WHAT I LEARNED THIS YEAR.

[Bob23]

  While working, it dawned on me to start yet another discussion. I was pondering over all the things I learned while sailing this year and, unfortunately, it didn't take long to run down the list. But here are a few and feel free to share your own experiences.
 1. While I mostly sail solo, I learned that sharing the boat with another really adds spice. I was fortunate to take my best friend Kathy out for her first sail and we were able to get out for a second one, too- with a lot more wind! She did great and sharing something you love to do with a friend makes it all the more enjoyable. I still like solo, but I like to talk a lot and so does she so it worked great.
 2. Ditto when Sean and his daughter Emily joined Koinoina and I at this years Barnegat Bay Bash. Sure, it was a little tight because I'm used to having the boat to myself but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. Again, sharing the boat is what it's all about. In a real sense, we are just caretakers of our possessions, ayuh?
 3. The third is kind of the opposite of the above. The few lone overnights I had were restful and recharging. I get a lot of time to think and read. I like the quiet which in our society, seems to be getting rare. Many folks are uncomfortable with long periods of silence. I don't wish to join that crowd so I need to indulge in some contemplative silence once in a while. No phone, stereo, and especially no dang TV!
 4. Putting ones sailboat in the water the week before Labor day is a bad, if not morally wrong thing. She warned me: do that again and I'll be looking for a new skipper. I think she means it.
  5. And this I just learned (or relearned) today. When stepping on the deck when it's been below freezing, don't step in a shadowed area. I did and almost went for a swim.  

 I learned a lot at this years CLR, my first but hopefully not my last. The things that come to mind are:
    *I had close friends that I'd never met! When Mike Greene and I met on the dock, we felt we'd known each other for decades. Might have something to do with the lengthy exchanges here on the site. And the virtual dingy race, that I lost. The same is true for most everyone I met.
    *14 hours is not too long to drive to meet up with kindred, wacky spirits who accept you as you are. You all know who you are.
    *When Carl starts telling one of his hilarious stories, it's good to have a seatbelt on or you are likely to roll out of your seat! No lie!
    *When Joan wants to steer, better hand over the tiller or she'll grab it out of your hands!
    *Jason and Ginger are a wonderful couple who enjoy life and one feels instantly at home with them. Ginger makes a concoction that could be used as fuel for dragsters- so good it should be illegal!
     I could go on and on,  like I usually do- babbling incessantly especially about all the wonderful folks at CLR but I'll hand it over to whoever steps up to the plate!
Bob23
   


















 

[HeaveToo]

Good post Bob.

This year was my first year with my Compac and I didn't get her until late in the year.  Once I got her I had to do a bunch of quick repairs but I was able to get out for one cruise.

I started this season by transporting my Catalina 30 to Deltaville.  I did it in rough conditions and I hit double digits surfing down the waves in 25 knots of wind.  That was a wild ride and it was a good way to finish with that boat.  I dearly loved my Catalina 30 but her maintenance costs were getting out of control.  There were other factors in the decision and I will leave it at I dearly loved that boat and I miss her.

I picked up my Compac 23 and I immediately had to spend $1000 on fixing the brakes and other things on the trailer.  It killed my boat budget but I was able to add a few things, like a new GPS (Garmin 441s) and a stereo on the boat.  I also did a big repair (added a solid bobstay to replace the bobstay cable that had a broken wire on it).  I added a larger anchor (Lewmar 22lb claw) and a few other small additions.  I also found the perfect cooler that fits.

So I did my first cruise on the boat.  I learned a lot from it and I have a prioritized list for next spring.  The prioritized list is the most valuable lesson from this season.

Next Spring:
1.  Replace and relocate the water tank to the original location.
2.  Move the battery back to the original location.
3.  Do some re-wiring to finish the battery move.
4.  Bottom Paint (If I decide to keep her in a slip for the summer)
5.  Add a second Group 27 battery in parallel to add more capacity that is needed for my extended cruises.
6.  Replace my broken deck pipe for the anchor rode and chain.
7.  Replace the anchor chain with 30' of 1/4" chain.
8.  Add an egg crate mattress that I will custom cut to the V-berth to make it more comfortable. (the new mattress that is in there is too firm for me).

[mattman]

This was my first full season with the 16. Here is what I learned.
1 Barber haulers give me about 5 degrees to windward.
2 After fishing for 2 hours with not even a nibble, the minute you put you butt on the bucket the line on the real starts to spool off. And no you can't reach the pole that is now stuck in the outboard from the companionway!
3 The CLR is as much fun as Bob says it is. I had the best time and I met the best people.
4 Although small, the 16 camps pretty well if I keep the junk to a minimum.
5 When sailing in rough water and rain a lot of water pools on the low side, it likes to run below during tacks.
6 The La Mans start of the "Big Race" at CLR was really a hoot, deciding on how to get off the line brought a whole new set of options. The fact that the wind went left the whole time really buggered things up!
7 The loose footed main needed more outhaul than I would have though, it does not look like a typical shelf, and subsequently I tended to under tension the main giving a bit of lee helm.
Overall a great year, once again meeting great people and having a great time on the water.

[NateD]

I learned that used wag bags don't fully contain the smell, I will be bringing a lid for the 5 gallon bucket next time.

[HeaveToo]

I can't understand this whole wag bag thing.  Sorry guys, I am a firm believer in using a marine sanitation system of some sort.  A porta potty is better than wag bags any day of the week.  Put lots of deoderizer in it and empty it often. 

Having a holding tank is nice but it is a pain in the butt.  Having to pump out can be a hassle and there is always the threat of spilling or having old hoses permeate smell.  That being said, it is probably the best possible scenario if you do longer trips.  Pull up to the marina, get fuel, pump the head, take on water in your fresh water tanks, and you are good to go. 

I won't put a head in my boat because it would be a big deal to get a tank installed and do all the plumbing for it.  I will stick with the porta potty for now.

What in the world do you do with a big bag of poop!?!?!  It is bad enough when you have a dog and have to deal with the poops. 

[crazycarl]

i've spent weeks at a time in a 19' boat and i try to avoid human contact. 

anchoring out instead paying for a slip, the porti-potti fills in a matter of days, even if you urinate overboard.

the wag bags i use have two zip lock bags.  the outer one being quite thick.

after a one time use, i close it up and place it in a plastic container with a secure lid in a cockpit locker.

once you make landfall, it is perfectly legal to place them in any trash receptacle.

i've never noticed a smell.

with the porti-potti, i had to empty it after every trip, day or week long.  then at the end of the season, there's the cleaning and prepping it for winter storage. 

another plus, my wife has some difficulty pulling the heavy porti-potti out from under the companionway step, but an empty bucket is quite light and can be used for other purposes as well.

CC

[Greene]

I learned;

- I really liked having the boat in a slip all summer.  Not having to rig and unrig every weekend made sailing even more enjoyable.

- Brenda may be more addicted to sailing than me.

- A little more headroom in a boat is a good thing.

- Brightwork is never actually done.

- Pabst Blue Ribbon beer is just as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Although a shot of good tequila with a friend is pretty nice.

- Watching a sunset from a sailboat never gets old.

- I miss the friends I have made at the CLR events.

- Bob is exactly like you would expect him to be.  Funny, very talkative, interested in everything, half a bubble off center and just plain fun to be around.

Mainly I learned to value the time I get to spend with my friends and that I need to tell them that more often.

Mike

[MacGyver]

I learned a lot this year.... More than I can list possibly....
For #1, to enjoy time with friends, but especially with my wife, who has been there for me through a lot of things, when she could have been like most folks nowadays and just gave up.

2: I learned this year at the end of our sailing time, that my wife's breaking point is now faster than mine, so next year maybe we will push the boat further together. It was fun.

3: Despite the issues I have had from the lightning, I found that I still have some problems, like facial paralysis, bodily disagreements, but the worst is Stress/Anxiety, and at a recent concert, I learned that I do indeed have a breaking point....... and meeting that point is not enjoyable.....Nor do I really need to put myself in those situations, especially without my wife to help me through it.....

4: Stress management is a great thing.... I cut out Television and the politics from my FaceBook feed and I felt a TON BETTER!! Until I had the nonsense at work, and then went to that concert from #3...... Next year I need to focus on having more fun to facilitate less stress.

5: I learned that I truly am involved in too many talents..... and I need to focus on a few, instead of many, because I only have so much time to devote to them.......(I am now also turning wood, and selling the items I turn! AYE! when will I stop!) AND Also, not enough room to keep all the stuff required to do those talents!

Lastly, The hardest lesson that has come on the heels of getting the Harbor Master position which starts December 1st......  Sometimes, no matter how nice of a person you are to someone, no matter how well you try to work with someone, no matter how hard you try to prove yourself and your abilities to someone, they still might remain as the one person to continue to try to take you down like it is their sole mission in life.
No matter if by them not being a ass and by working with you would be the easiest thing to do and the right thing to do, sometimes it is okay as a person to say "I am done with this" so you can apply that energy to something more important, like the people who back you, so you can finally move onward towards positive changes.

But with that said, it taught me too, that is is okay to possibly do something else...... and sometimes in certain situations, it might not be a bad idea to start a new venture in life. That's how most of us got into sailing..... something new to do, and it goes with everything in life. And that one must travel and work with the winds as they push you around in life and in sailing.

I want to thank you all for being our friends, especially the CLR group. We look forward to the CLR every year and look forward to the Newbies as well!!
May God bless each and every one of you with peace and harmony, and most of all, fair weather and the time to enjoy it!

Mac (and Ginger) 

[HeaveToo]

Wow Mac...It sounded like you did suffer through a few things this year.

I agree with your suggestions on stress.  Why is it that we always are willing to take on new things when our plate is full.  Managing stress is hard (I am a Police Officer and it is a constant thing). 

Find the really good stress reliefs and use them to get through the bad stuff.  I hate anything medical and my mind always drifts to sailing stuff when I go through medical things to get through them.  Concentrating on the next trip, etc. helps a lot.

[BruceW]

I learned ... well, I'm sure I learned something!

It was fun to start sailing the 23; I have found that all my years of low wind sailing have snuck up on me and I really need to get with the river program and learn this boat! I'm sure I'll give it a good go.

Oh, yeah, I learned about the Dark & Stormy from a discussion on this site, and wow! that's a good drink.

It's fun to relax; sailing with others is a good way to learn. Sailing alone is a good way to re-charge.

I learned that I have too much stuff and not a good way to keep from having it all over the place. Next year I plan to work on this; a bit of work each time, and I might get somewhere with it.

Oh, and regarding my birthday yesterday, saw a cool quote that seems apropos: Don't count the years; make the years count!

I learned that rendezvous don't just happen, and that I am perfectly willing to join in, help out, but also willing for it to just be the few who will go. All that priming the pump is for elseone. We had 2 near New Bern this year, and I had a blast, meeting some fine folks!

[crazycarl]

i learned...

that my memory is not what it used to be, so next year i'm bound to make the same mistakes.

the yard work will still be there after that afternoon sail or bicycle ride, and that no one but me will notice.

my supervisors at work don't give a damn how well i perform my duties, as long i don't make them look bad.

i'm too old be in my profession.

the only thing that matters...arriving home at the end of the day to a wife who worries about me every day.

if i learned anything else...i don't recall.

CC

[brackish]

As I age I've learned that those things that I used to think were cast in stone, are not necessarily so.  I find I question much more and inexplicably, I find that comforting.

I have a new grand daughter, Elsa, and I've learned that I prefer being around her more than sailing, fishing, or any other endeavor.  That will be the case, of course, until she is old enough to go with me.

I learned that the ComPac stock rudder system, new version with foiled blade, can be modified to eliminate the nuisance partial pop ups.  Since modifying one part on the system I have had no popups from just normal sailing water pressure.  Before the modification I never went out without many of them.  And it still will do what it is supposed to do when hitting something solid.  Unintentionally tested in that mode.

[kickingbug1]

lets see----if i can remember what i have learned this year.  1. when you are in a "kick ass nail biting" sailboat race, impress upon your helmsman (woman) the importance of focus and not the importance of "lunch break". 2. dont be surprised what someone from new jersey does  3. when you go to alaska dont fly frontier airlines (unless you are 5'2" 4. there are water canons and there are "water canons". 5. there are times you need to reef your main (thanks rich). 6. you are old when you can hardly move two days after the clr (too much fun, too much food, too much booze, too late hours and too many great friends ( i know impossible). 7. you are 62 when an 8 year old girl tells you what to do-----and you do it.  8, you appreciate your wife more when strangers suspect she might be a saint. 9. when lying in the cockpit, with one hand on the tiller, looking at a perfect blue sky. in 3 knots of wind -----is as much fun as 20 knots of wind and 25 degrees of heel. and 10. never forget to put on the windex before you step the mast!

[brackish]

 


I can't understand this whole wag bag thing.  Sorry guys, I am a firm believer in using a marine sanitation system of some sort.  A porta potty is better than wag bags any day of the week.  Put lots of deoderizer in it and empty it often. 

Let's see if I can offer a point of view:

You get ready to go on a cruise.  You pull your portapotty and fill the tank with water and put the charge in the holding tank.  Then in a hundred degrees F you wrestle that thing back down bent over because you don't have standing head room and put the thing in place.  Then you go home and rest your back for a few days to get the sciatica to calm down before you go on your cruise.  You go on a four day cruise with the Admiral and use the porta potty as necessary.  Since you are sleeping in the V-berth, you have to disrupt the bed in the middle of the night if necessary in order to use the thing, or alternatively you can move it in the main cabin or cockpit.  However if you move it see the part above about sciatica.  Then you get back to port, and after unpacking the boat in that hundred degree heat you have to remove that holding tank from the toilet.  Done that on a 23 yet? it is an absolute bear with no place to put the main unit in the v-berth so you drag the whole thing out, disconnect the tank then take it up and try to find a place to dump it and clean it out.  I take it home because the marina does not want me to dump it in either the toilet or their pump out.  Dumping it in the home toilet is about the most disgusting 5 minute operation imaginable.  Then out to the back yard to hose the thing out, recharge and start over.  Oh, and if you are charged and full when winter hits, another operation in the winterizing process. 

Wag Bags.  No charging, filling with water, winterizing or sciatica.  Just put a case of Wag bags in the toilet compartment.  Then after use seal the bag, put it in a five gallon bucket that stays in the cockpit locker and has one of those spin on Gamma Seal air tight lids.  At night, move the Wag Bag toilet to another location because it weighs nothing.  When your cruise is over, take the light as a feather bucket of bags up to the marina dumpster on your way home and throw them in.  No fuss no bother.

I've done both.  The WagBag toilet wins by more than a  landslide.  I do have a perfectly good PortaPotty for sale cheap. This took its place:)

Oh and this is something else I learned this year.

[Bob23]

Wow! These are all great! I didn't realize I was in the company of such wonderful "wiseguys".
My problem with learning things is that I need to keep relearning them. Let's see if I can recall a few more from the deep recesses of my mind:
Never, ever be an a**hole to anyone. It could be the last time you see them.
Take the opportunity to tell people who you love, that you do. You may at times, be misunderstood but it's better than missing the chance to say what's really on your mind.
Don't take politics seriously, if at all. Politicians don't take us seriously so why waste the time and energy to reciprocate?
Accept people as they are. Remember, that I can be the biggest jerk on the planet but I still need friends. So does the jerk sitting next to you. I am most certainly no better than he.
When your depth sounder starts giving you crazy numbers like 90', 13' 326' 23' and you know the water is about 3'- you are about to run aground.
Bring enough ice to keep the PBR cold.
Don't be afraid to reef early and stay up late.
On a serious note, all of these writings should be compiled into a book. Hmm....
Next up to the plate!
Bob23