Precision Sailboat Rendezvous
June 2010

The second Precision Sailboat Rendezvous was held from June 17th through June 25th…

…at the Sailing Emporium in Rock Hall Maryland. We had 10 skippers participate in various events including the trip to Annapolis MD. By Saturday, most folks had arrived at the Sailing Emporium, and that afternoon and evening we greeted one another, swam in the pool, rigged up our boats, and had an impromptu barbecue featuring some of Russell Doctor’s excellent Jerk chicken.



The next day we took some day-sails out on the Bay near Rock Hall, and repaired to the Waterman’s Crab House for dinner. The seafood there is excellent and the prices are reasonable.

On Monday, we left for Annapolis around 10:00AM. We assembled the fleet just outside the breakwater and moved on to Annapolis on a beam/broad reach with the wind from the Northwest. Just as we approached the Bay Bridge, the wind quit, and we motored into Annapolis. Most boats took a slip in ‘Ego Alley’, but a few took moorings.







Monday evening, we took the water taxi to Backyard Boats facility in Eastport, just across the harbor from Annapolis. Dennis Biby provided the shade, grill and gas, and Bart Bliel of Precision Boatworks graciously funded the food and beverages! Many thanks to Dennis and Bart; we really appreciate their generosity and support of the Rendezvous!



The next day (Tuesday), we toured the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. We had a very nice tour guide, who brought us around to the various sites which included Decatur Hall, the Chapel, and the crypt of John Paul Jones. After the tour we went to the excellent museum, and then repaired to the café for lunch. For a few hours until dinner, most of us tried to find some shade or air conditioning; the temperatures were consistently in the mid-90’s.



Tuesday evening we went back to Eastport for dinner at the Boatyard Grill. After dinner as we were getting ready to leave the restaurant, a thunderstorm hit, which forced the water-taxi to cease operations. Regular old taxis would have to do, and everyone got soaked getting in and out of the car.

Wednesday morning most skippers planned to leave Annapolis for the return trip to Rock Hall, but a few of us took a racing class with J-World. The young instructor was quite knowledgeable and schooled us in the finer points of sail trim, weight distribution, crew positioning, and tactics. We had some nice wind in the morning for the class, which we hoped would last throughout the day. By 12:00PM all had departed, but by the later afternoon the wind was pretty much finished, and of course the heat was up. One by one we motored back into Rock Hall as sailable conditions disappeared.

That evening we dined al fresco at the Harbor Shack Restaurant looking out over Rock Hall harbor. Afterwards some of us made use of the Sailing Emporium Library, which is air conditioned. We made very little use of this facility despite the heat, but by this time, we really appreciated a little cool air.

Thursday was a low-key day. Only a few folks ventured out to sail, but most just wanted to relax by the pool or in the library. Thursday night we had wanted to have a final barbecue, but thunder storms were predicted, and they did indeed roar down the bay from the North. We decided to go to the Waterman’s again instead where we had a nice final Rendezvous meal and discussed what we thought of the event.

In general, everyone seemed to have a very nice time. We seemed to have had more “togetherness” this year than last year. We sailed pretty much in groups back and forth to Annapolis, we dined together frequently. We toured the Academy as a group, yet there was no pressure to do everything together either. The Rendezvous was relaxed, if somewhat hot event this year. The Sailing Emporium threw us a few curve balls with a few slips that were hard to get in and out of (it was more crowded this year). However, the facilities, grounds and location still made it an excellent home-base for the Rendezvous.

We'd love to hear from you whether you attended the event or not. We are always interested in making each Rendezvous a little better. You can post a message on the forum of this site (login required), or on the TSBB Precision Board.

Also, the first gallery of pictures from the Rendezvous is up. More will follow no doubt.

See you at the 2011 Precision Sailboat Rendezvous!

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