Posts Tagged ‘Calvert’

Patuxent Adventure Center - The Place for Outdoor Adventure

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

Schooner Heron edged

When you make a recreational visit to Southern Maryland, try to get in a schooner sail aboard Heron, our beautiful 60′ staysail schooner. Schooner Heron Charters offers the best deal on the Chesapeake Bay to take a personalized schooner sail out of Solomons Island. $390 for a 5-hour daysail charter for 6 people, including lunch! There isn’t a better offer like this, anywhere. Captain Aram Nersesian will do everything he can to make your personalized sailing charter a wonderful experience and a great day on the Chesapeake Bay.

Bikes on racks

Compliment your sailing experience with bicycling and kayaking. Patuxent Adventure Center has kayak and bicycle rentals, as well as lessons, tune-ups, and full repairs. Open six days a week, closed Mondays, Patuxent Adventure Center is your center for all your outdoor needs when you come down to Calvert County for a day or weekend getaway.

Kayak Demo day

May 8th, Patuxent Adventure Center will have a Demo Day at the Solomons Beach on the right side of the main drag going into Solomons Island. Current Designs kayaks will be there in force, and Hurricane and Heritage kayaks will be supports through rentals.

paddle boards

Also, Patuxent Adventure Center now carries Tahoe Stand Up Paddleboards, the lastest craze on the water. These great paddleboards are more for flatwater, and provide higher stability and higher speed/track than stand up paddleboards used in ocean waters.

Kayaks are available on the water, every day, ready for a test paddle. Just let them know what kind of kayak you’re interested in trying out, and they’ll arrange to have a few for side-by-side demonstration. This is really the best way to find the kind of kayak you’re looking for. A 1/2 day kayak rental is $35, and that fee is taken off the price of the kayak if you purchase one.

Sunday, May 16th, the Patuxent Adventure Center is helping to sponsor the Leonardtown Criterium Bicycle Race put on by the Pax Velo Cycling Club. This is a full day of bicycle racing on the square in downtown Leonardtown. Races go all day and the kids race is always a fun time.

Heron aerial

And don’t forget… a visit to Southern Maryland and Solomons Island isn’t really complete without some time out on the water, so plan a day sail aboard Schooner Heron and enjoy the natural beauty of the Chesapeake Bay.

Getting Schooner Heron Ready for Charter Season

Sunday, April 11th, 2010

Ice on Mill Creek

It was a snowy and cold winter… no need to tell anyone that. The cold and wetness put off maintenance and projects on Schooner Heron, so I’m rushing to get things done before our charter season opening on April 16th.

Schooner Heron bow shot

Projects for this spring include re-routing the main engine exhaust hose to prevent hydrolocking. This happened to us about 60 miles offhsore in sporty conditions when we made a quick September, 2009 trip to Block Island. Hydrolocking occurs when water is able to back up through the exhaust hose and enter the engine cylinders, preventing the pistons from moving. You can’t compress water! But the initial symptoms can be confused with other problems. When you turn the key, you hear a clunk, then nothing… so, perhaps a dead battery? Corroded connections? But my good friend and master mariner Karl Westby, aboard for the trip, diagnosed it properly. My 100 hp 2-stroke Detroit was hydrolocked. We were sailors, without an engine. No worries. We had plenty of wind. Anyway, back to the project, the cure is to put a raised loop in the exhaust line to prevent siphoning. Sounds easy, but when you’re working with 4″ rigid exhaust hose, and need to find room for the loop in very tight quarters with an aluminum infrastructure, it can get trying. I completed this job, after a lot of grunting and groaning and lots of cuts to the hands and arms, about two weeks ago.

Maintenance also includes new varnish for the toerails, oil for the teak in the cockpit and on top of the pilothouse… some electrical work, some plumbing… and LOTS of cleaning. We even need to bend on two more sails which have been plumped in a pile in a bedroom for the winter.

We’ll be ready, and our first booked charter is April 18th, the Sunday of the Tiki Bar opening, and the second day of the rockfish season opening weekend. It’s going to be crowded out there on the Bay!

April Events… and… Tiki Bar 30th Anniversary Opening!

Sunday, April 11th, 2010

Schooner Heron Charters is opening its season with the greatest deal on the Bay for personalized private schooner charters, on April 16th. Plan your Southern Maryland getaway and include an afternoon sail for six people on our beautiful 60 foot schooner, Heron, and throw your cares to the wind!

Tiki Bar Opening Solomons Island

If you like huge crowds, great scenery, and an incredible Mardi Gras atmosphere, get anchored to the Tiki Bar on its 30th Year Anniversary opening party, Friday, April 16. The seasonal opening is always the biggest party of the year, but this year they will be celebrating 30 years of Tiki goodness. The Tiki Gods are planning it now and it will be a must-attend event. The Tiki Gods also remind you to drink responsibly and have a designated driver! See the website for details.

Jefferson Patterson Park Calvert County Tourism

Ever wonder what archaeologists do? Join the staff at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum Saturday, April 17, for their 2010 season opening, Discovering Archaeology Day. Discover the where, what and how of archaeology. The park will be open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. with demonstrations, tours, displays and hands-on activities for all ages.

Breezy Point Beach Calvert County tourism

On Monday, April 19, don your spiffy pirate duds and hit Breezy Point Beach to join Captain Jack for a real-life treasure hunt. There’s a pirate chest buried in the sand and it’s full of treasure. What sort of treasure you say? Aye, that’s for you to find out, Mate! The admission is free, but you must register by April 16. It’s easy to register – walk into any Calvert County Parks and Recreation office, phone 410-535-1600, ext. 2225, fax 410-535-2233 or go online, https://webtrac.co.cal.md.us. The program number is 460400A.

Looking for a fun way to stay fit? Breezy Point Beach has the sand, the ball and the net – all they need is you for beach volleyball. They are creating a summer league and if you are interested in keeping fit and having fun in the sun, call 410-535-0259 or e-mail the staff.