Old Point Comfort Yacht Club​
     100 McNair Dr, Bldg. 183, Fort Monroe, Va
                                37.00'06.7" N, 76 18' 53.2"W​​​

October is here and for most of us, that means it’s almost time to start thinking about hauling the boat or winterizing- or not! However, there is still a lot of sailing to do before Old Man Winter arrives full force. We have two OPCYC races left this year, the final race of the Yankee Station Series on the 5th and the “Round the Lights Race on the 19th. More from Jeff on those races later, but for you cruisers out there, the “Round the Lights” Race is perfect for you to step your toes into racing - a pursuit race without the stress of worrying about other boats while maneuvering in the starting area for that perfect start - just get to the line on time and go! It is a fun race and the party that follows is always a hoot!  CCVR, BBSA and HYC are continuing their racing throughout the month, so if you have a need for speed in October - November, check out their websites for upcoming races.

​

Jeff Rogers has some exciting news for the cruisers coming up in October with the offing of a fun cruise. Check out the Cruise section for more information!

​

I had an interesting couple of days helping fellow Pointer and Luna Blu crew John Runyan deliver his recently purchased 1986 Vagabond Westwind 38 Querencia to Hampton from Annapolis. After probably our last pilgrimage to Pusser’s (so sad…)  we got underway the following morning after dealing with a broken gear shifter, intending to motor sail to minimize the transit.  We started out with Mother Nature spitting a light rain with low clouds and a blustery 15 knot wind that increased to 25-27 knots that night. With 22-25 knot steady winds and 3-4 foot swells for most of the trip, which must have kicked up debris in the fuel tank that made it into the injectors, as I was on the helm at midnight, the engine sputtered and died.  

​

After an hour of troubleshooting to no avail, John and crew decided to give up and try again in the light of day. Since we were sailing at 6-7 knots anyway, the loss of the engine didn’t impact our ETA and we continued to Hampton. The following morning, John changed the fuel filter and tried the engine again. It started for about 30 seconds and stopped again. After getting some remote technical assistance, we tried a couple more times with the same result. Since we were making excellent time anyway, John decided we would continue under sail. John had a confirmed slip at Salt Ponds but without the engine he decided to make for Old Point Comfort Marina, where F Dock Tee Head was available. We arrived at Fort Monroe around 1700 and lowered the main and sailed into Mill Creekon the Genoa and Staysail alone, then furled the genoa as we entered the marina, made the sharp turn to line up for the pier where John masterfully maneuvered the boat to a perfect docking. Pretty good job for a Skipper on his new boat, on his first docking! If you happen to see John around the marina or the clubhouse, say hi and congratulate him on his beautiful Querencia!

As I have mentioned in my previous Log’s, the club needs help to fill vacant Board positions. Our club depends entirely on our membership, to volunteer their time and effort, to keep the club running. It is volunteers that provide events and functions for the benefit of all the membership. None of these positions require a huge amount of time, and in every case, there are folks that will help out to plan and execute the planned events. So, whether you are  Rear Commodore, Captain or Lieutenant, you aren’t compelled to attend every event. Please look at the vacant positions and let me know which you are interested in fillin.

 

 See you on the water!

 

Keith Midgette

OPCYC Commodore