The adventures of Adagio - A tempo having slow movement; restful at ease.

[jthatcher]

I sure was hoping to add one more adventure to the 2013 sailing log, but it seems that it simply was not in the cards.   We were hoping to get down to meet up with Bob this weekend, but there was simply too much to be done here between school and home.  On the bright side, I did get my shed organized after about 5 intense hours on Saturday morning,  but it would have been a whole lot more fun perched in the cockpit with the tiller in one hand and the main sheet in the other!     Instead, I made the dreaded call to the marina and gave them the go ahead to pull Adagio.   

We will have to make one last trip down to button up the boat for the winter, and I am hoping to find time during that trip to get together with Bob for breakfast for lunch or dinner, or whatever works out..  that will certainly be the highlight of the weekend because spending time with bob is always an adventure in itself! 

And, looking ahead to next year?   well,  I already bought the charts, and with some cruising experience behind me,  I believe that I will be more ready than ever to get the boat in the water early and to head to Maine .     of course, June is a long way off at this point, but the earlier I start the planning, the more likely things will fall into place on time.   so, here is hoping!   jt

[Bob23]

JT:
   I never made it to Tice's this weekend...work and family obligations. Did get out for a wonderful sunset sail on Friday night and hung out on the boat to veiw the nearly full moon rise out of the east.
   We're looking forward to getting together with you and Janet whenever you make it down here. Always a sad time to have to haul the boat. I'm thinking about spending October at the marina then hauling at the end of the month. We'll see...you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men....
Bob23

[Eagleye]

JT and Bob,
I can't face putting the Madame away for the winter.... it seams way to early.  Besides, fall sailing in the northeast is amazing!!  Can you say "Indian Summer?  I wish we were closer so we could enjoy some real sailing together.  It was a great adventure at the BBB 2013 but I missed getting the opportunity to sail with you. 
I had to check the Madame's log and my last sail last year was Nov. 12.  Heck, we still have lots of time. 
Let's plan a dinner after the water gets hard and Suzie and I will come down for a weekend getaway.

-Allen

[jthatcher]

Bob..  glad you got to spend some time on the boat.. i bet it was beautiful.     I feel pretty good about the work that I got done around that house both yesterday and today..  some things that  really should not have been put off this long.. It is sad to pull the boat so early,  but there just won't be time in the schedule to make a worthwhile trip down, other than to cover the boat. 

Allen,  we are looking forward to meeting Suzie - it would be great if you guys came down for a weekend..    we are tossing around ideas for thanksgiving.. one option would be to visit my daughter in vt..  if we do, i will let you know.. maybe we could meet for lunch along the way..  jt

[Bob23]

Ladies and Gents:
   It's not too early to start planning the 2nd Annual Mid Winter Gathering of the East Coast Compac-o-nauts! Last year it was decided that before Christmas was not going to work due to the pre Christmas schedule craziness so a post Christmas date was agreed upon.
Bob23

[Eagleye]

we are tossing around ideas for thanksgiving.. one option would be to visit my daughter in vt..  if we do, i will let you know.. maybe we could meet for lunch along the way..  jt

Just give us a shout, Jason, and we will try to set something up.

-Allen

[curtisv]

Ladies and Gents:
   It's not too early to start planning the 2nd Annual Mid Winter Gathering of the East Coast Compac-o-nauts! Last year it was decided that before Christmas was not going to work due to the pre Christmas schedule craziness so a post Christmas date was agreed upon.
Bob23

Bob,

Perhaps you should start another thread under "Group Outings and Com-pac Events".

Curtis

[Bob23]

You're right...thanks Curtis.
Bob23

[jthatcher]

October report:     A few weeks ago I called the marina and gave them the go ahead to pull the boat for the season, at the same time, sending in the appropriate paperwork.    Early last week I got the bill.   So, with a long weekend that happened to coincide with my birthday,  Janet and I decided to spend the weekend at Ocean Grove, celebrate my birthday, and prepare the boat for winter all in one trip.    When we got to the shore on friday night, it was apparent, even in the darkness, that the ocean was pretty rough.  I did not realize it, but there was a storm sitting off of the DELMARVA  peninsula, and it was whipping up the seas off of the Jersey coast.   

Saturday morning we walked on the boardwalk ( the parts not destroyed by Sandy)   and were exposed to winds blowing 25-30  and a very angry ocean.


this photo was taken at Ocean Grove where the fishing pier used to be prior to Sandy.    Although the temps were unseasonably warm,  the wind and blowing sand made it less then enjoyable to try to sit on the boardwalk for any length of time.    We enjoyed a fall festival that was taking place in town and then decided to head to the marina to work on the boat.   It did not take long at the marina to figure out that I had made a significant miscalculation - equating receiving the bill for the haul out with the idea that the boat had, indeed, been hauled!  -  nope, in fact, there she sat at her slip, tugging at her lines with the wind whistling through her rigging - bummer!    We made the best of it, taking her sails off ( perhaps some money saved there)  and packing the car with numerous items that we intended to store at home.   I also brought the engine home to store in my basement.   So it looks like one more trip to Jersey this fall to cover the boat when it finally ends up on the hard! 

We had a wonderful weekend despite the boat set back..  I never get enough of ocean grove, a destination for family vacations since I was 5 and the setting for my first date with Janet  a number of years ago.     

So,  i think that i read here about  flushing out engines with a mixture of  half water, half vinegar  at the end of the season.. has anyone actually done that?   any thoughts would be appreciated...  jt

[MKBLK]

jt -

Look at it this way: Another trip down to the Jersey shore could result in BBB-2013.2!

Marty K.

[Bob23]

Seriously! JT...let me know when you're coming. Maybe with a little advance notice we can con Marty down too. He'll need to break in that new fuel pump!
Bob23

[jthatcher]

It has been so long since I posted any news in this thread .. and, hopefully,  Adagio is nestled safely under her tarps  weathering the last that winter has to offer.. so, in reality, this is more about the adventures of Adagio's owner! 

As I write this, I am at the short end of spring break, sitting in VT in the middle of what may be a significantly large snowstorm.   Last week my wife and I led a group of students on a week long Habitat for Humanity trip to White Sulpher Springs  WV.   I am active on a  ownwer-built-homes forum very similar to this one and happened to find that another member of that forum lived very close to where we were going to be.  A few email exchanges led to an invitation to visit him, so  when we got down there, we piled the kids in the van and we all descended upon his home together..  He took us up to the neatest cabin that he built on the top of a mountain  and then visited a local craft store before ending the visit by going out to dinner together...  totally cool experience.   And why am I relating this story?   Because a similar story played out this week in VT.   

My daughter works in a bakery in fairfax VT, and a month or so ago, she mentioned that a boat builder guy  stops in  periodically.   I put  two and two together and said.. maybe that is  Geoff Kerr from   Off Center Harbor  fame  (  great website, if you have not already checked it out)   and sure enough, that is who it was..  so,  I made plans to stop by his shop during my visit with her.    In addition,   not too long ago, I  saw a post  on this forum about sailing on lake champlain  from Steve from vermont..  i got in touch with him and found that he lives in the next town over from where my daughter lives..   so I sent him an email this week and we agreed to meet at the bakery..   we did that yesterday, sharing a cup of tea and a goodie  along with a few boating stories..   the fact that his wife has sheep is of interest to us as well, because my daughter spins and knits..  but that has nothing to do with boats!     Steve mentioned that has a current boat building project underway and invited me out to see it..   So, today turned out to be quite a nautical experience.      I visited with Geoff in the morning at his boat shop  -  Two Daughters Boat Works - which is maybe two miles down the road..  found out that some former colleagues of mine  taught at his high school and that he used to visit a friend who had a place in the next town over from where we live, and that, like we did ( still finishing), he built his own house..     and then I visited Steve in the afternoon..   got to see his cool old barn and his building project - a glued lapstrake  version of a herreshoff  12 1/2...  and found out that he also built his own house.. twice..   

the internet sure has made the world a smaller place!   This saturday, we are planning to get together for lunch  with friends  whom we met here on the forum..  the infamous  Bob23, Marty..  and  some mystery guests..   ( this storm better end tomorrow, like they are saying it will!)    So, I say    thanks to the creators of these forums who have made it so easy to share information and ideas and to kindle friendships which are so valued! 

Spring is just around the corner - hard as it is to imagine as I peer out the window and observe snow falling steadily..  along with many here, I am getting antsy to feel the deck of Adagio beneath my feet..   

[MKBLK]

Amen! To all of the above.  Looking forward to seeing you guys Saturday.

Marty K.

[Bob23]

JT:
  When checking this site for new posts, if I see yours, I always read it first. I appreciate your writing and it seems we have many common interests. I love bakeries!!!!But I need to stay away from them.
  My tastes in housebuilding are kinda eclectic. Working on Long Beach Island, NJ, I get to work on some high end places, some where true taste is non existent. But it pays the bills. My own personal tastes in homes leans toward the smaller and efficient floor plan and very energy efficient construction. I'm a Fine Homebuilding subscriber and there are numerous articles on the Passive Haus methods of constructin which make LEED standards look like childs play. If I ever build my own (not likely as I'd need 3 or 4 lifetimes to finish it) it'd be no bigger than 1000 sft. Ok, maybe 1200.
  Looking forward to Saturday. Forecast is good. My son is coming up with us in the car and plans on biking back to Tuckerton, NJ in preparation for a mid April cycling event in PA. I used to ride those mega miles...now I'm just a sailin' and rowin' fool!
Bob23  
(ps: I just checked out Off Center Harbor...a very cool site...thanks so much! Thier philosophy resonates with mine. "Bigger ain't better!")

[jthatcher]

Wow,   it has been forever since I last posted on this thread ..  probably because there has not been much news to post!   I was hoping that my much anticipated trip north would actually happen this summer, but some family heath issues are taking priority..  So I made the decision to buy a trailer ( an idea that I have toyed with before)  and to bring Adagio home.   The boat will probably remain here the next two years as I attend to projects ( boat related and otherwise)  close to home. 



I arranged to have a trailer built by the folks at LoadMaster in Port Clinton OH.  I actually got a quote from them last year when I was considering the idea of a trailer in the fall.  They sent me a form to fill out with all sorts of measurements.  At first, I figured it would be cost effective to just send the form down to the marina and have them do the measurements, but then my brother-in-law cautioned me saying " you never know who is doing the work.. they could send a teenager out there with a tape measure"  Considering the expense of the trailer, it made sense to make the 3.5 hour trip down to take the measurements myself.. 

While I was measuring, I contacted the LoadMaster folks, and sent them a text with a picture of the boat on the stands at the marina.  That turned out to be very helpful as we then discussed certain aspects of the measurements based on them actually seeing the boat.   

They got the trailer done in about 3 weeks, and I took a trip out to Ohio, leaving Sunday of last week - found that Port Clinton is a very nice area with loads of marinas and boats..  so much to see!    picked up the trailer on Monday morning with plenty of tips and instructions regarding checking the lug nuts  every so often..   I had asked them to wire the trailer with both  a 4 prong connection and the 7 prong needed for the electric brakes which they install as a standard part of the package.    I took my small  Ranger to pick up the trailer, with the intention of using a different vehicle to actually pick up the boat. 

Before leaving the area, I stopped at this museum   http://www.libertyaviationmuseum.org/    -  a very neat museum that has just recently been built..  An old time diner is part of the museum, and I found out that it was purchased in and moved from the town of Jim Thorpe which is just 45 minutes down the road from home! 

The only issue with the trip home is that, without a boat on the trailer,  the ride was very bumpy -  I should have thought to let some air out of the tires, but  I just figured that the trailer was a bit much for my small pickup..  found out later that it was just as bumpy with a full size tow vehicle! 

Got home Monday night and made arrangements to pick up the boat the next day.   -    There is an intern from Holland working at my brother-in-law's  orchard and he mentioned his interest in going deep sea fishing.  I told him that I would take him and figured that we could combine the two goals in one trip.    We left Tuesday morning, renting a pickup truck from U-Haul.   I had talked with someone, apparently at a call center,  and asked if the trucks were equipped with electric brake controllers and she said yes.    But when we got there.. no brake controller.. no 7 prong fixture..  but a brand new truck..  bummer!   we were committed, so I made the decision to proceed -  we were very glad for the air conditioning because the heat the last few days was downright oppressive!    As soon as we got to the marina, the guys loaded the boat on the trailer...  we explained that we were going to go fishing and sleep on the boat for a few hours before leaving the next morning, so they suggested that we park in the shade - that was a good move.   

We spent the rest of the afternoon preparing the boat for the trip and then chatting with the previous owner before heading to Pt Pleasant where we had dinner and then boarded the fishing boat for a 7:30 pm departure.   Now, the wind was blowing a steady 20 all afternoon, and every once in a while, I mentioned to my friend that it was going to be a rough ride on the boat.  He grinned and said " no problem "    When we got to the boat the mates cautioned us, saying it was going to be a rough ride..  and he turned to me and said.. "looks like it could be rough"   and I said " I have been telling you that all afternoon!!"   I guess he needed to hear it from someone who looked a little more official  

In front of me in line there was a young woman who was explaining to her companion that she was vowing not to get sick again..  i looked at her and told her that she picked a heck of a night to make that promise.. (  she was sick on the way out and then again on the way in)    The waves were a good 5 feet and more, and we headed out about 10 miles - supposedly for blues, but the mate assured us that we would not be seeing any blues..  in fact, they have yet to catch many at all.  Instead, we ended up bottom fishing for ling - a few eels and such.    The fishing was not terribly exciting - I am getting the impression that it is pretty bad up and down the coast, but we had a great time none-the-less..   

We returned to port at 1:30 am  and drove to the boat where we laid down for  a few hours before hooking the trailer up and heading home.   The Garden State Parkway was not terribly pleasant with a 26 foot trailer behind me, but then, it never is pleasant..   I found out that the tolls skyrocket when pulling a tandem trailer -  as if we were a tractor trailer or something!   I probably spent in excess of $50 on tolls down and back.   

We made it home with no issues..  scraped the back of the trailer just a bit as I was pulling into my street.. but the boat is home safe and sound at the moment..  Seeing it in the yard is going to be a constant reminder that I am not sailing this summer!       But, paying that last marina bill  was a blessing.   After paying for winter storage, they had the gall to charge me 600  for two months of summer storage!   I don't think that he could look me in the eye when I asked him the monthly rate for summer storage ( 300 )  it costs almost as much to leave it in the parking lot as it does to have it at the dock.    The long and the short of things is that I now have a beautiful trailer that is worth more than my boat -  but no more marina bills -  I will be in the clear after two years -  so this purchase represents a long term commitment to the boat..   and hopefully, that will mean many more stories in the future!