Schooner Heron Charters

June 6th brought Peter and his wife, “birthday girl” Teresa, with their family and friends, down to Solomons Island in Southern Maryland for a charter aboard Schooner Heron, and unlike June 5th, this day we enjoyed strong winds gusting to 25 knots. Peter loved every minute of it. In clandestine emails the week before (hiding the surprise from Teresa), Peter confidently predicted excellent conditions for a sailing day, and sure enough, his predictions were accurate. I think I’m going to start having him buy me lottery tickets!

Now, how’s this for romance? 25 years ago, when they were married, Peter told Teresa that he would take her sailing someday. Well… fast forward, 25 years, and here they were. Yes, they’ve been all over the world together in various adventures, but never sailing. This was a surprise for Teresa, right up until the last moment. The rest of the family knew what was going on, but she was in the dark. “Why are we driving to Solomons?” “Whose house is this?” She walked up to my front door, came into my house, and STILL didn’t know who I was or why she was there. Then she was able to look through my back windows and see the boat docked out back, and Peter told her, “We’re going to go for a sail!” You don’t find this kind of romance and creative expression of caring very often in today’s world, and it was really nice to be a part of it all.

I mean, look at Peter. He’s a big guy, an Administrator at a prison, in charge of the guards… He’s a tough guy. But inside… he’s just a big softy! (Sorry Peter… I didn’t mean to say that! Don’t hurt me!)

Once again, I have to say, I love my job.

Peter’s son Justin and his girlfriend Jessica had just come back from a week at the ocean, so they were all tanned up nicely. The hot sun we had on Sunday during the sail was no problem for them.

Daughter Paige, on the other hand, started out the day very white. We all kept an eye on her and made sure she was well coated with sunscreen all day. By day’s end, she had all these weird pink shapes where different things had gotten in the way of the sun. Well, give that a day or two and it all evens out.

Once again, with a strong, young man aboard, I got some help in getting up the mainsail. Jeez… with Justin’s muscles, we didn’t really even need to use the winch.

When we’re out on the Bay, inevitably we have some beautiful boats passing us. Here’s a shot of a beautiful sloop lifting her skirts (my expression for a boat that is heeling way over) as she goes on past.

Here’s Peter with his daughter Abby. I’ve said it in blog articles before, and I’ll repeat it every single time, getting out on Schooner Heron for a daysail is a great way for families to spend time together. It just is. Maybe I’ll have a charter later in the season that proves me wrong, but so far, every single charter involving families has been a wonderful time for them to be together.

Towards the end of the day, a day which included a bit of seasickness (but we won’t mention who) (or go into any descriptions), we were chased back to the dock by some very ominous looking clouds and thunderstorm cells. We had come in from the Bay to sail in the calmer waters of the Patuxent River, for the benefit of those who were a wee bit under the weather, but we only got as far as the Solomons Bridge before the dark skies had us shooting back to my dock.

And once again, I’ve had to chance to meet some really nice folks whom, without this charter opportunity, I would have never met. I think this is the best part of the whole charter process for me… meeting people like Peter and his family.

Tim Young brought his family and a couple of friends down to Solomons Island for a charter aboard Schooner Heron on a day that provided fairly light air. It was the kind of summertime day that turns white skin pink, so we had to be careful about that.

Tim spend most of his time at the wheel, and we managed to have at least three hours where the boat moved well through the water. Tim is thinking of joining the ranks of “boat owner,” so we enjoyed chatting about different kinds of sailboats, pros and cons…It’s pretty exciting to go out, looking for a boat. There are so many options, so many offerings, when looking at sailboats. More interior space, less interior space, better sailing characteristics, sacrificing sailing characteristics for more creature comforts… Where will you be sailing? Around the world? Around the Chesapeake Bay? Up and down the coast? Down the Islands? There is lots to think about and take into consideration before taking the plunge. And of course, no matter what you buy, you’re always thinking of your next boat! But in my case, I think I’ve settled down with my schooner, Heron. I’ve owned her for about 14 years, and I can’t think of another boat I’d like to have over her. What can I say? I’m committed.

Tim’s wife Zoraida is from Panama, and it was very interesting chatting with her. She’s wicked smart (can you tell that I’ve lived in Maine?), an engineer, and full of surprises. And, she was a bit of a hero during the charter, but it had nothing to do at all with her noticing another boat close ahead of us while one of us (it wasn’t me, it wasn’t Jennifer, it wasn’t Tim, it wasn’t Michelle, and it wasn’t Zoraida…) was at the helm.

Tim’s daughter Jennifer and boyfriend Dan were aboard. Jennifer was also wicked smart, and totally into her career, working towards becoming an occupational therapist. She’s just finishing school, but has been working with challenged children already, for a long time. What a pleasure to see a young person doing such fine work, helping others in such a big way.

Dan, the Man… doing marketing and planning at Lansdowne Resort near Leesburg, VA… He really enjoyed himself on the boat, even though, as I said, we had light airs. When the wind picked up and we started moving along nicely, he really got into it. I asked him, as one point, “Where is the beach?”  This was his reply.

Once again, the daysail was a good way for family and friends to spend time together. Daughter Michelle brought her friend Leanne, and the two hung out together for the day, stopping rays. Leanne was VERY white at the start of the day, but she slathered on plenty of sunscreen and went home sporting a mild pinkish color.

And for me, another chance to meet and hang out with some really nice folks. What can I say? I guess the whole concept of a relaxing, personalized, charter aboard a beautiful boat like Schooner Heron really pulls the nice folks out of the woodwork. I’m just enjoying myself meeting interesting and friendly people from all walks of life, all ages, with different backgrounds… and what are we doing? We’re going sailing on the Chesapeake Bay! Whoo Hoo!!!