Where have ya been??????????

[Frank]

Just curious...what trips have you taken?? ...what passages completed??...what distances offshore??....where have ya been??..on your own boat as skipper

[AllAboutMe]

Frank,
Assuming this an open question to the group at large. I've skippered my Columbia 8.7 all of 50 miles from home port. Urbanna,Va to Yorktown,Va. Looking forward to longer passages on the Chesapeake in 2007, and then hopefully, some blue water in 2008. Bermuda maybe?
Larry Wilson

[Captain Smollett]

Good thread.  This year marked the first year we've actually used our trailerable boat as a trailerable boat.  We had kept her rigged in dry storage at an inland lake for 5 years and just decided we were not doing what we planned (lake sailing off the trailer was fun and all, but not really going anywhere).  When we bought the boat, the idea was to let her take us places.  Keeping her rigged at the lake actually stood in the way of that.

So far this year we've taken three 'major' trips with the boat.  These constituted more highway miles than sea miles, but so what?  :)  Highway miles were about 2000, sea miles were about 84 (neither number includes towing to or sailing on the nearby lake, only the trips).  Farthest distance offshore (from the mainland) was about 5 miles.  These are not blue water numbers, to be sure, but I don't think they are bad for a shakedown year; we did get out of inland waters and on the coast.  I've overnighted on the boat, but the whole crew has not.

We MAY squeeze one more trip in before the end of 2006.  That was planned for next weekend, but something came up last month that may mean it gets put off until 2007.  This trip will necessitate the whole crew overnighting on the boat, so it is a ratchet up from the previous ones.

My daughter, now 4, is a great age for traveling.  She's very inquisitive and wants to be involved in everything.  My son is 1 and a half, so he is just getting to an age that is "easy" (on a relative scale) for traveling.  This means I am looking forward to some more exciting trips for 2007, though they won't be "long distance" by the standards of this board.  I'm still trying to get all involved (my wife, my children, and yes, me too) used to sailing on bigger water and being more "independent" of the shore.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Kurt for putting SailFar up and everyone else.  I've learned SO MUCH from interacting with you all, and though I may or may not say it explicitly, I do try to incorporate the ideas/strategies discussed here in my sailing/planning.  So, thanks to ALL for contributing to what has been a great sailing year for me.   :)

[Frank]

Glad ya had a good year Capt.S.....I'm really enjoying trailorsailing too. 'little' adventures are a hoot.

[CharlieJ]

Tehani has been from Matagorda Bay, in Texas,  to Pensacola Florida twice. Both times we ran the ICW on the way over. Not by choice.

The first year we launched the boat after her total rebuild,and left  two days later for Florida. Hadn't ever had the sails up the mast when we left. So we had a shake down cruise of som 1700 miles. Did get in quite a bit of sailing, including most of Mississippi Sound in both directions.

The second year we tried starting out offshore, with intensions of meeting PIxie Dust in Florida. We got clobbered with head winds much higher than forecast and couldn't easil beat into the seas, so we retutned inshore and finshed the trip over in the ICW again. Coming back however, we went outside from Southwest pass of Vermillion Bay La, and sailed 2 1/2 days offshore , coming back in at Freeport Texas. We only had sheet to tiller steering and when the winds went aft during the night we were forced to hand steer. We are purchasing an auto pilot for the next trip.

Altogether we've sailed her some 4000 miles since relaunching in May of 2005 and spent some 70 to 75 nights aboard .

Plans are for an extended cruise next year as soon as hurricane season wraps up.

[Frank]

Charlie...ya got some good 'miles on' in a short time!! Have fun.

[Oyster]

I have numerous miles across the northern hemiphere on other folks boats but with my own boats, which sits on trailers. I like the freedom of small creeking and gunkholing without salt water in my face and bruised knuckles. My trips are confined to day sailing and small boat fishing in and around inlets and sounds.

[Frank]

Oyster..here is a link that you and others may find interesting..Charles Stock is now near 80..has owned the same 16fter for 40ish years and has 70,000knm exploring 'small bays and inlets'.....great adventure is where you find it     http://shoal-waters.moonfruit.com/

[AdriftAtSea]

I remember reading about him and his boat in the book Sailing Small.  I didn't realize that he had a website though. Thanks for the link... :D

[Frank]

Dan...lot's of good stories,pics and info in there.....just gotta look around. Where have you sailed Dan?? (own boat ,as skipper)

[AdriftAtSea]

On the Pretty Gee, mainly around Buzzards Bay and the Elizabeth Islands.  Mostly, just day sailing or overnight to Cuttyhunk or Nashuon Islands.  Still getting used to her and getting her outfitted. :D

[Joe Pyrat]

Oyster..here is a link that you and others may find interesting..Charles Stock is now near 80..has owned the same 16fter for 40ish years and has 70,000knm exploring 'small bays and inlets'.....great adventure is where you find it     http://shoal-waters.moonfruit.com/

LOL, I got a kick out of how he says he has been published in a number of languages including French, German and American.  The British and the Americans, two peoples separated by a common language.  :)

Great read, I've bookmarked it. 

[Solace]

Every year we take Solace to the 1000 Islands. For those of you unfamiliar with the Great Lakes, they are located at the far eastern end of Lake Ontario. Our home port is located at the farthest western end of Lake Ontario. The round trip mileage exceeds 500 Nm. Aside from that most weekend trips (4 - 5 per season) run around 50 Nm.

One more winter living aboard in the Great White North and we head to the Caribbean, a four year goal (and we're in the home stretch). Single handing down with my two teenaged girls joining me for Christmas and Spring breaks. I will take 6 months (hopefully avoiding the hurricane season) for the trip before returning back to Canada.

Solace is a 1977 Columbia 8.3 (I envy Allaboutme with a Columbia 8.7 - Solace's big sister). We continue to make improvements in our restoration process.

Cheers

John

[Frank]

1000 islands is a beautiful,if at times busy, erea.I like your 'down south' plan !!

[AllAboutMe]

Keep us posted as to your passage plans. I'm hoping to do the Bermuda, or Bahamas passage sometime in the next couple of years. I have friends that have made these trips and farther in 8.7's and I have no doubt that you'll have success in the 8.3.
Larry (AllAboutMe)

[Frank]

OK OK.....break the silence.....it's been days now with no postings....come on ...someone tell us a cruise story.Surely someone out there has been to a unique anchorage , had an 'eventful' passage or saw some great scenery SOMEWHERE.......'where have ya been' ??  Come on...you can do it...get typing..yes YOU :o

[Zen]

I think everyone is getting ready for the holidays.
or ... getting that last bit of boat stuff in before the honey do list kicks in for the season. :D

[Captain Smollett]

OK OK.....break the silence.....it's been days now with no postings....come on ...someone tell us a cruise story.

Sorry, Frank, the best I can offer at this point is that I LOOKED into the cockpit of my boat today to check it out after all the rain we got last night.

The weather for sailing has been perfect; just like every year, I got hit with some big work-stuff during the best sailing seaon.  I got to stay glued to the computer ALL last weekend and will all this weekend, too.  My wife has a 3-day this weekend, and she was wanting to go camping.  I have to stay and work.   >:(

(the upside of this 'sacrifice' is that this client is in the position to word-of-mouth me some good business after I finish his project).

[Frank]

I took some photos in to 'wally world' (walmart) for them to scan them and put them to disc for me. If all goes well , I can post some shark diving pics and a few misc. pics tonight. Now, back to .....'where have ya been'??

[Solace]

Okay - time for something new here - how about a snapshot of a liveaboard's life in the Great White North.

For those that have read some of stuff here, I am a year round live aboard in Canada, specifically Hamilton, Ontario - at the farthest west end of Lake Ontario - the eastern most of the Great Lakes.

This will be my 5th winter aboard. It's mid November. Normally, I'm out having my last sail of the season, though most keel boats are out of the water by the end of October at the latest.  The weather up here is not as cold as what you might expect - it was 51 F last night and back down to mid 40s with sporadic light rain today. My rig is down. The local pump out has been closed up for 2 weeks, we'll have to book the honey wagon to start making his every 3 week run shortly. My rig is down and Solace has been stripped of her sails and shortly her canvas dodger and bimini will make their way to the storage locker as well. Last weekend one of my daughters and I wrapped the belly line around the boat. When you shrink wrap, you need a line around the hull, about 18" below the gunwhale, to form the lower edge of your plastic wrap. The shrink wrap will go around this and be bonded to itself at this point. The belly line is first hung from the toe rail all the way round, then 3 or 4 lines have to be strung under the boat and pulled taught so the wrapper doesn't pop off like a condom when you start to shrink the plastic.

Today, I surveyed my door and frame, they are both wooden - I can reuse it again for another year. Same with my metal tubing 1/2" conduit frame. Its been the same for 5 years now. This weekend I will start putting the frame up. I promise. How do you do that? First off, the frame pieces are bent much like a tent frame - not hard to do with 1/2" conduit. We use hockey tape to tape them to the stanchions. First you tape the stachion with the tape backwards way on - sticky side out - then place the frame piece next to the stanchion and tape it with the sticky side in - that way you don't have to clean off 6 month old hardened sticky residue. Once that's in place you run a center pole over the top and tape that all together. All sharp edges and joints are covered with old carpet. The wooden door frame is placed just behind the toe rail. The upper edge of the door frame is taped to another piece of conduit that it then joined to the rest of the frame in the same manner. Really - taping is all that holds it together. But strong stuff - maybe even stronger than duct tape.

Each boat takes care of erecting their own frames. It takes more than one to wrap it. Once the sharp edges are all covered its time to 'put the bag on'. The boats are stern in for the winter. Saves shovelling the finger dock when the snow comes. Starting with the roll on the dock you pull the palstic over the boat, careful not to catch it on anything. When you have the boat covered with the plastic hanging down as far as the water at the bow, you can cut the plastic to length. Beginning with the water side, again at the stern, we sit in a dinghy and fold the plastic under the belly line. Using a plumbers torch and a leather work glove you can melt the wrap and pat it against the hull to bond it to itself. Working your way forward and around to the finger dock side you continue the same operation. Once you start down the finger dock side you are now pulling the plastic a bit tighter - the less you actually have to shrink the better it will be in the end. The stern gets folded up much like a Christmas gift wrap. Any excess gets pulled through the door frame. You pull it tight at that point, cut the plastic inside the door frame like a Y. Then bond the plastic to itself around the door frame. Congratulations! You've got the bag on. It's quite a bit warmer by this time. You can't shrink it until there is no rain or snow and it can't be windy - it stretches instead of shrinks. The rain will create a hot spot and you will burn a hole wherever its wet. Shrinking takes practice. In the beginning try to limit the size of the holes you burn. LOL We all do it.

There you have it. We heat using electric heaters - nice and dry. We add aerofoil insulation on the floor, then cover that with carpet. Add a mattress heater (like an electric blanket only it lies beneath the bottom sheet) and you are ready for winter. Landlubbers are amazed at how warm it is. Trust me, if it was cold none of us would do it either. Daytime temps under the shrink wrap can get quite warm if the sun is shining. 70 deg when its -20 outside. The snow and rain runs off of a pitched roof easier than a hooped one. That's where Solace will be until April. The shrink wrap comes off by April as it simply becomes too hot during the day - over 100 degrees sometimes. A great time to paint your decks though.

Cheers!

John