Sailing this week end ?

[Glenn Basore]

I know for some of you your sailing season is comming to and end soon but are any of you sailing this week end ?

As much as I like sailing, I enjoy reading the post here of some of the sailing adventures that have been posted almost as much as sailing, I'm sure others enjoy reading them too so post some of your sailing adventures.

May be you had a special sail this summer that stands out or simply just a typical sail day for you.

I was planing on getting out this Sunday, how ever, I just got some new fenders for my trailer and need to get them mounted and the trailer inspected by the authorities so I can complete my registration with Dept. of Motor vehicle. thats a whole different story in itself and to long for a post !

Glenn

[Rick Klages]

I will sail with my son on Sunday.  The fenders can wait. Go sailing. The forcast for Eastern Long Island looks very good.  Let us know what you decide.

ick

[Lost Lake]

You know, I ought to....  I just have too many toys and too many commitments!

Saturday morning the girls have a volleyball tournament, and Saturday afternoon we are taking my folks out for dinner to celebrate their birthdays.  Sunday morning is church and Sunday afternoon we have a cycle trip planned.

In between I need to mow the lawn, clear out a space in the shop for the boat's winter home, clean the Harley, install a new wood floor in the camper, haul and split 4 cords of firewood, build a small shed, service the ATV's for winter and rebuild an engine so I have a snow plow this winter. All that and I travel for work! 

I need a maid.

[Rick Klages]

You need a Care taker and a mechanic!

As for me, quads ready to go. Harley's are sold! Lawn needs cutting, perhaps tomorrow, the Deere is ready, the grass needs to dry. The blue ox is winter ready, the Lexi needs an oil change. The pool is closed and the pets have been to the vet.  There is still time to sail before it gets cold.

ick

[Ralph Erickson]

I need to put new bunks on my trailer before haul out, lawn needs mowing, garage needs cleaning, yada, yada, yada,......but I'm going sailing today!  Only a few more weeks left of the season, and I'll regret it if I don't go. Winds are forcast today 12 to 25, so how could I pass that up!!!!! My brother, who bought my CP 16, is coming down from CT to join me.  He has chores to do at home too, even has the Harley to take care of, but we've decided to have fun instead!

Ralph

[Lost Lake]

The weather here is supposed to be 71 and breezy, and I'm splitting wood looking out over the lake calculating the cost of LP gas and how many tanks I would use if I didn't have to mess with the wood fireplace this year. The duck hunters woke me up at 6, before it's even light enough to see the ducks they are blasting away.

The engine I need to rebuild is on my Honda Foreman. If anybody knows a good Honda mechanic I'd really appreciate the tip. I always kidded the guys I ride with that Honda mechanics are lazier than the Maytag repairman, and now that I need one I have found that to be completely true. The demise of the motor was my own fault, I've had that ATV through the worst holes I could find, and have flooded the engine four times. This last time I pulled the plug and pumped the water out like always, then drained the exhaust and pulled the dip stick to see if water was in the crankcase and all looked good. I drained the carb and fired it up, then rechecked the oil after a few minutes. Just a touch of water in it, I figured what the heck, I'm running synthetic, it will handle a little water and the water will burn off as it gets hot. By the time I made it 10 miles I thought I could hear more valvetrain noise, and by 20 miles it was smoking pretty good. I changed the oil a couple times and didn't drive it since. I don't know what it needs but I talked to three Honda dealerships that have service departments and none of them have rebuilt a Honda motor. I also learned Honda motors are not available for sale, so I can't buy one off the shelf. The only Honda repair shop I know of that rebuilds the engines is in Hurley, WI, which is where I damaged the engine in the first place! That's where you go to see 8 wheeled ATV's and snowmobiles turned into ATV's and hot rod engined ATV's. That dealer said the rebuild a couple Honda's every year.

Anyway, I could probably pull the engine and see how far I could take a rebuild. I've built car and truck engines, but never a small engine. I'm sure it's very different. I guess worst case scenario I could just swap the plow over to one of the other ATV's.

Anyway, my wife just left with the girls to volleyball. She said this was going to be an all day affair, 7am to at least 4pm, so I bowed out to work on the wood pile. Have a great time sailing to anyone lucky enough to be going!

[Lost Lake]

Hi Reesail, Nice looking 19 you have there!  I noticed you have type of boom vang on a traveler on the cockpit seat near the companionway. I haven't seen that on a 19 before, did you add it?

I like the brown stripe that stops short of the bow too.

[Paul]

Went to the Lake today with the girls.......just to look.  Could not have sailed today if I wanted to and had Little Wing complete.  Water is at least 7 feet down!!!  The finger pier is on the ground with three more feet 'til you get to the water.  The concrete goes to the water, but who knows how much further it goes.  Doubt to float the boat.  The drought here in the south has really taken it's toll.  I've mowed the grass once since July.  It doesn't need it now and it's been two weeks since that ONE mow.

So, I guess this is the best year to work on my boat after all.

Still sailing vicariously through others,

Paul

[Ralph Erickson]

Thanks for the compliment, Lost Lake.  I didn't install the boom vang - the previous owner did.  I wasn't too sure I'd like it at first, but I find that it affords great control.  I also thought it would be a pain entering the cabin from the cockpit, but it's no problem at all.  A nice feature, all in all.

It was extremely windy on the lake yesterday - white caps galore, and the wind must have been gusting to at least 30.  A 17 foot ODay capsized and had to be rescued by the Haycock Fire Dept. rescue team.  First time I ever reefed the main, and we still heeled over quite a bit.  At one point, before we reefed, we had the starboard rail in the water.  A race was going on, but ended early due the out of the ordinary stiff winds.  We came in early as well.  Really wasn't a perfect day for sailing after all!

Ralph

[multimedia_smith]

I do feel bad for those of you pulling boats out and waiting for the lakes to freeze... but then I feel really bad for myself and my fellow sailors here during the summers.  This past weekend a front came through bringing with it long awaited cool dry breezes.  I took my 9 year old daughter and her classmate for the day on Lake Ponchartrain... we sailed untill the wind sort of died off in the late afternoon.  They spent the first part of the sail sitting on each side of the bow pulpit getting their legs soaked by the waves... they played in the cabin for a while, tossing out satsuma peelings into the cockpit... and then we had a snack and sailed in... my wife came to meet us at the ramp... she had dropped them off a couple of hours earlier... in this way, they don't have to put up with the set-up/take-down of the boat... and helps with their patience/enjoyment factor.
All in all a great time was had by all... and the best part is... Fall has just begun... we'll be good until around the end of June... and then it's all over 'till around mid October... such is life in the deep South.
No place is perfect... the one advantage is that we can trailer to a better place... although I have yet to make a really long trailer trip... it's nice to know we could.  As a friend of mine put it... her ambition is to turn "summer" and "winter" into verbs... as in "winter in the South" and "summer in the NorthWest"... well I can dream can't I?
Best Regards to all
Dale

[Glenn Basore]

Thanks all, really enjoyed reading these post.

Rick, I didn't get to go sailing do to all my projects that need my attention.

I did get my fenders mounted so now its off to the Department of Motor Vehicle to finish my registration requirements.

I was planing on taking Friday off to go sail however with Southern California  a blaze with fires burning to the north, east and north west of me, We are waiting to see if and when we will have to evacuate,

Johny Carson once said about our fires, "the fires wont stop until the mud slides put them out"........So, bring on the much needed rain.

[Rick Klages]

As it turned out I didn't get to really sail either (just on the koi pond).

ick

[Glenn Basore]

Rick,

If all goes well, I will either be sailing Friday (taking the day off) or Saturday.

now if I can only get the weather to cooporate !

[fansbro]

 On Saturday "Blue Heaven" had her last sail of the season on  Barnegat Bay.  She will come out this weekend for the winter.  All in all it was a great day, very, very windy, probably gusting to 30.  We had to sail back with the main reefed, and got soaked, but fun none the less.  Can't wait to start again in the spring.

Fran

[Glenn Basore]

Hi Fran,

Some of my best memories of sailing has been in my small H-170 day sailor with the water breaking over the bow and the cold salt spray hitting you in the face.

After making it back to the marina and getting the boat ready to tow home we would stop at our favorite fish and ships for dinner and talk about the fun sail we just had despite being soaked, cold

Will you be working on your boat in the off season ?  add ons ? modifications ?

Glenn