long wait to be seated so we did not get home until after 11:PM.  It rained on the drive home.

Day 5 Tuesday May 29th  IRVINGTON Photos

· Several of the boats and the folks who came by car leave in the morning.

· John really wants to see this Andy Wiley 3rd-World- Marina/Rigging Shop/Hand Wheel factory and Marine Salvage Yard in Irvington!  Paul, Jim, and Al and Cindi go along!  Paul is looking for stainless steel bows to build a bimini.  We drive over in our suburban taking the ferry and have lunch at an old gas station converted over…

· Irvington Marine was FABULOUS.  We spent a couple of hours poking around the grounds looking at all of his stuff.  There were Ferro cement boats, antique wood cabin cruiser and sailboats being restored, hopeless derelicts both afloat and in the yard and buildings full of neat marine stuff to gape at.  The docks were in shambles and two hurricanes had hit since the main building had been cleaned!  There was a sea plane at the entrance to the yard that Andy said he had flown in.  It looked like it had not moved in 30 years.

· The hand wheel factory looked liked something from a Hollywood horror movie.  Andy said he is still making hand wheels for the Navy.  The story around town is that a few years ago an OSHA inspector came to inspect the factory.  He stepped one foot in the door and turned around and left.  He said he was retiring in 6 months and there was not enough time to fill out all the paperwork that would be needed to list the violations.

· Andy said he was 89 I think.  The placed looked like 30 years ago when Andy reached retirement age he kept working but stopped doing any repair.

· On arriving back at Yankee Point Marina, John and Paul leave with Paul’s boat to go back to Irvington Marine to get the stainless steel bows for his bimini he wants to build which were too large to fit in the Suburban truck…  [the actual trip by water, was much faster than going by car, due to the lack of bridges over all the water-ways…]

In the evening Scott Murphy, “Murf-the-Surf”, 36 ft Watkins owner from N.J.] arrives by car, and brings his tent.  After two previous attempts by water, he successfully arrives by car!  We give him a tour of the remaining boats, ours, Jim Brewer’s, and Paul’s boat.

 

Day 6   Wednesday May 30th DELTAVILLE Photos, Boatyard and Docks Photos

· We take awhile cleaning up, and we get 8 gal of diesel prior to leaving for Deltaville, on Jackson Creek in late morning.

· On the trip we didn’t sail until after getting out from under the Rappahannock Bridge, at the mouth of the river, the wind was on our nose.

· Jim led the ‘pack’ motoring with his 3-cylinder Perkins.

· Upon arriving, it is a bit tricky as we are motoring up a snaky channel to get to the marina, and at one point, it appears as if we are going to be running up onto someone’s cottage-beach!

· John and I enjoyed Deltaville.  There is a park, very clean restrooms and showers, a pool, a lounge area for the guests with coffee maker and microwave!

· But most of all it had a big ship yard, sail repair, brokerage!  We saw some very unusual boats!

That night we rode the bikes provided for free at the Deltaville marina, and ate with Paul and Scott at Toby’s.  Jim and Al consume some of their left over stores on board.  Scott had driven from Yankee point to join us of another day.  Paul took Scott out sailing in the late afternoon while the rest of us looked around the marina.

Day 7  Thursday May 31st

Paul, Jim and Al, and Scott head for their home ports but we decide to stayed at Deltaville an extra day to get our laundry done.

 

Cindi and I (John) sailed around the Chesapeake Bay for eight more days before returning home.

To see those pictures and story click on Y KNOT Chesapeake 2007.