A charging, windy day with Hatchards & Co. Sun-filled and warm with a medium south wind and falling tide. Excellent training opportunity for UK based visitors. 6+ kts for most of the 2.5 hours. Excited Blue captain managed to leave blue breast line tied during slip departure and mainsail also experienced a rip. Unique tactics on return to Cove Marina.

Mid-morning depature with light wind from the northwest on a falling tide. Nice, sunny weather. Drifted around Crump's Bank until the wind subsided. A pleasant, uneventful, conversational Saturday sail.

A fine cruising day with light NE wind and a falling tide. Underway with the Blue Crew about 1045, drifted toward the CBBT and then back to "LC" No. 2 over about three hours. Top speed 2.6 knots. Enjoyed the sunshine and light breeze which presented photo opportunites for the Winston Salem helmspersons. Shipboard sound system performed well although initial station selection did not survive the cruise. Sharp looking return to slip without incident with the Doctor at the helm. Chastened Blue Captain reminded that head combo key is 1-2 together and then 4. All in all quite a contrast to the challenging conditions from the day before.

A rough and rowdy day with initial plans for a flip-flop cruise. Underway with full Gold Crew at 1210 facing a steady north wind. Reached the "LC" No. 2 buoy and raised the main. Strong seas challenged the R&Bs stability and rigging interity. A wise decision was taken to rtp (Return to Port), "discretion being the better part of valor" (a paraphrase from Flastaff and one of the cardinal maritime principles of the R&B).

A truly wonderful day on the Bay. Underway at 9:30 am with the French Army we cruised Crump's Bank and up to the South Channel with a 15 kt north wind and 2 foot seas. The R&B was steady throughout. Knot tieing refresh is required to avoid more self-induced loose jib capture. Nautical terms a la Francoise (empennage, spinnaker) lessons ensued. Espied large dolphin while cruising north. Returning to Cove Marina around 1245 for crew pickup advised by the boys in blue of new radio procedure for transiting LCreek on radio channel 12. Back at Cove embarked the Gold Captain and two hardy deckhands and departed for another 3 hours of long tacks under three different helmsmen, steady wind, and broad smiles in the cockpit and foredeck. Dodged the Ches Bay Bridge Tunnel twice by just under 2500 yards. Lot's of sailing company on this marvelous afternoon and the R&B seemed to hold her own against the competition.

Lively afternoon sail with a crew of six on a south wind. Skipped along the Ocean View bayfront west of Little Creek inlet just south of Crump's Bank. Christened the addition of the boat's name on the port quarter and the new battery with a well-timed spray of tropical brew. Many different helmsmen enjoyed the consistent breeze and calm seas. The Gold Captain's bootfrau set the speed record for the day at 7.5 knots. A few complaints registered about a minor obstruction on the foredeck. Good warm up for voyages to come.

Courtesy of the outer fringes of T.S. Cristobal caught some late afternoon wind out of LCreek up to Thimble Shoals Channel and back with a crew of two. Gabriel was a bit persnickety at first but kicked in after some coaxing. Underway around 4 something. East wind took us up and back at 5 to 6 knot clip in a light swell. Single deck crew performed marvelously upon return. Motoring south in LCreek channel found some sand on west side even though inside the channel marker, best to stay closer to mid-channel course. Celebrated exhausting button up with dinner out for the crew.

Free at last! After a month and a half of repairs, the R&B finally put to sea from Virginia Boat and Yacht at 0904. Motored up the Elizabeth R. and tried some slow and muggy sailing on Willoughby Bank just east of Fort Wool. The brutal temp and humidity were only made bearable by Ant's very tasty oriental rib, chips, and Werther's picnic lunch washed down by ice cold brews. Surpised to see an Invincible class tied up at NOB Pier 12 with nary a real carrier. After relighting Gabriel and about giving up on the god of Wind, a minor miracle: A beautiful little bit of air from the North began to flow allowing motor shut down and an enjoyable hour long tack heading 110° for our new berth at Cove Marina. Unable to budge the helmsman while the wind was up (to give others a chance at steering) resulting in a permanent tiller indentation of his fingergrip. After some much-needed tack practice, entered Little Creek in a rain squall, and smoothly slipped into No. 189 on Pier 7 at around 1500.

Headin' for the yard. Underway at 0730 on a calm, steaming day manned by an all-Beaches crew. With a rising tide, smooth water, and a purring motor, the transit down the Elizabeth River proceeded without incident. After a hard right turn at R30, arrived at Virginia Boat and Yacht in sunny Portsmouth at 10:00 to begin painting and repairs.

Another envigorating, "dust off the cobwebs" day on the bay. Underway around 9 a.m. into a breezy southwest wind on a warm cloudless morning with a falling tide. Steerage training for the new mate into Willoughby Bay with the usual unexpected tacks. The aged crewmen creaking around the aft cockpit manning the winches like two startled pachyderms. Then onwards to Willoughby Bay Marina for a quick touch and go to embark the Atlanta/Winston crowd. A wonderful half hour ensued up to the point the starboard spreader decided to spring free from the mast. Dropped sail and returned to OPCM. Re-entry to slip enlivened by loss of the gear shift connecting pin. Time for the boatyard.

The 2008 sailing season opened with a fine little excursion into Hampton Roads and over to Willoughby Bank on a southwest wind. Fighting a strong tidal current we moseyed around for a few hours dodging tugs in tow and the Port Said heavily leaden for parts unknown. The R&B held up true to form from masttop to rudder with a new mate at the helm outbound. Enjoyed the 75F temps. Dusted off the cobwebs from both hand and eye. Delighted to confirm that the depth finder works after all. Ran the working jib through several tacks--nothing significant to report. Gabriel purred along. Celebratory Skipjacks at Sunset Grill afterwards including a salad with Cathy's Kempsville lettuce. Ready for the big time.