Pearl pulls and we sailed!!!

June 29th, Sail #6


 Wow, is it Monday morning already again? Seriously, where does the weekend go? With eyes, barely open and my butt dragging I made my way into work after a quick stop for gas, ding dongs, and a package of zingers that I washed down with coffee to get myself woke up. The weather is really low outside so I can't take off yet which gives me a few minutes to chronicle this past weekend's fun adventures.
 Once again I had to work Saturday finishing up the annual inspection on the plane. It is all but done now, just some paperwork to finish up. I had a few minutes to work on the boat projects when I got home so I put the finish on our new binocular holder and worked on the first parts to our new counter top drawer unit I am making for the boat. It seemed like every time we went out Cindy would mention how we needed to get some binoculars to have on board so while she was getting a hitch for Pearl, her new Rav 4, at Harbor Freight Friday I had her pick up two pair of 10x50 binoculars there. I know, Chinese binoculars, how good can they be? Well, for 20 bucks, they are pretty darn good! They got all 5 stars reviews from previous purchasers so I thought it was worth a shot. Plus if we drop them over board or they get stolen out of the boat we will only loose 20 dollars worth of sleep instead of 200 or more. I made a holder that we mounted on the aft wall of the cabin to holder them in the boat so we always know where they are. 

 

 

As with most of my projects I probably went a lil over board with it but it works well and seeing how I made it out of some scrap wood in the shop we had noting invested in it I did not think going a lil over board was a bad thing.

 We headed over to the lake early yesterday so we could work on the boat installing some new toys before we sailed. The weather was cool and cloudy and there was a breeze, along with some showers to our southwest but we hopeful we could sail for a bit. Being optimistic we packed for the day and took dinner to grill with us.

 Arriving to see our boat sitting there waiting patiently for our us to return to her  reminded me of coming home after a long trip and seeing our boys waiting for us at the top of the drive. Like an old friend who knew we would come back to see them someday our Memory maker was just as we left her. We got busy installing our binocular holder and test fitting the new countertop to make sure I had made the patterns correctly. It fit really well so I took some more measurement so I can build the drawer for it next. We are both really looking forward to the completion of this project as you can never have enough storage in the cabin and to be able to keep our plates, silverware, and other utensils all in one neat organized area will be sweet. Plus to have a flat workspace to boot will be a really nice addition.

 Next I got busy installing a sweet lil find that I just happen to walk past Saturday night at Rural King. They were having a big 4th of July sale and they had a 12 volt oscillating car fan on sale for 9.99. I walked past it at first then turned around and went back as the wheels started moving inside my head. I thought for 10 bucks it was worth a shot. So I picked it up and surprised Cindy with it when I got back to the car. I went in for stainless steel screws an a bushing for the new tow hitch but came out with the bushing, no screws, a fan, and some pepper spray for Cindy and Libby. Rural King's marketing department can pat themselves on the back today as I total fell for their impulse buys LOL! After checking the amperage draw of the fan yesterday morning, which was only .6 of an amp, I was really pleased with my find. I mounted the fan in the very front of the v birth with it blowing back over us. After running the wires and mounting the switch I tested it out. It makes a bit more noise than I hoped it would but I think I can put a rubber isolator under the mount and quit it down a bit but it moves air and on a hot sticky night with the hatches shut up to keep the bugs out it will be a life saver!!!

 While I was busy with the fan Cindy was prepping the boat for a sail. She has really come a long way since we started as now she can install and rig the jib sail and is ready to tackle the main sail next, which can be a bit of a pain by yourself. She installed the grill on the mount and just about the time we were ready to sail the rain started. Crap... So we took the jib off and stuff it back in the cabin and headed into Bloomington to go antiquing for a bit while it rained.

 We made it as far as our favorite lil outdoor adventure shop in Bloomington, J L Waters & company. It is really a neat lil store and if you ever get to Bloomington we highly recommend you stop in. It must have been bring your puppy to work day as there were two pups going from shopper to shopper to get an ear scratched. You have to love a store that has dogs strolling about. The rain was done when we finished shopping there so back to the lake we went!!!!

 We hooked the Memory Maker up to the new hitch I got Cindy for Pearl. She just idled away with the boat in tow. Although Pearly only has a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder in it she is full of pep and I knew she would have no problems moving the boat back and forth to the ramp and launching the boat. Cindy stopped to let me pull the pins so we could extend the tongue, love that modification, and off to the ramp we went. As we headed out the gates of the sailing association Cindy was saying how impressed she was with Pearly and how easily she seemed to be pulling the boat. Just as I started to say how I knew she would do fine we heard a very odd, metallic, crashing sound come from behind the boat. Cindy turned to me saying  "What was that?" I looked in the passenger side mirror and saw the grill laying in the road behind the boat! I ran back to rescue the grill and to find the hold down bolts that fell out. I recovered the bolts in short order and just sat the beaten and bruised grill in the boat. I got back in Pearl laughing and reassured Cindy it would be fine. I had to chuckle as the first words out of her mouth when I told her it was a bit beat up were "can you beat it out?". I guess she has seen me straighten more than a few bent pieces of metal LOL!

 The grill must have landed right on the handle which was better than had it hit on the regulator. I am pretty sure I can straighten it back out and repair the handle. That is one of the reasons I got us a 20 dollar grill instead of a 200 dollar grill. I figured if it ever fell off it would be in the lake and sink, not on the road to the ramp. There are a couple of holes on the underside but only two have nut inserts in them. Cindy but have put the bolts in the other holes. No big deal and it is fixable. I bet she doesn't make that mistake again LOL!

 Arriving at the launch ramp we had the place to ourselves so I told Cindy to go ahead and try backing the trailer down. She was a bit nervous but driving Pearl made her feel comfortable enough that she went ahead and gave it a go. Backing a trailer just takes practice and I really did not expect her to get it on her first go but she got it close enough that we went ahead and launched her anyway. The boat entered the water at a bit of an angle which while it did make getting off the trailer a bit of a chore it also meant that I did not have to do a 180 turn once I got in the water so that part was nice. A sailboat with a self draining cockpit tends to take on water when you are backing them up in the water so the less time I spend backing her up the drier my feet stay.  We got her launched and that is all that really matters so all was good. I headed to the boat dock to retrieve Cindy after she had parked Pearl by the high wall and in no time we were headed out into the lake.

 With this being our 6th sail we are starting to get our routine down pretty well. Cindy hops aboard and takes the tiller as I head down below to drop the keel then up on top to raise the sails as we clear the buoy filed. Seems like we get the motor shut off a lil sooner each time out. We had a nice breeze out of the west southwest and we were making good speed as sailed close hauled across the lake. I went back down below to get the Capt. a beverage when a few gust hit us. I looked back to see Cindy turning into the wind and I had to remind her to stay the course and hold heading. Cindy is a still lil apprehensive when the boat heals up a bit but she is getting better. I reminded her that if it heals up too far she can release the mainsheet to help stand her back up. After I told her that she was letting the main sheet out with each lil puff of wind. Funny thing, we saw a shirt in a magazine that said "We ain't leaning till someone is a screamin!" I need one that sys "We ain't leaning because Cindy keeps letting the main sheet out!" LOL! I assured her we would be fine and that we were barely healing, maybe 10-15 degrees at most. It can be a bit un nerving to feel the power of the wind when it hits the sails but it is really cool to feel the boat surge ahead as the sails reacts to a  gust long before I can even feel it. Cindy calmed down in short order and we soon ready to tack back across the lake.

 The weather goods were really staring down on us as it turned out to be a wonderful afternoon. There was a nice breeze and the lake was not too crowded. We sailed back and forth working our way closer to the "Narrows". I took the helm as Cindy stretched out in the cockpit seats to relax. I kept trying to work as close to the wind as I could in hopes of making as much progress down the lake as possible with each tack but with all the surface friction of the trees and hills it was slow going. Finally after about 2 hours of sailing we made the turn to port and realized that we had made it into the "Narrows"! What do you know, the world is not flat and we did not just fall of the edge like we joked that we might if we ever got past that point LOL! It was after 6 but we still had good wind so we sailed on. I thought we might be able to clear the point at the mouth of Allen's Creek but we were just a few degrees short of being able to do that. Sailing is definitely a game of give and take, mostly give on our part. Everything is on the wind's terms and getting past the point was not going to happen on that tack. It was getting late and I was getting hungry so we turned back to the northeast and headed back up the lake running with the wind

 

 Running with the wind is kinda neat as the sails swing out wide with one on each side. Our sails are pretty small so they don't look as impressive as some other boats do but it was still pretty cool to see. Everything I read about running said to do so with great caution as the boom can jibe very quickly and without warning if the wind swings to the other side. Well, they were right. I kept reminding Cindy to watch the boom as she was standing up trying to take a selfie with running sails in the background. She had just sat back down to check out her pics when the boom jibed from starboard to port in the blink of an eye. I had just looked off the stern for a second and when I looked back it had already swapped sides. Had she been standing up I would have probably heard that familiar "Boom! Crap!" sound I know so well myself!

 While it took us two plus hours to get to the narrows it was only a 20 min running sail to our favorite anchorage spot. Cindy swung the boat around into the wind as I dropped anchor and then helped me secure the sails so we could have dinner. I fired up the grill and it seemed to work just fine so I think we will be ok once I straighten the lid and fix the handle. With the corn on the grill it was time to pop a cork and enjoy a bottle of wine. Cindy had gone wine tasting with the girls this past week and I clearly remember her saying " I am not giving 15 bucks for a bottle of wine as that is crazy". Well I am glad to report she did not give 15 bucks for a bottle, she gave 30 for two!!! But it was very good and we were enjoying a glass in the cockpit when I noticed we had a visitor joining us for dinner.

 She is a bit hard to see as phones don't take really good distance shots but a small doe walked out of the woods to get a drink and snack on the plants growing by the waters edge. She kept sniffing the air as the smoke off our roasting corn drifted her way. I know she would have loved to have had some. By the time we finished dinner we had three deer down by the water snacking and watching us.

 Dinner was delish as usual and after a yummy dessert of Twinkies covered with Michigan blueberries topped with whip cream it was time to try a lil fly fishing!

 Cindy's sister Dottie got me hooked on fly fishing last summer and I love to do it every chance I get. A sail boat with all the lines and shrouds is not an ideal fishing boat so I hopped into the water and swam into shore holding my rod above my head as I swam

 

Which by the way is a really awkward way to swim. Once I got to where I could stand up I starting working my lil yellow popper along the bank and it was in just a few cast I had landed my first whopper! Ok, so it was just a small bluegill but when you fish with a  3-4 weight fly rod a minnow feels like Moby Dick!

 

 While I fished Cindy hopped into the water and floated around the boat to get all the sunscreen washed off of her. The sun was setting and the air temp was dropping but the water felt great. It is times like this that just never seem to last long enough. I watched the sun set and gauged the speed of it's descent based off it's position to a tree limb and it always surprises me how fast the sun moves across the sky. I know most never think about it as we are just way too busy to make time for such trivial thoughts as the speed of the earth's rotation in relation to the sun but as I age I swear the earth's rotational speed is picking up!!! I caught a few more fish then swam back to the boat as it was getting late and we needed to be heading back in since I had to work today. As I boarded the boat and turned around this is the view that welcomed me back aboard

 

 How could one ever tire of views like this? As we stowed things away and prepared to get underway  the sun's last rays of light faded away behind the distant hills. With Cindy at the helm I raised the anchor and after washing all the bottom muck off it stowed it away. We crossed the lake with our lil motor happily humming along in the background. We stood side by side sharing a warm hug with the tiller between us and used the gentle swaying of our hips to guide our Memory Maker back to her home port. It almost seems like a cruel ending to such a wonderful day to have to go back in and head home in the dark. Oh how we wished we could have crawled up in the v birth and snuggled together for a nice night's sleep on the water.

 Arriving back at the dock Cindy dropped me off so I could bring Pearl and trailer over to retrieve them. As Cindy motored away from the dock enroute to the boat ramp I took one last pic for the day.

 

 While it is not the best pic I have of Cindy as I look at it today I am just so impressed with my lil lady and how far she has come in such a short span of time. This time last year she knew basically nothing about a boat other than they floated and she loved being on them. Now look at her go, at the helm of our own sailboat, heading off into the darkness alone, and in control. We laughed on the way home as she said that just when she feels like she makes progress something happens that makes her feel like she took three steps back. We are learning together and together we are making mistakes. Even though we have a few setbacks here and there we are enjoying it all so very much. I am just very proud of Cindy and how incredible she is doing on the boat. While it might be a while before we get her to where she can launch and recover the boat on her own as it is not the easiest of boats to launch and retrieve, I have no doubts that she soon will be capable of rigging and sailing the boat on her own in the not too distant future. That was our agreement from the beginning. This was going to be something we did together, and together we are doing it. I would never have started this adventure had it not been for Cindy's blind optimism and over flowing enthusiasm to have fun and to live life to it's fullest. Today I look back on what I would have missed out on and I am just so glad she talked me into taking this huge leap with her. Thank so much Sweetheart, I love you....

First passengers and Lobster boil!

Sail #4  June 21st, 2014

 After several trips over to the lake(one in which I forgot my boat keys, ARGH!) to work on the small leaks in the keel trunk area this week we more than ready to get back on the water when Saturday finally rolled around. Work has been crazy busy for me doing the annual inspection on the plane so I had to work Saturday morning till noon to make sure I was able to get the motor on the plane all back together in time for our next scheduled flights.
 After leaving work I raced home and whacked the grass as fast as I could while Cindy made a yummy corn chowder for this evening Lobster boil pitch in at the sailing association. Dottie came over to pick us up and off to the lake we all went. Not that it took the lure of a fresh lobster to con Dottie into being our first passenger aboard the Memory Maker but it probably helped LOL! We arrived at the lake and loaded everything up under a blazing hot summer sun. Man was it stinking hot. Not much air moving either which is never a good thing when sailing. After installing the sails and loading the coolers off to the launch ramp we went. As I went to get onto the boat so Cindy could back me down in the water another sailor who was launching his large fixed keel boat asked me how deep the ramp was there. In the process of tell him I had no real idea but that with a boat that tall his truck was going to get wet launching there I forgot to un hook the winch line to the bow. So after starting the motor I had Cindy back my further back so we could float off the trailer. Well the rear end floated up but instead of backing away I just sat there. I ran up the motor a bit but nothing. Then it dawned on me, I forgot to undo the winch line from the boat. Argh! Back up front to undo that then I was off.
 I met Cindy and Dottie at the clubs dock and picked them up with no real issues. I was cooking in the sun while I waited on their arrival as there still was not much wind. Even with my Pray for Wind shirt on I was not feeling so lucky. There were a few sailboats out on the lake they all had larger head sails that we do. With the girls on board we headed out through the buoy field with Capt Cindy at the helm. I went below to check on leaks and lower the keel. The leaks were a 100% better so that was good news. There was still a bit of water from all we took on the previous week that we could not get out but the leak by the keel lock pin and keel window were much better.
 Once we cleared the buoy field up the sails went and off with the motor power. Then we just sat there... The wind was very light, less than 5 mph most of the time, which meant the sails just luffed from side to side. We tried adjusting the sails and heading, even turning all the way around but we were unable to find any sustainable wind. So we just bobbed in the water and enjoyed the day and a cold beverage. Dottie said she was enjoying the whole experience even though we were missing out on the best part, actually sailing! It was not long before we had to motor back in to get ready for the lobster boil dinner. Cindy did a great job of bringing the boat to the trailer and in no time we were loaded and headed back to put the boat to bed.
 We arrived at the shelter house right on time and staked our claim to a table and got our lobster numbers. I had never had a whole lobster before so this was going to be interesting. They were boiling water under wood fires and using a leaf blower with a long flexible car exhaust pipe ran into the coals to stoke the fires to get the water good and hot. Seeing how it was already hot as blazes they guys cooking must have been even hotter. After getting our lobster numbers we hit the pitch in items and loaded up our plates on all sorts of tasty eats. Which, is just what you want to do before eating a 3 lb lobster! It was not long before they pulling our lobsters out of the boiling water and we went up to retrieve them. Let's just say they were quite large! Dottie had brought three sets of crackers so we all got going on braking open claws, ripping off tails, and digging out meat. Cindy had been worried from the start that they might not have melted butter to dip the meat in so we brought our own stick of butter and had a plan on how to melt it if needed but not to fear, they had a crockpot full of melted butter so all was right in the world. I have to say the meat was very tasty but I can't say it is my favorite seafood. Cindy really enjoyed hers but Dottie, well, she was an animal!!! She was ripping, cracking, digging, and sucking at that poor carcass trying to get every last morsel of meat out of it. It was a sight to see. You just did not want to get to close as you were probably going to get sprayed, like I did a time or two. It was great to see her enjoy it like she did. While she worked on getting more meat out of the shell she would tell us about her and her late husband's trips to Maine to get fresh lobster and how good they were. Over I think we can all say we really enjoyed the lobster boil and will defiantly be repeat attendees at next year's event. I probably did this in the wrong order but the next day I watched a video on how to eat a lobster. I really should have watched that first now that I think about it LOL!
 Now here is the bad part of the whole outing. Somehow, we managed to not take one single picture! Not one of our first passenger on board, not one of the lobsters boiling, not one of Dottie acting like some sort of wild carnivore eating her lobster. I think between the heat and the mess of the lobsters none of us thought of it. But one thing we did decided we needed to get was a sailing log or journal to keep aboard and fill out for each sail and have our guest sign. Even without the wind we all still had a really fun time.

Sail #5  June 22nd, 2014

 We woke up Sunday morning to find the weather was still holding out but the winds were forecasted to still be very light. Off to work I went in hopes of getting the rest of the plane's motor back together before I left to go sail. Things went pretty well at work and I was heading out a lil earlier than I had thought I might be able to. The best part was that the wind had picked up and was blowing 8-12 mph out of the south here at the airport. Our hopes were that it held out and was the same at the lake.
 We were taking a good friend of ours with us today and we were excited that we might actually get to share some real sailing with our passenger today. Libby met us at the lodge and off we went in Juicy the Jeep. Funny how now that we have a sailboat we watch the tree tops as we drive to see if there is any wind making them sway back and forth. All the way to the lake the tree tops were moving so we were holding out hope for enough wind to sail.
 Once we arrived at the boat it was a quick set up to get her ready to head out. We had left the main sail on and just bagged it around the boom and mast so we just had to uncover it and install the jib. Cindy is really doing great learning everything she needs to know and can now install the jib sail herself and has learned how to tie the figure 8 knots in the end of the jib sheets. It was not long and we were headed over to launch her again for today's adventure. Again the launch went smoothly and I picked the girls up at the dock. With Cindy at the helm down went the keel and up went the sails just as soon as we were outside of the buoys. Once the sails were up and cleated off Cindy fell off to the port side and the sails filled with wind. We were SAILING AGAIN!!!!
 Libby was really enjoying the sailing. She was full of questions that we did our best to answer and we all enjoyed the peace and quite of sailing as we carried on a conversation without having to scream over a loud motor. We did a better job of documenting this adventure and took several pics starting with 3 way selfie

 Even with the wind it was another hot day so it was not long before the girls wanted to get in and cool off a bit so after tacking back to the south we dropped anchor along the south shoreline and we all jumped in a cooled off. After a nice cool off soak we loaded back up and sailed off the anchor which was a first for us. Normally we have had to start the motor to get going again but I think we are actually learning how to do this whole sailing thing a lil bit now.
 One nice thing about having a curious passenger is that it does not take much coaxing to get them to take the helm and try out steering the boat. I assured Libby she could do it so she took my place and after a few quick tips was steering our Memory Maker across the lake like a pro!

 What was really nice was now we had an autopilot and Cindy and I could relax a bit and just enjoy the sail ;-) Libby did a fine job and was surprised at how responsive the tiller was and how much attention one has to pay in order to maintain heading. I talked Libby through a tack and we sailed back and forth across the lake making nice speed as we worked our way southwest.
 One thing we are learning is that sailing on small lakes is probably nothing like blue water sailing. Surface friction between the wind and all the trees and hills is constantly changing the wind direction and speed. After a tack you might pick a heading as close to the wind as you can sail only to find out half across the lake you either have to fall off to keep pressure on the sails or you can turn more into the wind, but it usually seems like we are falling off. We were joking about what lays beyond the point at Allen's Creek cove as we have not made it past that point yet. We learned Monday night that is called the Narrows as the lake chokes down there and the winds tend to get really confused. A local sailor told us it takes patience to get through there under sail.
 I digress. We sailed quite a while before the girls decided they ready to get wet again. So I had Libby point us towards the cove we spent our overnight trip at so we could drop anchor and let the girls get wet. We were able to sail, all be it slowly as the wind was on our stern, into the cove. It was the first time we had sailed to our anchorage which was kinda neat. After dropping anchor I blew up a couple of rafts for the girls to lay on then convinced Cindy I should tie them off to the boat. That turned out to be good idea as they were able to float without worry of drifting off.

While the girls floated around and enjoyed their beverages I did some house keeping aboard and surveyed the leaks. There was just barely enough water to get the bottom of the sponge wet so I really thing we are getting there. I took a few pics of the boat with it all opened up

 If you look at the end of the tiller handle you will see our "tiller silencer". On our over night trip we quickly figured out that waves make everything move. The tiller kept bumping into the cockpit side as it went back and forth. So I tied it off to the rear pulpit which helped but it still banged on the side walls so the shoe idea was born. It actually works quite well but I need to come up with a replacement as at some point I will probably want my shoe on while tiller is tied LOL.
 As the sun started down I fired up the grill and cooked us a tasty lil dinner of swamp tators and pork tenderloins. Each time we go out we learn something new. We all sat down at our table to eat and discovered that with all of us at the table it makes the boat list to starboard about 7 degrees. Now I know why they sell special plates for boats that have rubber on the bottom. We spent our dinner chasing our sliding plates back from the starboard side of the table. It was a good laugh but I will be modifying our boat plates so they don't slide like that anymore. We finished dinner off with more strawberries over twinkies with whip cream on top. Libby was thoroughly enjoying the whole sailing experience and Cindy and I were really enjoying sharing our lil boat with our dear friend.
 It was during dinner I noticed that a weed bed that I thought looked like a good fishing spot earlier when I was fishing off the bow seemed like it was a lot closer now. Turns out it was as the small mushroom anchor I got from Dottie was not holding. So I swapped it out for our Danforth anchor and we held firm. I really like the mushroom style so I might look into getting a larger one so we can use it for lunch breaks. The Danforth really holds well so it will be our overnight anchor.
 As the sunset behind the trees on the northwest side of the lake we sadly had to head back in. The wind was all but gone so we just fired up our lil 3.5 HP Nissan 4 stroke and puttered across the lake back to the dock. Cindy dropped Libby and I off so we could bring the trailer around to retrieve her and our Memory Maker. Libby was just so impressed with how awesome of a job Cindy does on the boat. Cindy has really been a quick study and does a great job handling the boat even though she thinks she doesn't and that she always screws things up. That could not be further from the truth. For two people who had almost zero sailing experience to be doing as well as we are doing on only our fifth sail I think we are doing awesome. I would not have attempted this with anyone other than Cindy. She has never said she could not do something. She does exactly what I tell her to do so if it is wrong it is my fault. Together we make it work and almost make it seem like we have half a clue as to what we are supposed to be doing LOL!
 It was after dark by the time we got Memory Maker put to bed and everything loaded up. I think we all had a really fun time and Libby got to make a passenger's entry in our new sailing journal. It was late when we got home but it had been a super fun day and we all could not wait to do it again!!!!

Our first over nighter on board our sailboat!!!

Sail #2  June 14th, 2014

With the known leaks repaired and the trailer modifications made it was time to head back to the lake and try it again. We loaded everything we needed for our first real over night trip on the water in hopes everything would work as planned and we could actually spend the night. The weather was perfect as a cold front had gone through the day before and the sky were so blue it looked strange as we don't get to see that shade of blue very often.
 We arrived at the lake and put the trailer mod to it's first real test hooked to a vehicle. It worked just like I hoped it would. Cindy was very impressed. We backed down into the water far enough to start the motor. Once the motor was purring like a kitten Cindy backed on back further till the boat floated up off the trailer bunks. I was backing away before we knew it and the bumper of the 4 Runner was still high and dry! I motored over to pick up Cindy but she never came down to the high wall. I grabbed my phone and tried calling her cell phone only to hear it's familiar ring coming from the cabin. Seems she left it behind. After about 10 minutes I would really starting to worry about what might have happened to her so I started preparing the boat to dock by myself. Did I mention it was Father's day weekend? That meant that the lake was CRAZY busy and the water was really rough around the docks due to all the wakes off the motor boats washing in. I was bouncing around all over the place trying to get deck lines ready, hanging out the fenders, all the while trying to keep the boat out of the way of other boaters. I was a busy lil puppy! Just as I made the turn to the dock Cindy came around the high wall. Weee, I dodged one there. I proceeded to pick Cindy and turn the helm over to her. Turns out the parking area was busy with people getting boats out, people using the gin pole to step their mast, and to top it off the ice delivery man had the road to the high wall blocked. Cindy had to back the trailer about 400 feet and she had never backed a trailer before. I had told her several times that backing a trailer really isn't something that can be taught, one just has to do it and figure it out. She must have figured it out as she did fine and we were on our way.
 Once we cleared the buoy field I went below to check on the leaks. The stern repair was dry as desert. But we still had water leaking into the keel trunk area, ARGH!!!! Not near as bad as before so I could see better where this water was coming from. There was a crack in the glass beside the threaded boss that the keel lock pin threads into. I also noticed another leak on the port side of the keel trunk around the plexiglass window I installed in place of the metal plate they had there. I hate leaks....
 I did not think we would take on enough water to sink so I marked the leaks with a Sharpie and we continued on. Once out in the lake Cindy turned us into the wind and I proceeded forward to raise the jib as today there was a nice breeze and we were going to sail one way or the other. Up went the jib then the main and the boat just started going wherever it wanted to. I kept telling Cindy to pick a reference point across the lake and hold a heading to which she let me know that is what she was trying to do but it just kept turning. So after taking the tiller and seeing first hand what she was talking about I realized that due to the frustration of still having leaks I forgot to lower the keel!!! Back down into the cabin to drop the keel. Wow, what a difference the keel made LOL!!!
 We sailed across the lake and then tacked back like we actually knew what were doing! Back and forth we went just enjoying the experience and the difference having the jib up made in how well she sailed.

 It was a beautiful day with a nice steady breeze about 9-10 mph, and although the lake was really busy we were totally enjoying the experience. It was not long before Cindy took up position in her happy place

with her feet in my lap as I guided us across the lake with no real destination. No sail would be complete with a selfie of the Capt and her first mate

 After numerous tacks the wind was starting to lay down for the evening so we sailed across to the south shore and found a nice lil cove to drop anchor in. The sky was still a perfect blue but the sun was starting to slide down the backside of the day as we lit the grill and put the boat to bed. We covered the mainsail and bagged the jib making sure all the lines were secured while the corn on the cob cooked on the grill. With boat all secured it was time to cook the seasoned pork tenderloins while we reclined in the cockpit seats enjoying a glass of wine. Our first over night dinner aboard was delicious

Dinner was followed up with a dessert of twinkies covered in fresh strawberries topped with whip cream. Yummy!!!! With our tummies full and the sun fading fast it was time to enjoy the one thing we have thought about so many times before, sunsets on the water. This was a sunset never be forgotten

 as it was our first sunset on the water in our very own sailboat that we rebuilt and then taught ourselves how to sail. The weather was perfect, the dinner was delicious, and my Captian was looking as beautiful as ever sitting between my legs in front of me. For an added treat we even got some free entertainment when a amphibious airplane made a landing approach right in front of us. I just barely got the camera up in time to catch a pic of him.

  I am not sure how well he shows up but he is just to the left of the trees on the right side of the pic.
 AS we sat and talked about our day and our future the sun continued to slide down the western sky. The wind was light out of the southeast so with the boat pointed into the wind we had perfect seats for the light show put on by the setting sun. It was not long before someone, not me, got chilly and we retired to the warmth of the V birth for a lil cuddle time. It was still fairly early but the week had been full of long days at work and then late nights working on the boat and trailer. I had worked till midnight the night before and then got up at 5am to finish the welding on the tongue before I went to town to get last minute items I needed to finish so I was tired. We were happy to find out that even with the companionway boards in and the top down we still got a nice refreshing breeze through the front hatch. The gentle rocking of the boat felt so soothing as we snuggled into our lil love nest in the V birth of the Memory Maker.
 I guess it was about 11pm or s when I awoke to an incredible vision out the front hatch. The wind still had us pointed east/southeast and it was a full moon night. The sky was still clear so we had a perfect view of the moon rising up over the hills just beyond us and it was beyond words beautiful! Believe me, the pic I took does not do it justice!

 We finally drifted back off to sleep while the intoxicating effect of the moon's beauty still had a firm grasp on our conscious thoughts. I guess it was about 3 am or so when I woke up a lil on the chilly side. So I gently lowered the front hatch and snuggled even closer to Cindy, which, when you sleep like tow Lego blocks fastened tightly together is not easy to do. Being still rather sleepy I did not remember to make sure the hatch closed all the way. Well it rudely reminded us that I did not when about 3:30 it dropped shut and the resulting bang it made when it dropped the rest of the way scared the pee out of both of us!!!!  I realized what it was and back to sleep we went with the boat still gently rocking in the soft waves of the night water.
 Morning seemed to come way too soon. Climbing up out of the cabin to survey the surroundings I was pleased to see that the anchor had held and we were still in the same position we were when we retired the night before. Cindy came crawling out shortly after me and we watched the bass boats streak across the water with rooster tails in tow as there must have been a fishing tourney starting that morning at 6:30 am. After we got both our eyes opened all the way we raised anchor and started across the lake as I had to get back to the house to so I could deliver a Father's day surprise for good friends of ours. Cindy dropped me off back at the boat dock and I brought the trailer over to meet her at the ramp. With this just being only our second actual retrieval I was still trying to figure out how far to back the trailer into the water. In hindsight I goofed and backed way too far back to retrieve the boat. Cindy was guiding the boat to the trailer and doing a great job. I guess a did a lil too good of a job instilling the fear of bringing the boat out of the water with the rudder still down because with about 10-15 feet left to go before reaching the trailer the boat started to drift. I looked up into the boat but I could not see Cindy. I was telling her to "LOOK AT ME!" but it was too late. I grabbed the front pulpit and muscled it back into line with the trailer. Talk about a ab workout! Seems Cindy thought she had it made and was busy raising the rudder blade I winched the trailer onboard then pulled the boat with Cindy in it out of the water. I stopped up on the flat ground to slide the tongue back and just as soon as I got out and looked back a the boat I knew we did something wrong as the boat was listing about 20 degrees to port!!! We somehow managed to miss the slot in the bunk boards for the keel. So back into the water they went and I pulled up so the trailer would not be so deep. That worked much better as I was able to feel the keel being guided into the bunk board slot and all was much better the second time around. I got a reference mark off the spare tire on the trailer as to how far in the water the trailer needs to be to retrieve it so we would not have another issue like that one. The tongue slid back into the tow position just as easily as it slide out and we were headed back to park our boat for a few hours.

Sail #3   June 15th, 2014
After a quick trip home to deliver the father's day surprise we were headed back to the lake for sail number 3. This was to be our first time to launch the boat with Juicy the Jeep so we were curious how well it would work. The wind was barely blowing when we left the lake that morning so I was worried about having enough wind to sail. So stupid me breaks out the "Pray for Wind" shirt Cindy had gotten me for Xmas. Let's just say it works!!! We arrived back at the lake and hooked up to the trailer and headed to the ramp. Extended the tongue and launched the boat with no real issues. I headed back to the dock to pick up Cindy who had no issues getting to the high wall this time. I could tell the wind was blowing a bit but the real wind was blocked a by the trees along the shore line. Once the Capt was aboard and at the helm I made sure I dropped the keel first thing. Just clear of the buoy field up with the sails and off went the motor. Lets just say we SAILED that Father's day!!! The boat was immediately healed over to port much further than we had ever had it to this point in our two previous sails. I think we were both having flashbacks to our one failed sailing lesson on Bear Lake the previous summer! I worked the sheets adjusting the sails while Cindy struggled to hold heading. Cindy has been an awesome trooper all along but I could tell she was a bit concerned at this point. Reaching the other side of the lake in nothing flat it was time to tack. Some genius gets the idea that we should try a gybe instead of a tack. So full rudder to starboard and away we went!!!! Holy crap that was a fast turn!! We survived but not without provoking an even more concerned look on Cindy's face. Running with the wind for the first time felt odd with the way the bow of the boat was being forced down due to the force of the wind on the sails. We sailed back into Moores creek cove to explore that area. Cindy went down into the cabin to check the leaks as this time we brought a sponge to try and get some of the water our of the keel trunk area. I was at the helm trying to keep it under control. The gusty conditions made things exciting, to say the least. It was about then that I screwed up and took my eyes off the front of the boat and looked down into the cabin to see how Cindy was doing. I know I only looked away for a few seconds but a gust caught me off guard and when I looked up the nose was coming around into the wind. Well it was a learning experience as I discovered in that much wind there is not enough rudder to bring it back in line if it gets away from you. we went for one heck of a ride as the boat continued to heal over as she turned into the wind and then stood up right and bobbed in the water almost as if saying to me "good job you idiot!" Cindy was hanging on for dear life in the cabin as we rounded up and had an even greater look of concern on her pretty lil face LOL!!!! We recovered and feel back off with the wind and proceeded on making sure to pay closer attention from then on.
 With Cindy back at the helm we tacked back to the southwest and the gusts really started to pick up. I noticed we tacked at the same time as a larger sailboat off our port side. We took off and left him like he was dragging his anchor. I was thinking our lil 20 footer was quite the thoroughbred! When we tacked back to the north and passed him it was then I noticed he had reefed his sail and had  his jib sail furled in quite a bit. Seeing that made me wonder just how much wind we had as it was only forecast to be up to 10 mph. A quick call to the local airport's automated weather station revealed the truth, it was not 10mph but 15 knots, with gust to 22 knots!!!! Yikes!!! What we doing out there in wind like that on our 3rd real sail???? Oh well, we are already out here, time to just hang on a learn quick!
 After nearly rounding up again Cindy suggested we anchor for a bit and let the wind die down some. Seemed logical to me so off to the south shore again and anchored down. The wind really had us bobbing around pretty good but our lil Danforth style anchor held us rock hard. After a rest and a speaker phone call to see how the father's day surprise went we headed back in wanting to call it an early night so we could get some rest. It was them that I discovered that the reason the anchor held so well is that the lake bottom in that area was a grey mucky stinky clay that took me a good five minutes of washing to get it all off the anchor.
 Once back at the dock we did our once usual procedure of dropping me off to bring the trailer around to retrieve Cindy and the Memory Maker. This time all went well, Cindy never lost focus on me that last 10 feet and I did not back too far down into the water this time. Juicy the Jeep crawled right up the ramp with the trailer in tow, and the tongue slid right back into the tow position. We put our lil boat to bed next to her new neighbor, a  Precision 18.

 It was with a true sadness that we had to say good bye to her. As happy as we were that we were not taking her back home we were still sad to leave her behind. We had so much fun with her the past few days and we knew it was going to be a whole week before we could get her out again. We had learned a incredible amount in the two days of sailing. Our first over nighter on the water was so very enjoyable and we can't wait for overnight number two, number three, and number 300! I will be the first to admit that sailing is a lot of work and defiantly not for everyone but at the same time is so much fun, extremely gratifying, and at times really exciting when it all works like it should!
 As we drove away we both told our Memory maker good by and made her the promise that we would be back soon to make more memories with her!

More boat repairs and trailer modifications

 After our first sail on June 4th it was apparent that we needed to look into the leak issues and figure a way to launch without submerging our tow vehicle. we took on quite a bit of water in the few hours we on the water and I was not going to be constantly worried about sinking. I started in on the leaks first while I thought about a way to fix the trailer issues.
 The first area to repair was the most obvious and that was the crack in the stern. What I thought was the crack turned out to be a surface defect

from someone's previous attempt to fix the real issue and that was the stern wall being cracked on both sides of the rudder hinge pin bracket. It is hard to see in the pic but the long horizontal line is not really a penetrating crack but the two vertical lines next to the hinge pin bracket bolts holes were cracked all the way through. With the bracket on the stern those cracks were hidden. As I ground off the paint I could tell where someone had tried to fix this area before but due to a really poor repair and an even worse attempt to re enforce the area from the inside it did not work.

As you can see it had been leaking fro quite some time and there was only one wood block behind the port side bolt for the bracket. I was able to get all that rotted wood out of the area and cleaned it the best I could. Luckily I have long arms and work well when I can't see what I am  doing.

 I ground the area down as far as I felt comfortable and faired it out then rebuilt the area with multiple layers of glass and West Systems epoxy. I added 4 new layers of glass so the area is good and strong now. Once I had finished the glass work I added a new wood re enforcement to the inside while a skim coat of fillet dried on the outside.

 The new re enforcement covers both hinge bracket holes and just to spread the load out a lil better I made a aluminum plate to cover both holes in the wood. That will help prevent the bolts from counter sinking themselves down into the wood as time goes by. It was not long before the repair was ready for primer

 

Then paint

While I waited on epoxy on the stern to dry I also worked on the leak in the keel trunk area. It just had to leak in the same compartment that all the electrical connections are in, you know it would. The leak was actually coming in around a wood re enforcement that is buried in the glass.

I really wish I would have had time to pull the boat out and drop the keel and fix it correctly from the outside but that will have to wait till sailing season is over. For now the best I could do is grind all the glass down and prep it for epoxy and several layers of glass. It was no fun working down in the battery compartment but I have done worse. Luckily the mirror I put up in the cabin with double face foam tape decided to fall off so I used it to be able to see the back side of the area that leaked. Without it I could not see what I was doing there. After several coats of epoxy and layers of glass it was ready to try out

While I was at it I took the nuts off the port side keel bolts and cleaned out around the bolt threads. Just to make sure they were water tight I drizzled thinned epoxy around the base of the bolts sealing them into the hull. There was so much water coming in the first leak that it was hard to tell if they were leaking but better safe than sorry.
 Once the leaks were taken care of it was time to start on the trailer. The issue was that with the small SUV's of today the distance between the center of the rear wheel and the trailer hitch is very short. For our boat to get deep enough to flat we had to totally submerge the 4 Runner's rear bumper  in water. I feared that it would be even worse when used our Jeep to launch the boat so something had to be done.

Our trailer was originally a tilt trailer with a short tongue. Myself, nor the previous owner, never had the balls to pull the release lever and tilt the trailer. After watching some youtube vids of tilt trailers being used I did not see any way of getting our boat reloaded if we titled it. What we needed was a longer tongue. So my solution was to convert the trailer from a tilt trailer to a extending tongue trailer. There were several different ideas on how to do it online so after looking at all of them I came up with my on plan. My plan was to build two "sleeves" out of 1/4" plate steel for the new tongue to slide in. Then I would weld two plates to the under side of the factory frame to bolt the sleeves to. Due to the winch stand bolting to the factory trailer beam with u bolts I had to give the new tongue and air gap  so it would clear the u bolts.
 First step was to drill a lot of holes in the plates I would make the sleeves out of

Once the holes were drilled it was time to clamp parts together and start welding

 I am not a welder but I enjoy trying to be one from time to time. I find it challenging and when it works and I don't set myself on fire very rewarding to melt steel with electricity. I don't have a large welder so it took quite a while to weld 8 feet of seams on the sleeves.
 Next step was to cut off the tilting tongue parts

 With that cut off and the sleeves welded together it was time to do a trial run and make sure it would actually work. Here is the new tongue in the tow position which is a foot longer than factory

 and here it is in the launch position

 With the new tongue extended and locked it gives us right at 5 feet more. I really wanted 8 feet but due to the way the trailer was designed I was unable to get the extra 3 feet. Had it not been for the board that the keel sits on I could have got the extra 3 feet but I was not comfortable with the idea of cutting the board back to the next cross member as it would have probably developed a bad bow in it from the keel's weight had I done that.
 After several late nights of welding 45 seconds and letting my welder cool 10 mins I finally finished the trail mod. Here it is all painted and wired in the tow position

and here it is in the launch position

As you can see the paint on the sliding tongue part lasted all of one slide ;-( I should have known better but it is the thought that counts. Over all it works really slick. When we arrive at the launch ramp I hop out and chock the trailer tires, pull the pins, pull forward till the sliding tongue hits the stop bolt, then re insert the pins in the launch position holes. There is a half inch pin in the center of each sleeve that indexes the tongue in the tow or launch position. I made sure to put weight on the tongue when I drilled the holes as it would have weight on it when it was hooked to the tow vehicle. There is just enough vertical play in the sleeves to have caused an issue had I not done that. After we retrieve the boat we just reverse the process and slide the tongue back and re pin it before we head back to park the boat.  I finished it just in time to load everything up and head back to the lake for sail number 2!!!




Our First Real Sail!!!!

 

1st Sail  June 3rd, 2014

WE DID IT!!!!! WE actually SAILED!!!! I think we were beginning to wonder if we would ever actually get the boat off the trailer and raise a sail but we did, and it was awesome! Granted, it was not without a few minor difficulties but we persevered and over came them, and we SAILED!!!!
 We met at the lodge around 11:30 and started getting everything ready for our big trip to Lake Monroe. After checking everything and discovering our spare tire needs a new valve stem as it was cracked and would not hold air we headed off to figure out what else we forgot to bring. It was about a mile from home that I started adding items to that list LOL! The ride over went well and after stopping to get cookies and a grill lighter, one of the items I thought I forgot but later learned I had not, we arrived at the Lake Monroe Sailing Association. We met up with Rita who showed us around the site and where we could park the Memory Maker when we left. I immediately liked Rita as she carried a Gerber Multiplier on her belt. I can't live without mine. Once our tour was over we headed over to public launch ramp to prepare the Memory Maker for our maiden sail. With the sound of thunder to the south we raised the mast and attached our Nissan 3.5 hp four stroke motor and made sure everything, well almost everything, was tight and sea worthy. One final check of the radar and we thought we were good to go for launch.
 If you remember from our last post our first attempt at launching did not go as planned due to the ramp being shallow and not drafting enough water to float the Memory Maker up over the bunk boards. Surely today will be different. Well, not so much. I gave Cindy a crash course in how to back a boat trailer and after she backed the boat back down into the water to the point that it should have been floating it wasn't. Instead she just sat firmly on her keel in the trailer. At this point I was starting to worry. Actually I was a bit perplexed, the boat only drafts about 18" of water and she was clearly in that much water. Something was amiss but with all that was going on I was having a hard time processing just what the issue was. So I had Cindy back further down into the water. Now the rear bumper of the 4 Runner is submerged and finally the boat is floating. I had to help slide her off the trailer but finally she was floating on her own. My plan was to pull the boat over to the docks on the east side of the ramp but as I pulled her in I felt something drag on the ramp. That did not make any sense but at this point we are in the water so we would just deal with it and move. In order for me to get in the boat I had to walk to the rear of the trailer on submerged bunk boards. Not the easiest task. I finally reached the boat and was able to get her spun around and pointing our into the lake. It is about now that I start thinking about what can go wrong. Let's see, my phone is one leg pocket of my shorts and my pistol is in the other. I was smart enough to put my wallet in a Ziploc so if my leap to the boat goes wrong at least my money will be dry when I by a new phone! Luckily I hit the swim ladder and climbed aboard. Our  motor fired right up and I was under way.
 The plan was for Cindy to drive the 4 Runner and trailer back to the sailing association and park it by the dock and I would pick her up there off the dock. I slowly motored the short distance to the dock and found my lovely lil lady waiting for me, camera in hand. She smoothly hopped aboard and we were off! Making our way through the buoy field and out into open water the smile on Cindy's face was a mile wide while the look of fear of what is going to go wrong next was being clearly displayed on mine. We motored out of the mine field and headed around the first bend with no real destination. Cindy took the tiller and like she had been driving a sailboat her whole life smoothly guided us along. While Cindy was at the helm motoring us out (still smiling)

 I started checking the boat out for leaks. Not being the most lucky person alive I was pretty sure if I was involved with a boat it would have a leak or two. I was right. I looked at the keel pin bolts, the most likely place for a leak, but amazingly they appeared dry. But there was water coming in the battery compartment from somewhere. I chased the leak down to a small hole around a re enforcement that needs some glass work to fix. Then I made way back under the starboard side cockpit seat to inspect the stern of the boat. During my time working on the boat this spring I had noticed it looked like a repair had been made to the bottom of the stern right below the bottom attachment pin for the rudder. More than likely someone had forgotten to raise the rudder blade before the pulled the boat out of the water and damaged the stern. While were taking on water but we were not sinking so we continued on around the bend. The motor was running great and Captain Cindy was smiling happily. As I sat in the cockpit with her with my mind was running wild trying to figure out how we were going to reload the boat back on the trailer if we were dragging on the ramp.
 Cindy wanted to drop anchor and float a bit. Great, now I have to figure out how to anchor a boat. Can't this lady just give me a break LOL! I had gotten a new piece of galvanized anchor chain but had not attached the anchor rode to the chain so it was time to tie my first knot.  I tried to tie a bowline but the line was so stiff I was not happy with it so I tried again. I through in a half hitch just to make sure then made my way forward to drop anchor. With the anchor in one hand a hundred feet of very stiff 3/8" line in the other I proceeded to drop not only the anchor but the line too! Luckily, they each fell on opposite sides of the one of the front pulpit stanchions so I was able to retrieve the line. That did not go quite as smoothly as I had hoped but I managed to get the anchor set and Cindy thought I was a genius so all was good. Storm clouds were passing just south of the lake and the wind was blowing maybe 10 to 15 mph so we were bobbing around a bit but the anchor seemed to be holding fine. I ventured down below to check on the leak. Yep, still leaking. It was then that I discovered that the clear viewing port I installed over the access hole to the keel cable attach point was about half under water. Wow, our own aquarium on our boat! Kinda cool, kinda unnerving. Now I was glad I used 1/4" plexi glass and sealed it well.
 I crawled up into the v birth and popped the front hatch up. Wow, talk about airflow! A nice cool breeze came ripping through the cabin. One nice things about boats at anchor, they usually point into the wind making the front hatch lid like a hood scoop on a pro street dragster! I bunched up a beach towel for a pillow(note, add pillows to the need to get list) and rested for a bit. Captain Cindy came down and snuggled up with me, still blissfully smiling.  Oh how I wonder what it would be like to live in her world just for one day. Here I am, laying there trying to process all the problems at hand and she is totally un aware that we even have any problems as she is enjoying being in her happy place. God love her, just let me trade places with her for one day!
 Cindy tried to get me take my glasses off and relax for a bit but I did not fall for that trick. As we laid there enjoying the breeze it hit me! In all the repairs that I had made I rebuilt the keel winch. With all that was going on during the launches I never did verify where the lock lever was at on the winch. I just, gasp, assumed it was locked. So I jumped out of the v birth. Ok, crawled out, as there is no jumping in the v birth LOL. I peered into the access window and did not see the clevis. I should have been able to see the clevis on the line hooked to the keel if the keel had been up. Since we were not intending to raise the sails I had not bothered to drop the keel so it should have been up. I got out the winch handle and attached it. I flipped the lever to the up position and what do you know, the keel was down! That answers the question as to why the boat was dragging on the ramp and hopefully why it was so hard to launch! It was like the light bulb finally got turned on over my head. I winched the keel up just to see how much force it took. It really wasn't bad at all, then I lowered it back down. Finally something was starting to make sense and I felt a huge weight of concern lift off my shoulders. At least now I did not think we would be have quit as hard of a time reloading her back onto the trailer. Yes, that was a big sigh of relief you just heard me exhaling!
 By now the skies were starting to clear and the wind had laid down a bit. I asked the Captain if we should at least try to raise a sail and give it a go. Cindy was actually a bit apprehensive and asked me if I thought we should as the wind was still blowing. Well, we do kinda need the wind to blow in order to sail. With a lil coaxing Cindy handed me up the main sail. We went about attaching the mainsail and preparing to raise anchor. Our boat came with a this pointy looking Danforth style anchor that resembles some sort of medieval weapon. It is designed to lay on the bottom and dig into the sand or mud as you motor or drift back with the wind. It was way too easy to set so in my mind I was wondering what it was hooked on since it appeared we were in a rocky area. Probably hooked tightly to a large rock or submerged log and we will never get it unhooked. I instructed Cindy on how to start the motor and engage the drive line. The idea was for me to be on the bow raising the anchor while she motored us straight ahead over the anchor hopefully free it as we passed over it. It all sounded too easy when I read how to do it online. I remember thinking that will never work. But what do you know, it WORKED!!!! I brought the anchor onboard and scampered back down into the cockpit with the Captain. The time had come to raise the sail and see if we could actually sail this boat.
 I went over the plan with Cindy one more time. I will raise the sail, we will turn off to port and let the sail fill with wind, then tighten the main sheet till the sail stops luffing, then kill the motor. Sounded easy enough. So up went the sail and to port we turned. Then something magical happened. The sail filled with air and the boat started to gently heel to port. I reached back and killed the motor. Instead of stopping dead in the water we kept moving. The only thing breaking the silence was the sound of the water gently burbling from under the boat behind the stern as we sailed along. We were SAILING!!!!!!

 

 

 

 What seemed like took forever with searching for a boat,  making all the repairs and improvements to the boat, the failed attempt to launch the boat, we were finally sailing! All be it not fast, as Cindy attest to in this video

 After a few selfies we were almost across the lake and Cindy started asking how to change direction. I go about telling her how to tack, like the seasoned youtube seadog I am. My only previous attempt at tacking found us securely in the irons on Scott's boat as I did not know it would take full rudder input to get the boat to turn. The time had come to put all I had learned over the winter to the test and attempt our first tack. Bringing the tiller hard to port the bow briskly turned to starboard and through the wind we went. The boom swung freely over our heads to starboard and the main sail filled with air just like everything I read said it would. We had successfully made our first tack and were sailing back the opposite direction. By golly, it worked!!! Cindy was really getting into it now and the smile on her face was so wide it was running out of real estate!

We had been under sail for maybe 5 minutes at this point but it only took 5 seconds for us to be hooked! All the problems with the keel and the leaks seemed minor at this point. We were being propelled along by the wind and nothing seemed to matter but keeping the sail full and the bow pointed in the right direction. We were moving, all be it rather slowly as the winds were light and we were just under the main sail, but none the less we were moving. It was at this point, with me admiring Cindy at the helm, that I realized it was all worth it. All the frustration and aggravation, the countless 20 dollar trips to the hardware store for a few stainless nut and bolts and what ever else we needed, the fiberglass pungee sticks that ran up under my fingernails as I ran all new wires in the boat, right there in the cockpit of our very own sailboat moving smoothly along under sail next to the lady the man upstairs put on this earth for me to enjoy life with, I realized it had all been worth it. I had read countless stories about how people like us experienced life changing moments once they finally got to raise their sails for the first time and now I understood what they were talking about. I am not one who "relaxes" well, but I found sailing along with Cindy by my side on a beautiful evening with the sun starting to fall in the western sky to be very relaxing. I think this video shows that

 We had not been going along very far before Cindy started wanting to tack again as she thought it was fun. It was all I could do to get her to hold heading just a bit longer so we would be far enough from the  south shore to give us enough room to sail back the other direction for a while. I finally gave in and talked her though her first tack at the helm. With a smooth pull of the tiller to starboard around to port came the bow, over the top swung the boom, air filled the sail and off we went back to the southeast. The wind was quickly laying down on us and our speed across the water was showing it. We slowly sailed our way to the southern shore in search of a location to drop anchor again and fix some supper.
 Arriving at the south shoreline we turned into the wind and I dropped the anchor again. This time I held onto the anchor rode and things went a bit smoother. It was time to pop the top on the cabin and light the grill! With the table set and the steaks sizzling on the grill

 we relaxed for a bit in the sun while dinner cooked. Unfortunately one of the items we forgot to bring was a cork screw for our bottle of wine we had been saving for our first sail. I scrounged up a screw but it wound up not being long enough and I pulled it out of the cork trying to remove the cork from the bottle. So we had to forgo our celebratory toast till the next trip. With the steaks cooked it was time to settle in at our table for our first dinner on the water. We had a good laugh as the water had really calmed down and was like glass, right till we set down to eat. A good sized cabin cruiser had passed off our starboard side and we were bobbing and rolling in his wake. Note to self, anchor further back in a the cove before eating dinner. Supper was very tasty with marinated steaks and a mixed green salad. No five course meal but I would have rather been there in our boat eating steak and salad than at any fancy restaurant in the whole world.
 While we wished we could stay and watch the sun set we thought it better to error on the side of caution and head back in before dark not knowing how much of a problem we were going to have loading the boat back on the trailer. So with dishes cleaned and put away it was time to raise anchor and head back in. With our lil motor purring along we raised the main sail in hopes of maybe catching enough wind to sail back in with. As we motor sailed along I went over the plan with the Captain. Cindy was going to drop me off at the sailing association dock then motor over to the boat ramp when I would meet her with the trailer. Fearing we might still have a struggle to get her on the trailer I planned on walking out the bunk boards, again, with the winch line in my hand to hook the how eye so we could winch her up if needed. Cindy was concerned that she could not do it. I did my best to instill the needed confidence in her right before I hopped off the boat. I raced over to the ramp and backed down submerging the bumper in the water again. Climbing up onto the tongue of the trailer I had plenty of time as Cindy was till a 100 yards out slowly and cautiously motoring in. She looked calm, cool, and collected so I knew we had this licked. Just a lil off line as she approached the trailer I reached out and grabbed the bow pulpit and helped straighten her up then pulled her up onto the trailer. I was easily able to pull the boat almost all the way to the bow bumper. Amazing how easily it slides on the trailer with the keel up and locked!!!! I will just call that whole keel issue a lesson learned through experience as those are the ones you never forget. I helped Cindy get the rudder onboard before pulling her out of the water. The rudder is one issue I need to fix. When I painted it I filled the nicks and digs plus the hole towards the bottom rear. Turns out that hole needs to be there as there should be a small line attached there that goes up to the tiller handle. Without that line there is no real way to raise the rudder blade up into the flat position so you can pull the boat out of the water. Added that to the to do list.
 It was 8:30 and we were back on dry ground. Our original plan was to leave the boat on the trailer at the sailing association but with the fiberglass repairs that need to be made I thought it would be easier and quicker to do them at home so we had take mast down, remove the motor, and make ready to travel again. We must be getting pretty good at that as we were all down and rolling out in 22 minutes.
 Driving home we reflected on our first real sail. Cindy called it a total success. We managed to launch, motor, sail, dine on board, and retrieve the boat with out anyone getting mad, hurt, or cussing at each other. Yes we had a few issues but we worked through them and came up with a plan to fix the few problems we have. Laying in bed at the end of the day we had to watch our videos, several times, reliving the moments again and again.  Closing our eyes in hopes of getting some sleep we found it difficult to succumb to slumber as we were both full of anticipation of our next sailing adventure!!!!