We drove to Vera's early in the morning after staging a car at Bert Jabins Yacht Yard in Annapolis, our destination. It was cool with a gale warning, winds forecast to be NW 20 to 35. We planned to sail under genoa alone as the mainsail has been removed back in November for use by Quantum sail makers to design a replacement main. The high forecast wind speeds were not an issue, but the direction was problematic. Once out of the Pax River, our course would be almost due north and we were hoping for more west in the forecast. NW would be a bit too much on the nose without a mainsail. This would also be our first use of the new rudders.

After removing all our dock fenders and one-by-one removing all of our lines to bring aboard, we left the dock at 0755. We had a downwind fast motor run down the Pax River and finally unfurled the genoa to about the second reef point after going under the Solomons Bridge and getting the wind on our port quarter. Rounding Cove Pt., the wind was more NNW than NW and we knew we were in for a long day. We motor sailed with the starboard engine at 2400 rpm, the fastest we usually run it.

At times the wind backed a bit and we could make some westing, but our best course would eventually take us onto the eastern shore. At least we were making a decent 6-7 knots in the Chesapeake chop. Finally we had to furl the genoa and motor directly upwind for a couple hours. The wind backed again opposite Herrington Bay and we were able to unfurl the genoa again and made good time for awhile.

Finally we rounded Tolly Pt. and entered the Severn River and shortly thereafter reached the mouth of Back Creek. Our arrival was after 1700, so there would be no one at Bert Jabins to direct us to a dock nor help with lines. The wind was perpendicular to the floating docks available for tying up and was still blowing quite hard, even in the confined area of the creek. All the piers had boats tied up near the ends, making it a tight squeeze to get in even without the crosswind. We picked out a spot we thought we could get to starboard side to, and arranged the fenders. In we went and, having underestimated the strength of the wind, we were quickly blown down onto the port side pier and against a stationary boat we were trying to avoid. We hadn’t put any fenders on that side. We managed to get by, riding his rub rail and pushing off against his hanging dinghy, and landed port side to on the pier ahead of him. It was not a pretty landing. We rearranged the fenders and inspected our scrape—most from the pier. It wasn’t too bad and Dave eventually sanded it out while at Jabins.

As for the new rudders, they performed as expected - no problems - although this passage was not the best test.

The next day after retrieving the car left at Vera’s and returning to Bert Jabins, Dave located the owner of the boat we had brushed and confessed his sins. The owner was gracious, especially after he and Dave examined the side of his boat and observed only a bit of white gelcoat from Pas de Deux’s hull clinging to his rub rail. Handy items, those rub rails. Had we had fenders on that side we still would have touched him, but very likely would have avoided the scrape.

Thus began our spring refit at Bert Jabins. Everything else went smoothly.