AHOY!

[wolverine]

It's been about a month since I registered here, and thought it was time I introduced myself.

Hello, my name is Carl and I have a sailing addiction.  WOW, that felt good!

I have always loved the water and have always had some type of boat since I was a small child.  Canoes, wooden runabouts, aluminum deep Vs, and inflatables.  Sometimes it was only a paper boat to sail down the street during a rain, but I was always "at sea" in my imagination.  At the age of twelve I decided I needed a real boat and went about gathering scraps of wood from building sites.  I spent most of the summer of '72 designing, building, and re-building the boat until it was the perfect craft for my adventures. (it even had a bb gun mounted on the bow to deter pirates) The closest farm pond was 2 miles away, so the boat was brought there by wagon in pieces and assembled over a period of several days.  Her maiden launch was a sight to be seen.  My friend Mark and I left the duck blind "dock" with a strong wind at our stern and sailed until there was more water in the boat than the pond.  We swam to shore as she slowly sunk to the bottom.  Staring at the 2x4 mast sticking up out of the muddy water, I was already contemplating my next boat, and how to explain to my mother where my bed sheets had gone. 

Fast forward to today and many boats later and you'll find me retired, and sailing a Compac 19/II and a Hullmaster 15.  While my wife wants a boat with a private head and standing headroom, I prefer small boats where a daysail can become an adventure.  (and i can still push it off an unseen shoal)

Living outside a small rural town in north central Illinois we're a good 2 hours from any water large enough to sail the Compac, so we don't get out as much as we'd like.

I have sailed the Florida Keys, the North Channel, participated in the Florida 120 and sailed large lakes (Michigan) and small ponds and rivers.  This was to be the year I sailed our 15' Hullmaster the length of the Illinois river, but with the Covid going on, it may not happen.  Once the Covid outbreak is over, the house will be up for sale and we will be moving to Oriental, North Carolina.

I hope to post some worthwhile readings, but there are far more interesting and experienced sailors than I.


Cheers,   Carl
              s/v Miss Adventure
              s/v long summer daze

[CharlieJ]

Welcome aboard. Oriental is on of my favorite stops. Good luck doing it.

[Norman]

Welcome aboard!

With the size boats you have, you may enjoy my posts on small boats, short distances.  My cruising has been on a Mac 22, Neptune 16, and a friends Hunter 19 footer.

Distance made good out of the sight of land is much less interesting than cruising along interesting shores and up small creeks.

Cruising the Illinois River, if you have enough food on board to do the whole trip without resupply, would be classic social distancing.  Hanging on the hook in small side streams, away from the channel would be as safe as in a marina.  I start my expeditions with several gallon jugs 3/4th full of drinking water, frozen solid, for ice, then drink it later

I limit my foods requiring ice to the first 3 days, and the jugs last that long, since I only open the big cooler once per day, transferring the days expected use to a smaller cooler.

I should post some more of my short trips.

Norman

[wolverine]

Thank You for the warm welcome!

Charlie,  if we ever make it to Oriental and you're in the neighborhood, drop me a line here and we can meet up.

Norman, sounds like we're cut from the same cloth.  Once in Oriental and the house is built, I'll most likely sell the 19 and buy something around 28' to accommodate the wife.  Then for me I'll build a John Welsford designed 14' Pathfinder for day sailing and weekend trips.

[CharlieJ]

Thanks. Last time I was there was when I was bringing my Meridian 25 from the Chesapeake back to Texas single hand. If I get that way again I surely will.