You'll need to click on this map to enlarge it and see all the little acronyms that I'm referring to in this post. Sorry my Photoshop abilities are still being honed here so this map is a little cheesy. I just scanned it from my chart book. The boat is docked at Solomons Island which is marked with a red "S.I". Here. You can see the thick, red line near the bottom to show how far everything is. That line is 10 miles.
Some other things on the map are Smith Island, denoted by a red "Sm.I" on the map; Hooper Island Lighthouse, written on this map as "H.I.L"; Sharp's Island Lighthouse, listed as "Sh.I.L"; Tilghman Island, written "Til.Is."; Tangier Island, which has an arrow point south, listed as "T.I"; and finally the Honga River, listed here as "Ho. R.".
Take a look at some of these links and I'll be writing more on them later.
15 comments:
Where is our starting point, and how long does it take to get to the 10 mile mark?
The starting point is Solomons Island. That 10 mile mark is just a reference so we can see how far everything is away from everything else.
I'm thinking on the first day we either head straight across to the Hongo River and anchor for the night or on the first day we truck it all day north and stay in TIlghman Island the first night.
Another issue is that around a lot of these places it's pretty shallow and the Segel draws like 6 feet. The good news is that there's a dinghy on board so we can always anchor in deep water and paddle inland.
I hadn't realized the starting point is SI. Hmmm... I think a crew of 9 guys could really have a blast at Harrison's, but I also really wanted to visit Tangier Island.
If we could hit Harrison's the first night, the next day we could head south to Tangier or Smith, maybe getting there the next day. Then it's back up the bay for home. Those remote islands are really far south, aren't they?
In June, my schedule at work will have been switched to the graveyard shift (7pm to 7am), so I will be pretty nocturnal. If I feel comfortable and the wind is right, I could sail through the night while most of the crew is asleep. Of course I would only do it with another experienced crew at least. Where is Colin on this blog, anyway? He might be for it. Any takers? Let me know what you think, Damon.
I'm not completely opposed to sailing through the night, if someone's up for it. My only concern is that people will have such different sleep schedules ...
I do agree that it would be cool to hit at least Smith Island. Tangier is REALLY far from anything, though.
Let's first think about distances. Here are distances between places in statute miles (as the crow flies):
Solomons to Tilghman (Harrison's): 27 miles
Solomons to Honga River (where there's a decent anchorage): 20 miles
Solomons to Smith Is.: 35 miles
Tilghman to Smith Is.: 55 miles
Tilghman to Tangier Is.: 68 miles
Smith Is. back to Solomons: 34 miles
Tangier to Solomons: 43 miles
Correct me if you think any of these are off.
I don't have a good map in front of me, but it sounds about right. The confusing thing is that a statute mile downwind is a hell of a difference than a statute mile upwind.
With those distances, it looks like Tangier is out of the question unless we head for it the first day out. Getting to Tangier from Harrison's, hmmm.... Damon, with the Segel's speed, is it possible to get to Tangier on Saturday morning (having sailed through night) and get home Sunday on time?
Honestly, I think trying to sail from Harrison's to Tangier and then back home to Solomons Island is crazy. Even Smith Island may be pushing it (from Harrison's, that is).
Remember, those numbers I laid out beforehand are AS THE CROW FLIES. We have to assume that the wind will be against us whereever we try to go. It always happens.
Having said that, I think if we have good winds (10 knots or above) we could cover aproximately 66 nautical miles or more per 12 hour day.
I agree that Harrison's would be cool but if we're really interested in those southern islands (Smith & Tangier) maybe we should skip it.
Let's get some input from the rest of the crew. Everyone should refer to the Chesapeake map I posted on the "Links" section of the website.
All,
I am in for Going from Harrisons to Smith Island. The one questions that I have is what is the Hull Speed or Max MotorSpeed of the Boat. The reason I ask is that if there is no wind then how quickly can we motor if need be. I would love to sail through the night if at all possible. We cold also try Oxford instead of Til. just as something new.
Colin
Motor top speed is 6 knots. I believe the hull speed isn't very much higher than 7 knots.
I wrote the Segel's owner an email. I wrote:
John,
Hope this email finds you doing well.
My crew is discussing our route for our trip. How crazy do you think it would be to try to sail from Solomons to Tilghman Island, then down to Smith Island, and then back up to Solomons?
We'd try to leave Thursday morning and make it back to your place by 7 PM Sunday.
Thanks,
Captain L. Bruner
__________________________
He wrote back:
"I consider 30 miles in a day to be a good hike. Check the mileage between the two islands. It's probably 50 plus miles, so would depend on wind situation. You're not paying to go motoring all the time. On the leg between Tilghman Island and Smith Island you can break it up by staying in intermediate location depending on the situation as you have 4 days. The GPS map system will be real handy and be sure to check the tides in the GPS system for Smith Island. Smith Island should be ok to get into, especially at higher tide. - John"
___________________________
Here are the distances:
Solomons to Tilghman Island (Harrison's): 27 miles
Tilghman to Smith Is.: 55 miles
Smith Is. back to Solomons: 34 miles
It may be doable!
I think that it is more than doable and if we do not try it we are crazy. What is an adventure without a challenege. Smith Island that is. Tangier is just too far. I still think we should look at oxford since we have allready done harrisons. What do you think.
Colin
Smith Island is withing range, and definately plan A at this point - right, Cap?
As to Oxford opposed to Harrison's, Colin, we should remember Harrison's is known to kick ass. The place is a landmark and with nine drunks, guaranteed to be a good time. Don't forget the killer breakfasts. The place has been BUILT for a trip like this - literally.
Oxford is an unknown. It is a town, so finding the right place for a land party might be a pain in the ass. Imagine walking onto land and right up to the perfect bar versus the confusing situation like last year's annapolis stop.
You'd have to convince me Oxford is as cool as Harrison's
Jason,
"Within range" is a relative term. John Bailey, the owner of the Segel, is the saltiest old salt you'll ever meet and he said that to do 30 miles in a day is a "good hike". And again, here are the distances for this triangle we're talking about:
Solomons to Tilghman Island (Harrison's): 27 miles
Tilghman to Smith Is.: 55 miles
Smith Is. back to Solomons: 34 miles
Sailing all night is nothing to take lightly.
It's your call, of course, but know that should the night be clear, the winds strong and steady, and the swells tame, there are men aboard your ship whose following winter would be warmed by the glowing memories and pride of the experienced gained, the bonds strengthened and the distance traveled.
It's your call, captain.
arrrrgh
Well Said Well Said
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