Christmas in November!!!!

11-23-15

 Here we are, 4 days away from Thanksgiving and I am writing a entry about our early Christmas present we just received, compliments of Mother Nature! To those of you who may be reading our blog for the first time we are snow lovers. I, myself, have a full blown snow addiction! Cindy watches me agonize over each botched snow forecast one after the other all winter long but she also gets to see me frolic like a 3 year old when the snow finally comes.
 All summer long we have been listening to all the weather people talk about the strong El Nino we are supposed to have this winter and how it may affect us. Of course the predictions are all over the board which means someone is going to be right in the end. We are just hoping the ones who are saying it will be a warm snowless winter are wrong. Either way, last Wednesday when we started hearing about a snow storm for areas north of us we started discussing making a run up north in hopes we might get to make some tracks in it. We went back and forth on where to go. First we thought we might have to drive 7 hours to Roscommon MI to XC Ski Headquarters as they were forecasting 8" for them. Then the forecast shifted and it looked like north east Indiana would get a nice snow so Friday night I started looking at Pokagon state park in Angola. Saturday morning the forecast changed again and the area around South Bend was now going to get 4 to 9 inches.
 We decided to roll the dice on South Bend and headed north about 1 pm Saturday. We started seeing snow flakes about 30 mins north of home and drove in snow all the way there. We really lucked out and only had to divert around one accident just south of South Bend. We arrived in town about 6 pm or so and since Cindy had never been there I showed her the Notre Dam campus as bands of lake effect snow, my three favorite winter words, continued to drop large snow flakes on us. After dinner on the way to the hotel they had 6 inches on the ground with more falling. It was so pretty driving around in it that I hated to go in but I knew we needed some rest.
 I awoke early the next morning, after being awake half the night checking out the window each time to see how much more they had gotten. I was really nice in that I let Cindy sleep in as late as I could. The park we were going to ski in did not open till 10 am so there was no real need to get up at first light, although I would have had we been able to ski. We finally headed to breakfast about 9 and while we were standing in line for breakfast in the hotel dining area I was looking out the big windows on the west side of the room and saw what I thought looked like a people trail. Cindy said she turned around and I was gone. I had to find out so I went to the front desk and asked.
 Turns out I was right and it had just opened this past fall. The clerk said it was going to go all the way to South Bend but for now it stopped 2 miles south at the state line. I asked if we could ski to the park from the trail and she said yes. How could I have not known about this sooner??? I went back to find Cindy sitting at the bar looking out the windows eating her breakfast. I sat down next to her with mine and told her to eat up as we can ski as soon as we were done. I inhaled my breakfast as I told her about the trail. Secretly I know she was happy I did not find out sooner as she would not have gotten to sleep in!
 We loaded our stuff back in Pearl and got out our skis. When we headed north Saturday  we talked about how we would be happy with 3 to 4 inches of snow to make some tracks in. What we got turned out to be 6 to 8" of fluffy power!

 It felt so good to get back on our skinny skis! The people trail was paved and it was still warm so we could not ski on that part but just off the pavement was really nice snow so we headed south to the state line,. We skied 2 miles to the line and discovered that the trail did not connect to the park we wanted to go to so we skied back to the car. We did not mind as we were skiing in November before Turkey day!

 The weather was perfect for skiing as there was no wind, temps around 15 degrees, and the snow was really nice, especially early on. The trees were all frosted white with snow and it was just so hard to believe it was still fall!
 We made it back to pearl and loaded up for the drive over to Madeline Bertrand park. After a quick stop to get a  cappuccino we pulled into the park and found this waiting on us

 It got even better when rounded the last curve and saw the visitors center in the distance

 The sky was so blue and the snow in the trees make this picture worthy of a being on a post card! This was our first time at this park and I can assure you it wont be our last! The park was gorgeous and the facilities were so clean and nice. The visitors center had a really nice lodge area with a large fireplace and windows looking outside on several large bird feeders. This little guy was making the most of all the bird food being dropped by the birds.

 He was so fat we thought he was  ground hog at first. Turns out he was just a really well fed squirrel who was not going to have any problem staying warm this winter, so long as he can get his big belly into his whole in the tree!
 We paid our 3 dollar parking fee and hit the trails. Not really knowing where to go we took off down the first trail we saw and found really nice and very pretty trails waiting on us. The park is bordered by the St Joseph river on the west side and we skied along the edge of it past a look out and a really nice shelter house complete with overlook and fireplace.
 By now the sun was starting to warm the limbs on the trees to the point that the snow was sliding off them making it look like it was snowing again in the woods. Here we are on a trail with a snowy back drop from all the falling snow

 We made a lap around the outside of the park and by the time we got back to the start the sun was winning the battle. The snow was starting to stick to our skis and although we knew each minute we got to ski was a gift from Mother Nature we hated to see it come to an end. Sadly we headed back to Pearl when we got back to the start as we had a 4 hour drive ahead of us and the sticking snow was only going to get worse.
 Some of you might think that we are crazy to drive 8 hours to get to ski for 3 1/2. To myself who has a severe addiction to snow, I just think that is normal behavior. Like sailing, we just can't understand why people do not like xc skiing. You are outside enjoying some of mother nature's fineset splendor and if you do it right the last thing you get is cold. We did see a couple of other skiers out on the trails at Madeline Bertrand so we are not the only crazy people out there.
 We can't wait to go back as they have 2.5 miles of lit trails that they have night skiing on Friday and Saturday nights during ski season. We are hoping to be able to xc ski there on Friday night and then downhill the next day a little further north at Sweetbriar.
 Speaking of downhill skiing, Christmas came even earlier for Cindy this year. Two weeks ago we were sitting in our double rocker with our feet up on the hearth in front of the fire looking at pics on my phone trying to pick a Christmas card pic when I goofed and let the cat out of the bag. I had gotten us downhill skis as a surprise Christmas present from Santa for us off of Craigslist. They were privately owned skis used 5 times. I got a awesome deal and even though I had to get different boots for myself as the ones that came with them were too small for me I still wound up with less than the cost of one used set at a ski reseller in them. I had taken a pic of the boots that were too small for me to put on ebay and forgot to erase them off my phone. As I was flipping pics on my phone up pops the boots. I quickly  flipped to the next one which was another angle of the boots. In this one you could see the inside of the hanger door in it. I was busted. I tried to act like it was nothing and flipped past them but Cindy was like hey, go back. She had me. I gave up and went and got her skis and boots for her. She was one happy camper. She gets this silly giggle when she is really happy. It really is adorable even though I was miffed at myself for ruining the surprise. She had the boots on in no time which fit her perfectly. Then she hopped into her skis on the rug in front of the front door. As she stood there checking herself out in the reflection off the window in the door she informed this meant she was going to have get herself a new ski coat as her new one she just got did not match her skis. Who knew they had to match? Not me LOL!
 We have also recently acquired a Yakima Skybox roof top carrier to carry our skis in. It did not take Cindy long to put two and two together as the downhill skis were the real reason for that purchase. The downhill skis have metal edges and with all the road salt they use around here they would be ruined if we carried them on the roof in our open ski rack. I hate road salt!!!! Now we can carry all our skis and boots in the Skybox and have room for another couple to ride with us or we can just have room inside for more stuff.
 As you can see we have multiple reasons to be very hopeful that this ski season really works out and we get snow! Here is hoping that you all have a very happy Thanksgiving, and please remember it is not too early to be praying for snow. We would appreciate all the help we can get in that department as we are not against asking for devine intervention when it comes to snow!!!!

Michigan fun!

10-23-15

 With the Memory Maker safely tucked away in the garage for her long winters nap we have had to find other ways to entertain ourselves since we can just run over to the lake and go sail. Goes to figure that since we can't sail that the wind would blow, and blow. This has been one of the nicest Octobers I can remember with what seems to have been a endless streak of sunny days, warm temps, and nice winds. We have already decided that if next October is anything like this one we will be finding a way to leave our girl at the lake so we can take advantage of it. No need crying now though as we can't do anything about it and I have been busy everyday doing a large roofing and siding repair job for Cindy's sister.
 That said we did manage to squeeze in a quick trip up to South Haven MI this past weekend. I know, we were just there last month for a 3 day weekend and had a ball but this is South Haven MI we are talking about and we can't get enough of it so we went back!
 We were originally going to go this past weekend with the gang but with Cindy's mom not doing well when they planned it we opted not to as no one would have been here to take care of her. But we lucked out and she was doing very well so we ran up at 5 am Saturday morning and spent the night with the gang.
 It was a nice early morning drive with light traffic and we made really good time. We rolled to a stop at the Sunset Manor about 9:30 am and then took off for Saugatuck with the gang. It was a windy and chilly morning with light sprinkles and the lake was angry again, much the way we found it the month before. Arriving in Saugatuck we did the downtown walk and checked out the shops. Always able to find something humorous no matter where I am I had a good time keeping everyone entertained. The best was a sweatshirt than when viewed from the angle I was standing was partially blocked but being the creative genius I am I was able to piece the words together into something it did not say at all. Everyone else agreed that my wording was much funnier!
 Hunger soon overcame us all and we headed to the Saugatuck Brewing company for lunch as Cindy and I had been there the previous trip to get a case of beer for her son and daughter in law but were unable to eat there. It looked really good so we suggested it to the gang. We spent the 45 min wait cruising the isles of the adjoining antique mall and found a few treasures such as this record

I am sure it was a hit back in the day but I just can't place it LOL! Our pager finally went off and we headed next door to satisfy our hunger pains. It was well worth the wait as the food was all delicious and I even found a craft brewed beer I liked, Beach Blonde ale, go figure.
 We picked up another case of Neapolitan Milk Stout for Cindy's son and daughter in law since we were there and they can only get it there. Curiosity got the better of us so Jerry, Libby, and myself decided we should at least taste that beer as it was supposed to taste like the ice cream. Major mistake! OMG, that is the nastiest crap to have ever entered my mouth!!! Libby and I both made faces that had the rest the table in tears, and for good reason. How do people drink that crap??? Luckily, this picture of us was taking before we tasted that.

 From Saugatuck we headed back to North Haven to check out the fall festival, that we never did find. But we did find the sign in the middle of the road

 We did the usual things of checking out the shops and visited a winery that really needed to go back to the drawing board on how to make wine as none of us found any we liked. It was not long before we found ourselves occupying the back table in the Black River Tavern as we enjoyed some refreshing beverages and partook of some fun people watching.
 Michigan was playing Michigan St and the place was a mad house with fans of each. It went crazy when on the last play of the game Michigan St scored on botch punt attempt and won the game with no time left on the clock. Thinking that was the end of the excitement Cindy went to play some songs on the juke box only to learn no music was played during Cubs games. The guy was serious too as he pulled the plug on it with Cindy standing there with a surprised look on her face. After her 4th long island iced tea she could have cared less LOL!
 Once again we managed to eat and drink way too much. It is funny how some people get after a few too many. Cindy gets quite, I get naked, and Libby, well, Libby is even funnier than she already is. She was the best entertainment of the night once we finally got her back to the house.
 Luckily we all woke up the next morning not feel any worse than normal so once everyone was ready we heading to the Phoenix downtown for breakfast. At least for myself the over eating binge continued into the next day as I ate way too much for breakfast. Probably should not have started off with the blueberry cheesecake but it sounded too good not to.
 After breakfast we all waddled our way through town and down to the pier for our mandatory picture in front of the lighthouse

 Every time we stop in South Haven we have to get a light house picture. Just the rules.
 Once back at the house it was time to pack up and head south. It was early so Cindy and decided to try a few of the wineries down in the Baroda MI area as we had not been there before.
 Well it turns out that Baroda is the wine capital of MI and there are 10 wineries within 7 miles of it. Unfortunately it was early Sunday morning and most did not open till noon. We finally discovered that Baroda Founders winery opened at 11:30 and just luckily it was 11:31 when we pulled in. We tasted several good sweet wines but the real winner was the Blueberry mustard that they got from the Blueberry store in South Haven. I am not a mustard lover but that stuff was delish! We had to get a jar for us and the gang as well.
 From there it was on to the Round Barn Winery. true to its name it has a round barn

 That they have converted into their tasting room. It was really neat inside and we had several wines we really liked. After loading up our purchases we enjoyed a hotdog and some very delicious mac and cheese in the sun before exploring their grounds. They have a very pretty setting for a winery with ponds and fountains

 The grounds would be ideal to xc ski with their rolling hills and wooded areas. I even suggested a xc ski wine trail and they seemed to like the idea. Hopefully they pull it off as it would be super fun.
 The clock was ticking and we really needed to get on the road for Indiana so off went. It was not too long into our journey home that Cindy assumed her normal travel position

 Cindy blamed it on the sun and mac and cheese but truth is she can't stay awake much more than a half hour once we start off anywhere so I knew better.
 While it was a quick up ad back trip we had loads of fun and laughed almost non stop. It is always a good time with the gang and we can't wait for the next get together!!!

Another sailing season has come to pass

 This past Sunday was a sad day for us as we had to say good by to our slip and load our girl up to come home for the season. The rental season for the slips where we are at have a shorter season than we had last year at LMSA. We have to be off by the last day in September or get fined so much per day. Worse than the fines, we also loose our security of someone at the dock house watching over the boats. We could have left her there a few more days but this way if we had a issue loading her up we had time to deal with it.
 Saturday was a busy day for both of us with Cindy running a mini marathon and myself working on a excavator that belongs to a friend of ours who is kind enough to let me use whenever I need it. After that was done I needed to get the trailer ready and make sure I had everything we needed to bring our girl home.
 After a quick check of the grease in the wheel bearings and the tire pressures the trailer was ready. Now if I only I could remember everything we will need. The down side of only launching and recovering once a season is that means I need to remember things that are easily forgotten.
 I think I have everything we need so time to pack for our last overnight on the water this season. Bittersweet as we did not get to over night near as much as we wanted to for various reasons. It was going to be a full moon but the cloud cover was thick. That meant it would be warm but we really hoped we could sail under a full moon. At least the wind was finally blowing and with a low pressure area moving our way winds were forecasted to blow through the night.
 Soon Cindy was home from her mini and after a quick bath and packing we were headed to Columbus for the truck drawing. The mini she ran gives away a new Dodge diesel truck each year and only the ones who cross the finish line are eligible to win it. With only 2000 or so finishers the chance of winning is not as bad as playing the lottery, you just have to be present to win. We arrived and ran into friends who were having a drink as they waited so we joined them and sat under a umbrella to stay dry from a brief shower. The drawing came and went much like us as Cindy's name was not the one they called. The winner was standing about 4 feet from me when they called her name so I guess we can say Cindy came close to winning. No time to waste as the wind was blowing and we had sailing to do!
 After a quick stop to grab doughnuts for breakfast we were unloading all our gear and heading to the boat. Our cockpit cover had taken a direct hit from a passing gull and was left with a nasty white skid mark of bird poo so I scrubbed that off before trying to remove some of the nasty black crud that was attached on to the bottom. I had really planned on doing a better job of staying on top of bottom scrubbing by pulling into shollow water and scrubbing her bottom a time or two during the summer but the elevated lake levels put the screws to that as there was no shallow water.
 I gave up hope of getting all the crud and soon it was time to un tie and go sail. The wind was blowing from the southeast which was wanting to push the port side of the boat into the side of the slip. I gave her as big a push as I could to help get out of the slip but against the wind it did not get us far. What ensued was a good example of how quickly good things can go bad and how important it is to have good communication. I stepped on the bow like I normally did and started to remove the bow lines while Cindy backed us out of the slip. The wind was having a much greater affect on the boat than she realized and soon we were broadside to the slips and being drifted into them. I told Cindy to turn the motor, which at the time I did not stop to think that was the wording I had previously used when it was time to turn the motor around from reverse to go forward. Expecting her to have turned the motor to keep us backing away from the slips to get us room to manuveree I was surprised to see us about to run our bow into the out drive of a run about 3 slips from ours. Again, like an idiot I told Cindy to turn the motor, with more of an urgency in my voice. To which she replied that she did. Well between the wind and motor the distance between us and the slips was gone so I shoved off the slip with my foot to buy us enough time to do something. I got back to the motor as quickly as I could and stupidly told her to turn the motor again, in a not so nice way. It was then that I realized in my stupidity I had told her to turn it around, and she did exactly what I had told her to do. I quickly spun the motor back around and backed us away from the slips then got us headed out. I imedieatly felt awful for how I handled the situation. I had put my lil lady in a bad spot by merely failing to stop and think. Cindy did exactly what I told her to do. It was me who screwed up and failed to tell what I really needed her to do.
 We had a long talk once we got under sail. I profusely apologized for my ignorance and we discussed why what just happened happened. I really wish there was some way I could help Cindy to be able to pick up on what the wind is doing to the boat as she struggles with that when we get around the dock. Cindy does great with sailing the boat and I have no doubt she could single hand it under the right conditions. But when the wind is blowing and we are being powered by the outboard problems seem to arise.
 We have a really nice 3.5 hp Nissan outboard that has never skipped a beat. It moves the boat along with no problem. My thought when I bought it was that it was so simple to operate and maintain that we could not go wrong. Well, I can admit when I am wrong most of the time and this was the first time, LOL! It was simple as it only has forward and neutral. To back the boat up you just spin the motor around. Works great, for me, anyway. But Cindy with her short little arms really struggles with that. So in hopes of helping deal with motoring a little better we stopped and bought a 2014 Tohatsu 4 stroke 4 hp motor. It basically is just a bigger version of what we have now but it has reverse so all Cindy will have to do is flip the lever to back up. We will just have to keep working to get her to where she can pick up on the subtle visual clues of what the wind is doing to the boat.
 We had good wind and we're enjoying a nice sail. Kathy finally arrived and she and Mike came out of the slips to join us on Anna, their Hunter 23. They were on the way to meet up with a friend of theirs on a Catalina 28 in "Party Cove". They invited us to join them so we headed off to Allen's creek.
 We manuvereed back and forth behind Anna trying to catch up as whenever two sailboats go off to the same place a slow speed race almost always ensues. I finally took a different tack to try and position  ourselves better so we would have good wind through the "narrows". It was about now that we both needed to do a "prop check".
 Those of you who know what I am talking about will understand I have the unfair advantage of being able to stand up. Cindy was faced with the option of dipping in the now quite chilly water that she did not like the sound of or holding it. I then reminded her that her Go Girl was on baord and she should try it. What is a Go Girl you may ask? Well it a urinary directional device for women. Google it, as it is a hoot! She thought about it for a minute and then said what did she have to loose. I can't give an exact account of what took place next, partly because Cindy's comments had me laughing so hard I was coughing my lungs up and gasping for air, and partly to preserve a shred of decency to this blog. Let me just say the reactions Cindy had to getting to relieve herself standing up for the first time were hysterical!!!!!
 Yes, we have a head onboard, but guess who has some sort of issue using it? Not me, but she is going to have to get over that issue as we will have to use it next summer when we are in the North Channel or face jail time in a Canadian jail.
 After I finally caught my breath we passed Anna as we had a better angle on the wind to get us through the narrows. I had been bit by the no wind bug there several times before and have learned to read the water and find the best line. We rounded the corner and had to work to keep the sails filled as we were behind the trees and they were really blocking the wind. Mike finally gave up and started his outboard as we dropped sails to let them catch up. We followed them into Allen's Creek as the last hints of light faded to black. Chris was not much further ahead of us and was just dropping anchor as his lights came into view. We waited for Mike and Kathy to tie up on his port side and then we tied up on his starboard side.
 After introductions we all fired up our grills to make our dinners. We simply turned the gas on and lit the fire in our rail mounted gas grill. I turned around to see flames rolling off the stern of the other two boats as the lit their charcoal grills. Luckily boats on the hook spin around into the wind so all the sparks were being blown away from their boats. We just never thought about having a charcoal grill onboard. Mike said he thought about lighting their grill as we sailed there. Good thing he didn't as we were on a broad reach and with the wind behind us the sparks would have been blown into their sails. That could have been bad!
 While dinner cooked Cindy went over and checked out Chris' Catalina 28. I could hear her from our boat as she took in all the room in the cabin of the bigger boat. She came back to the Memory Maker with that glazed over look in her eyes that she gets when she sees something she really wants. I just keep saying we have all the boat we will ever need. Granted a bigger boat would be nice, if we had more time and could spend more than a day or two aboard at a time. I am about as simple of a man you will ever meet and the thought of stepping up to a bigger boat just for the sake of stepping up to a bigger boat just does not sit well with me. With every foot increase in length the upkeep cost go up proportionally. We have already dumped a lot of money in our little boat and she is about as close to new as we will ever get. To have to start over with another boat is terrifying. Maybe someday we will step up but not for the foreseeable future.
 We ate our dinner, which was super simple and super yummy. Cindy was beat so we un tied and headed off to go anchor in Allens creek. After Cindy used her Go Girl for the second time, which still amazed her just as much as the first time, I asked if she wanted to raise the sails. She was beat and said no. Well the wind was still blowing nicely and although the moon was blocked by the clouds I could still see just fine in the dark. I was not going to let good wind go to waste so I raised them on my own as Cindy went down below to nap.
 It was a great night to sail as it was still quite warm, the wind was good, and the lake was practically deserted. I say practically because along with us there were three Hobie Cats out sailing with no lights on what so ever. At first I thought my eyes were seeing things as it looked like what you imagine a ghost ship to look like in the distance. Then as it got closer I could see that it was really another boat and it was scooting. Finally I could make out it was a Hobie. He had company as I saw two more as the sail went on.
 There is just something very peaceful about sailing at night, even more so than during the daytime. The lake seems so much bigger and without your normal visual clues you almost feel as if you are sailing a new lake for the first time. I tacked back and forth as I worked our way up the lake to the north east enroute to Allens Creek. The wind was steady at about 10 and it was a very nice sail. I will admit I was a bit lonely without my lady by my side but I could see her curled up in the V birth under a quilt and new she had to be beat after running the mini marathon earlier in the day.
 At one point the wind picked up and I was really wishing I had set up the tiller tamer before I had started off as now I was going to have to tie a bowline knot in the dark then thread the line through the tiller lock and cleat if off. I could have just pointed into the wind and depowered the sails but who wants to do that when you can multi task and keep sailing along. It was about at this point that the wind got a bit gusty. Things got a bit interesting while I set it up but I managed to get it rigged up and was able to let go of the tiller while I got the boat ready to drop anchor.
 The thing about solo sailing is that you really have to think ahead and almost work through each step in your head before you have to actually do it so you are prepared for what you need to do. I usually come up with a easier way to do the task as I do this so it pays to pre plan. With Cindy asleep I went forward and dropped the main which I think woke her up. I got it folded and tied off as we continued into the cove under the head sail only. Once we reached our parking spot I turned her into the wind and hurried forward to drop the jib. It was about now that the boat just started doing whatever it wanted as we had lost steerage. I dropped the anchor and then Cindy, who had woke up to help, backed us off the anchor to let out the rode. With the anchor set it was time to put the boat then ourselves to bed.
 We had decided to try sleeping on the main birth which uses the table top that drops down to make the larger bed instead of the v birth like we normally do. After I had it set up and the bed made it was time to get so shut eye. As we laid there waiting on sleep to overtake us we could hear the wind in the wires and the waves lapping at the boat. I could also hear the annoying sound of the lower rudder mount working on the rudder pin. There is just enough wear in the lower mount hole to allow it to knock back and forth on the pin and it drives me crazy. Added that to the list to repair this winter.
 It was not long and I was out like a light. I woke up thinking it was 3 am, it was 6:30, and the wind was still blowing pretty good. We went back to sleep till 9 or so then we got up and I made us coffee and feasted upon an assortment of doughnuts and pasties I had gotten on the way to the lake.
 It was a sad breakfast as we both knew it was out last one on the water for the season. Luckily the wind had laid down quite a bit and it was still fairly warm so we were at least going to luck out and have good conditions to load her on the trailer.
 It was a peaceful motor back to the slip where Cindy dropped me off so I could bring the trailer around to meet her at the boat ramp. I untied her and watched her back the boat out, which she did a flawless job of this time. Soon she was disappearing out of site around the point and I amade my way to the ramp. As I sat and waited for her to come into sight I noticed what looked like fog forming over the lake. After a quick look at radar I realized it was rain and not fog. Ought oh, someone might be getting wet as she brings the boat around. It wasn't long and the Memory Maker came into view and I went down to get a slot at the ramp. Luckily we had the place to ourselves. As I waited for Cindy to hit the bunk boards I wondered if maybe I should have back down deeper as with the new 13" tires the setting I used last year put the bunk boards just barely below the water. Turned out just fine as the wind had Cindy going a bit faster than I would have liked and although I was a bit concerned about getting her stopped before I got pinned between the boat and winch stand the boat slid to a stop in the bunk boards well short of pinning me.
 All went well with getting our girl ready for the ride home. We had the sails pulled and folded up in their bags, the mast dropped and secured, and everything tied down for the ride home in a little less than a hour. Not bad for only doing it once this season. Here she is all ready for her ride home

 Turns out I did forget to bring something. I forgot the mast cradle that goes on the bow pulpit so I had to use a beach tool. Worked fine and probably was not near as ugly as the mast cradle. Add making a new one to the winter to do list. We made a quick stop to pay next year's slip rental then headed for the house with our girl in tow.
 It had been a fun sailing season. Even with the late start due to paint and Cindy's travel we still got to sail quite a bit, although not nearly as much as we wish we could have. Being 20 mins closer and not having to launch the boat each time really made a big difference and increased our enjoyment level so much more. Meeting Mike and Kathy and getting to sail with them was really nice. We shared lots of laughs and one awesome shooting star with them and we look forward to sailing with them more next season.
 Now the time has come to put our girl to bed and start on the to do list to get her ready for next summers adventure to the North Channel. Our new sails are on order and should arrive around February. In the mean time I have lots of little things to do like install the chart plotter, compass, sew up a tent top for our pop top, make a cockpit tent, and fix that darn worn rudder mount hole! Here she is sitting in the garage on a set of 8" tires and wheels I got for her so we, I, don't have to pull the pulpits and poptop off to get her inside.

 The smaller tires worked great but they are a bit overloaded to say the least. I should probably jack her up and get them off the ground and just use them for entry and exit to keep them from blowing the sidewalls out. It will be tight squeeze once we pout the concrete in the garage. If she doesn't fit we have just enough room to add a boat bay onto the west side of the garage.
 Cindy and I will be getting married in Empire MI on our way to the North Channel next July so the North Channel will be our fist sail as husband and wife. We both are looking forward to that with much excitement. Until May 1 st, which is when we can take her back to the slip, we will keep ourselves busy taking care off all those things we did not get done because we were busy playing on the water while we eagerly await the first snow flakes so we can go play in the snow!!!!

Summer duldrums 2015

 Well they have arrived. Those lazy hazy late summer days where the air is so thick you can cut it with a knife and the wind just doesn't blow. If it does blow it does it in 5 minute burst then promptly dies leaving you bobbing in the water if you are trying to sail. So needless to say we have not had many opportunities to sail.
 While the sailing has been slow we have been very busy doing other water related activities and spending more money on the boat! We took advantage of a sail pre order discount and ordered a new main and head sail for out boat. We will receive these new sails in February of next year. So we will finish out this season with our old sails then start the year off next year with brand new sails. We can't wait to get rid of these old baggy blow out sails and see how real sails perform. We will also be installing a new furlur for the 135% Genoa which I am totally stoked about. Now we can drop the main then sail into anchor under the head sail and easily dose it from the cockpit. We can also reef the headsail with the furler as wind conditions call for it so that will be sweet as well.
 Since sailing has not been doable we returned to our kayaks and stand up paddle board. Being on the water is still being on the water, no mater what the vessel. In addition to paddling, the rivers have finally gotten down to fishable levels so we have been fly fishing every chance we can.
 I went to a local river last Tuesday with Bill and fished there for smallies. This year I had a little better understanding of fly fishing and which flies to use so I felt like I stood a better chance. We both had good success with each of us landing over 25 small mouth bass in about 2 hours. Bill used a spinning rod with a floating minnow crank bait while I was fly fishing with a brown wolly bugger with a little flash. I was slaying them along the edges of the river just off the current while Bill was catching his out in the middle of the river in the current.
 Thinking others would not believe our success we went back two days later this time armed with our Go Pro. The sky was sunny and the water was still a bit lower and cooler so the fishing took a while to get going but once it did it came right into it. I wound up with 18  smallies for the evening and this time I had video for proof LOL!

 The area we were fishing was about a mile up stream from where we enter the river and it is a rugged walk up the stream bed over rocks and slick surfaces. Cindy's sister Dottie really wanted to go fish this area but with a replaced knee both Bill and I feared it might be too rugged for her. So I came up with a plan to float down with in our kayaks from the next bridge up stream. Once we got on location I could hop out and anchor the kayak to a rock and let Dottie fish that area. So we set a date for that Saturday to do that but Dottie was unable to go. Still unable to sail, Cindy and I decided we would still float the river and fish a bit.
 So we loaded up the tandem and headed to the river. It had not rained in close to a month and there was maybe a 20% chance of showers so we really did not pay much concern to getting wet. We put in and headed downstream checking out things as we went. Neither one of us had been on this section before and it was a really nice paddle. We saw lots of large fish, mostly carp, darting out and away from our kayak. The river bed was mostly sand and gravel so not a real good place to fly fish as there was no cover for the fish. About half way to the spot I wanted to fish the rain started. It was just a light sprinkle but that soon gave way to a steady drizzle. We sat under a large sycamore tree for probably 20 minutes thinking it would pass but no such luck. Time to break out the 99 cent emergency plastic ponchos. One thing is for sure, you are not going to win any fashion shows with these babies but you will stay dry. We continued on down stream in the rain.
 Once we reached the fishing area I hopped out and tied out kayak to a rock then helped Cindy out. I showed her where to fish and let her have at it with her very own blue fly rod. Blue is her favorite color so when I saw this fly rod I knew I stood a good chance of getting her to give fly fishing a try. We both had fished for several minutes when Cindy hooked into a nice smallie. I coached her on retrieving the fish while I made my way to her to remove it from the hook for her. Small price to pay to get to fish with your sexy little BFF!

 Not many women would be willing to paddle in the rain, much less stand in the middle of a river fly fishing in the rain all while wearing a plastic bag on her head. Luckily Cindy is quite the trooper and still is a real looker, even with the bag covering her head!
 Cindy was ready to catch some more after landing her first one but it was not to be. Not sure why but it was just a off night for this area. We even tried the honey hole that had produced good numbers for me both times prior. I could see them rolling under a log but no takers for our flies.
 It was going to be dark soon so we headed on down stream to the ramp and loaded the kayak on top of Pearl just as darkness fell. Even with the rain and only catching one fish we still had a great time and look forward to doing that section of river again.
 Ever notice how the wind always blows on Mondays? Sure enough, we go back to work and there was a nice steady breeze all day long that we could have sailed in had when been able to get to the boat. We were both busy after work so we missed our chance. The wind has since died again and it may be several more days before it returns. We hope to spend the night aboard the memory Maker this Sunday as it is Labor day weekend and we have Monday off. Hopefully Mother nature will be kind and give us some sailing winds Monday. They are forecasting winds out of the sw at 7 so hopefully they are right. This big high pressure area is pretty much parked right over us and till it moves it will be a broken record for hazy hot and humid with light winds.

Summer fun and Shooting Stars!!!

 It had been a crazy summer so far and we had yet to overnight on our boat even once so far. It seemed like between the birth of Cindy's new granddaughter and the weather's none stop rain we just had not had an opportunity. But last week we started planning for our first overnight of the season for this Saturday night. Puppy care was arranged for the boys, we made flexible plans with my old neighbors to meet us on the water, and it looked like the weather would be just bad enough to keep me from having to fly for work. It just might work out this time!
 After a long hard roofing project I finally got to take a bit of a break Thursday afternoon after I ran errands in town all morning. I came home to find Cindy resting in a lawn chair in the yard so I decided to join her and take a rest. In no time my little lady was asleep with her head on my chest. As we laid there like a couple of slugs I could not help but notice the wind was actually blowing. I had been texting with slip mates of ours who keep their Hunter 23 a few slips west from our girl. They were on the lake for the weekend. When Cindy finally woke up I floated the idea of running over to the lake past her. 15 mins later we were lake bound!
 With all the rain Lake Monroe is running 11.5 feet above normal pool which means the pennisula where we normally park is cut off from the rest of the park.

 As you can see the peninsula the slips are on are cut off from the rest of the park by about 5 feet of water over the road to it. Luckily the DNR put in a temporary dock for their pontoon and they will shuttle us back and forth. What a deal for the money!!! Can you spot the Memory Maker in her slip?
 After grabbing a quick bite to eat on the way we were soon pulling in and hopping on the pontoon for the ride to the slip. Luckily the driver warned us that the power was out to the slips so there were no lights. Good to know.
 Soon we were leaving slip cove and raising sails. It was a nice breeze and we were clipping right along. It was not long before we spotted Analogue with Mike and Kathy on board tacking across the lake. After a few texts back and forth with Mike we were passing each other on opposite tacks taking snapshots of each other. Here is Mike taking a pic of us from Analogue

 It was fun to actually know someone else on the water who was sailing too. Mike got a nice pic of us once I finally got all the fenders pulled in LOL

 After several photo passes we headed into Moores Creek cove to anchor and tie up so we could talk and work on the permanent tiller tamer setup. We arrived first and dropped anchor and I went to work drilling holes for the pad eyes and a jam cleat. Analogue was soon approaching our port side. It was our first time to raft up with another boat but Mike and Kathy were rafting pros and gave us all the tips we needed. Just a few cleat knots later and we were checking out each other's boats and shooting the breeze. Analogue is a really nice Hunter 23 that they have sailed for 3 years now.
 The sun was sliding down the evening sky fast and Cindy wanted to get back before dark so it was not long before it was time to un tie and head off. We said our goodbyes and made plans to meet up Saturday when we got back to the lake.
 Motoring back to the slip it was crazy to see how much was under water. The parking lot we normally parked in was under 2 to 3 feet of water and if you did not know it was there it would be easy to try and cut the corner only to hear a nasty sound from under the boat. We gave that point plenty of room did not have any issues getting our girl put back to bed.
 It was really nice to get back on the water after a 7 day hiatus. It was our first time to raft up and Mike and Kathy are super nice. We drove home looking forward to the weekend and being back on the water again!
 Friday was a long day for both of us with Cindy at the dentist and myself a work. All the more reason to look forward to the weekend and getting back on the water.
 While I was flying back into Seymour I was close enough to the lake to fly over and see if I could find Analogue. Mike said they were in a cove close to where we left them the day before so I should have been able to find them pretty easy. As I came up on the cove I did not see any sailboats. On the west edge of the cove I rolled hard left to turn back and looked straight down. There they were!

 They had her tucked way back into a cove further than I thought they could get. The advantage of high water. I snapped a quick pic of them and of our parking area so Cindy could see how high the water was then pointed the bird southeast for home.
 It was a bit past noon Saturday before we were finally all loaded up and westbound for the lake. Quick pit stop at the junction of 446 and 50 for chicken sandwiches as we were both starving and then north to the lake. Tom, Sherry, and their daughter Lindsey had a head start on us and arrived first. From their texts the ramp at Paynetown was the only one people could launch from due to the high water so of course it was busy. Tom has even less patience than I do so he was in a chipper mood LOL! They finally got launched and parked just a few minutes before we pulled in.
 Pulling in to the shuttle parking area I pulled up to the dock and unloaded Pearl then ran her up to park. Cindy had almost everything on the shuttle by the time I got back so there was minimal time lost. Tom was waiting for us by our slip in their boat and Lindsey was chomping at the bit to tube with someone. Cindy helped me get the Memory Maker ready to sail then hopped on the tube with Lindsey as I backed out of the slip. I was able to use the tiller tamer lock on the tiller with a temporary line I rigged up which allowed me to scurry forward and raise the sails. In no time I was running closed hauled in about about 5 mph of breeze. The lake was busy and the water was choppy but it was fun to be sailing  again.
 Tom pulled the girls around close enough I could see them while Sherry acted as spotter.

 Here is Cindy one handing the tube like a pro

  It did not take long to wear them out and he dropped Cindy off out in front of me about 500 feet. You know, brakes would be handy at times. I wasn't going fast but being that I was single handing I had to work to get her slowed up in time to pick up my lady floating overboard. It took a quick toss of a deck line but soon I was helping Cindy onboard.
  We wound up dropping the sails and just motoring back to our cove to tie up with Tom and the girls. The lake was too busy and there really wasn't good wind to allow us to sail with any speed. The cove was hopping as there were several double decker pontoons and other boats scattered about. We found a spot and dropped both anchors to better hold our position. Soon we had Tom's bass boat tied up and the air was going in the floats and paddle board.
 Starting last Friday, my first day on a large roofing job, it felt like summer had just started over night. It was hot and humid and did not take long for us to be jumping overboard to get cooled off. All summer to this point it had been cool, cloudy, with rain almost everyday. Now it just felt like someone had flipped a switch and it was hot, humid, and more like a typical summer.
 The girls seemed content to float around in the chairs and boat so Tom and I untied and went to try our luck at fishing for a bit. With water this high it was anyone's guess where the fish might be. We worked along the trees north of us that were half under water and caught a few small blugills. I somehow managed to sail my lure over a small limb and then as luck would have it I caught a small fish as we went into retrieve my lure. Made things more interesting. Small fish were easy to find but the larger ones must have been laying low in the heat of the day. Time seemed to be flying by and it was not long before we decided we better head back and fire up the grill.
 Lindsey was back on the paddle board while I cooked dinner. She sure seemed to enjoy playing with it. Dinner was delicious and a big thanks to Sherry for the yummy pasta dish and the delicious Oreo dirt pudding desert! Man that stuff is yummy!!!!
 With dinner consumed I hopped on the paddle board with my fly rod to show everyone how real men fish LOL! It was fun fishing but I did not have a popper small enough for the baby fish that kept taking the rubbery legs of my popper and running off with it. I soon gave up and headed back to the boat.
 Tom got a call from some friends who were on the lake as well. He gave them directions on how to find us. It did not take long and they were pulling in the cove with us in their pontoon boat .
 We enjoyed a nice visit while Lindsey tried to help Billie try out the paddleboard. They spent a good 30 to mins trying to get Billie up on it but it just wasnt meant to be. I have to give her credit though, she gave it one heck of a try. We heard a few days later she was really sore as that board kicked her butt!
 The sun was setting so Tom and Sherry headed back to load up and head home. We headed north across the lake to meet up with Mike and Kathy who were anchored in the Moores Creek cove. Cindy's paddle board made a nice float barge for our two floating chairs.

 We towed the chairs behind once before but they did not like it very much. This way we did not have to bring them aboard and we hardly knew they were back there. It was probably close to 11 when we finally tied up with Mike and Kathy. After shots of Pirate rum we just sat in the cockpit of Analogue doing what all sailors do, swap sailing stories. It was about midnight when the sky and lake lit up like someone just took a flash picture. I was looking south at the time but Cindy and Kathy where looking north and had a great view of one very bright meteor! I turned around just in time to see its trail fading fast. It was really neat and I don't think any of us had ever seen one that bright before.
 It was getting late and my yawns were becoming more frequent so off we went to drop anchor and catch some shut eye. I was wiped out and did not last 2 mins once we curled up in the V birth. We have always slept very well onbaord our little boat and that night was no exception. We had a nice breeze coming in through the front hatch and the bugs were not bad.
 Waking up the next morning I could have swore I was up early, like 7 or so, but turns out we slept in till 9:30. Sticking our heads up out of the hatch we could see Analogue was gone but we were in the same place we were when we went to sleep. That is always good. Seems Mike and Kathy headed into town for breakfast and gas for their outboard.
 I jumped into the lake to get woke up and that worked perfectly! While not cold, it was cool enough to be very refreshing. After my quick swim I went about getting breakfast started for us only to discover I did not have any cooking oil to keep the omelets from sticking. Seems I remembered our coffee maker attachment but forgot the coffee too. Luckily Cindy is very understanding and she was more than fine with Cajon pork loins and Mimosas for breakfast.
 After breakfast I went about working on the boat while Cindy paddled her board around the cove. I was able to get the pad eyes and cleat installed for the tiller tamer and then dropped the bow attach points for the lifelines down from the pulpit to just inside of the rub rail on the deck. I did not like how our jib would rub and get hung up on the lifeline so dropping the lifelines down will eleminate that problem. Plus now I can step on and off the bow right behind the bow pulpit without having to drop the lifelines. Just have to male sure you don't catch your foot on the line when you step on or off there.
The next project was to install the solar powered cabin vent fan. This has been a on going project for sometime now. I think I finally had everything I needed. Drill, check, circle cutter, check, fan, check. I started drilling the hole for it and it was not long before both boats were covered in dust. Then shortly there after the drill battery went dead! Things were going just perfectly! It would take one more trip over but I would finally get the vent fan installed!

 Time was just flying past and it was mid afternoon already. Sleeping in totally screws with my internal clock. While Cindy loves to sleep in I just feel like I am running behind for the whole day.  
 While we could feel the wind blowing but it was far from ideal sailing conditions. We raised anchors and headed out anyway as we were sailboats and that is what you are supposed to do. I think Mother nature just made enough wind blow long enough to sucker us out into the lake. Seemed like once we did it all but died. We chased Analogue across the lake a couple of times before finally catching her. Being a smaller a lighter boat Memory Maker has a bit of light wind advantage on her bigger sister. I caught a nice pic of Cindy over my shoulder as she steered us along

 I am such a lucky guy to not only have a pretty boat but a beautiful fiancé to Captain that boat!!!
 Even though it was cloudy the temp was really toasty so it did not take long before both Cindy and I were ready to take a dip to cool off. We heaved to and jumped in as Mike and Kathy turned around to come back at us. It was really fun chasing a each other around the lake. I think it was as much a learning experience as it was fun as I could watch Analogue and see what was working for her and what wasn't and make changes to the Memory Maker to see if would help us as well.
 We both gave it our best attempts but the wind just continued to weaken. Mike threw in the towel first and as I looked over they were dropping their main and starting the motor.

It had been a really fun weekend but like all good things it too much come to an end. We motored our way back to the slip and tucked our girl in before hopping onto the shuttle for the ride back to our car. It had been a long day and several hours since breakfast so we reflected over all the fun we had while enjoying a savory Pine Room Tavern cheeseburger in Nashville IN on the way home. That sure hit the spot. While we tried to get Mike and Kathy to stop and share one with us but they had to get home. I sent them a pic of what they were missing and they agreed that next time they were stopping with us!!!

Sailing into the night

7-6-2015

 With the fourth of July quickly approaching we had hoped to spend the night on the water so we could watch fireworks again but sadly they decided not to have them on the lake this year. Since the lake just gets crazy busy on holiday weekend we went over on Thursday the 2nd to sail and enjoy the lake before every boat in southern Indiana descended up on it.
 It was a perfect evening to sail with the wind out of the north by northeast at 8 to 10 mph. After getting the boat ready to head out and leaving the slip Cindy wanted to go forward and raise the sails as that is usually my job. She handled the new task very well and soon we were setting into a nice broad reach across the lake.
 I had just made a new Go Pro mount pole that slips into a piece of 1/2" pvc conduit that I clamped to the solar panel support rod. After a few test I finally got the camera leveled on the rod and turned it on. I think we captured over an hour half of us sailing back and forth across the lake that probably only Cindy and I would enjoy watching. I am not even sure about Cindy as she feel asleep with her head on my shoulder a few minutes into watching it on the laptop! Not a whole lot of excitement on a night like this to keep the viewers entertained.
 It was a wonderfully relaxing evening to sail and soon we were sitting on the port bench in the cockpit with me leaning back into the pulpit with Cindy leaning back into me relaxing as we sailed along. One advantage of being tall is I can see over the cabin as we sail like this so I can make sure the area is clear in front of us. We were in our happy place and loving every lazy minute of it!
 We finally arrived in our favorite cove where we proceeded to drop anchor and pop the top. It was about now we had our first bug issue of the season as it seemed like every fly in the county was flying in our around our boat. They particularly liked my pale legs as I was swatting them off right and left. I quickly got Cindy's inflatable paddle board out and aired it up so she could go exploring as I stayed behind to deal with the flies.

 There goes my lil Lady on her inflatable board for the first time this season. Now it was time to kill some pesky critters and install new line on my spinning reel.
 With new line installed and a trusty beetle spin attached to it was time to do a little fishing, with the fly swatter nearby on the solar panel. It was not long before I landed a whopper!

 Ok, so it wasn't a whopper but he was a fighter LOL! I guess the size of the lure compared to the fish kinda gives his real size away. I caught several striped bass his size. I think they like the rock bottom in this cove as I am usually able to catch a few each time we anchor there.
 It was not long before it was time to light the grill and start dinner. With Cindy still out exploring on her board I got the corn on the cob on the grill. We really love summer evenings on the boat, especially the ones that involve food! Nothing beats fresh corn on the cob on the grill. We leave the husk on it and cook it on low heat. The natural moisture of the corn steams it inside the husk and once you slather it in butter and a little salt it is just to die for!
 Cindy returned to the Memory Maker to find me still swatting at flies. She proceeded to get a beverage and her book she had been reading then took her normal place on the port cockpit bench. The flies hardly even noticed her. I looked like a windmill I was swatting at so many of them hovering around or landing on me!!!
 Soon the pork tenderloins were done and it was time to retreat to the cabin for dinner. Not that was much protection for me as the top was popped and all the hatches were open. Slowly the number of flies dwindled to just a few stragglers and we enjoyed a nice dinner on the water.
 With dinner done and dishes put away I asked if I could use Cindy's board to go fish a bit. I had fly fished once on it last year late in the season and it was a real trip to balance myself on the board, cast a fly rod, while keeping track of the drift and the paddle laying across my feet. I remember my core muscles being really tired when I got back on board the boat after about 20 mins of fishing. Thankfully I did not catch anything that day as I am sure I would have went for a swim. But this time I was much more relaxed and after a few minutes of fishing sitting on the board I stood up and casted away. I guess after doing it once already my body was able to relax more and I really enjoyed it. I did manage to catch two small bluegills on a popper. While no huge bass it was still fun to catch fish standing up on a paddle board.
 While I was fishing a 26-28 foot sailboat came silently slipping into our cove under sail. It is so neat to look up and see a boat moving silently across the water. He drove the boat deep into the cove before turning back out and passing just off our starboard side as Cindy sat in the cockpit and read. He said hello as he passed by her and told her we should be out sailing as the wind was still blowing. I headed back to the Memory Maker and proceeded to deflate and store the board so we could head off.
 I don't think either one of us really thought about sailing into the night when we raised the anchor but once we cleared the point of the cove we feel the wind. It was out of the northeast, cool, and still had good speed, so up went the sails and off went the motor. The sails instantly filled with air and off we went. We never did see where the sailboat went that told us he hoped to see us out later as we had the lake to ourselves. With the nav lights and spreader bar lights on we headed across the lake to the north as it was going to take several tacks to get us back to the cove our slip is in. That was fine with us as we both wanted to be no place but right there with each other as the darkness of night swallowed us and our Memory Maker into itself.

 It was dark by the time we reached our tack point on the north side of the lake and we still had a great breeze, steady 8 to 10 mph out of the northeast. Tacking back to the southeast Cindy settled back into me with her head leaning back on my shoulder as we listened to the water as it rippled off the hull. While it was dark and the moon was well masked by the clouds there was still enough ambient light that once our eyes adjusted we were able to make out the tree covered shoreline so there was not much fear of running her aground. We erred on the side of caution and made our tacks early just to make sure the night did not end on a sour note.
 As we moved along over the lake we talked about things we need to add to our boat for our trip to the North Channel next summer. I told Cindy about how someone on the Hunter forum posted a picture of how they mounted a chart plotter to a LCD tv swiveling wall mount. It was really slick as it was inside the cabin and could be swung out and positioned right at the edge of the cabin opening so you could see it clearly from ether side of the cockpit. Too bad we did not have it on board right then as it would have been nice to have depth information as we sailed along in the darkness.
 I went below to adjust the radio and just had to take a pic of my pretty little captain as she commanded her ship through the perils of darkness.

 



 I guess maybe I should have turned the flash off as with the press of one shutter release I took away all of Cindy's night vision for the next few minutes. Oops :-) No fear though as we had several minutes to go before we would be close to the rocky shoreline on the south side of the lake.
 There was just something very enjoyable about moving along across the lake in the darkness of night with my best friend by my side. Until you have been on a sailboat under sail in a nice breeze and all you hear is the sound of water rippling past the hull and the wind in the sails you can't fully comprehend the magical effect it has over you. It is just has such a soothing and calming affect on even someone wound as tightly as myself. so much so even I find it relaxing to the point that I am totally content to just sit and watch the water go past the hull as we sail on mile after mile. If you know me then you know that "just sitting" is just not in my vocabulary.  Then to be able to share this with my soul mate as she rest her head back on your shoulder while I have my arm wrapped tightly around her protecting her from the slight chill that is starting to infiltrate the night air is just such a special experience in life. One I never would have gotten to experience without Cindy. Sharing moments like this with my pretty little Captain makes all the hours it took restoring our Memory Maker so, so worth it. Thanks Babe, I love you!
 Although it is approaching 11 pm by the time we make our last tack back to the northeast and head towards the slips I am not wanting to stop sailing. But it is late and we still have an hours drive home from the lake. We both wished we had brought supplies so we could have spent the night but neither one of thought it would turn out to be such an awesome evening weather wise. We had not gone 24 hours without rain or a storm for the past several weeks and this night was forecasted to be more of the same. But the rain held off and it was a wonderful evening that we made the most of.
 AS Crosby, Stills, and Nash's Southern Cross played on the radio down below I went through the process of getting our girl ready for bed. Out went the fenders, dock lines on the cleats, jib down and bagged, main sail down and wrapped. With Cindy at the helm we were soon easing into our slip with all the grace of a large swan gliding across a tranquil pond. As I stepped off the Memory Maker onto the slip to tie up all the calmness of the night was replaced by the loud sounds of wings flapping and water splashing! As we focused our attention on the boat neither one of us saw the large Great Blue Heron gliding over from the shoreline to the east edge of our slip. I caught him out of the corner of my right eye just as he passed a few feet away from Cindy who had her back to him. He was gliding in for a landing on the end of the slip and the sound of the air off his wings was soon replaced by the loud flapping of his wings and his feet splashing in the water. Seems he misjudged his glide path by mere inches, and was not able to make it to the edge of slip! He bounced off the rubber rub strip and flapped like crazy trying to get air flowing back over his wings before he went for a swim. Luckily he was able to save it as I do not think they can swim which is ironic as they spend all there life standing  in or near water. The look on Cindy's face as she turned around was a priceless combination of shock, surprise and fear all wrapped up in one beautiful pose. Of all times to have the Go Pro bagged up in the cabin!!!
 With our girl tied fast and all the covers installed we said good by and headed for the house. Cindy had asked if we would see the moon that night and I jokingly said probably on the way home. Guess who was right? As we crossed the causeway headed south the clouds broke apart just enough to let us see the full moon they had been hiding from us all night. Then in just a few miles the moon was gone and raindrops filled the night sky.
 Staying awake on the ride home late at night is usually not an issue as we are constantly on deer watch as there are so many deer in this area. Being on point for a deer to streak out of nowhere paid dividends that night as one shot out of the darkness on the left side of the road! It was like the side of Cindy's Rav had a bulls eye painted on it and the deer was going for bonus points. Of course there had to be a car coming in the other lane so my options were limited. I hit the gas as the deer was going to hit somewhere behind the midpoint of the car if he kept coming straight at us. I swerved to the left at the last moment trying to get more room between our left rear quarter panel and the deer. It was a good effort but the goofball never slowed down and we caught his head inside the left rear wheel opening. It sounded like a glancing blow but we still hit him, or actually, he hit us. I pulled over and stopped as soon as I could to exchange insurance information with him but of course it was a hit a run. While I was glad he was able to run off I am sure he had a heck of headache the next morning. Pearl, Cindy's named her for her Rav, was fine as the rubber trim piece just had a smudge from where the deer hit it so all was good.
 We had been so lucky that evening for several reasons. The rain held off, the wind kept blowing, the deer did not run out a few seconds sooner, and we got to share such a wonderful experience of our first night sail with each other. As we drifted off to sleep I held my best friend tightly in arms, kissed her gently on her forehead, and said "Thank you Babe, I love you"...

Enjoying our Memory Maker

7-1-2015

 El Nino must be in full swing as we have had a daily threat of rain and storms since we launched our Memory Maker. Even with the rain threats we have tried every chance we can get to run over to the lake and raise sails. Some trips are more productive than others as several times we have arrived only to get rained on as soon as we get there or get a tornado warning on my phone for just south of our location. We elect not to sail on nights with tornado warnings, erring on the side of caution LOL. One night we could have sailed, had someone, sadly that was me, not went off and forgotten the rudder he had taken home to make a modification to. Hate it when that happens...
 But even with all the rain delays we have been making the best use of our Memory Maker and her new slip. We both really enjoy just being able to walk to the boat, hop on, load the cooler, uncover the sails, fire up the motor, untie and go sail. It is just awesome in fact! No more rigging sails, hooking up to the trailer, extending the tongue, launching the boat, driving back with the trailer, picking Cindy up at the dock, then doing it all in reverse again when we get back.
 When we have not been sailing or working on the house, I have been busy preparing our dingy for next summers North Channel adventure. At first Cindy thought I was crazy wanting to put a small outboard motor on the Walmart rubber boat that Bill and I had used to fish out of in Michigan. It had not been used since we got back from that trip so finally I had a reason to blow it up and dust it off. We lucked out and found the ideal motor about 40 minutes to our west on Craig's list. It is a small, as in 10 lbs, 2 stroke air cooled outboard. We ran over to get it and the lady we bought it from said her husband was upset as she priced it too cheap. It was in good shape but I saw there was a repair to the gas tank. We bought it and brought it home. It fire up and ran but leaked fuel which really stunk up my Tracker for several days.
 The gas tank repair was easy and is good as new now. Getting it to run properly took a bit of work as I had to take the carb off and clean it 4 times but finally I got all the hidden dirt and varnish blown out and now she starts on the first pull most of the time!

Once the motor was all dialed in I started on the motor mount for the dingy. Cindy still had her doubts at this point but I think she was starting to warm up to the idea of dingy cruises around the islands in the North Channel.

 First thing to do was to make a floor for the raft so it would be more stable and give me a place to attach the motor mount. One piece of 1/2 ply later we had a floor and she is very stable now. So much so I can see fly fishing out of her, standing up!!!



Here I am testing it our in Dottie's pool just shortly after we had opened it for the season. Hopefully all that chlorine she just dumped in the pool does not eat the dingy! Once the floor was fitted it was time to make the motor mount legs. Not having a way to bend EMT tubing I resorted to welding together cut pieces as I could get premade 90 degree transitions and I already had the tube I needed. A few hours later and we had a motor mount legs!

 So far so good. Just need to add the board to mount the Cruise and Carry on then she would be ready for her maiden voyage under outboard power. It was late and I was hungry so it would have to wait till the next day. Plus I needed screws to attach the board to the mount legs.
 The next morning after a quick trip to the hardware store and few minutes in the shop making a motor mount board the moment of truth had arrived. I carried the dingy down to our small pond and then attached the motor. After sinking up to my knee in a hole in the dam of the pond as I shoved off, more on that later, I was ready to fire her up. With one pull of the rope she roared to life, as much as 25 cc's of water muffled two stroke power can roar to life LOL! All was good so I engage the transmission and off I went. Did I mention our pond is small? Plus thanks to the hole in the dam I fell in during the launch the water was down a bit. So all I could do was one tight circle over and over again in the middle of the pond. It is so small I could not even get the motor off idle as it just went too fast! After a quick video to prove that it worked it was time to go to back to shore. Ok, I was getting dizzy from so many circles. Here she is after her maiden powered voyage

 Remember me saying how Cindy was slow to warm up to the whole dingy idea? Well after seeing proof with the video she was singing a new tune. So much so she asked if would take her grandson for ride in it when they got back home. Amazing how seeing truly is believing.
 With the dingy project a success I turned my attention back to installing our solar powered vent fan in the Memory Maker. Cindy was unable to go over with me as she was baby sitting her grandson as he got a new little sister the day before. He was clueless how much his life had just changed but I am pretty sure he has figured it out by now. So I loaded up the tools I need including the new hole saw bits Cindy picked up for me and headed to the lake. It only took about five minutes after I got there to realize I had screwed up again. Seems the directions I read online about how to install the fan were for the other fan I had been considering. It took a 4 1/4" hole while the one I bought took a 4 1/2" hole, Argghhh. So needless to say there was no fan install that night as I did not have a 4 1/2" hole saw. I started to just button her up and head back home but it was a nice evening, there was a nice breeze, and it seemed like such a shame to not got out for a quick sail.
 Having never sail single handed before this was going to be new for me but I really thought I could do it. It just took a few minutes to get things ready and soon I was motoring out of the slips. I took some precautions to make sure I returned to the slips with the boat. I threw a 25 foot long deck line out off the port stern cleat. In case I feel overboard I could swim over and grab it instead of letting the boat sail off without me. I just flipped the fenders up on the deck instead of bringing them in and I only planned on raising the main sail since the boat does not like going straight by itself. Soon I was raising the main and sailing into a beautiful sunset. It did not take long to figure out to do this successfully I would need some help in the form of some way to keep the tiller in place while I tended to other matters. So out of necessity I rigged up what I affectionately refer to as the Redneck Tiller Tamer

 OMG!!! Why had I not done this sooner???? Talk about making life so much easier!!! I was able to set a heading, then get up and do things without going for a wild ride like we would each time we would take our hand off the tiller for any amount of time longer than 5 seconds! Cindy was going to love this! Speaking of Cindy, I was really missing her. Sailing by myself was just boring once I got everything set up and the boat cleaned up. It was not long before I turned back and headed in. Making memories by myself is not near as much fun as making memories with Captain Cindy.
 The jib bag that I made has worked very well and since I did not raise the jib by myself it just rode along on the bow

 My first attempt at single handing went just fine and I returned our girl to her slip with no issues. After adding the tiller tamer I am pretty sure I could have raised the jib as well. I buttoned her all back up and installed the covers then headed for home.
 Cindy and I finally got a nice evening this past Monday and we headed for the lake like a couple of home sick angels. It was a perfect evening with a nice breeze out of the northwest which allowed us to sail on a beam reach down the long length of the lake to area we call the Narrows. The wind was blowing 10-12 mph with higher gusts so at Cindy's urging I reefed the main sail. With Cindy back at the helm we raised sails and headed for the land beyond the bend that we had only sailed to once before. It was like uncharted territory for us in a way. We clipped right along a beam reach making good progress down the lake. About a mile or so into the sail I remembered to start my tracking app so we could see how far and how fast we had gone. Here is a look at our sail path

 We pretty much ran a straight line on a beam reach out of the slips to the southwest till we got closer to the Narrows then the wind started to shift and we had to tack a couple of ties to get past the Narrows. Once past the point to Allen's creek we turned south and sailed down to the 4 Winds area before nasty clouds to our north made us turn back as it was going to be an hour or so back to the slip. It took a bit of tacking back and forth to  clear the Allen's creek point but once back into the Narrows we set course for the cove where our slip is at and sailed on a broad reach which turned into a running sail about half way back. To the non sailors looking at our track we look a bit lost and confused. To me that is a course line of beauty compared to what we normally have to sail. Most days when the wind is out of the southwest we have to tack back and forth a dozen times or more just to get to the boy scout camp cove we like to anchor in which is only about half way to the narrows. The wind shifts around so much on this lake due to the trees that what starts out as one heading soon turns into something else 45 degrees off the first one.
 The app I was using also tracks your speed. It showed us topping out at 6.43 mph. I know, that is not eye watering fast but considering the boat's listed hull speed is only 5.5 mph we were humming right along!!! I was surprised how slow it felt when we were running with the wind to our stern but it still showed us making better than 4 mph. It just seemed a lot slower as the wind was not in our face and since we were going with it we did not feel the full speed of the wind blowing past us from the stern.
 Cindy was at the tiller for the biggest part of the sail. I want to get her as much tiller time as possible so her comfort level and proficiency increase as much as possible. Cindy is still a bit apprehensive when the boat heels over much past 15 degrees. We are fine up past 30 and she will round up and plop down into the water between 40 and 45 degrees. Ideally we would get the best speed at between 15 and 20 degrees of heel. For the most part we ran between 10 ad 15 the majority of the time and she loved that but there were the occasional gust that would load the sail and heel us over a bit more. The idea is when that happens you want to keep the boat going straight by pulling on the tiller to counteract the wind trying to blow the bow off course. As the wind reduces back to a normal speed you want to release the pressure on the tiller to maintain your heading. If done right it is very smooth and no one knows the better. The boat will just heel over and then return back to the pre gust heel angle once it dies down. Cindy is doing much better now after another 3 hours at the tiller. She now keeps the main sheet tucked under her leg so it is right there as needed should she need to release the main sheet to reduce the heel. Bad things would happen when she would have to looked down to the cockpit floor then reach for the main sheet. Her short lil arms do not have much reach so she would have to slide down to reach it and with her other hand on the tiller the chances of holding it in place were slim to none. Several interesting moments were caused by that maneuver. Now with the main sheet tucked under her leg there is no more dropping of the head. Plus with her doing a much better job of holding a heading during a gust the overall ride is much smoother. Cindy really liked the tiller tamer and said it made things much easier as well.  I am very proud of her progress and I am really hoping she too will get to where she can single hand our girl soon.

 Here is my pretty lil Captain doing her thing. Luckily our sail came with a reef point built in as some of them did not. I used a much simpler procedure for reefing this time and it worked very well. I used our Nite Eyz Grip Ties to tie up the extra main sail around the boom and that worked really well too. I really thinking our boat is a floating promo for Nite Eyz and there Grip Ties as we use them everywhere for everything. They are awesome and very handy to have on hand.
 I practiced a heave to again and showed Cindy how it is done. On the way back once we entered the Narrows I had Cindy heave to so I could un reef the sail since we were going to be running with the wind. The more sail the better in light winds and running like we were. Cindy had no problem getting the boat to settle down and just sit there calmly in the water using the heave to maneuver.
 All too soon we were back to the slips and I went about getting everything ready to dock. Cindy guided us into the slip with the prowess of a seasoned veteran of several around the world voyages. We went about our task of securing our girl to the slip and getting her all tucked in from a wonderful sail. On the ride home we laughed another good old laugh about our first sailing lesson with Capt Scott and how much we learned what not to do!!!