BARNEGAT BAY BASH 2014.

[Elk River]

A bit of brain-fade there as launching from Tices would be by helicopter, I suppose.  So, slips it is.  I have a 6 passenger crew-cab pick-up for Sat. a.m. if we need it.

Elk River

[peterg]

The only place you might anchor on the Forked River is on the South Branch, right before the Beach Blvd Bridge. There is a fair amount of current that could complicate matters. It is not too far from the Capt. Inn.  Alternatively, the south side of the mouth of the FR provides an anchorage spot adjacent to the park, but the best anchorage is on the north side of the river mouth in Cissy Cove, with good depth almost to the shoreline. The marsh area provides plenty of bird sightings, and I've over-knighted many times here. You would need a dingy to get up to the Inn, or you could motor up the river and the Capt Inn allows slip use for diners (for free, at least in the past).  All BBB Compactors- have fun for me. wish we could be there!!!

[Elk River]

The BBB 2014 is now history and as Bob, the chief instigator of said Bash, probably won't be home until later in the week as he had to beat down the bay into a southerly, I thought I would steal his wind and state categorically that all that attended had a wonderful time, especially Marty & Pegasus.  This is apparently the only way I can steal his wind.  By Sunday, there were four boats in attendance representing NJ, PA, DE and MD.  There was a probably first ever timed dinghy race, won by our astute sponsor.  There were extenuating circumstances to that win, however.  As he was perhaps only a half or third the ages of the other two contestants, there was a distinct advantage there, not to mention his consuming at least one of my jet-propelled brownies AND at least one cup of his own brew of some sort of rocket-fuel coffee immediately prior the race.  All that, and his intimate local knowledge of the bays tides, currents and weather, guaranteed his win.  Oh, and did I not mention his 'professional' rowing experience?  But in truth, we all had a jolly good time bashing about in his dinghy.  Perhaps we will see what happens when the HOTC rolls around. (details to follow as that is a teaser.  Those of you that think you know about and what it means shall remain mum as per the contract).

    I will have to see if my photos can be posted from Picasa, where I usually load them.  I know Skip sent me some directions about doing it from Photobucket, so I will have to check that option out also as I have never used it.

     So there you have it so far.  Good fun, good food, good weather and most of all, good company.

     Fair winds to all,

     Elk River

     

[Elk River]

Good golly, I forgot to mention the Bash's Saturday night kazoo orchestra aboard Koinona.  Something NOT to be missed in the future...

Elk River

[MKBLK]

The Sargasso Sea. Not a place that brings happy thoughts to sailors in the Bermuda Triangle. The sun beating relentlessly, the glare off the still water burning the eyes. How the heck do you get out of here? And what appears to be an island over there, could it be Gaia? Thoughts of a floating ship graveyard in which vessels get caught in the seaweeds and never get free again, turning the vessels into ghost ships. Is this my fate? Wait, I can feel the bottom with my paddle. Seems to be about half a fathom. Put on my water shoes and slipped into the still water. Bottom is soft, but with Pegasus relieved of her skipper's weight, she became nudgeable. Beneath the still water I could discern what appeared to be a small sand bank where I could hopefully gain purchase and get Pegasus on the move again. Whoa, Pegasus! Free at last, she caught what little air there was. I heaved my bulk over the gunnel and we were finally on the move. I carefully tried to retrace my original course to avoid repeating the adventure again. I guess I'll have to read Victor Appleton's Adrift in the Sargasso Sea to learn just how lucky I was... but wait, I digress.

The tale starts the previous evening in Forked River, NJ where I met up with friends, new and old. It was the start of BBB-2014 (Barnegat Bay Bash). Our small party met up at The Captain's Inn where we drank and dined in a fine atmosphere. Present were Bob23 of course, our illustrious leader who had invited new friends Sean Patrick and his lovely daughter, Emily. Sean and Emily had traveled seven hours from Vermont to learn about the virtues of  ComPac 23's. Also, from Maryland, were Brad and Lilly who trailered in with their CP19. So now we had full representation of vintage ComPacs. We enjoyed our meal and company and then retired to our respective berths.

I spent the night, which was quite cool and very damp, on the hard in Pegasus' cabin. This was the first time I have slept in the cabin. As advertised it is quite cramped but I did manage to get some shut-eye. Then, about 2 am, I heard some folks walking by Pegasus remarking, "How do you get in?" "I suppose you climb in through the hatch". I guess they noticed the step stool I use to gain access when on the hard. Well, they passed on and I took some safety precaution by reversing the hatch board so that the hardware was now inside and the hatch acted as a lock providing some security. Of course the inevitable finally occurred with Nature calling. This was about 3 am and as I returned from the sojourn into the nearby woods, I passed another couple walking past Pegasus... at 3 am!? Oh well, back into my not so comfy quarters.

Come the morning, we gathered again and motored (with Pegasus in tow) over to the recommended Colonial Diner via my VTV (Volvo Tow Vehicle – my 250,000 mile plus 1990 wagon) where we all enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Bob and Brad were already in the water and I soon had Pegasus off the trailer into the drink. Shortly I met up with the happy band and we were off to Tice's on Island Beach State Park, just north of Barnegat Light. Long Beach Island is a barrier island along the Atlantic coast in New Jersey (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Beach_State_Park).

The trip to the bay went smoothly utilizing auxiliary iron wind. The Johnson 2hp pushed Pegasus along quite well, until the opening into the bay where it simply said, "I think I've had enough..." and quit. Oh well, I hoisted the main and caught the breeze and we were off. After a bit, it became apparent the CP16 was not able to keep pace with the larger CP19 and 23. Also, I hadn't been able to set the jib because of choppy water (and maybe a little bit of chickeness).  Soon, I lost sight of their sails. Then I made a mistake... I tacked south, mistakenly thinking I had departed from Cedar Creek, not Forked River! Of course it wasn't too long before I discovered just how costly that tack would be. Which brings me back to the "Sargasso Sea".

After finally breaking free of the clutching grass, I beat northward to try to rejoin the others. Things were going well and then, again, on a tack to the east, the wind dropped off, eventually dying completely! Now what to do? No air, no motor. I went into survival mode. I did have my portable VHF and was in contact with Bob (For sure he'll report), but the sea is so large and my boat so small! I dug out my paddle and tried paddling a bit. Well, paddling 10 feet to reach a dock isn't quite the same as paddling a half ton boat a mile or so. It wasn't getting any cooler and the sun was dropping to the horizon. I had to do something. I had brought along my trusty MinnKota trolling motor and its battery. But, I had been working on the electrical system and there were no wires between the battery (forward of the compression post) and the motor (mounted on Pegasus' stern ladder). After pondering a bit, I decided that I had to somehow drag that really heavy battery out of the cabin and into the cockpit. And that I did with much effort. Of course I couldn't just plug the motor in, it didn't have compatible leads any more. So I bared the leads with my trusty knife (always have a very sharp trusty knife) and wrapped them around the battery terminals. Voila! We had power! At the same time, we were hailed by Dario and Bill (sailor friends) who had been monitoring the VHF and knew of my predicament, "Don't worry, Marty. We're coming to get you."

Shortly Pegasus was in tow heading for Tice's. What a relief! More to follow – things do get better, much better!!!

Marty K.
CP16 Pegasus

[Mike K]

 Thanks to all who attended the BBB!  And especially Bob for getting this off the ground, and organizing this wonderful gathering!
Cathay, Sophie and I had a great time, and we're sad that we had to cut out early on Sunday.  It was wonderful meeting you all!

Sunday morning, after a bit of motoring, we hoisted the sails, and had a nice trip back to the Oyster Creek ramp.  There was enough wind from a favorable direction that we made it all the way back to the mouth of the creek on a 4 mile long, close reach without tacking once.  It was a beautiful weekend.

This week, not only will I be remembering the good times of the weekend, but in my spare time will be trying to figure out what the heck Brad's HOTC teaser means!
Take care all,
Mike Cathay and Sophie (woof!)

[jthatcher]

Great stories, everyone!   I was very disappointed to miss the gathering this year, especially on such a beautiful weekend!   So, it would seem that Marty has yet to  pull off a clean, no - nonsense, get there in time trip to Tice's!   but he certainly enjoys his time on Pegasus..    perhaps next year I can join you again..  in the meantime, let's  begin planning a mid-winter gathering.. looking forward to seeing you guys and to meeting the new folks as well.. jt

[Elk River]

A mid-winter gathering sounds like a grand idea.  Do you think that Bob will be back at his mooring by then?  Perhaps he should have given more thought to one of those ultra-quick 19's...  Of course, he will probably have some smart aleck retort about having no knowledge of such a thing existing...  On the other hand, he does play a mean kazoo, along with Emily, Marty and Sean.  What an orchestra! (photo proof available) Perhaps a performance at the winter gathering?  Stories and lies, they're all the same; none of us let details get in the way of a good story.

Elk River

[sreidvt]

What a fantastic weekend. Bob was talking about how many people miss the beauty in NJ because most of us end up seeing it from the Turnpike or GS Parkway. Tice's Shoals (and the beach on the other side) are certainly gems of the Garden State. We loved it and playing in ocean waves was my 11 year old daughter Emily's favorite part. I want to thank all of you for welcoming us and Bob, especially, for welcoming us as guests on his boat. Turns out the three of us seem to make a decent sailing team. Emily enjoyed every single one of you and I think all of you ended up exploring the shore and beach with her at one point or another. Thanks very much for that.

It was a relief and pleasure to finally have Marty back with us at the rafting for dinner and conversation on Saturday. He'd called Bob on the radio saying his motor had quit heading out and that he was now grounded about 200 yards off shore. Having just about reached Tice's then we doubled back towards the marina to find him. Having then just about reached that other shore we discovered, via a new radio conversation, that Marty was grounded on the opposite shore *near Tices*. Ready about and off we went that way.

Bob and I learned that we should now ask the crucial question: "Which shore?"...!

Heading back towards Tice's on a new search for Marty, he radioed to say he had gotten moving and was sailing towards the anchoring area. The last transmission we heard was "I'm almost there. I can see your flag. Wow, that's a big flag."  Assuming all was well we headed in for a swim and a hike to the ocean side.

It was great though because we ended up making multiple crossings with excellent wind and a tight to medium reach each time - just delicious sailing. In fact, the first time we reached Tice's we thought: "Oh no, it can't be over yet." With perfect wind and weather like that we were not ready to drop sails at all. All in all I think we ran most of that bay round-trip three times and could have easily decided to do more.

Alas, the wind died down before Marty could fully reach the anchoring area and, well, he's told us the rest. Later that evening (after he had made it in on a tow from Alex I think) we ended up towing him the short distance over to our raft-up and, finally, we could all enjoy food, fellowship, Marty's muffins, Brad's brownies, Lili's salad, my hot dogs, etc. Mike and Cathay (on their shiny and almost spankin' new boat) were great additions to the raft-up the next morning.

Emily loved Sophie the dog in particular and there was lots for us (the humans) to talk about in common.

Coming back Pegasus and Koinonia sailed together (to keep an eye on each other) and, with the jib up, Marty's boat is pretty quick. I think sailing that boat without a jib on Saturday took some doing. Fortunately, Marty is this philosophical, intelligent, humorous man who seems to take these things in stride as part of the story of a life. And any time someone brings up a tough day on the water, he's now a got a great "Did I ever tell you about the time..." story to tell.

It truly was wonderful company on one the greatest fall weekends one could hope for. A real pleasure. Hat's off to you Bob for organizing this and for taking a couple of initial strangers on your boat.

Cheers,

Sean

[sreidvt]

Marty,

Christmas isn't too far away (alas). How about this under the tree: http://marine.honda.com/outboards/motor-detail/BF2.3

Hmmm...

Best,

Sean

[Bob23]

Thank  you all for making the long and short trips to attend this epic event. Of course, if you weren't there, there would be no event! YOU were the event!
  I cannot add too much to what's already been said except that I'm reminded that, although we love our Compacs, it's really about the people that sail them. Once again, it was a wonderful experience to reunite with old friends and make some new. As I experienced at Carlyle Lake, it was the same at the BBB: reuniting with old friends that I'd never met. There's just something about the kind of person that is drawn to a Compac. Those that experience this know exactly what I mean. Not quite a cult following but darned close.
  Brad and I did indeed engage in a dingy rowing race and that guy has a great strong stroke. If fact, if I hadn't sabotaged his race, he'd surely have beaten me! I guess he never noticed the cement block I tied to the dink "Little Fellow" before he cast off. He also does a killer New Joisey accent complete with a combined Maryland/Boston slant. Talk about a unique dialect.
  Both he and Lily are wonderful people who enjoy life and being together on thier CP 19. I truly am blessed to have met them. They are obviously meticulous planners and hauled food item after food item out of that little boat. Maybe carrying all that food created a handicap for the inevitable race. Or maybe we were just faster! We had some wonderful talks, walks in the bay and, of course some friendly bantering. It's what we do.
  Although Brad is a proud 19 owner, he seemed to have a keen interest in the transom of my 23 so I, being the gracious and humble guy that I am, gave him many opportunities to study the look of the vanishing stern of Koinonia. 3 times! I think it may be engrained permanently on his brain!
   As always, it was great to see Marty again. We met at a BBB, have been to 2 Mid Winter Gatherings and hopefully many more. He and I share our love of Volvos but the difference is I don't own one. Yet. But If I ever buy a P1800 and take up Volvoing in place of sailing, you'll know who to blame. Marty is Mr. Perserverence in my book, and despite some navigational and mechanical setbacks in Saturdays sail, he made to the raft up.
   I only had a few breif moment to gab with Cathay and Mike as they arrived on Sunday morning to join the raft up. After Brad and I raced, we tried to get Cathay to give it a go but she repeatedly declined, deciding not to crush our fragile male egos by beating us handilly. Thanks, Cathay, and hope you guys can make it to the Mid Winter Gathering.
  It was a wonderful pleasure meeting Sean and Emily and having them stay on my boat. Sean is knowledgable about many things and we found we shared not only our love of sailing but BMW motorcycles as well. He had a particular interest in the 23 and I will be disappointed if he doesn't show up next year in one. He was already planning major interior renovations- to the 23 that he doesn't own yet! I really enjoyed haveing Sean skipper the 23 most of the time. It gave me time for more important things, as follows:
  Emily and I instantly became good friends as we discovered our mutual love for potato chips. Although scheming how we could eat both bags ourselves without sharing, we soon came to the mutual moral conclusion that sharing is the only right thing to do and agreed to give the nearly empty bags with the crumbs to the other members to divide! Of course, we did none of those horrible things and did indeed share the chips. We also found that we both like waterfights and, rather than leave that knowledge on the academic and theoretical shelves, decided to go for it and soon we were both soaked and laughing like, well, little kids. She has no excuse- she's 11. But so what if I'm 50 years older? Aren't we all in a sense, kids in grownup bodies? We had a great time swimming in the mightly North Atlantic together. Emily has wonderful manners and is quite possibly the most polite and well behaved 11 year old girl on the Eastern Seaboard, quite possibly the entire country.
  As you longtime readers of past and sometimes lengthy posts know, Koinonia is pretty picky about who is allowed on board. There are many folks she has no paitence for and is pretty vocal about it. Sometimes embarrassingly so. Not so with Emily and she's asked me to relay this message Sean: "Emily- it was a true pleasure having you aboard and you are welcome back anytime. Next time, you really must take some time at the tiller- t'would be an honor being sailed by you. And I'm glad you don't snore like your dad!" Now now, where are your manners, boat?
  As alluded to above more than once, I did indeed have a long sail back. We left Tice's about 12:35 pm on Sunday, sailed into the river and headed for the Captains Inn where I encounted Don, the Dockmeister who initially practically refused us entry into a slip to drop off Sean and Emily because of a fundraiser, but changed his mind when he learned I was paying my 50 clam slip fee for Friday night.  What a guy!
  After a quick dropoff, I backed out of the slip under power without hitting anything! I know what your'e thinking: either a miracle or a lie! Motoring out of the river, I realized that I did indeed have a long trip. Once in the open bay, I commenced having fun by taking some long tacks and I was sailing with full sails and having a great time.  I soon realized that I may be out there for a long time if I continued under sail alone so enlisted Miss Nissan, size 8 for her assitance. Instanty she came to my rescue. What a girl: does she have any sisters? After 2 hours of motoring with the wind and tide on my nose, at 6:30 I tied up Koinonia and sat back to enjoy a most colorful sunset.
  Again, thank you everyone for being there. There was a past BBB where only I showed up and the company was boring, to say the least. I think next year, I hope to be more proactive and plan The BBB 2015 for earlier in the season when the days are longer. Stay tuned for news on the 3rd Annual Mid Winter Gathering of the East Coast Compac-o-nauts!
Bob23

 

[MKBLK]

Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful. After the previous days misadventure, I slept like a rock, first for 6 hours, then for another 3 ½! In between, we were woken by the arrival of a very large helicopter which hovered over Tice's for several minutes. This also created an opportunity to gaze at the most beautiful sky chock full of stars, especially Orion where we may all originate from!

The happy band enjoyed breakfast together and then settled in to enjoy the day:

The first event was the rowing race which Bob won. Brad took second and I a very close third (5 seconds). Not too bad for a septuagenarian (can anyone pronounce that?).  Then it was off to the beach to enjoy the sun, sand and waves. The weather was perfect, the waves were four to six feet and we all turned into 17 year olds and body-surfed as long as we dared. Emily really had a great time getting beat up by the Atlantic. I believe that she had never actually been in the ocean before.

By now it was getting time to leave Tice's and head for home ports.  The sail back to the mainland was everything a sailor could hope for. A steady wind of 10 to 15 knots off the port bow allowing Pegasus and Koinonia to fly. We too, didn't have to tack to make it back. Too soon! Pegasus sailed into Forked River under sail power except for the last 500 yards. Then the MinnKota did what it was designed to do and the sailing weekend was over... bitter/sweet indeed.

Looking forward to our mid-winter reunion where memories can be revitalized. And perhaps the meaning of HOTC can be discovered. I think I know what it means, just having trouble with the "H"... any hints?

Marty K.

[Bob23]

Well, my blabbering is not over.
   I need to also thank Sean for doing some last minute emailing to secure a complete roster. And as Marty so rightly stated, the stars at 3:30 am were spectacular and I really enjoyed sleeping in the cockpit to enjoy them. I started out inside but was awakened by the feel of the 3 rafted boats "not quite right" and the 3 of us brave male skippers reconoitered the anchor lines to ease things up a bit. After that, I moved outside and dozed until just before sunrise whence I rowed to the beach, witnessed another beautiful NJ sunrise and took my ritual sunrise swim in the ocean. I try to this each and every time I visit Tices.
   Just as we are doing with the CLR gang, lets exchange Christmas cards, ayuh? PM me your address's, I keep a running list and send it out when it gets complete. This could be fun. Whatdayasay? Ayuh? And JT, if your'e lurking, send me yours too. Even though you didn't make it this year, I know in spirit you were there!
Bob23
"H"...hmmm. that's a tough one. Hot dogs? Heretic? Halllucination? Happyhour? Habst Blue Ribbon?

[jthatcher]

I am definitely lurking!   and feeling bad about missing out on the fun and fellowship..   i will send you may address via email..   it sounds like you did an excellent job of planning the event.. and the weather sure cooperated.    I can sense the energy and know that everyone who was able to come appreciates your effort in getting the event off the ground... or maybe the water?  jt

[Elk River]

     Going back a couple of posts: potatah chips, POTATAH CHIPS?? I dint see no stinkin' potatah chips!!  Someone's holdin' out on us!  I gots friends down 'Lantic City way that will look intah this...

     And just what H are youse guys talkin' 'bout, anyway?

     possibly Elk River, maybe not