Monday, May 23, 2011

May 19 & 21

Zach and I went out for another sail on May 19th.  Wind wasn't much but the sailing was nice.  Did another video (26 mins) with sound this time.  I'm liking this GoPro camera!



On Saturday (May 21) we took Lorrie and Charlene out for a sail.  Weather was cloudy and no much wind, which petered out to pretty much no wind.  Had to motor back from the south end of the lake.  Just enough sun to give me a burn.  No pictures though. 

Saturday, May 14, 2011

First 2 sails of the year!

On Tuesday night (5/12) Zach and I went down to the boat for our first sail of the year.  I also tried out the new GoPro video camera which worked great.

Things went surprisingly well for a shake down cruise.  No major issues, though the jib halyard did get popped loose once. 

The wind came up much stronger than the 8-9 mph forecast.  We had about 20 minutes of 35-40 degree heel, then it let up.  It was a hoot but showed that I needed to tighten the lower shrouds.



Today Deborah and I went down to the lake to particpate in Youth Sailing Day.  Committed Partners for Youth, which is apparently similar to Big Brother/Big Sister came down with a bunch of kids and their mentors.  After a burger/hot dog lunch we took Felicia (10) and Amanda out for a sail.  Felicia had never been on a boat and Amanda had never sailed.  They seemed to have fun, even though the weather was pretty cloudy and cool.  We spent about an hour sailing, then went back to the dock.  I put the new tiller on after we were done.  Looks great and it clears my knees!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

A visit to Cabela's and finally Ready for the Season!

We drove down to the new Cabela's in Springfield this morning.  It's in the Gateway Mall just down from Target.  What a madhouse!  Didn't get much but we did pick up an enameled coffee pot and some wag bags for the boat.  I also grabbed a lens pen.

Once we escaped the insanity we headed over to the lake to check on the boat.  All my hard work drilling holes paid off - there was no water in the cabin!  Hooray!

Deborah worked on organizing and cleaning up the cabin, which I hadn't had time to do the day we launched, while I put the mainsail on and checked the rig tension. 


Deborah really likes the new slip location which is close to shore and practically right across from the rest rooms.  It's plenty wide, too, so maybe a kayak is in our future.  Hmmm.


Dad thinks that boat on the left is a Bristol 22 - he had a Bristol 24 when I was a kid.  Did some checking and I think he's right.  Found a blog for Bristol 22's online.  Star is Poulet de Mer on Fern Ridge and it appears to be this boat.  Good eye Dad!

The handlebar and head mounts for the GoPro camera came today!  Taking it down to the boat tomorrow to test it out.  Also drilled the holes for the mounting plate and tiller-extension clip in the new tiller then gave it a coat of varnish.  I think I'll give it 2 or 3 more coats before I take it to the boat.

Just found out Beer Cans start on Tuesday!  Now to find some crew if Zach can't come. 

Let the Sailing Season Begin!!!