I have added the OkoumeFest Challenge and opened registration. CAUTION: The page for this event is very much a work in progress. I won't get it finished until after the Ultimate Florida Challenge. But CLC has provided a nice chart that shows the course. Here is a link: http://www.WaterTribe.com/Events/OkoumeFestChallenge/Default.aspx
New Event - OkoumeFest Challenge
(35 posts) (14 voices)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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BayRaider
MemberHere's a little more info on the course that John, from CLC, shared:
long" course to run concurrently with the OkoumeFest Ultra Marathon.
"OkoumeFest Challenge"? We'll call it the "Challenge" for the moment.
It's between 200 and 210 miles; I need to walk it off again to be
more precise.The starts are the same, and the Challenge participants follow the
same course as the Ultra Marathon until they exit the Wye River.
While the Ultra Marathon folks turn right at Kent Island to head for
the finish at Matapeake (dotted line), the Challenge racers turn left
and head south.There's a 35-mile beat down the Chesapeake Bay---it would be upwind
60% of the time this time of year. Then left through Fishing Creek
and under a 24-foot-high bridge into the Honga River.Thence southeast across Tangier Sound to Janes Island State Park.
Racers thread the Daugherty Creek Canal, exit at Crisfield, and head
west to navigate the shallow, tricky Big Thoroughfare between Smith
Island and the Martin National Wildlife refuge.Then north for the run back to the finish at Matapeake, 72 straight
miles that would be a glorious broad reach in the prevailing
southwesterly, and a hellish slog if there's a post-frontal
northwesterly.Posted 6 years ago # -
Sorry about the link issue. It is fixed now.
Posted 6 years ago # -
seabag
MemberI used to work at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St Mikes and have maintained contacts there. If you wanted to stretch the distance a little for the Marathon or the Challenge I could look into switching CP1 to there. Advantage is that it would be possible to camp there and pick up supplies. Further on down for the challenge there will be water issues since there are no convenient water supplying checkpoints noted. I can dig out my charts and see what these might be. There will also be the camping issue; much of the course runs through or is part of wildlife refuges. If the wind is hard coming up the bay, its possible to sneak inside and run the inside passage at the Taylors Island Wildlife Management area, which I used to do often, and I think there are others.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Bumping this back to the front, would like to get some ideas going about the course. Looks like BayRaider is going to be Race Manager!
I have never sailed this part of the country. Still studing and looks to be very challenging and interesting. JollyRoger
Posted 6 years ago # -
CleanSlate
MemberI'm excited about the challenge course. It is always fun to be among the first ones to try something new. There seems to be plenty of beaches along the way but many of them are right at the high-tide line so it may be challenging staying dry if you plan to sleep in a tent. Good locations for a hammock may also be a bit challenging in some of the more marshy areas. I'm going to try rigging a hammock on my own boat so all I need is a wee bit of marshy beach to stabalize my boat. I could even camp in a few inches of water. That at least gives me the confidence of knowig I can grab some shut-eye at less than ideal places.
Here is a video I made a few months ago of trying out rigging a hammock on my Triak.
Posted 6 years ago # -
PrivateHam
MemberI have just started studying the route as well. The CP descriptions don't mention Smith Island, but I assume we are required to cut through the island as shown on the route overview?
CleanSlate, awesome halloween decorations. Here's the video I think you meant:
Posted 6 years ago # -
BlueJay
MemberI think you will find the people along the Chesapeake to be freindly.
Most of the shore line will be rock breakwall or marsh. If you study google earth though I think you will see there are plenty of places to stealth camp. I do not know if you could count the number of places to anchor. Be careful approching the shore, especially at night. There are alot of submerged break walls. Also a lot of downed trees, from erosion. There are also fish traps, just like in NC.
Water should not be a problem. There are alot of marinas on the course. I have never had one turn me away from a water hose when I was in a small craft. Besides, to me at least, a full expedition load would include at least a few days worth of water.
Posted 6 years ago # -
seabag
MemberThe country north of the Miles River and the Choptank is quite different from the marshes in the south. Once you get below the Choptank amenities are few, marshes and low lying land plenty. Looking at the course, the last convenient place with water and resupply possibilities is Tilghman Island where if you look carefully, you'll see a bridge onto the island. Lots of boatyards, marina in that gut. Crossing the mouth of the Choptank it's open, then you land on the wildlife refuge country west of Cambridge, sparsely populated, great for ducks and geese in the fall and winter. Then into the marshes of Tangier Sound which is the wild country for the cruising sailors of the Chesapeake. There are watermen's settlements on Deal and Smith and rewatering will be possible on Jane's Island. Being able to sleep on your boat will be a real plus. The marsh country here is not mangrove, its pretty much grass. On the yellow knolls where there is fast land, there may be enough in the way of trees to sling a hammock.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I sailed the lower Chesapeake as crew a couple of years ago, in a heat wave, and there were bugs, bugs, bugs at anchorages, but hopefully not many in May? Very few rocks to worry about, but long fish traps known to eat the uncautious sailor especially when night sailing, though that was on the other shore, cannot speak for this one. --Wade
Posted 6 years ago # -
PrivateHam
MemberThere is more information regarding the pound nets in Chesapeake Bay at the link below:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/commercial/poundnets/index.asp
They have a CSV download for all of the registered pound net sites which might be interested to try and pull into Google Earth (or your tool of choice) for eventual importing into your GPS. They do say, however, that these are the permitted sites and that there will not necessarily be nets at those locations at all times. My plan is to try and avoid all of the permitted sites, if possible.
They also say that the nets are typically set in 12' to 20' of water. Fortunately, the traps have markers with lighting and reflector requirements as shown in the link below.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/commercial/poundnets/index.asp?p=general
Posted 6 years ago # -
PrivateHam
MemberThe most active months for pound nets is between April and November. Wonderful. I haven't checked yet, but it's possible that the BlueChart maps already have these marked, but I don't know how often these traps move. If anybody else knows, please share.
Per the old forum post below, there is some indication that the markers for these fish traps are not well marked for night time navigation.
http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/showthread.php/212710-Fish-Trap-Area
EDIT: more info on the Chesapeake pound nets here:
http://bwsailing.com/cc/2014/03/05/sailing-navigation-secrets-traps-that-can-snag-your-sailboat/
It sounds like most charts will have these fish traps marked on them.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Thanks for the info on the location of pound nets, that map looks like a mind field. Not sure if it is worth trying to mark them all. Direct link to map below. -Crap.
Posted 6 years ago # -
BlueJay
MemberI have seen everything from a orange traffic cone to solar lights marking the nets.
Here is an interesting story with some clues for camping spots. http://www.seakayak.ws/kayak/kayak.nsf/a631f4790e66c273852569f9006ec1b2/0e2120cd6d00f60c85256ec9007a25c5!OpenDocument
Posted 6 years ago # -
PrivateHam
MemberBlueJay, thanks for the insight as well as the link. Here's my favorite part of the story so far:
A trip around the entire Delmarva (DELaware MARyland VirginiA) peninsula, a popular rite of passage with small boat owners, is more than 500 miles.
Sounds like a good WT race.
Posted 6 years ago # -
HeavilyLaden
MemberCircumnavigating Delmarva would be an excellent event. I've done it in a larger sailboat. Doooobrd did it in his pedal boat a couple summers ago. Wish I could find the link. He has an excellent account of his trip on his blog. C & D Canal does not permit boats to sail through the Canal, but there is a road on both banks of the Canal for portaging. Plenty of big water on both bays & choice of inshore or offshore along the DE and VA coasts. Assateague area is beautiful.
Posted 6 years ago # -
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/14/outings/hobie/index.htm#.Uzx_7ktX_Ww
Thanks to Don for sharing, this is one of his stories.Will try and find the others.
The 500 miler seems like something to consider for sure. very interested-
http://atlanticsailors.com/Delmarva-coast.html
expecially since it would begin and end at the same point like the UF. Portage would be 20 miles?
Posted 6 years ago # -
JollyRoger wrote:
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/14/outings/hobie/index.htm#.Uzx_7ktX_Ww
Thanks to Don for sharing, this is one of his stories.Will try and find the others.
The 500 miler seems like something to consider for sure. very interested-
http://atlanticsailors.com/Delmarva-coast.html
expecially since it would begin and end at the same point like the UF. Portage would be 20 miles?
Looks to me like there is a canal, so no portage at all :)
Posted 6 years ago # -
Ben, I need more research- so far I have found that- "Sailing is prohibited, you must motor thru the canal."
It certainly looks doable if your are "human Powered"?
Posted 6 years ago # -
PrivateHam
MemberThe site that BlueJay original linked to has a post about kayaking through the canal. The author doesn't mention any restrictions regarding his kayak in the canal.
http://www.seakayak.ws/kayak/kayak.nsf/1b6c027f90837b95852570dc0067bccb/b10d32138df8b78c85256f55007e215a!OpenDocument
The regulations for the canal appear to be on the page below. Search for the word "sail"
http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/searchbychart.php?chart=12277
Sailboats. Transiting the canal by vessels under sail is not permitted between Reedy Point and Welch Point.
It seems that human powered vessels are not addressed. It seems that it's ok but they probably would prefer that we didn't.
Posted 6 years ago #
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