The Adventures of the Memory Maker
by
Sam & Cindy
October 18th, 2013
Welcome to our blog. Not sure really where to start but here we go. Hang on tight and enjoy this journey with us. It might get kinda wild at times. Here we go!!!
Cindy and I have both long dreamed of owning a boat. We both love the water, sunsets, the sound of the waves, and the laid back relaxed lifestyle you find on the water. While we love to kayak and paddleboard we both wanted to take the next step and get a real boat. Cindy really did not care what kind of boat, just so long as it floated. I was a lil more picky. It had to have a cabin so we could overnight on it. There is nothing like sleeping on the water. To lay awake on the deck at night staring up at the stars. Then to wake in the morning with fog all around you as you gently bob up and down in the water while sipping a cup of coffee is always what I envisioned owning a boat to be.
After much conversation and looking we decided a small sailboat in the 20-22 foot range would suit our needs, and wallets, best. Having never really sailed before we both thought a lesson or two would be wise. So we took a trip up to Bear lake MI for our first sailing lesson this summer. It was my first time on a sailboat and Cindy's second. Our first sail was awesome. Gentle winds, smooth water, good conversation with friends. It was the perfect sail. We were hooked! Later that afternoon we went back out for our first real lesson. Capt. Scott told us that we were going to man the boat this trip and he would just tell us what to do. Well, by now the gentle winds were gone. It was blowing 20 knots out of the southwest with gust to 25 plus. the lake had white caps on it. Let's just say it was not the type of conditions you hope for your first go at the helm. After almost throwing our captain overboard in our failed attempt to sink his boat we finally got under way. With the tiller in my hand, the wind in our faces, and our Captain's breathing rate returning somewhat back to normal we were sailing! After returning to the safety of the dock and going over our post sail briefing I took the viewpoint that sailing is like flying. Just like with flying and landing, any sail you can walk away from is a good one. I say we passed our first sail with flying colors. Capt. Scott probably thinks otherwise LOL. Two things were for sure. We, ok, I, now know what release the cleat means(release AND let go of the rope) and we were getting a SAILBOAT!!!!
I think we came up with the name of our boat long before we even decided we were going to get one. Memory Maker just made perfect sense. I have heard that memories are events in your life that stop time. Since getting together with my soul mate Cindy, there have many events that have stopped time. We are always making memories together and with our friends. The name seemed perfect. Now we just needed to find the boat to go with the name. While there are a lot of sail boats out there for sale we had to find the right one for us. While we are hoping to luck out and get our name drawn for a buoy at Lake Monroe we both know it is a longshot. So we decided that whatever we get needs to be light enough that we can pull it back and forth easily and stepping the mast can't take all day. After much research I discovered that a Clarke San Juan 21 is light, has a mast that is easily stepped, sails very well, is fast(if you call 6.5 mph fast), has a cabin large enough for two to comfortably overnight or weekend in, and is affordable. The SJ 21, as they are known, are raced in several areas around the country. With over 3000 of them being built they are fairly easy to find used. Just finding a nice one seems to be the real trick. During our search we have discovered that sailboat people tend to be a special breed. They seem to be less concerned with the smaller details, like is the boat clean and neat, and more concerned with will it float and sail. We are looking for the boat that has an owner that cared about both points.
We thought we found our boat in Troy MI but due to still trying to finish our house and work schedules it sold before we were able to go look at it. From the pics and talking wit the owner on the phone it seemed like he took good care of it. But it was not to be. So tomorrow we are leaving at 5 am to go look at a SJ 21 in Roselle IL which is just west of Chicago O'Hare airport. We are hopeful that this will be the one for us. While we have no idea what to do with it be we both want a boat with a spinnaker sail. A spinnaker sail is a large head sail that you use when sailing with the wind. They tend to be the colorful sails that you see in the pretty pics of sailboats. It basically acts like a large parachute that fills full of wind in front for the boat and drags the boat along behind it. Most of what I have read recommends flying a spinnaker in 10 knots of wind or less and to be ready to drop it fast if the wind starts to pick up. How hard can it be??? Something tells me we are going to find out at some point. Anyway, the boat we are looking at tomorrow comes with not one, but two spinnakers!! That is surely a sign from above.
So as I write this first entry today I am trying to make a list of everything we will need to take with us in case this is the boat for us and we buy it. In my head I am going over everything that could go wrong pulling a boat 250 miles down the interstate. While I tend to be detail oriented Cindy says she is more big picture. We say we balance each other out. So while I am sure she is probably more concerned with the color of the boat and the fabric on the cushions I am trying to figure out a way I can jack the trailer up and check wheel bearings without getting filthy. Last thing we need is to loose a wheel on the trailer on the south side of Chicago.
While we both know we are more likely to get a better deal buying a sailboat in the winter than in the spring the thought of having a new toy and not getting to play with it all winter is already killing Cindy. I assured here there will be things we will need and want to do to it over the winter and on nice days we can get it out in the driveway so we can practice stepping the mast and rigging the sails. I even told her we should probably spend a few nights sleeping on it in the driveway so we can get a routine down and find out what all we need and don't need. That way once the sailing season starts we are better prepared and won't look like total newbies till we raise the sails for the first time.