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People, Boats, and Stories => Sailing stories => Topic started by: CharlieJ on May 13, 2009, 02:05:33 PM

Title: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: CharlieJ on May 13, 2009, 02:05:33 PM
As you probably have read, Laura left yesterday morning on a planned one night trip, especially to measure and mark a sheet lead point on our Genny. She needs to recut it. We've been waiting,, and waiting, AND WAITING, for some winds somewhat lower than "INSANE" to hoist it and mark. Hasn't happened. So she planned to anchor out, get up at daylight this morning, hoist the sail while head to wind, mark it then stow it sail home.

So looking at the forecast, we saw that there was a prediction of 10-15 over the next few days, with light air in the early morning. In fact, on Tuesday morning, it was almost calm, as predicted.

She wound up sailing with a reefed main and reefed jib, in winds over 22 yesterday, and spent all last night anchor in the lee of Matagorda Peninsula, with winds hitting 26, gusting near and over 30.

She had a minor difficulty with the engine, so sailed in to anchor. This morning  she dismantled a portion of the engine, and fixed the problem-

BUT-

Discretion being the better part of seamanship, currently she is still at anchor where she was, safely tucked into a small bight behind an old jetty. She has 18 miles of Matagorda Bay to traverse, the winds are currently 24 or 25, gusting over 30. And the fetch will have the entire bay to build in, so by the time she got to the marina there would be REAL nasty stuff to deal with.

So she proclaimed it a "lay on the boat and read" day ;D

Winds are SUPPOSED to be 10-15 by tomorrow again, so she'll come in then.

We hope.

Unfortunately all of us know just how accurate those weather forecasts can be. :D
Title: Re: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: Frank on May 13, 2009, 05:01:28 PM
Good call on her part. Best cruises...long or short are flexible.
Title: Re: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: No Kin Jones on May 13, 2009, 09:05:36 PM
Charlie  :-\
She might have figured out what retirement is 'sposed to be already. :D
Might oughta brush up on your cookin'.  ;D

Danny
Title: Re: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: CharlieJ on May 13, 2009, 09:42:21 PM
Hey No Kin- Where ya been?  Posts in Sept, Dec, Jan- been away?

Hey- when she was working I did ALL the cooking. Still do a goodly bit. I love cooking chinese- I have 4 Woks of varying size.

Laura claims she can't cook anyway. She lies ;D

No- it was I who advised her to just sit tight. I've always maintained that getting caught out was one thing, but to leave a snug anchorage, or dock, and go get your brains beat out un-necessarily, was nutso :)c

SO I"m a bachelor for another night, but I'm eating good ;D
Title: Re: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: No Kin Jones on May 13, 2009, 10:43:47 PM
Doing ?
  Nothing much.....work went to 4 day/ten hours, I think I work harder at home 3 days than I do at work four.  Plenty to do on the ranch tho, patchin' the barn roof, fixin' tractor hydraulics, bush hogging the pastures (test pilot for FORD tractor co,) & chauffering the wife to horse shows in HER 3/4 ton Dodge diesel truck. Don't know why little blondie haired women like big trucks..
Still got some of those "tree kits" (some assembly required) laying around.
But, other than that, not doin' a lot really.
Someday I'm gonna get around to that boat..............

Danny

I'm actually here several times through my day, but as we all know - It's better to remain silent..................you know the rest
Title: Re: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: CharlieJ on May 14, 2009, 09:04:33 AM
Talked to Laura a few minutes ago. Here at the house, 11 miles by water from the buoy at Port O'Connor, the leaves were barely moving on the trees. Where she is at the other end of the bay, about 5 miles past that buoy, she's sailing with a reefed main in 21 :)

Shows you how big Matagorda Bay really is.

Of course the winds are picking up here but she'll be off the wind all the way to the marina. Forecast is for 10-15, so she'll have a good sail home, even if it does pick up more.
Title: Re: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: AdriftAtSea on May 14, 2009, 11:13:26 AM
Charlie—

I hope you do realize how lucky you are to have a woman like Laura in your life... :)

QuoteShe had a minor difficulty with the engine, so sailed in to anchor. This morning  she dismantled a portion of the engine, and fixed the problem-
Title: Re: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: CharlieJ on May 14, 2009, 01:51:02 PM
Bet your bippie I do. :D Searched for her for half a century and now I'm hanging on to her.

She can run any machine in the woodshop, use a spray gun, repair certain things on cars ( once changed an alternator when I didn't have time), do fiberglass work, great varnish work, bakes things, does fantastic art work, plus much more.

AND she's gorgeous. Of course you understand I'm not the LEAST bit prejudiced ;)

Oh--She made it in this morning and I just met her at the marina to tie the boat up and take her to lunch.
Title: Re: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: AdriftAtSea on May 14, 2009, 02:01:02 PM
Glad to see you appreciate her properly... ;) 
Title: Re: Laura won't be home tonight
Post by: Captain Smollett on May 15, 2009, 01:13:20 AM
Not to impugn Laura, but...

Today, my wife to laid down fully in the cockpit locker to hold a wrench on a backing plate.  She only asked AFTER THE FACT if her shorts got dirty.., ;D

The caprail project is progressing......