About the Sailing Vessel SEANCHAI
Home About the Boat Charters Private Specials About the Bay What's New Other Links	What's in a name? Seanchai (pronounced Shawn'-a-key) is the Gaelic word for story teller, or more accurately, a teller of old tales or legends. But a Seanchai was more than just a simple storyteller. In ancient Celtic times a Seanchai was a teacher, a keeper of traditions, and even something of a mystic. If you listen to the sounds of the water flowing gently along Seanchai's graceful hull and the wind as it whispers in the rigging, perhaps, just perhaps, this Seanchai will share a lesson with you in the ancient art of sailing. Seanchai is a 50-foot Gulfstar cutter-rigged ketch of more than 20 tons built in 1975. Carrying 4 primary sails on two masts she will spread over 1000 square feet of canvas yet her Captain often sails her single- handed with the help of the autopilot. Navigation is aided by radar and GPS, and for communications there is a cellular phone as well as the standard VHF radio. Seanchai is ideal for families, small groups, or couples. She has two staterooms accommodating two guests each, and additional berths for two more in the main salon. Captain's quarters are separate aft. For those cool nights of early spring and late fall there is a forced air heating system that keeps the boat nice and warm. Her two heads (bathrooms) are both equipped with hot water showers. The galley is fully equipped with a stove and oven, microwave, coffee maker, and blender, all of which work underway or at anchor. Seanchai carries a tender for rowing around quiet anchorages. Seanchai is first and foremost a sailing vessel, so there is no generator to disturb the peace and quiet. Instead, Seanchai uses an inverter system with a large bank of batteries for electrical power when away from a dock. Children are welcome on Seanchai. There are double lifelines so that little sailors won't slip over the side and safety harnesses and tethers are available. If the joys of sailing are not quite enough to enthrall them, there is a TV with VCR/DVD in the main salon as well as an AM/FM/CD player. On hot summer days the Captain has even been known to rig a wading pool up on the fore deck for little ones (and big ones too) to splash and cool themselves off. Patrick Derry, Seanchai's owner and Captain, is a US Coast Guard licensed, 100 ton, Near Coastal Master of power and auxiliary sailing vessels. He has been sailing for more than twenty-five years and teaches USCG Deck Office preparation courses as an adjunct faculty for the Community College of Baltimore County in the off-season. Captain Derry is a member in good standing of the Chesapeake Area Professional Captains Association, the American Professional Captains Association, the Marine Charter Industry Association and the National Marine Charter Association. He served in the Navy as a missile officer on a guided missile destroyer, been an air show pilot, an ultralight pilot and instructor (who once held a world altitude record), and has published several articles on sailing. He can even perform weddings onboard. How to find us. SEANCHAI sails from Hartge Yacht Yard, Galesville, Maryland. To get there from the Washington Beltway, simply take Rt. 214 (Central Ave.) East about 20 miles to Rt. 468 (Muddy Creek Road) and turn right (Rt. 468 is a couple miles after you cross MD Rt. 2). At the first light that you come to after you turn onto Rt. 468 (about 5 miles after the turn), turn left onto Rt. 255. You will see a sign welcoming you to Galesville just after you turn. About a half-mile after the turn onto Rt. 255, turn right onto Church Street (there is a church on the corner). Stay on Church Street as it winds around and it will end in Hartge Yacht Yard. There is parking on the right as soon as you enter the yard. S/V Seanchai is in berth 237, which is at the end of dock that has all of the slips that are in the 200’s. This dock is on the right, past the office, the sail loft and the shop but before the big cloth sided paint shed. It takes about twenty-five minutes from the Capital Beltway. If you are coming from the north (Baltimore or Annapolis), take Rt. 2 south to Rt. 214 (Central Ave) and turn left. Follow the directions above. Please note that Rt. 2 south joins Rt. 50 west just north of Annapolis. You are only on Rt. 50 for a mile or so when Rt. 2 south exits at Parole. Just follow the signs and you’ll be fine. If you are coming from the south, take Rt. 2 north. Less than a mile after the traffic circle at Lothian turn right onto Rt. 255 towards Owens. Stay on this road until you reach Galesville and then follow the directions above.
	For more information, or to make reservations, please call (301) 503-1101, or send an e-mail to Sailseanchai@earthlink(dot)net Note that if you want to type in the e-mail address above instead of clicking on the link, the (dot) in the e-mail address should actually be typed as “.”. We’ve had to resort to this clever ruse to avoid those charming pleas by Dr. Abo Don Salari (et. al.) who wants us to send him our bank account number so that he can send us several million dollars. Though we appreciate his confidence in our discretion, we fear that our Captain would spend much of the money on hard liquor and fast women but then he would probably just waste the rest so we’re trying to avoid the temptation. Thanks anyway Dr. Salari.