Ripping good sail with friends on their Dufour 40. Great boat (a performance cruiser) and we made short work of getting from Jabin's to "84A" and back in less than 6 hours. N breeze at 14-18 kept up all afternoon and powerboat slop was minimal. All-in-all a perfect June sail. Just wish I had picked up my wallet on the Nav Station before leaving to drive home.
Went down to PSA to reteieve all the gear and items I had left on the committee boat. Any OPB I've ever sailed on KNOWS that I always leave stuff on board. I think it's a subconscious tactic to get invited back, as I am certainly a talent-less hack.
But still.
I had not taken a kayak out in months. Years.
Well, a few weeks. And I had a mission. RAINBOW really needs a bottom scrub (and also a bottom job, probably including a new barrier coat) but for now I just want to scape the junk off. But I needed confirmation of a good location, out of any seaway, off the beaten track and in deep enough water to don a wetsuit and fins and go for a swim.
So I found a sandy bottom off a significant dropoff near a shoal close to the club and one day I will swim...hopefuly prior to the annual sea nettle invasion.
Having two keelboats is killing me.
Plus: I think Kasey Musgraves is stalking me. A cardinal over me as I loaded the car up this a.m., then one acting like a shore bird in Blackhole Creek. Then on XPN on the ride home.
Cardinals do not act like shore birds and a lot of people I know have died this week....
I was PRO for the club's annual mOOnLIght race, fun event that ends in a big breakfast party at PSA.
I knew we were going to lose breeze, so we set a course that would be easy to shorten. And once again, we went up to CBYRA mark "J" and put up the S flag. We could see boats not moving over there off Swan Point Bar. We even talked about the dreaded N flag.
But then - whodathunkit - completely unfoercasted, a breeze line appeared to the south and 15 minutes later we had a beautiful 6-8 knot southerly, allowing all 18 boats to finish...well, the ones who hadn't already retired.
There is a god!
We didn't tie up until Sometime Around Midnight (T.A.T.E. reference for anyone listening in 2007) and I finally trashed out in the RAINBOW motel around 1:30 or so. I'm embarassed to say, I still have not sailed this brilliant little yatchett, but my it does sleep a Party of 1 quite nicely!
Great weekend on the water!
I've put in a lot more boat work days but I think I've reached my quota on those. Paint is still happening on both boats, the i550 and the Cal-25. And on one of those days, I did actually get to sail, too.
We had very flukey, light winds trying to get away from PSA and out of Blackhole Creek. Finally we gave up and accepted a tow from a Scot with a motor (thanks Larry!). But once past the shoal pole and into the river there was breeze galore! I'd say 12-16 gusting 18 and we fairly flew. The skipper said it was the fastest he'd ever gone on a Flying Scot.
We did not race, we just tuned with one another and that was a blast. Breeze on the river, who'd a thunk it?
A lot of breeze and not our sweet spot, but a fun race anywhoo. Started in big breeze right off the DALI which was one hell of a distraction! It was a struggle keeping the big flat top main working and we might've been better off with a reef tied in. But still, it was a nice night on the water.
Yet another light air race complete with a big iron wind shadow in the beginning legs of the race. We got the boat goind and won our class. We played Cat & Mouse with Mr. White (he'd spotted us a 10 minute head-start) and ended up changing leads with him numerous times. Finally caugh up to him in the spinn legs up Eastern Bay and we legged out on the beat to the finish. It didn't matter, the boat was not in our class, but it's always fun to have a boat-for-boat race, especially against two of the Chesapeake's finest. (Don't foget thay INCOMMUNICADO won the LeBrot Trophy about 9 or 10 years ago)
Helped get INCOMMUNICADO up to MYC for the race on Saturday. Once called the FIVE FORTS race, with the collapse of the Key Bridge, we called it the TWO FORTS race, as we were denied access to water adjacent to or surrounding Fort Carroll, Fort McHenry and Fort Armisted.
Took some distance shots of the bridge in it's clean-up phase. Not that the world needs anymore DALI shots. But it's such a weird landscape/seascape, I couldn't resist.
Spent the first night (since I acquired the boat) on RAINBOW and it was excellent, very comfy and no drops from the persistent rain. Woke up and got to MYC for the race. It was super light and after 3-4 hours the RC mercifully abandoned the race. We were way out in front, but such is life.
ALSO: got the red hat photo for Spinsheet and apparently it won me some swag.
Worked on boats all day but was too tired to go out with the Tues eve. folks. Plus the weather looked damp. But as just one boat was heading out, I said I'd stick around and keep my phone handy in case they needed assistance or just a tow back to PSA, as the breeze was dying.
Started up the Safety Boat just to get reacquainted with its controls and equipment. Seemed to start ok, so I shut it off and waited for a call. But then I thought, well, I should just head out anyway, just in case.
That's when the fight started.
Turned the key. No starter. No power lift (I'd left the engine down, prop in the water). Fiddled around with various other operational deficiencies and grabbed my multi-meter. AHAH! Battery read plenty of V. and I could hear the solenoid clicking but not engaging the engine. To me, that sounds like crappy battery connections.
So sure enough, pulled the battery box out and took a look at the terminals. UGH. A little sandpaper, a little knife action and that was all it needed. Battery connectors back on and VOILA enginre runs. Of course, by then, the FS folks were back at the dock.
Kind of a workday, so maybe it shouldn't count but we were "on the water" for 4 hours in not the greatest weather and on and off the boat quite a bit. I won't get 100 days this year anyhow. But I would like to document some of the early season stuff. Stuff about my own boats and also the OPBs I race on from time to time.
I had never seen a mast stepped by using a forklift so far. But it worked and the guys at MarineMax are good at what they do. So no drama, expect for a could of pricey pieces of hardware deciding to go for a swim.
i550, kayak and the Flying Scot Tuesday evening fleet, complete with rig down on one. No one injured and FS towed back to PSA safely, so all in all, it was a day!
Painted a bit of the sportboat's interior and launched a kayak to inspect the transom. Paddled out to where one of our neighbors has planted a bugeye! Wanted some photos, as my Great Grandfather, John R. Ford owned and operated a bugeye in the great turn-of-the-century oyster bed ravage.
2nd time in as many weeks the red FS lost its rig...something to do with a "pin." Isn't it always?