1

[dserrell]

1

[HideAway]

David - I know what you are going through.  In May 08 we closed our art gallery and moved it to an eBay store.  Since I was self employed I had very little unemployment benefits so I found a job as a part time manager of a large retail store in St Petersburg.  During the summer of 08 I worked on sail boats. Then just recently an artist friend of mine and I have started selling advertising.  . Those movies I've been making won't produce any income just yet but there is a market for movies of other peoples boats underway as well as brokers selling boats and other commercial interests. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is at my age, I'll sail past marker 60 in Dec, there are no real jobs to be found so I've been trying to make a bunch of little jobs pay the way.   Then my wife and I became ill for almost two months - mid project on HideAway so its laid up as well - and I'm still recovering from surgery.   What I have learned from all this is that we have entered a new era economically in this country causing traditional jobs to vanish and probably not return.  The State of Fl just predicted that our state's economy will not recover fully for at least 5 years.!

Basically what I have decided to do is dust off all those hobbies and see if any can produce income -- Why not??
I just posted a new movie last night on boat ramps and have another in development showing us launching HideAway- since I have trouble backing the truck without the trailer it will be a hoot!  Once we both recover we will produce movies of sailing Florida's West Coast in real time- yelling included--Why Not?

So if you need a break from winter go to my utube site below and watch my sailing adventures.  Why not?

Hang in there my friend - the best is yet to come for all of us   Matt

[nies]

DAVID, I AM HAVING SAILING WITHDRAWAL, AWOKE TO 2 INCHS OF SNOW,24 DEGREES, THIS MORNING. PUT MY CP16 AWAY ON OCT. 1, HAD A LONG LIST OF D.I.Y. PROJECTS,BUT LIKE MOST ADDICTS, I WORKED NIGHT AND DAY TO COMPLETE. NOW WITH NOTHING TO HELP MY WITHDRAWAL I SURF THE CPYOW WEB SITE FOR A FIX, MY WIFE SAYS I REALLY NEED A LIFE.........PHIL

[Bob23]

   Sailing withdrawal is definitely a bad sign of a true addiction. Up here in NJ, I'm priviledged to live within 9 miles of the coast. To help with the symptoms, I originally used the method of denial, keeping my first saiboat in 'till December. Not smart, considering it was a SeaPearl 21, and getting dumped in the drink in cold water is certain death. Not that I'm afraid to die and I hear with hypothermia you just kind of go to sleep. But the timing would be all off, if you know what I mean.
   My ship is in the water until November 15th or so. Great fall sailing up here (or down here, depending on your perspective).
   I also don't enjoy being out of work. For all our complaining about it, I've come to the realization that I enjoy work...it is definitely a big part of my life. I've developed some great friendships, enjoy a good reputation and, dang, I just feel at home on a construction site! I like the kind of no-nonsense people I find there. I like getting dirty and saw-dusty and, seeing how I like to build stuff, being a building contractor is a good thing.
   Of course, being self employed has it's perks...like stealing a sunny mid-week day to sail! And it has it's drawbacks, too, as any self-employed person knows. But let not me stray from the topic.
   What sort's of winter projects do you guys have in mind to help with the withdrawal? I usually come up with a list in the fall, work on it through the winter to help keep the gremlins away. When I wrap up "Koinonia", I use a canvas cover, have standing headroom in the cockpit, and I put in some worklights so I have a nice working environment. I'll even overnight in the driveway sometimes. Wife thinks I should be committed...she might be right!
   Hey Phil- I know what you mean by hanging around here to help with the withdrawal. You should've been around last winter when the site went down for months..talk about withdrawal!
We all should raise a toast to Cap't K or whoever is keeping this site up.
Bob23...going sailing today!

[Craig Weis]

A balmy 43 deg F air and water temperature yesterday, and I went out for 2 hours. Great wind but most of the colors are now out of the trees. Super sunny and that is good for about a 'feeling' of 20 deg F warmer. Pulling C&J and the docks about 15-November-2009.
skip.

[brackish]

Well I for one did not intend to be a trailer sailor.  Rocking along toward retirement, my plan was to pick up a Tartan 37 K/CB (great large boat for shoal draft waters) , move to the coast where I spent twenty years before work took me away and live the good life.   But life is what happens to you while you're making your plans. 

Corporation I used to work for decided to follow the trend of consolidation and globalization.  Turns out that was a bad choice, however, that's another story (Bob23 would understand that one, he makes his living with construction tools) and the end result is the manufacturing concern I was running was closed.  OK, you get lemons, make lemonade, I'll just retire early and head for the coast, maybe a smaller Tartan or Bristol K/CB. I can still use my skills and extensive equipment inventory to start a little business specializing in marine joinery and custom only woodworking.  So I move about half my equipment to the coast and then Katrina comes through, destroys the equipment uninsured.  Also wipes out all the marinas and slips where I had planned to keep that in water boat.  Not to worry just make a bigger jug of lemonade, just about recovered and the financial meltdown of 2008 wipes out about a third, the discretionary portion, of my net worth.  Additionally, the housing market collapsed with the exception of where I want to go.  Because of the shortage of livable and insurable properties, that market has remained very high, both initial purchase and then operating costs for taxes and insurance.

I also learned as several of you have, that folks don't hire professionals in there sixties.  I understand fully, why pay a recruiting fee, a relocation fee and maybe you get a couple of years from the recruit if he works out.

So I'm still not relocated to the coast, although, in the early stages of getting the house ready one more time to put on the market, maybe in the spring.  The woodworking shop will be smaller reflecting the smaller inventory of equipment.  And the Tartan 37 became a ComPac 23.   Funny thing is I think I'm going to like that.  I single hand most of the time anyway and the Compac is much more attractive for that.  I also want to gunkhole a broad variety of cruising areas and you can't do that with a non trailerable unless you have the time to get there by water.

So if those lemons just keep on coming, add water and sugar.

Frank

[kchunk]

Holy crap! You guys sound like a support group! 

David, just a couple days ago you were heading to the Bahamas. Must've been a rough week, Bahamas to "walkin the plank" in nothing flat!

[Potcake boy]

So if those lemons just keep on coming, add water and sugar.

Frank,

I'll drink some grog to that.
Ron

[Craig Weis]

Trouble with Tartan 37's is they are ugly, but still a good boat, with that reverse transom, in my honest opinion.
Gotta go with the wineglass transoms like Com-Pac's or a Hiderhoff Nonsuch.

Our USPS buddy sails this Tartan 40. Aerio shot in The Bay of Green Bay. But looky at that 1/4 wave!! That's why we have reverse transoms.


The good but ugly....reverse Transom.



Wrap-a-round and tinted wind screen. Kind of like a King's Cruiser.

A very nice sheer.

Interestingly, with the tiller up, the wheel in the cabin is engaged. Tiller disengaged. Skipper is out of the weather.

This be the wheel in the cabin. Note the vintage electronics.

And here is what this boat is. Made in Austria. Continental Sovereign 28'-OPTIMA

Here are two nice wine glass transoms. Sexy. Yes?



skip.

[brackish]

Well Skip I probably owned the best cruising wine glass transom boat ever designed, that being the Alan Payne designed Columbia 8.7 (there was also an 8.3 and a 10.7 in the series).  Can you imagine being on a close reach with a light quartering sea forward, fifteen knot winds, and sitting in the cockpit and hearing absolutely no quarter wake aft.  Absolutely smooth and silent going seven plus knots.

What is it they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  All boats are a compromise.   Yes I would prefer a true wineglass transom design.  However, the Tartan 37 has many other great features, such as a skeg protected rudder and SHOAL DRAFT.  If you live around the Gulf and cruise the national seashore barrier islands that is a top priority.  The reverse transom was developed for ratings, to get the racers to buy new boats.  I have, however, developed a great attachment to my Compac 23.  It may be the very best boat for this time in my in life.

And Ron, pour an ounce or so of rum in that lemonade and all will be well.

Frank

[Craig Weis]

Yep if your going to bounce off the bottom better have the rudder hidden behind a skeg.
That is kind of why C&J has a 6mm aluminum keel boot glued on to it's bottom. Got a lot of rocks to turn over.
Snicker skipper.