Century Club: Tim Ford

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Sunday, June 1, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
June 1 - TACO

Tim Always Chickens Out? 

Well sort of.  It was more about being lazy than being cowardly.  In the river, it was blowing 8-18 gusting 24.  I didn't feel like putting in a reef and rigging the autopilot and hanking on the jib-top reacher so I just motored around the corner into the next cove and threw out the anchor. Did some tidying up in general, re-rigging the mooring bridle and running the O/B for 30-40 mins.  It was a beautiful day to just sit at anchor and watch the clouds scud by.

Battery was spot-on at 13.85, I love the solar panel charging set-up!

 

 

Saturday, May 24, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
May 24 - Miles River Race
  • Dragon and Blur at start

Great race on a breezy Saturday.  I think we sailed the 18 nm course in less than 2 hours 17 minutes, reaching the entire distance, including a short and cantankerous chute run in the Miles River.  Took the bullet in our seven boat CRCA class.

 

 

Friday, May 23, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
May 23 - No nothin for you
  • New name!
  • Pike like, rock don't
  • View that said: do not sail

It had been awhile!  The weather had been crappy and other things were piling up to keep me from heading to PSA.

So when I got to the boat, I was surprised to see 3-4 inches of water sloshing around in the cockppit.  Darned cockpit drains had gotten clogged and the thing had turned into a bathtub.  But good boat designs have a proper bridgedeck and there was nothin' more than a couple spoonfulls of water below. 

Yay!

Took an hour and half off to go fish from the dinghy.  I suspected there'd be some rockfish in "the spot," but instead I hooked a lengthy pickerell and after quite a fierce fight, I though, "ok, now I have to get the damn thing in the dinghy and unhook it."

A thing about pickerell: they fight to the point of exhaustion that can be fatal.  They use up so much ATP in their struggle against the hook that don't have enough, once unhooked, to continue pumping gills and remaining dorsal fin up^! 

Luckily, while lifting the thing out of the water, it got off somehow. Crisis averted.  Probably a 3-4 pound pike though. (reminder: I only fish C&R)

I also took a ninute to rename the dighy with a Sharpie...

Really beautiful day but too windy to singlehand. 6 to 24 is not my favorite.

 

Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
May 13 - boat check

Quick tour out to check the sort of goofy way I had rigged a mooring bridal before an out-of-town trip, 4-5 days away.  Owning a boat is like having a cat.  It can be okay for awhile but you have to make sure things are tidy and set up properly to keep the beast happy while away.

Put that boat out on a mooring and it's like a needy cat that has extreme separation anxiety.

A nasty strorm went thru while we were away (read: tornado in Canton, a mere 20 miles north) but the boat seemed fine. It's great to have a harbor camera 24/7 to see the status of a boat that's on a mooring!

 

Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
May 6 - Stupid is As

I left two bags of stuff I needed lying in the driveway and found out through a family member when I was halfway down to PSA, on Route 10.  I didn't turn around.  So I rowed out to RAINBOW without a lot of stuff I needed, including lunch.

And dinner.  Which made for an abbreviated day on the water. At least I had the boat key with me!

I looked through the fishing photos on my phone and saw that I caught a few nice rockfish on May 6th back in 2022.  I made a few fruitless casts but really didn't have the lures I needed with me. So that was a bust. I don't even know what the regulations are for rock in early May.  I assume the season is back open, but need to check.  (I fish "catch and release" anyway)

I got bitten up at sundown back on April 30th and now I know why. I was surprised by how many dead mosquitos I found below...I hope they died well-fed.

I also spiffed up the starboatd quarterberth/cockpit locker so that it's now a bright, happy place!

But my god, what a beautiful day.  I hope the breeze held up for the MRSA fleet. I was stuck immobile on 695 for their start times.

 

 

 

Saturday, May 3, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
May 3 - Spring got Flung

We did the MRSA Spring Fling!  Lots of breeze and some challenges for a somewhat shorthanded crew, just 6 of us, which can get interesting with big loads on VMG kites. But no one got hurt and we all stayed on the boat.

Later at the club, I did sort of a "not particularly wise thing" by going aloft on a small sailboat, only belayed by a single halyard which, long ago, I had SWORN I'D NEVER DO.  But it went OK.  We didn't get the mission accomplished, but it's best to live to fight on another day, right?

Well...

Friday, May 2, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
May 2 - rowing practice

Should be more like "planning" practice.  Had to go back to RAINBOW, having left some electronics and stuff on board. I'm getting used to multiple trips out to retreive forgotten items.

I've heard you can make a list....

Did get the oportunity to install a new standing bullet block, so at least something got accomplished!

 

 

Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
April 30 - Single hands
  • Approaches to Blackhole Cr
  • Otto hard at work
  • Sillery Bay
  • telltale bucket (no fenders at least)

I picked up RAINBOW (thanks Morty!) for one simple reason: the i550 was fun but a total PITA to singlehand. It was way too fussy and constant vigilance was mandatory.  It was tiresome to singlehand for more than an hour and waaaaaay too easy to become an MOB and watch the boat sail away (never happened, but again, only due to a high level of paying attention).  

The solution was RAINBOW.

I hadn't gotten a chance to singlehand last season, as the slip was too narrow (and shallow) to deal with getting the boat in and out, plus I was killing a lot of time with getting the i550 sold.  So, yesterday I motored around the corner and anchored inside the breakwater to get the sails hanked on and put a reef in the main.  It was blowing 8-18 and I wanted an easy test sail, not a lot of work.  I went with the jib-top and sinlge reef and it was PERFECT.

Plus I got a chance to try the autopilot and, while there is a learning curve, after a few unintended tacks, I got it sussed to the point where I could trust it.  8 - 18 is a task for a lot of the older generation Ottos and this also meant 25-30 degree veloctiy headers and cold air windshifts, so I got used to switching it OFF and quickly disengaging it.  But the thing is pure gold for setting an anchor or docking below for food and refreshments.

Saw most of the racing fleet headed out and INCOMMUNICADO was nice enough to circle around, take a photo and razz me about the anchor bucket I was too lazy to stow once I got underway.  The SPINSHEET pennant is pretty pimpin' though!

Monday, April 28, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
April 28 - moron mooring
  • shortened bridal for less "swing"
  • what a day!

^ sorry, couldn't resist.

I've been lucky enough to do some of the classic yacht races in Maine over the past 5 years or so, and I should be more dialed-in to the drill where it comes to Boats on Moorings.  

But I'm not.

The thing about moorings is: try to minimize the number of times you have to return to shore because you forgot something critical to the mission.  

Yesterday was a good lesson. Only took a few times.

So make a list and check it twice. Check it three times. You'll still forget something. But at least rowing is good exercsie.

Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Number of days:
1 day
April 23 - Mooring and MRSA Race 1

Got RAINBOW out on a mooring and then raced on Inc for MRSA's first of the season.  I think we took 2nd.  Absolutely gorgeous evening and a nice tribute to a former crew member who crossed the bar a few weeks ago.

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