OK, this topic had to get started at some point. So why delay? Let's hear your winter blues stories. Misery loves company.
Mine story is I have a new to me, barely used beautiful custom CP19XL that I haven't been able to sail yet! It is, of course, in storage an hour away so I can't even see it to tell it stories about how I'll take care of her and the adventures we'll have this summer. She's lonely in that cold, dark barn. Another problem is the DMW are threatening to impound the boat since the PO has not been able to produce a title for me yet on the trailer (boat title/reg is fine). That is getting fixed, but never again will I buy a boat without ALL paperwork finalized. Talk about stress...
Why do we live in the North again? (oh yeah..jobs, family..).
Tempted to take a week off next month and trailer her down to SC, GA or FL. Anyone with similar thoughts on a trip south?
So what is a the PO that "has not been able to produce a title for me yet on the trailer?"
So many of us boaters in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin do not even have a license plate on our trailers. Who cares about that?
I happen to have one, as the paper work was all ready with the boat and the boats registration when I bought my C-P 19 XL.
I get a notice and a $25 or $45 fee each time the crooks and blood suckers in Madison want me to renew the sticker on the trailer's tag. My neighbor who is the chief of police in my little town said jokingly, "skip, don't even bother. You don't tow out of town." But wife follows the law and wastes a few dollars despite my best efforts.
Though I do feel your pain about not actually 'being on and near' the boat. If I had any money and any sense I'd move out of Wisconsin to a state having a better humane tax code and climate.
skip.
Alright Skip- I'll bite. Where is a state that 1. Right now is warm 2. Has a humane tax code? and 3. Has no bloodsuckers on the payroll? (As I look at the powder snow build up on my Compac)
Good question. Hummmm the down turn in manufacturing shows 28% of working age men, 25 to 54 years of age, do not have a job. Highest job loss since 1948. And this after several $ trillion bailout and stimulus. It's not working. Period. Another 85,000 more jobs lost in December 2009 I just heard on National Public Radio.
Well Wisconsin, a democratic controlled police state, is [I may be off by a few states] the #3 highest taxed state in the union of 50 states. So I guess 47 States are 'better' as far as taxes go. Business are leaving.
The weather, all I can say is go south, and west or east. Anything closer to the equator. I'm historically living on the 45th tropic of Cancer or Capricorn line, which ever it is, does not matter, the sun never goes further north then this line. Business are leaving.
I always ask, "Why is it that taxes collected is never enough?" The U.S. just finished the 3rd quarter of double digit reduction in both Federal and State Tax collections. UPS just laid-off 1,100 more after Christmas. Before Christmas UPS axed 17,000 and handled 77,000 fewer packages DAILY.
In our county, Door, we recently imposed an additional 5% room tax on visitors to the Door, in addition to the 5+% state sales tax...the city fathers here are ringing there hands, where are the visitors? Where is the additional tax money we already spent?
I say why are 'we' punishing people to drive up to Door County, stay, and spend there vacation money?
You want to kill something just tax it.
Cash for Clunkers. What was that? A tax cut. People went out and bought cars. Cash for Clunkers put cash back into people's pockets.
A 8% cash back to buy a house. You don't think that was a tax cut? It put money back into peoples pockets.
Our Governor is not running again. He signed in the largest tax increase in Wisconsin's history and he's moving out of the state. The tax has not taken effect yet. I can hardly wait.
Why is it that everything bad is associated with a UNION or a LIBERAL? Teacher unions, oppose teacher pay cut. Why is the top dog school administrator in Green Bay paid $1.1 million? Why don't we pay him $20,000. That would be more then I make.
What would you do if your taxes were cut by 35%? You would buy a larger Com-Pac.
skip might.
Skip, here in Ohio you cannot screw around with vehicle licensing. They WILL impound without blinking an eye. Police WILL pull you over for no tag. I do have an FOP card and that has got me out of tickets before, but I can't count on it.
They inspect boats when registering for the first time in the state. And they inspect the trailer when you register the boat. No trailer registration...no pass inspection..no boat registration...no dice. Period. Well, at least that is how it is in the county I live in.
With that said my last trailer had a Michigan "permanant" tag on it. Permanent means does not change (or so I would argue in court if I had to). I never got it licensed here as since the boat was already registered in the state, I could forego inspection. They only glanced it over mainly just verifying the HIN matched. They did want me to get a new title and registration for the trailer, but it was not required since it had a MI plate and I had the registration.
On the trailer for the 19, I have no papers, no title, no registration, no license plate. To the authorities, it's a stolen trailer--thus the warning to comply. The PO is indeed helping to get a transferable registration for the trailer, but right now I'm illegal.
skip, PO means Previous Owner.
Well tell them you bought some steel and fabricated a trailer for your boat. Then ask, "So how do I register a homebuilt trailer?"
That's what I had to do when I built my home made dunebuggy from a bunch of pipe and VW engine, transaxle and front end.
skip. I lived in Sylvania, Ohio on the back side of a 40 acre lake dug out for sand to make a hywy overpass just North of Toledo, and South of Blissfield, MI.
skip--regarding jobs...The one thing that has helped me stay employed is training and certifications.
The better you are at something, the more valuable you become, thus the less likely you'll get let go.
An ISO certification (quality standards) may come in handy for you...just thinking out loud here. Some letters after your name adds value vs. other employees that work next to you that don't have them.
Don't even think about California !
This state has to be one of the worst.
hey salty, our buddy john is in naples florida for two months----has a two bedroom condo and welcomed us for a visit---im sure he could accomodate you.
I don't get winter blues. I live in New Jersey and we have a tax on everything, including winter blues. I like New Jersey's rich sailing heritage and it is something I'm quite proud of. Now if we could just export 95% of the lawyers to Pluto, we'd be on to something.
My cure for winter blues is hanging around here, writing stories based (loosely) on my limited adventures, working, working, working, and working. I also use the time to maintain and improving the lovely and talented "Koinonia" (1985 23/2).
Living in the north makes you tough, Salty. Ever seen any wimpy Maine-iacs?
Bob23
Steve--oh yeah, I forgot John is a snowbird! May have to look him up!!!! One mention of this to Becky and she'll have plane tickets printed out before I finish the sentence.
Bob- Yep, I've been a northerner all my life too. I'm probably tough as 100 year old pitted, rusted nails, but nails nonetheless! I just slowly keep moving west (NJ, then PA, now OH) on almost the same line of latitude. What was I thinking?? So do they tax pitted, rusted nails in NJ?
So let's take a test to determine toughness..and this has happened to me twice. Let's say you're remote camping in a tent in the mountains. The closest neighbor is about 1 mile away "as the crow flies". It's WV so there are all kinds of wildlife, including locals, wandering about in the hills. It's 5:00am and you stagger out of the tent to relieve yourself from the beer you drank earlier in the evening. You're a little groggy but still somewhat alert to your surroundings. You hear what can be described as a woman screaming for mercy, machine gears grinding, and a train screeching to a halt all in one sound. But there is no woman, no gears, and no train. It's a mountain lion/puma/couger/panther (all the same animal) killing whatever it is they kill. And it sounds like it's coming from just down the "holler".
Do you:
1.) Run to the truck like a pansie and get the heck out of there?
2.) Pee your pants and huddle like a prisoner of war around the remnants of the fire, hoping that lions do not like fire?
3.) Walk backwards to your tent and grab whatever weapon you can find, staying quiet, hoping it will go away?
4.) Take out your rifle and fire a couple of warning shots in the general direction of the lion?
5.) Take out your rifle, attempt to hunt down the mountain lion and yell "COME HEEEERE, BOOY!!!" while tramping through the woods?
So what do you think I did? And what would you do?
I'm in Memphis where it can be over 100 in the summer. Tonight it will be 8 degrees.
Hey Salty 19, don't expect to come to Mississippi and find refuge from the cold. It was 16 this morning and will be 12 tomorrow, neither day getting above freezing for the high. And for the first time since 1987 we have snow on the ground that is going to be there for multiple days without melting. It is on track to be the coldest winter/year in twenty, and could be the coldest ever. Where is Al Gore when you need him?
I've lived in Philadelphia, Bainbridge, MD, Newport, RI, and Tulsa OK, at various times and it feels colder here than it ever did in any of those places.
However, taxes are reasonable here. No ones got any money anyway.
To beat the blues--I run about thirty miles a week, race when I can and hole up in my woodshop.
Hmmm, Salty- I gotta think about this one.
What would I do? I might get another beer as quick as I could and re-ponder the situation. Probably grab my camera to get a shot. And pray.
What did you do?
I don't know you that well, but assuming you'll come clean here on the site, I'd say that being a former New Jerseyan, the correct answer could be based on your nationality.
Me, being of Italian descent, might get nearer and shout: "Hey, get the hell outahere, we're tryin' to sleep!".
But, you- well, I'm gonna go with you walked backwards to your tent, got your rifle, fired a couple of warning shots and then went back to sleep. Was I close?
And, yes, we probably do tax pitted, rusty nails here. Damn, we seem to have a tax for everything.
Bob23
Yeah Salty, I got the same blues, I thought just maybe based on the past years, I might just get a nice day to put my new (to me) 16 on the water. But it has been below freezing here in middle Tennessee ever since the day I brought it home. I finally did what Bob23 does and put a blanket over her and put her in the barn. But I'm gonna be contacting you three overthere on the eastern side of the state in just a couple of months to get together for a sailing adventure. I'm starting to make tentative plans to go to the Lake Carlyle meet in July. Incidently, that's why I no longer live in Ohio. I was born, raised and grew up there till I went in the army and when the wife and I started talking about where we were going to retire to, we didn't even consider Ohio. That and the other thing is that all of our in-laws and outlaws are there and this way we know when they are coming and when they are going home............ I don't suppose you remember back in the late 50's - early 60's, you had to license your boat, your trailer, and - the motor!!! Yeah, and I decided real early on that I didn't want no part of that. It snowed here today and I think got all the way up to 17 degrees. Come on spring!!!!!!
When winter comes to the rockies most people just switch pastimes. Personally I ski, lots. In fact I work part time on the Copper Mountain ski patrol. My job is to haul flatlanders off the hill when they get hurt/sick/tired/crancky. Monarch pass and ski area is just 35 miles away also. We go there for fun, not work. Another high mountain pass is right out the back door, Cottonwood. A buddy has a couple sleds and we zip up there for skiing or fishing the high mountain lakes. Anybody else here ride snowmobiles?
However, Pooka is right outside with her winter cover on. I have to walk by going to the shop, it's tough to see her all closed up and frozen. I keep a small electric heater inside and will turn it on occasionally. Then I go inside and look at the Defender catalouge, or check in here from my boat. Or just look at yachtworld and dream. My wife thinks it's silly for a grown man to sit out in his "fort". Seems perfectly natural to me.
Oh and I nearly forgot. We leave for the Virgin Islands in a couple weeks. We chartered an Island Packet 350, just my wife and I. That ought to cure the blues for a bit.
Gentlemen - I'm glad you hadn't made plans to be in Florida this week, you would be quite disappointed. Key West broke a 150 year old record for low temps - the nude bars probably closed on account of the weather - where's global warming when you need it? Next week however back into the 70's here in SW Florida.
If any of you decide to make the trip here to SW Florida I will be happy to share the local knowledge I've acquired. I also have some acquaintance with the Upper Keys, and could describe a nice cruise there.
Of course there are taxes of every sort here as well, enough to take you to the brink. Then there is always Costa Rica - nice weather - hospitable culture - a Central American paradise. If we can just get enough Americans to move there, it'll be just like here - taxes - taxes - taxes!!
Ron
Salty19 First you didn't drink enough beer. If you had, you would not have gone outside to relieve yourself.
Second, don't worry about the cat as sounds like he had already finished grocery shopping.
Drink a few more beers and go back to sleep.
Melvin
As for the mountain lion, here we got them coming down to eat our cats and dogs. If you can hear them killing something, then you have a little time. Either shot it or move it. Generally if it is eating livestock a rancher may shoot it. If I am camping in their territory I move it. And I keep my old hound dog and my wife's cat inside at night.
It's 35 degrees and raining with ice this Saturday morning here in central Florida( they said it's snowing in gainfully on the news) I know all this is nothing to all you yanks, but usually December is great sailing but it has been miserable for over a month. We were 24 degrees Thursday morning. BILL
Good morning, 19 below zero in beautiful downtown Hayward, Wi.........if that's not cold enough they have to tell us the wind chill , 30 below zero....you ask why do you live there?.....I don't know........Phil
Quote from: bmiller on January 08, 2010, 09:02:48 PM
My job is to haul flatlanders off the hill when they get hurt/sick/tired/crancky.
Oh and I nearly forgot. We leave for the Virgin Islands in a couple weeks. We chartered an Island Packet 350, just my wife and I. That ought to cure the blues for a bit.
LOL bmiller, although I've not needed your services to date, as a flatlander who goes up there and tempts fate every year, I'm glad to know you're there.
VI charter, now there's the way to break the winter blues. Enjoy that lobster at Sidney's P & L. Or I think I read that Sidney passed on and it's renamed for his son.
salty, hey buddy in regards to your trailer licensing problems. i think you might have to contact the state where you purchased it (wisconsin right?). if you can provide them a vin# they should be able to do a title search and if they find it to be clear issue a new wisconsin title which you could then surrender in ohio to secure an ohio title then licensing should be easy. i know in certain parts of the country the coppers dont pay attention to trailer license but for my part it was always a ticket, if i had to buy plates for my three trailers then so did everyone else. plus a registration citation unlike a moving violation is never contested in court (its there or it isnt) check with wisconsin dmv or sec of state or call a wisconsin state police regional hq. they should be able to advise further. as with any government entity----good luck.
To my knowledge Wisconsin does not title boat trailers, purchased my boat and trailer in wis., moved to Illinois got a title(required in Ill.) by using cert. of orig., moved back to Wis ,no title needed.........long time ago....Phil
Quote from: brackish on January 09, 2010, 09:14:08 AM
LOL bmiller, although I've not needed your services to date, as a flatlander who goes up there and tempts fate every year, I'm glad to know you're there.
VI charter, now there's the way to break the winter blues. Enjoy that lobster at Sidney's P & L. Or I think I read that Sidney passed on and it's renamed for his son.
Where do you like to ski? If you want to tempt fate on a really big mountain I'll comp you a day at Copper Mt. Come on up.
Have not heard of Sidney's. Where is it exactly? We plan on staying mostly in the Spanish VI's, Culebra and Vieques. Might hit the western end of the BVI, we will see.
No trailer license required in Tennessee, and no state income tax either, but I still got the Winter Blues. I've been snowed in for the last two days. The little mountain road I live on had become impassable after our last weather event. I finally got out this afternoon and drove over to take a look at the lake. Snow covered the parking lot and the ramp, and there was ice around the shoreline, but there were actually a couple of guys out there in a fishing boat! It was mid afternoon by this time and the temperature had warmed up to almost 25F. With the 5 to 10 mph breeze, had it been a warmer, sunnier day, it would have been a nice day for a sail, but that wind had an edge to it that cut like a knife. My last couple of times out this fall was chilly, in the forties, and even though I was dressed for it, my teeth were chattering by the time I was headed back in. I'll wait for warmer days, and I hear it's going to be a long, cold winter... Milt
You guys are cracking me up!
Thanks for the advice on the trailer. It was never titled (from Minnesota) is part of the problem and I don't think they give titles to trailers, just registrations. The previous owner promised me paperwork but I've yet to see it. Time to get involved andmake some phone calls.
As far the cat goes, .yes indeed said warning shots were fired! The first time it kept me up 'till dawn. Must have awoken all the birds as they chirped and squalked until after the sun came up. The second time I heard the cat I was satisfied it had left the area and went back to sleep. My buddy and I joked that we would go hunt him down next time, but neither of us are crazy enough for " the big hunt" at 4:00am. The cat could at least let me have some coffee first!
Forecast looks fantastic...only 2" snow expected tomorrow on top of the foot already and is warming up to 18 with 6 degree windchill! Woot! Time to break out the gas grill and kiddle pool!
Quote from: brackish on January 08, 2010, 06:32:36 PM
And for the first time since 1987 we have snow on the ground that is going to be there for multiple days without melting.
I can't complain too much because it could be MUCH worse and IS worse say in Buffalo or higher elevations in the mountains, but in contrast-and I think I speak for much of the north...if we DON'T have snow on the ground for a least a MONTH straight, the winter is declared "unusually warm and tropical".
Was up in winter wonderland Cleveland outskirts today. There was about 30"-35" on the ground depending on where you were(and that's after things have settled over the last few weeks). Icicycles were extending down from roofs in the order of 2 to 6 feet!! It was sunny and sparkling off the snow and ice-a beautiful effect . That "Lake Effect Snow" really pounds that area.
My wife and I have spent many days & nights in Silverthorne and Dillon as we have friends with condos in those communities. Copper Mountain was always our favorite. I always felt that it had the best natural ski slopes in the area. After we moved to western Colorado we did our skiing at Crested Butte. Beautiful solitary mountain in a bowl shaped valley. Always had fun there. The slopes here in Minnesota, where we have lived for the past fifteen years, offer some fun but you really shouldn't try and compare them to the Rockies. We do get out skiing from time to time to help with the Winter blues but nothing gets rid of the Winter blues faster than warm weather and the ice going out of the lakes. That is still three months away. Bummer. I spend snowy afternoons on the weekend cruising Yacht World too... as well as eBay and Craig's List. If I hit the darn PowerBall I have a few boats saved to my favorites and we will leave the tundra behind us for the winter! Golf and sailing year round... that would be pretty cool... Well, maybe a few weekends at Crested Butte!
Quote from: bmiller on January 08, 2010, 09:02:48 PM
When winter comes to the Rockies most people just switch pastimes. Personally I ski, lots. In fact I work part time on the Copper Mountain ski patrol. My job is to haul flatlanders off the hill when they get hurt/sick/tired/cranky. Monarch pass and ski area is just 35 miles away also. We go there for fun, not work. Another high mountain pass is right out the back door, Cottonwood. A buddy has a couple sleds and we zip up there for skiing or fishing the high mountain lakes. Anybody else here ride snowmobiles?
However, Pooka is right outside with her winter cover on. I have to walk by going to the shop, it's tough to see her all closed up and frozen. I keep a small electric heater inside and will turn it on occasionally. Then I go inside and look at the Defender catalogue, or check in here from my boat. Or just look at yachtworld and dream. My wife thinks it's silly for a grown man to sit out in his "fort". Seems perfectly natural to me.
Oh and I nearly forgot. We leave for the Virgin Islands in a couple weeks. We chartered an Island Packet 350, just my wife and I. That ought to cure the blues for a bit.
steve, if you can come down for the rendezvous in july you can also get in a couple of rounds of golf at the nearby golf course. take care on the roads everyone.
Good Morning Kickingbug - I have the rendezvous on the calendar. I've been watching the thread and keeping track of developments. I'd love to make the trip but will have to see how things play out. i.e. I have a nephew that just announced his engagement. Hopefully the date they set won't create a conflict. That would suck but the wedding would have to be the priority. I hope I can make it.
Quote from: kickingbug1 on January 10, 2010, 09:52:58 AM
steve, if you can come down for the rendezvous in july you can also get in a couple of rounds of golf at the nearby golf course. take care on the roads everyone.
Quote from: bmiller on January 09, 2010, 09:22:25 PM
Where do you like to ski? If you want to tempt fate on a really big mountain I'll comp you a day at Copper Mt. Come on up.
Have not heard of Sidney's. Where is it exactly? We plan on staying mostly in the Spanish VI's, Culebra and Vieques. Might hit the western end of the BVI, we will see.
We've been going to Winter Park primarily for a lodge we like. The Timber House is a multi-generational family owned Europeon style lodge. Ski in through a woods trail. Kind of a beat up old place that doesn't have TV's, phones, locks on the doors, and doesn't allow electronic games, computers or cell phones to be used in public areas. They feed you just this side of gourmet, treat you like family and evening entertainment is pleasant conversation and old Warren Miller ski movies. Usually there are a few musically talented folks so piano, guitar and song are normal. Not a place for those seeking glamour, glitz and nightlife but suits us fine. The returning core guest group are also multigenerational families, so we see familiar faces from around the country each year.
My wife doesn't ski much anymore but she can always recruit a group of like minded folks to snowshoe the woods trails in the area. I'm a blue/green guy more interested in self preservation than thrills and spills.
Thank you for your generous offer. Not sure I can take advantage, but appreciated. No plans yet this year. Since the kids have left home and we are not forced into a spring break week, we generally go late March when the crowds have thinned and, hopefully, the snow has not.
Sidney's Peace and Love is a family run open pavilion picnic table beach place that, to my knowledge, only has one item on the menu. Lobster dinner. It is to port when entering Little Harbour on Jost Van Dyke. Mix your own at the honor bar. When we were there we had four couples and two Endeavour 38 CC's and we rated Sidney's as our most fun overnight stop. It was, however, a long time ago.
Spanish VI's, that's kind of a road less traveled? Read about it and have been considering it. I think an article summarizing the experience post charter is warranted.
Hey sailors. If you think winter is tough up North, try Florida for a change. Only problem down here is the sore neck syndrome from checking out the lovely ships by the pool.
Ah, John:
My heart goes out to you. It must be hard on the neck! Maybe you could hire a lookout.
Bob23 in NJ....where the weak are killed and eaten!
Well, it's now official, with the third 12"+ snowfall on its way to beautiful Smith Mountain Lake, VA, my "the lake is mine" season has been "Sailus Interruptus". On Sunday, I will have to clear, once again, snow from the decks and cockpit of S'Go, the forlorn and sad 19, while risking a Whee Hoo Hoo into the water. I may just go below and take a cool nap before the super bowl. At least the lake doesn't freeze too thick (max a half inch) at her slip, so it won't hurt if I hit the ice. To think, I secretly used to smile when I read about all ya'll above the MD line staring at the hard water all winter, but laugh I will no longer.
Cold in VA, TG
Listening to the weather radio on the way home from work yesterday, I heard that NOAA issued a blizzard warning for my county (Ocean, NJ) for this weekend. COOL! High tides, high winds, lot's of snow. Does it get any better than this? Yeah, it does.
Looks like a weekend of cross country skiing for me. Here in the South of NJ, in the famous Pine Barrens, we have miles of trails to ski on. True, lately they (the authorities) have been cracking down on dirtbikes, but I don't ride no more anyway. Back to skiiing- you can go for miles and literally get lost.
Spring is coming, but winter just won't let go yet!
Bob23-all stocked up with Rum and reading materials!
Take heart, particularly you mid Atlantic folks that are facing blizzard conditions one more time. It is almost over. In the woods behind my house are a dozen or so daffodils. They have poked through the leaves and are standing, at this moment, approximately three inches tall. That means that they will bloom in ten days to two weeks and that, for me, is the indicator that winter is over. You cannot fool Mother Nature.
Much more reliable than Punxsutawney Phil, my daffodils have never taken any kickbacks from the winter garment manufacturers association. There is a consensus on the Trailer Sailor site that Phil and his handlers have stooped to such trickery for their own personal gain.
Certainly this daffodil sighting is late. In recent years they have poked through in early January, however, that was attributed to global warming. I read yesterday that this far colder than average winter is also attributed to global warming. I'm so confused............
Tim-
And to think...VA is pretty mild compared to further north. It's really a nice place to live weatherwise (all 4 seasons).
Well, 'cept for up in the Blue Ridge mountains. I'm sure they are no picnic during January. But gorgeous the other 3 seasons. Got stuck up at Mt Pisgah once on a motorcycle in a bad storm (hail/rain). Pretty unforgiving place even in the summer when storms roll in.
Bob-Ahh the NJ Barren Sands. Used to go to a shooting club down in that area with my Dad when I was a boy. He would shoot skeet, I would pick up used shells and be a general nuisance around the clubhouse. But I did respect things and didn't get in the way at the range itself.
12" expected today through tomorrow. Should be fun for the kids.
Currehntly 19F on the shores of Sandusky Bay. Supposed to be 9 in Toledo tonight, but probably warmer here. Mother Erie looks after us even when she's iced over. We're not supposed to get any more snow until Tuesday into Wednesday. Don't know yet how much we're going to get, but all that we have now will still be here. We have drifts all over the place, but it was reported that we got 4" Friday night. Not near as much as people got to the south of us. They aren't used to dealing with that stuff down there. Can't ski or skate any more, so solve the blues by getting on various fora, yachtworld, etc., and watching the snow sparkle in the sun. And glancing out the window at the boat snuggled into her snow drift. :-)
Quote from: Salty19 on January 08, 2010, 06:02:24 PM
[...] It's a mountain lion/puma/couger/panther (all the same animal) killing whatever it is they kill.[...]
So what do you think I did? And what would you do?
Don't know what you did but mountain lions very rarely attack grown people. Little kids, yes. Women, occasionally. Full grown men, very rarely if at all.
If it was a black bear that's another story. Worry if it has a cub, otherwise don't worry. A brown bear, then definitely worry.
Where we lived in CT recently the town had the highest black bear sightings in the state one year, 43. All were sightings of the same bear. One of our neighbors got a good photo. No worries as it was a female with no cubs and a bit shy of people. Apparently some cats were missing, though that could also be hawks. Most common casualty was bird feeders. (Hell of a big squirrel out there).
Have been backpacking in VA and saw fresh brown bear tracks in the snow in spring (looked too big to be black bear). Ran into the tracks at a trail intersection. Didn't see the bear but definitely went the opposite way that the bear was going and kept quiet for a bit.
Curtis
Curtis- Yep, I've seen quite a few black bears at my camp in WV. Never had one actually come up to the camp, but it's a wild area and they are probably afraid of humans here. They have all fled the area when they realized I was closeby. Never saw any cubs..thankfully.
But mountains lions..I don't trust 'em! Cats are courageous, cunning and sneak up on their victims. You'll never hear them coming. And man when they kill something it's viscious! Orf at least it sounds that way!
Starting to see signs of spring...no flowers yet (still snow on the ground), but hey it's starting to melt a little!
spring is arround the corner. thats good and bad. good-----i can get outside, bad-----have to think about mowing my grass, good------can chase the three year old granddaughter arround the yard (freshly mowed) bad----lose the solitude of winter, good-----i can keep the cars clean, bad-----i have lots of warm weather projects on the table, good------I CAN SAIL, bad------i think with the spring melt and the coming flooding at carlyle (closed ramps and no docks) i wont sail as much as i want. but--------much closer to the RENDEZVOUS
Lookin' forward to puttin my boat in too at Hazlett ramp on Carlyle this summer at the rendezvous. The icebergs in the lake will all
be melted by then. See you all in July.
John J
Quote from: Salty19 on February 23, 2010, 09:42:06 AM
But mountains lions..I don't trust 'em! Cats are courageous, cunning and sneak up on their victims. You'll never hear them coming. And man when they kill something it's viscious! Orf at least it sounds that way!
I've done a little day hiking in CA in the Cupertino foothills and the top of the Santa Cruz mountains where mountain loins are alegedly common, though I've never seen one. The origin of the name of the town Los Gatos ("the cats" in spanish) is related to them. According to the locals, children have been attacked and grown women who were on the smallish side, but otherwise no adults.
The CA state website says "Mountain lion attacks on humans are rare. There have been only 16 verified mountain lion attacks on humans in California since 1890, six of them fatal. The last documented attack occurred in January, 2007, in Humboldt County." (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion/lion_faq.html (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion/lion_faq.html)) but another web site indicates that the only fatality of a middle age male was a cyclist who had no head or neck bites and therefore is thought to have been a case where the mountain lion scavenged a heart attack victum.
There is a good web site with statistics. http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks.html#stats (http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks.html#stats). Total for US and Canada is 73, 10 fatal, from 1991 to 2003.
Its pretty rare and mostly children and women. Hiking in mountain loin coutry is probably a lot safer than driving in Boston, or urban NJ, or LA freeways. Now those are some viscous animals.
Nice puddy tat. We're way off topic.
Curtis
It looks like decent weather on the way for me this weekend, in addition to a forecast of two days off from work. I hope to get in a little motorcycle ride and pull the boat out from the barn. I hope to size up one or two of those boat projects and get them crossed off the list. It would be nice to get to the lake but I think I will focus on those projects so I will be ready when spring is here to stay. I was thinking about how much I have been lurking around this site over the winter. It has been a good way to not focus on the weather and lack of time on the lake. I know how miserable I am during good sailing days in the summer when I am stuck at work. At least over the winter I don't feel like I am missing out on those perfect days. I will almost miss my winter blues, until that first sail.
I've been working steadily on mine a couple of hour every night after work, noe that I have it in the garage. Progress is better than I expected. I think probably by the first warm day, I'll be ready to launch. Really getting excited about the Lake Carlyle trip now!
Looking at lanching my boat....Getting excited!
Normally, I'm not prone to jealousy but in this case, I'm damned jealous! Not really, but am very happy for you launchers. I'm just getting started on my rudder project and I am determined to learn how to post photos here so I can share the project with you.
If it warms, I'll launch the Alden Ocean Shell and go for a row!
Bob23
Ok, I just put the latest pics on the picassa site, they're the ones in the garage. She's starting to really look good.
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_6oBaMODT7VI/S43Om4eSmuI/AAAAAAAAAG4/1xE4YrLgFKA/s128/S3000008.JPG)
rwdsr,
The boat looks fantastic. The blue on the hull shines like a floor model. Great work. I like the floor grate you made up. When we get a little too much weight (i.e. me) toward the transom it gets a little wet in the cockpit. I'll bet that grate will keep your toes dry. Keep this pace up and all you will have to do when the weather changes is to enjoy your pretty new sailboat.
Mike
You guys are killing me. Launching boats? Motorcycle rides? It's just not fair I tell ya! No soft water yet for Island Time and the bikes are still in hibernation (we don't ride on salty roads, no pun intended).
And not much progress really made on the boat either. 'cept the woodwork which is coming along nicely. March is going to be busy!
Hang in there Salty, it won't be much longer! Thanks Mike - Every evening I try to do one more little thing to her. It's amazing how when you don't let yourself get bogged down by the scope of the job, but just do one small thing at a time, all of a sudden you look up - and - the things done!
Come on winter - GO AWAY!
(http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt211/greene2108/GetAttachment-1.jpg)
rwdsr - Any progress on the interior?
Mike
Yes - glad you asked. Got the flooring in and almost finished. Trying to find a nice piece of linoleum to put down to finish it, and last Saturday and Sunday completely cleaned and got 2 coats of Kilz on the interior. Was even able to paint all the way to the end of the boat down to the transom. I've got to tell you it was a job though, crawling down there to the end and trying to paint with my arms up over my head. Several times I had to crawl back out because it got real close in there. Take it from someone who learned the hard way - don't try painting with kilz or any oil based paint like that unless you put a fan in there to pump in fresh air. That stuff will make your eyes burn and head hurt! But what a job! It sure looks good! I'm going up to visit my in-laws in Ohio this weekend, but plan to put her on the water next weekend - ironically, the first day of spring. Going to have her out for a week on Kentucky Lake April 16 - 23, so rushing now to work out the bugs and finish getting her outfitted.
Sounds like you have the worst parts done. We hope you are keeping photos so you can start a new topic dedicated to the project.
Ohio is one of our favorite states. Brenda's father went to The Ohio State University and lettered in marksmenship. Brenda grew up in Marietta and still has distant relatives running around the area. Our oldest son recently graduated from TOSU. ( Now all we have to do is finish paying for it.)
We are a few weeks behind you in sailing weather, but we are considering a quick
trailersailing trip over spring break. Sure would be nice to jumpstart spring.
Mike and Brenda
If you need inspiration check out the CP16 on Craigslist Williamsburg VA. It is colored like yours and is BEAUTIFUL!
I do have pics, and have been trying to get them uploaded so you can see them, but this part of the month for me is a real busy time, both professionally and personally. Then the Admiral says "we" need to redo the den, so "I'm" painting and decorating in between all this. If you can get down here next month, I'd sure be glad to have you out on the lake.
Ok, I've uploaded the latest pics of the inside of the cabin on the picassa site for you to look at. I'm really getting excited.(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6oBaMODT7VI/S5gqTsdzziI/AAAAAAAAAH0/21xYE)
rwdsr The reason for the red x box's may be by using the wrong code listed in the on line picture storage area.
Re open the message and copy paste between the IMG winking curses. The 'Direct Code' not the HTML thumbs or code or other similar choices will work.
skip
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6oBaMODT7VI/S5gqTsdzziI/AAAAAAAAAH0/21xYE-mVK4c/s640/S3000001.JPG)
That's what happened, I didn't get the whole thing copied. Anyway that's what the inside looks like these days. Haven't decided what color I'm going to go with on the inside just yet.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6oBaMODT7VI/S5gqV2ZqRVI/AAAAAAAAAIE/lM52_wHYGkQ/s128/S3000005.JPG)
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6oBaMODT7VI/S5gqXHa5QUI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/uc6c67ibLMU/s128/S3000007.JPG)
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6oBaMODT7VI/S5gqX8X6kRI/AAAAAAAAAIU/mW_xzAlvwbc/s128/S3000010.JPG)
Let's see what happens with this.
Nice work RWDSR, you're bringing it back in high style.
Dragging this thread back, I'm declaring winter is over. My daffodil first bloom occurred on 2/20 and that is usually the two week notice. A little longer this year, but went to the boat yesterday to do the first visit clean up and maintenance and worked in shorts and a tee shirt. Hooked all my plumbing back up, retrieved the heater, installed my vang bales, took a few measurements necessary to sort out this confusing sail buying process, and generally hung out in sunny, 70 degree weather.
Motor started on four short bursts of the starter button (hope I can continue to find that alcohol free gas) and ran smoothly.
The nicro solar vent coupled with the heater set to only come on at freezing kept the cabin completely mildew free.
Boat, although uncovered for the winter, was remarkably clean on the outside.
Nothing else to do. Sailing on the next trip.
Brack:
I like your way of thinking...spring is officially here! Almost.
An aside- do you use premium fuel in your outboard? I've used prem in outboards, generators, chainsaws, etc. and have had no problem. I've heard that there is less alcohol in premium. i wonder if it's true or just psycology playing tricks on me.
Bob23
Bob, I have always used premium in all my equipment, especially my outboards, in the amount used in a year , the increased cost is very little to make me feel like I have done my best to assure I will not have fuel problems...............to-date its worked...Phil
Well, for what it's worth, nothing new to report here. Still cold, still snowing, lakes still froze thick.
Skiing has been pretty good though!!
Quote from: Bob23 on March 12, 2010, 07:16:05 PM
t.
An aside- do you use premium fuel in your outboard?
No, I haven't to date. There are two stations in town that proudly sell alcohol free gasoline. I buy from them. Not sure the compression ratio in my motor would warrant the use of premium although probably wouldn't hurt.
Oh and bmiller, that's good since I'm coming up there in a week. I want there to still be some snow on the hill.
I do run high grade gas in my Mercury short shaft 5hp 2 cycle O/B ONLY from BP [British Petroleum] and ONLY because the high test has no ETHENOL in it.
Not for a while anyway. Then the stupid F*****g Federals will make BP add it to the tune of 10% +. And then I can go back to cleaning out that green gelatinous jelly from my carburetor jet. Doing it on the water no less.
skip.
Quote from: brackish on March 12, 2010, 09:30:15 PM
Oh and bmiller, that's good since I'm coming up there in a week. I want there to still be some snow on the hill.
That won't be a problem. In fact I'm sitting in a duty station on top of Copper Mountain and it looks lke something is coming down the valley. Skiing has been really good the last few weeks.
Edit to add a couple shots from the lake yesterday.
The dock:
(http://bmiller1959.smugmug.com/Other/stuff/IMG2828/811388238_cVt2H-L.jpg)
The ramp:
(http://bmiller1959.smugmug.com/Other/stuff/IMG2829/811388304_JVrKd-L.jpg)
I welcomed spring in yesterday in the best way you can. I went for a sail! I've got the boat ready to the point now that I can take it out anytime I want to abd enjoy it. Of course, I've still got a laundry list of things to do to it yet and work will probably be working on it for quite a while. I put the genoa up for the first time yesterday and while I love the extra boost I get out of it in light airs, I do not like the sheet that came with it - it's just oo stiff and won't go through the fairleads and camcleats smoothly. So that has to be replaced. The trailer works like a champ, I got the boat on and off it easily yesterday with no trouble. And, I didn't get wet this time either. I took the Admiral out yesterday for her first sailing trip ever. I don't think she is going to make much of a sailor, she thinks you need to be on a timeframe all the time and doesn't understand that sailing isn't like that. She doesn't understand tacking. "Hey, why are we going this way?" "The harbor is over there." The winds were probably around 9 - 15 and a couple of times, I got up to 5.5 mph indicated by the gps I had on board. The started to lay toward the end of the afternoon so I turned on the electic motor and started back to the ramp and it burnt up, so we ghosted along at about 1.5 mph. That really thrilled her I can tell you. She has a bad knee and couldn't get comfortable in the boat either. She did say that she wants to see what a bigger boat is like - maybe................anyway the season has started for me here and I couldn't be happier. It's raining cats and dogs today and so I'm going to not do anything for the rest of the day, just be lazy.
Woohoo... way to go, Bob! I'm still waiting for my first sail of the season, but I'm sure glad to hear you got one in already. I noticed the water level in the lake starting to rise just two days ago and it's filling up fast. In just a couple more days I should be able to launch right out in front of my house. It won't be long now!
I noticed a question you had posted to me in another thread about shortening sail on the 16. The roller reefing system on the main is not the greatest set up, but it does work. If you haven't tried it yet, you need to. You should do it a couple of times so you'll be comfortable with it (and fast) if you ever need it. Just loosen the main haylard and topping lift (if you have one), pull back on the boom to disengage it and spin it around a few times to wrap the mainsail around it.
Also practice heaving to. There's lots of info on that in here. And remember to reef sooner rather than later. These little boats will knock down in a strong gust, so if it starts kicking up batten down the hatches and reef those rags. She'll be quite manageable with just a reefed mainsail in strong winds, but a storm jib would be a big help if you were having to work your way back up wind.
Milt CP16 #635
Good to hear from you Milt, I've been keeping up with the weather over your way from my sister. One of these days when you least expect it, I'll be sending you an e-mail and heading your way with the boat for a sail. Thanks for the information about reefing the sail, I haven't done it yet, but as soon as I can, I'm going out for the weekend alone and that's when I'm going to practice reefing, heaving to, and all the other things I need to do to familiarize with this boat. I do have a storm jib and have used it in higher winds once and really like it. I need to replace the sheet on the Jenny. After trying to use it the other day, I came home and cut the old one off. It just isn't the right kind of line. I'm really happy with the way the trailer came out, it was super easy to get the boat on and off this time. I've got some PVC pipe that's about the right size I'm going to cut and run the shrouds thru to hopefully eliminate chafing the jib sheets against the turnbuckles. As soon as I try it out, I'll let you you know how it works. I got the lights hooked up inside the cabin. Makes it real homey in there in the dark. For the past couble of days have been working on a kitchen box to go inside the boat. Now I'm going to have to start thinking about digging out the mower and gearing up for the cutting season. The dates of the spring camp on Kentucky Lake has changed to allow one of my cousins to make it. It's going to be 23 - 30 April. So if you can make it to Paris Landing anytime during those dates, let me know - 2 sailboats are always better than one. I'm going to take the boat to the little camp ground we will be staying at between now and then and see if I can launch there. I may have to launch, and then rig it on the water. I think that's doable. Anyway, the work continues............
BobD
Meant to also say that Sunday when it was raining so hard, I went out and got up on the boat and opened the hatch to check for leaks in the cabin and there were none, dry as a bone. So I'm real pleased about that. Are you going to try to make it to Lake Carlisle in July?
I'm here to declare winter blues is over!!!!! So I'm gonna start a new post, but first let me close this one out telling about todays sail. Went back to my favorite launching spot and took about two hours to rig sails and such. I found a big can of silicon spray lube and went over pretty much anything that moves on the boat. Sprayed the tracks on the mast and boom, and anything that slides in the tracks. Now there is no sticking or binding anywhere. I cut two sections of PVC pipe about 36 inches long and slipped them over the shrouds on both sides to save the wear and tear on the jib sheets. Winds were at 10 - 15 out of the south weather clear, sunny, mid 80's, Had a wonderful sail, got up to 6.3 mph according to gps. Singlehanding is a lot of work for me, and l don't like doing it with the genoa. It's a handful all the way around. I can see I'm going to have to lead all the lines back to the cockpit if I'm going to get to where I can do it easily. I did my first heave-to today!!!! It was kind of an accident, but came out really well. I was running under full sail and jenny in about 15 mph winds, heeled over really well, and headed back into the marina to the dock. I thought I was going to get in there a little too fast so thought I'd drop the main and come on in on the jenny. At that point I thought to myself that this would be a good place to heave-to, but couldn't remember how to do it, so I thought well I'll just round up into the wind to take the pressure off the main and then drop it and go on in. I started my turn and about that time a gust of wind hit the boat and really heeled her over and I looked down real quick to make sure all the sheets were where they needed to be and when I looked up again the jib was backwinded just right and everything looked good! Real quick I loosed the main sheet and let the main swing free and then i couldn't remeber which way the tiller was supposed to go. It only took me a second to figure it out and get it lashed down, and there I was, sitting dead in the water! I'm going to practicde that untill I can do it without thinking about it. I dropped and tied down the main and came on in on the jib. I have to tell you that jenny dragged me along at about 4.5 mph, and for me that's pretty good. All in all, a good days sail. Next time it's an overnighter with my grandson.
Quote from: Greene on March 10, 2010, 08:51:52 AM
Ohio is one of our favorite states. Brenda's father went to The Ohio State University and lettered in marksmenship. Brenda grew up in Marietta and still has distant relatives running around the area. Our oldest son recently graduated from TOSU. ( Now all we have to do is finish paying for it.)
You must not get around much :) j/k... I'm roughly 20 mins from OSU. Becky went to grad school there. Columbus is a pretty nice to live but the weather could be better. The Marietta area has some nice scenery in the appalacian foot hills. Not much opportunity down there though...
Pooka's winter came off the other day, the weather was perfect. This morning she is covered with a fresh coating of CO spring snow.
It's still winter here.
I'm really sorry to hear that, Bmiller. Pooka is by now dying to get her feet wet.
Bmiller, I go on the Winter Park website until spring is over just to see how the snow is doing. Season closed on the 18th and they have another 13 inches of snow predicted for this week.
Meanwhile, down here, the Azaleas are in full bloom. Temperatures in the high seventies, low eighties. I'm working furiously to get all the boat projects done, paying for winter laziness.
Vail got 3 feet just before the last weekend. Over at Copper Mtn we got a foot or so just before we closed the mountain. Closing day is always pretty fun. Lots of very hard work but everybody is in a great mood. When we do the last sweep of the season the mountain is downright peaceful.
As for Pooka when she gets a replacement heat exchanger I'll start the diesel and see what else froze over the winter. The lake is still iced over right now anyway.
Bill,
I pulled the heat exchanger off yesterday and will try to get it in the mail this week..... Been up to my ears in re-wiring and getting the new Yanmar ready to "Fire-up".
Thanks Jim, I'm not trying to rush you. It's just one of many projects going on right now. If you're wiring now does that mean the drive train is all bolted up?
And while you're typing post some more photos!!!