Remember, it only takes two boats to start a cruise. Mention it out loud and others will say “That sounds good, I’m going too!” Last year we had great participation from both sailors and power boaters alike and I’m sure that will continue. If you are new to cruising (as we all were at one time) and would like some mentoring to get started, please be in touch. There is no finer way to spend a weekend, a week, or longer, than cruising with your friends and fellow boaters. Closely following last year’s successful calendar, the 2007 York River Yacht Club Cruise Calendar is outlined below. It is a work in progress and needs input from you, our members. Let me know when and where you want to go, and it will be updated. Save your vacation days for something really important: Cruising!

May 5-6 Spring Shakedown

Destination will be Salt Ponds Marina Resort. This early date is motivation to get your boat ready to go early this season. You will be happy we are at the marina when you discover that last year’s LPG bottle is empty!

May 26-28 Memorial Weekend on Mobjack Bay

Raft-up and party at the usual favorite spots on the rivers of Mobjack Bay. Tell me your favorites.

June 1-3 Blackbeard Festival in Hampton

Leave on Friday and be a pirate for the weekend at this fun event. We’ll stay at Bluewater Yachts. Dining is great at any of the many Hampton restaurants. This web site, http://www.blackbeardfestival.com has not been updated yet for this year’s event, but check it out anyway!

June 20 – ??? New England Cruise

We have four boats committed and at least three more expressing an interest in this cruise. We will start looking for a weather window June 20 for a departure out the Chesapeake Bay. Our first leg destination will depend on the forecast but we will go as far as we comfortably can. Interested cruisers will be meeting to make plans and discuss destinations such as Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Newport, Nantucket, Maine, and who knows where. Some boats plan to return home in three weeks and some of us hope to be gone for six or more.

July ?-8 July 4 Leukemia Cup Cruise

Take off from work a few extra days and the possibility of a wonderful cruise opens up. On the 4th, watch the fireworks from the water. I know they have a great beach party in Little Bay just north of the Rappahannock. Then continue on to the Leukemia Cup festivities at Fishing Bay YC on the Piankatank, July 6-8. I have attended before and it is a great weekend with beautiful boats, a fun race (with cruising classes suitable for those of us who just want to enjoy the course), and good food, beer, wine, and music. Our club will also be helping this charity event with a committee boat, and by making and selling crab cakes. As I will be gone on the New England cruise during this period, a volunteer to stand-in as “Leukemia Cup Cruise Captain” would really help make this happen!

August Kiptopeke Cruise

Let’s pick a weekend and head over to the “concrete ships” at Kiptopeke on the Eastern Shore. This man-made harbor was created by grounding WWII Liberty

Ships. Once the northern terminus of the ferry before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel was built, it is now a state park.

September 1-3 Annual Cape Charles Cruise

Sail/Motor to beautiful Bay Creek Marina on Friday or Saturday. We’ll have a group club dinner on Saturday night. On Sunday, play golf, daysail to Kiptopeke, hit the beach or just chill. Return to home port on Labor Day.

September/October TBD Long Cruise of the Middle Chesapeake

Cruise up the Bay to wherever the winds take us. Perhaps St. Mary’s City, Solomon’s Island, Onancock (with a side trip to Tangier) and elsewhere. I propose that the cruise dates bracket the weekend of the Turkey Shoot Regatta. This event, held on the Corrotoman River off the Rappahannock River, is usually the first weekend in October. Like the Leukemia cup, it is a terrific event for cruisers. The race itself is only open to boats whose design is at least 25 years old, and is a sight to behold.

Please email me (jorankyn@yahoo.com ) and let me know which cruises you hope to participate in. I’ll keep everyone up to date through a combination of email, the newsletter, the web site, and our monthly meetings. Many of these events will require us to reserve slips or to register, so let’s start planning!

Any questions, comments, concerns, please advise as this is YOUR cruise calendar.

Fair winds!

Joran Gendell

YRYC Cruise Captain