The continuing adventures of Koinonia

[curtisv]

Bob,

I know the feeling of missing the mooring tackle under sail.  Always without serious incident (like hitting someone else's boat or tender) and I have ended up stern to the wind by overshooting and not grabbing the mooring until it was near the stern.  With no motor sailing to the mooring is the only option.  My experiences have ranged from sailing about 1/2 mile in over an hour and then anchoring overnight within 100' of the mooring because the wind completely died to missing the mooring five times in 25 knot winds due to misjudging the slow down from the headwind and then having quite a fight to get the mooring tackle secured and then the sails down.  And then there are those days were the wind near the mooring can't decide which direction it wants to come from due to the bluffs nearby.  The shift is about 90 degrees which can make for quite a few misses.  I've also had my dinghy painter around the keel which can be slightly bad for the dink and the topsides.

Chartering in BVI in 2011 I picked up the mooring while my wife Tara motored.  I gave hand signals to point out the direction of the ball, since the helmsman can't see over the bow and then a neutral signal plus said "put her in neutral" loudly enough to be heard (redundant signals) when we were set to drift to the ball.  All worked well for the first few days until Tara somehow forgot the procedure and put the boat in neutral well before we reached the mooring.  We had passed a large boat, a true yacht, maybe a Gozzard or something similar with a fancy bowsprit and fancy scrolling woodwork, The captain was on the bow expressing his concern that we were drifting toward his bow when I looked back to figure out why we were making so little headway.  I had to yell back to put her in forward and thrust the throttle forward to get us some headway, but not so loud as to upset The Admiral or seem like an unseamanlike pair (though we were at that moment).  We got steerage back and missed his bow, though not by enough for his comfort level and our tender came quite close to his mooring ball.  We looked OK from then on, picking up the mooring on first try and with just the few hand signals and very few words needed, but the other boat decided to move to another mooring.

No damage, small audience (one).  Regardless Tara was shaken feeling that we could have hit the obviously very expensive large yacht and embarrassed.  We reviewed the procedure, the key point being put the boat in neutral only after I give the signal which will be shortly (10-15') before we are over the mooring ball depending on boat speed and headwind.  After that we were fine.

Glad to hear you didn't hit anything other than the dink and no damage to boat or dink.  Had me a bit worried when I read "What was to happen today was to top the great incident cake!"

Curtis

[brackish]

The only time I ever had to pick a mooring was in the BVI and because there were four of us on the boat, it never was incidental.  However, you are right in that sailing without a motor will make you a better sailor.  For the first six months that we had our Columbia 8.7, the motor was totally unreliable because water was somehow getting to the carb despite a Racor filter that seemed to working just as it should.   Before I finally figured it out I was afforded many opportunities to enter my small craft harbor and approach my slip under sail.  With a following wind, it wasn't too bad, but with the wind out of the north I had to tack up a hundred foot wide channel, turn and reach up the pier line then turn 90 degrees drop the sails at just the right point estimating the drift and dumping speed and enter my slip between a finger pier and a set of pilings, hook the docking lines while trying not hit anything.   There was always an audience and we were often quite entertaining. After the first couple of times I did install a catch bridal at the end of the slip, but I got quite good at it before I figured out how to fix the motor. 

[jthatcher]

 And here I thought that you were going to tell us that you ran aground       But, with all that practice that we had back in July,  you would have had no problem dealing with that!      Glad to hear that  you got out sailing and  successfully defended Koinonia with your super soaker, or whatever armament you happen to have.     I am looking forward to seeing you   and Marty and  meeting some new folks  at  BBB 13..   just around the corner..  jt

[Bob23]

    Well, the mighty yet humble Koinoina continues to amaze me. Yesterday we had 20 knots and gusting higher. I had promised my daughter Joanna that we'd sail before she flew south back to Fla-di-da and sail we did. With single reefed main and a partially unfurled jenny, we had a great time with her manning the tiller the entire time. (Sorry no photos...the new improved Photobucket doesn't get along well with my Flintstone era computer.)
    With the high tides we've been having we were free to go almost anywhere which we did. As we left the mooring under sail, I wondered why "Little Fellow" was following us until I realized that I'd forgotten to leave it on the mooring. So we had a hitch hiker the whole trip. We headed out on a starboard tack in strong NE winds and typical bay chop, which the 23 handled with ease. I do like the weight of the 23 when in choppy conditions. Most powerboats do not slow down around here...only a select few who actually know what they're doing. As Koinonia approaches even the largest of wakes, she seems to say "C'mon...is that all you've got? You call that a boat wake?" and shrugs it off with a grin.
   Soon our time on the water was over and after performing the ritual of tidying up the boat and getting her all tucked in on her mooring, somehow a water fight ensued and soon we were both soaked and laughing like lunatics. Note here...water fights between her and I go back a long way and any time we have together is not complete without one. Maybe I'll win someday. Back on shore, we met up with the Admiral and soon we found ourselves at Woody's, the local burger joint whose burgers actually look like the photos. Real lettuce, tomato and onion...not the Mac or BK stuff. Great burgers...the best around, so they say. Then it was off to  home only to return to LBI later that evening for the sunset cruise aboard the Doris Mae, a party boat owned by a friend of mine. Winds had subsided somewhat as we cruised out of the Barnegat Inlet and out into the mighty North Atlantic. My daughter, thoughtfully brought along the fixin's for a dark and stormy for me and I enjoyed only 1 as we watched the sun bid us farewell at 7:38 est.
   Next up was a stop at Dutchman's, the local german restaurant with the best onion soup on the planet and a few dark Weiss beers along with a nice fried calamari side that was sooo yummy! Dutchmans sits on pilings over the water and suffered no water damage from the bad girl Sandy. In fact, the owners opened the place as soon as possible and fed all the first responders, military and police who were on the scene to deal with the aftermath. Fortunately, although the rest of Long Beach Island had no natural gas, Dutchmans is not actually on the island but resides on Cedar Bonnet Island. Not that any of this means much to you.
   A great day with my daughter...and it started out on a great little yacht that I'm privileged to be the caretaker of...Koinoina!
Bob23


I like the spray coming off the bow and hitting our faces...nothing like a taste of the old briny!

[Tim Gardner]

Great Story!

I do have one thing to ask though.  Bob,  You said,  "dark Weiss beers ". Could you have been referring to Dunkelweizen?

My mouth waters.

TG

[Bob23]

TG:
   It wasn't that but with a name like that, I gotta try it! Began with an H if I remember correctly. I'll find out from my daughter tonight.
Bob23

[Eagleye]

Bob,
It sounds like you have a great relationship with your daughter.  It must have been a super day!. 
At least "Little Fellow" got tied up to something.....
I can never pass up on a plate of calamari when we go to dinner.  Thanks for sharing the story.

[curtisv]

Bob,

Sounds like a great day with two fine ladies, Koinoina and your daughter.  Three when you hooked up with The Admiral.

One thing Barnnegat Bay seems to have going for it is a lot of good restaurants on the water or very near by.  Or did last I was in the area.  Hopefully that is still true after Sandy.

Seems you tidied up Koinoina and met The Admiral, so perhaps you opted for the best dining for a reasonable price rather than the on the water option.  Still it is nice to have the option to sail to a restaurant with a dock or land the dink within walking distance of good eating.

A good sail and a good evening out.  A great way to see you daughter off to Fla-de-da.  It doesn't get any better.

Curtis

[Bob23]

   Dutchmans, being on the water has boat slips and one could sail up for dinner. But the slips are more suitable for smaller powerboats. The tide can really rip thorugh and the slips are perpendicular to the tidal flow...found that out when upon entering one a few years ago, the side of the boat was slammed against a piling. Makes for an interesting departure especially when you have the dock navigating skills of a 5 year old like I do.
   Big BBQ at the abode last night...I'm gonna miss her but that gives us an excuse to fly down to visit...
Bob23

[Bob23]

   A planned overnight at Tice's did not materialize this weekend due to other obligations. But I did make it out for a wonderful sunset sail in my local waters. The wind, temp and weather were perfect and as I sailed along, I began to reflect on the kind of sailing I really do. Although a dream is to cross the Atlantic, reality is that it will probably never happen. But I suppose the line in the good book "contentment is great gain" may be true. I find myself quite happy to go out for a 2 hour sail, sometimes within site of my home port. Just sailing the boat not neccesarily to distant far off beaches is sometimes good enough for me. I continue to be amazed at the Compac 23 and that I'm so priviledged to be owned by one.
   Don't get me wrong, like Bilbo Baggins, the Tookish side of me sometimes rears up and I'd love to wander off to great adventures fighting dragons and seeking great treasures. Of course, Dorothy hit the nail on the head when she exclaimed "There's no place like home".
   Today is the first day of fall...Carpe Diem, my friends!
Bob23
   

[Bob23]

   As summer has past and the days are growing shorter and cooler, I must face the inevitable- fall haulout. Stopped at the marina yesterday where I'll spend the month of October. Well, not me but the legenday Koinonia. Hopefully that'll be my home port where I can explore a bit more before I tuck the boat away in her winter jammies.
   Hurricane Sandy has delayed just about everything around here. Besides the obvious destruction she left in her wake, summer really never got off the ground like it should have. Many including yours truly, got our boats in late, if we got them in at all. Usually my 23 makes it down to her home mooring in May. This year it was July 4th. Of course, the storm gave us in the construction business a bit of a boost to our bank accounts but that is bittersweet work, my friends. It's nice to make the money and rewarding to help others rebuild thier lives but it's not really fun work.
   The downside is that I've not had the time aboard that I would have liked. Other circumstances like family issues have also gotten in the way. I had planned a 2 or 3 day cruise to Great Bay only to have it cancelled because of a last minute schudule change on the renovation project I'm running. Last few weeks, same story. I had some absentees at work so I had to be there to cover for them. This week is looking ok...let's see what time stealing monster will reel it's ugly head to thwart my plans.
   But Koinonia waits patiently at her mooring, tugging at her lines. If even for an after work sunset sail, she's the perfect boat, always well behaved as she proudly trods a path through the local waters providing her skipper with some well needed therapy and a retreat from the madness some call the real world.
   In other news, I learned yesterday that there is a picture of my boat at rest in a local gift shop. I wonder if I get the royalties? If it's not too expensive, I may buy it...may look nice on my office wall on a cold winter night as I dream about voyages to come.
Bob23

[Banana Cakes]

Love the testimonial of a great boat owner! What a lucky girl :-) hopin I treat my girl as fairly

[Bob23]

You will...your'e well on your way. Looking forward to hearing about the continuing adventures of Banana Cakes!
Bob23

[Bob23]

   Well it seems the inevitable has happened again this year: my sailing season is coming to an end. And thanks to Hurricane Sandy, it was a short season to boot. Each year I'm in denial that it will happen but each year I'm jolted into reality. Yesterday, I motored Koinoina up the marina where she'll spend the next 2 weeks before haulout. Last week we had a solid week of strong NE winds here on the Jersey coast and in those conditions, she takes the accompanying waves on the port side as they wrap around Lazy Point while still facing into the wind compliments of the anchoring sail. It's not fun seeing her sitting there, day after day enduring those condiions.
   For some reason, with the forecast of high winds, last Saturday I decided to deploy her main anchor as extra insurance. Good thing. On Monday morning as I made my boat check up drive-by on the way to work, I noticed that one mooring line (she has 2) had parted. A closeup inspection showed that the galvanized thimble wore right through in the constant high winds. You can never be too careful about your mooring tackle. What can last for months under normal conditions can also wear and break in one week of hard use!
   Winds still being NE, I couldn't even sail yesterday but Miss Nissan, size 8, performed wonderfully as always. Under threatening skies we set out at 1545 hrs and arrived in 2 hours 20 minutes covering about 9 nautical miles under power alone using about 1 1/2 gallons of fuel. Not bad for an old 2 stroke!
   So there she sits, hoping her captain will wise up some day and quit this foolhardy work habit he's developed and move up to a higher calling...sailing! Hopefully one or two more are in store before haulout!
Bob23

[Bob23]

   Today, I had the choice of whether to take the last sail of the season or start taking the boat apart for fall haulout. As I stepped aboard, I thought I heard a voice from down below: "Take me dancing!" Huh? "You heard me. Take me dancing NOW!" Who was I to argue with this beautiful younger woman with whom I'm having an 8 year love affair with. With my wife's approval, no less. Sort of.
   Winds were forecast to be WNW 15 and gusting higher so we headed out to the dance floor. Fortunately, not many others were out so there was plenty of room. We started out waltzing on a reach north but soon conditions became more exciting so a little foxtrot was in order. As the wind began gusting quite high, I grabbed her in my arms and we began to twirl and spin. Recogizing that I'm not that great a dancer, she began to take the lead. After turning around at ICW marker 40, it was Mombo time. Yeah, this girl can dance. Beauty and brains, what a woman!
The wind had switched more out of the west by this time so we were closehauled as we passed other dancers going in the opposite direction. By this time  I was getting winded and after getting hit with some 20+ gusts, I decided to tie in a reef in her main and she began to show off.
Soon she was lifting her skirt as she glided across the floor. I doubt Ginger Rogers had looked better. What legs! When she shows off, heads turn!
   By this time, we had reached the B marker just opposite the channel to the marina. I tacked over to the entrance and regretting that this magic time had to end, dropped all sails and motored in. Docking was amazingly uneventful...not bumping into things one is not supposed to bump into. As I was buttoning things up, I thought I heard from below: "Thanks...I needed that."
Bob23