Auxiliary Completes Successful Circumnavigation of the Delmarva Peninsula

Despite the lingering effects of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, three sailboats with nine Auxiliarists from Division 24 (D5-SR) and one prospective member aboard found a favorable weather window and successfully completed a week-long sail training cruise around the Delmarva peninsula on September 16, 2011.

One of the primary objectives of the cruise was to provide training in the various tasks of boat operation under realistic conditions. All of the Auxiliary participants in the cruise are involved in the Auxiliary’s operational boat crew program including coxswain, crew and crew trainees.

The Auxiliary vessels consisting of two sailboats in the mid-30 foot range and a 42 foot catamaran, departed the Annapolis, MD area on September ninth under rainy and windy conditions. After an overnight anchorage in the Wicomico River they arrived in Cape Charles, VA. The Auxiliarists were welcomed by the personnel of Coast Guard Station Cape Charles, given a tour of the station, and offered the use of the station facilities.

After preparations for the offshore leg, including the rigging of jack lines and the setting of watch schedules, the boats departed Cape Charles the morning of September 12 and after a 30 hour offshore passage arrived in Cape May, NJ. The weather for the offshore leg was favorable with light southerly winds and mild seas; the boats maintained a radio watch and exchanged hourly position reports.

At the helm of the new 45 at Cape Charles,-Desiree de Liser 24-8, Beth Dumesco 24-8

Early morning the next day, the boats departed Cape May and headed up the Delaware Bay under initially rough but good sailing conditions. They passed through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal accompanied by some imposing ocean-going vessels.

After a stop in Chesapeake City, MD the cruise continued to Georgetown, MD on the Sassafras River where they had a final crew dinner at one of the well-known local restaurants. The following day they departed Georgetown and arrived back in the Annapolis area on September 16 just ahead of an approaching cold front, one week and almost 500 nautical miles after departing.

Training accomplished during the cruise included performing such seamanship tasks as watch captain and helmsman (day and night), chart reading, sail handling, navigation (both dead reckoning and GPS), determining tides and currents, use of the radar, rules of the road, and line handling and knots.

The 2011 Auxiliary Delmarva training cruise was a success in that it achieved its primary objective of providing boat crew training under realistic conditions while at the same time providing the participants with an outstanding fellowship event, one that they will remember for a long time. In fact, planning has already begun for next year’s sail training cruise, to Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island.

Preparing for the raft up-John Sill, Owen Gormley,  Beth Dumesco,  24-8

 

 

 

 

 

~efl 12-30-11