winter work

It didn't make it into the 50's today but it was warm enough to roll the boat out of the garage and get another coat of varnish on the rub rails, tiller, boomkin and centerboard cap. Tomorrow it should be warmer and I hope to get some touch-up paint on the hull and deck.

It got colder in the late afternoon so I rolled Spartina back into the garage and brought the smaller pieces inside to dry in the warm house. By tomorrow the boat should be ready to sail (but as Spring goes on I'll add a few more coats of varnish). We just need a little warm weather.

I did get a solid vote from Bruce for using Dixon Creek as our anchorage on the first night out. That is the creek below, just off of Goose Creek leading to the ICW south of the Pamlico River.
We stayed there last Spring on the Skeeterbeater. I guess there are two thoughts on going back there. One: We've been there before, why not explore new territory? Two: It was a great anchorage, surrounded by pine trees covered in spanish moss. A pretty cool place. (This spot is a lot different from other anchorages. Typically anchorages along the edge of the sound are surrounded by marsh. This spot was surrounded by tall trees that blocked the wind and made it a very quiet, peaceful place.)

As Bruce pointed out, we got there late in the day on our last trip, worn out for a long day of beating into the wind and the waves. Here's our post from that visit. Why not visit Dixon Creek again, relax and enjoy it. Sounds good to me.

steve

thanks Mom!

After all these years Mom is still showing me the way to go.

I received a nice birthday gift from her that she suggested I spend on cruising gear. So I took her up on it and got this nice Danforth compass for Spartina. In the past we've always relied on our gps's and a handheld compass for navigation. It will be nice to have a permanently mounted, easy to read compass mounted is easy sight on the centerboard trunk case.

The compass came at an excellent price as a close-out item. So there was enough left over for a a nice leatherman pocket knife and a Kuhn Rikon paring knife for the cook kit. The pocket knife will replace the old one that fell apart on the Crab House cruise. It will supplement the Gerber multi-tool that I carry in the day storage box, something I got from Dad a few years ago.

I think Bruce will like the paring knife addition to the cook it. The very sharp blade will be perfect for cutting up potatoes, garlic, shallots, etc. I like the fact that it is bright red, it'll be easy to find in the cook kit (I plan on doing a post about the contents of the cook kit soon). And the blade cover minimizes the chance of cutting a finger while reaching it to the kit.

Mom, thanks very much.

steve

planning

I was remiss yesterday in my post about trip planning. I forgot to mention that a crucial part of it all is running it by my sailing partner Bruce and getting his input. He has had a lot of great input over the years. He'll talk mostly about menus, but he has also changed the way I think about gear, the mental aspect of going on a trip and he has also suggested some changes in our routes.

Since I live on the east coast I'm more familiar with the territory and I'll research a trip and then pass on a suggested plan to Bruce. He'll look it over and give me his reaction. Then we finalize it together via phone, email or skype.

This photo was just before we cast off on the 07 Cedar Island trip, leaving out of Harker's Island Fishing Center. It has rained heavily the day before as we drove down. It rained all that morning. As we put the boat in the water thunderstorms were rumbling off to the east. A local sailor came by and said "You're not going out in that, are you?". Bruce looked at him, smiled and said "Why do you think I'm wearing red pants?"

We had a great trip.

steve

maps, mileage and Mike Tyson

Rough plan for the Spring Cruise

I got my free NCwaterways maps in the mail today. I order a batch of three maps every couple of years and use them to help rough out trips. They are great fold out maps with basic navigation information (and a warning not to use for navigation), bridge and ferry information and a lot of other great stuff. It it costs nothing more than the minute it takes to fill out the online order form. I'll keep a copy to make notes on, another one I'll send to Bruce and the third copy I'll send to my Mom so she can track our trip this Spring.

No, we won't use these maps for navigation on the trip, not so much because of the printed warning but because they are paper maps and wouldn't last long in the squalls and salt spray of a Carolina cruise. We will use a GMCO Waterproof Chartbook of North Carolina. This particular copy that we use arrived the day before our '07 Cedar Island cruise and this Spring will be the fifth cruise for the book. It is a bit worn and salt coated but it works just great. That is me below using it on the ICW during the skeeterbeater cruise.

With gps devices (we carry two) and all the navigation markers do you really need a map? In my opinion....absolutely. Battery powered devices can fail, markers can be missing. The more information we have about our cruising territory the better.

And speaking about sailing grounds, I went on google maps this evening and measured out the distances for each day's planned cruise. I put planned in bold italics because of an observation by philosopher/boxer Mike Tyson....

"Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth."

Casting off from the dock there is no guarantee on wind and weather. So we learn to adjust. But it is nice to start with a plan (and hope we don't get punched in the mouth). So here's a list of the daily mileage from point to point.

• Day one from Belhaven to Currituck Point, 12 miles. This is getaway day with final packing of the car at my house, a three hour drive, rig the boat, load the boat (that should have us ready to cast off about 11 a.m.). I like to start out with a short sail, make sure the boat/gear is in good shape, get anchored in time for a nice dinner. I'm also looking at an alternate plan of Rose Bay Marine to James Creek (below) on the south side of the Pamlico River, that has about the same mileage.

• Day two from either Currituck Point or James Creek to Vandemere and then Ball Creek, 26 miles.
• Day three from Ball Creek to Oriental, 24 miles.
• Day four from Oriental to Thorofare Bay, 26 miles.
• Day five Thorofare Bay to Cape Lookout Bight, 27 miles.
• Day six Cape Lookout Bight to Beaufort, 13 miles. This would be a sail out on the ocean (Onslow Bay). Hopefully we would be in Beaufort by early afternoon as that is a great town to visit.
• Day seven Beaufort to Great Island (the one on the Neuse River), 24 miles. Or possibly to Beard Creek, 31 miles).
• Day eight Great Island to New Bern, 22 miles (or Beard Creek to New Bern, 13 miles).

These aren't record setting distances. Sure, we could do more. But distance isn't our goal. We are out there to have fun, enjoy life, sail, have a good conversation. And we're pretty content if we are anchored by 4 pm with plenty of time to clean up the boat, fish, read and get ready for supper.

The distances are all direct line measurements. Who knows how far the actual mileage will be? It all depends on the wind. Above is the wind compass for June in our sailing area. It shows wind out of the southwest. But last year, late May to early June, we had wind out of the east for much of the trip. Below is our sail down the Pamlico River. With strong wind out of the east a 13 miles trip turned in a a 30+ mile sail.

It is fun to look at the charts and make plans. We'll have to wait and see if we get punched in the mouth.

steve

Sealed With A Kiss

There is a great controversy here in San Diego over the use of an area of beach called the Children's Pool at Casa Cove in La Jolla. The area was gifted to the city in 1931 by Ellen Browning Scripps to be used as a swimming area for children of San Diego. But no one told the Harbor Seals who use the area as a protected haul out beach. The seals of course are oblivious to all the fuss.

This time of year is pupping season and there are babies everywhere being looked after by their moms. How cute is this?

So who could possibly want to get rid of such cute critters so some children can swim in the cove? The right to swim folks point out that closing the beach to children swimmers violates the conditions of Ellen Scripps gift, so the seals must go. Are these guys mean or what.

The proponents of a swimming beach for children didn't stand a chance against cute. While the courts have ruled the beach is open for swimming.... You will get sick by swimming in the seal feces polluted water and it is a federal crime to disturb the protected marine mammals. But have a great day.

The cormorants could care less because they don't hang out there anyway. They just fly on by. Quickly.

Bruce

the piano has been drinking

So I'm out in my garage today working on the boat. Sanding, painting, mounting a spacer for the cheek block, drilling out of couple of holes for oak dowels. And my mind wanders. I start looking at my tools. They are old and worn out, coated in saw dust, smeared with hardened epoxy. And then I noticed.....

The hammer has gotten hammered

my saw, she lost her front teeth in a fight

all of the pliers have lost their grip

and the clamps are wound way too tight

The level is not on the level

the right angle says everyone is wrong

the countersink is against everything

and the speed drill takes too long

The flashlight admits he's not too bright

while the magnet clings to everything

the yardstick doesn't measure up

and the plane, she can't find her wings

So the brushes bristle in anger

as the jig saw refuses to dance

yet the old random orbit sander

swears he will always take a chance.

Maybe I need better ventilation in the garage.

steve

ps - apologies to Tom Waits, Dan Hicks and each and every one of the Hot Licks

Owning-up

I was telling Steve a little of the story about the photograph of the old man in my last post. Steve says I should share it. The old man in the photo just sat there (as if posing) as I took his picture. He seemed to be looking right at me and not minding my intrusion into his afternoon. My friends had gathered nearby and were watching me shoot the man’s picture. When I was done I thought it would be a friendly gesture to show him the digital images I had taken. I thought he seemed happy for my efforts as he just sat there quietly while I scrolled through some of the images. My friends started laughing. I looked up at them like you know,”what”? My friend Bill called me over and whispered, “the guy is blind”. We all had a great laugh. The rest of the trip I got teased about it. I just kept saying the guy really liked my work.

Bruce

winter work

We had a nice winter day with lots of sun and temps in the mid-50's. I rolled the boat out of the garage and spent the day cleaning, sanding and painting. It felt good to sit inside the boat and feel the warmth of the sun (even if it was just parked on a street).

The painting is all touch up work. Some sea green for the hull and rudder. Glossy white for the decks. Battleship grey for work on the cb trunk. And varnish for the rub rails and coaming. The boat has taken a beating over four seasons of use. That's fine, I don't mind the wear and tear if I am having fun.

Warm temperatures should continue for the next three days of my long weekend so I should get a lot more work done and be ready to go by March.

steve

Bless The Children

I really appreciated Steve's photos of the plight of the Haitian people, especially the children. He captured the essence of the struggle children from all over the world can face. It reminded me of the children I visited in Namibia at the Ombili School.

The San people are a nomadic group that inhabit the arid regions of the Kalahari and Namib Deserts (in Botswana and Namibia). They live a life that is truly on the very edge of existence. Their skills as trackers are legendary. They are master hunters and make the survival realty show stars mere pikers by comparison. They are an amazing people.

Where we saw them living in stone age poverty, they saw themselves more at one with the world. And no doubt it was a harsh world. They have no word for tomorrow or future in their vocabulary. They have an expression, "today will provide". They live in the now. Western culture and philosophy is in conflict with that way of life. One must think about the future and plan for it. But the San people know that when every day could be the last one, that day is all that matters so live it to the fullest.

The government of Namibia requires all children to attend school. My recollection is that most schools in Namibia are boarding schools requiring the children to be separated from their families. This is not acceptable to the San people. So the Ombili School was created as a place that the San families could live and their children could attend school. They have built houses and villages of a sorts. In order for the children to attend school, at least one member of a family must do some work for the Ombili School. It could be working in the communal garden or making handicrafts.

For the children that attend the school, they are provided with two meals a day, dentistry and some school clothing among other benefits. Families can use the money they earn working around the school or selling their handicrafts to buy additional clothing and food basics. But not all the families are willing to send all the children to school which can be a problem. The School would like the families to make lots of handicrafts so the family would have some money "in the bank" so to speak. But the San only make enough to solve the days needs. This often frustrates the western thinkers. Who is to say which is correct? I guess most think the lives of these people is better. Maybe it is.

While the young children are learning the ABCs of the modern world, the older family members seem caught between their nomadic lives where their skills as hunters and trackers were highly valued and the "new world" where those skills mean little. The work they end up doing doesn't appear to have any real meaning or enjoyment for them. I was struck by these peoples strength in a changing world and cultural environment and the sacrifices made on behalf of the children they love so much. There is great need everywhere in the world. Children seem to suffer even without a natural disaster. I am thankful for Steve sharing the need of the Haitian people and reminding us how fortunate we are.

Bruce

Some Local Birds

I was down at La Jolla Cove this week and shot some photos of the pelicans. This is an interesting time of year for the California Brown Pelican. First it is their breeding season and the birds put on their breeding plumage. They are very colorful.

Of course, some are more colorful than others.


This is also a hard time for the pelicans as the weather we are experiencing makes catching food very difficult for the them. Many are starving to death. This guy seems pretty healthy. I love the way they can curl up.


There are also cormorants roosting in the same area.

The cormorant is an excellent fisherbird. They fly very fast and are often seen in huge flocks floating off the beach.

Birds really are fascinating to observe and photograph. I hope Steve and I can get some great bird images on our next cruise.

Bruce

hydrate or die!!!

Hydrate or die!

That is just one of the tips I have picked up from the Watertribe website. I have found a lot of sources of good information about small boat cruising over the years but the best by far is the Watertribe site. I visit it all year long but I study it closely three times a year - before the spring cruise, before the fall cruise and right now just before the start of the Everglades Challenge.

The Everglades Challenge is the hallmark event for the Watertribe crew, a three hundred mile race down the west coast of Florida. The Watertribe discussion board really gets going as they get closer to the race. Right now there are great discussions on......

• harness and tethers on small boats
• signaling devices
• dealing with waste

There are a lot of good questions and great responses from some very experienced people. I can't begin to count the number of ideas I've picked up over the past few years from the forum.

There is also an excellent magazine site on the Watertribe page. Here are some of the articles that I consider a must read before going on a small boat journey.

• Fueling the Fire (all about food for an on the water adventure)
• Hydrate of Die (this one I need to pay better attention to as on some hot sunny days both Bruce and I have dealt with a loss of energy in the afternoon on our cruises)
• Surviving when the gods play
• Make a Hypothermia Kit (a hypothermia kit, based on this article, is required gear on Spartina)
• The Watertribe Kit (This is the basis outline of the gear we take on our trips. The evening before each cruise we spread out all our gear and use this as a check-off list to make sure we have all the gear)

I should note that all of the articles listed above were written by Steve Isaacs (aka "Chief" on the Watertribe site). I've never met him, probably never will, but I cannot thank him enough for all of this great information.

In addition several competitors have articles describing their race adventures. Reading these stories will give anyone making small boat journeys something to think about.

As with any race you have got to have your favorites. For the past few years I've followed Kiwibird and SandyBottom. I came across their blogs a few years ago (this was how I heard about the EC) as they trained together and I have followed them ever since. (SandyBottom will notice that I have stolen many of these photographs from her blog (hope that is ok!)). I did get to meet SandyBottom and her husband DanceswithSandyBottom (there is some imagery for you) a few months ago, and I hope someday to meet Kiwibird. I will be pulling for them all during this year's race.
Note the interesting names. Each competitor has a tribal name, sometimes descriptive, sometimes entertaining. Take a look at their Rogues Gallery to see some of the tribe.

Now I do not expect I'll ever compete in an Everglades Challenge. Somehow I don't see my favorite techniques of "anchoring in a cove reading a book/drifting along a marsh casting a lure/taking a nice afternoon nap" as good race strategies. But I have learned to never say never. And if I do compete I want to have a good name. With that in mind I reserved the name "Skeeterbeater". We'll see if I ever use it.
So while the EC crowd is gearing up for their race I am getting ready for sailing season. I had to run down to North Carolina (just 15 miles from my house) for work today and stopped along the Dismal Swamp Canal (above) to enjoy the warm sunshine. I've got four days off starting Sunday and the good weather should hold. The only thing on my schedule for the long weekend will be getting Spartina ready for a an early March launch. I can't wait!

steve

Brief Input - No Photos

I have been watching Steve's posts and really appreciate that he is constantly adding new things. Yesterday's post was about boat maintenance and warm weather. Oddly enough I spent part of today on a friends 36ft Bertram fishing boat. He bought the boat three years ago and it was ten years old then I think. The boat is in good shape and fun to cruise around on. Only real problem is that he has gasoline engines and they suck up fuel. Costly even for a short trip. We fooled with a bait well pump, worked on replacing a propane tank valve and did some sanding of the teak bright work. (Yes Steve, I should be helping you, but you are in Virginia and it's really cold there.) The temperature was 73 f at his berth and not a cloud in the sky, cool breeze. OK, I know, perfect... I like being on a boat, even a stink pot, and puttering around with various projects. I didn't take a camera with me so no photos, but as Steve has said some things are meant to be enjoyed and not photographed. This was such an occasion.

Bruce

like a heat wave

With a day off and temperature soaring to the high 40's I got a little boat work done today. Did some epoxy work on the tiller and put some paint on the cheek block spacer (the cheek block is to hold the center board pendant). Also expoxied the drain hole I drilled under the mizzen mast step. While it was a relatively warm day I used the heat from a light bulb to speed up the curing process on the epoxy. The faster the epoxy cures, I've found, the easier it is to work with.

Had some time and birthday money from the girls yesterday and went to the Bass Pro Shop across the river in Hampton. Got a nice inshore salt water fishing rod - an ugly stik - and a sunblock shirt for sailing. I'm about all set on clothes now - two pairs of pants nylon pants with zip off legs, a pair of shorts and four or five nylon sunblock shirts. That should be plenty. If anything, Bruce and I have talked about carrying less on the next cruise. A couple pair of pants and a few shirts should do it.

The fishing rod is really light weight, probably the nicest one I've ever bought. Should be perfect for trout and puppy drum. The rod is guaranteed not to break. But no guarantees on catching fish.

I was looking over the blog from the CrabHouse trip and found this photo of Bruce on the Wye River. Bruce wrote....

The wind had dropped off considerably so we had a very relaxing sail. For the first time on the cruise we had time to talk and share our thoughts from the past week. The sun was warm and it was a great afternoon.

He was exactly right. We had our hands full with small craft warnings, strong winds and waves for the first several days of the trip. It was nice that day just to relax and catch up. The SkeeterBeater trip had more calm days (with a few pretty good squalls mixed in) and we spent a lot more time kicking back and visiting about friends, family, work and just about everything else. We've had long discussions about camping, sailing, religion and even (watch out!) politics.

Each of the three trips we have done have had their own character, each with a different rhythm and feel for wind, weather and sailing. I wonder what the next trip will be like.

steve

where's the snow

I went to the Outer Banks looking for the snow storm but didn't find it. Just a light dusting of snow and some cold wind. So I drove over to Roanoke Island and visited some of my favorite spots. I used to spend a lot of time down there in the late '80's, before kids, before responsibilities when I could grab the fishing rod and head to the Outer Banks and relax.

The snow did show up further south in Oriental, check out TownDock's pages of snow photos.

Temperatures are forecast for the low 40's so maybe it will be in the 50's in my garage and I'll get some boatwork done this weekend.

steve

weather, weather

Snow in the south.

TownDock, the online news site in Oriental ran a great drawing by Laura Turgeon to help residents imagine August weather when in fact the forecast has a 90% chance of snow tonight and tomorrow.

I've got to say I'm a fan of Oriental, TownDock and Laura Turgeon. I've never met Laura (hope to someday) but Bruce and I did meet her husband Gilbert on our last sail through Oriental. He invited us over to their studio where we saw some great work by both artists. I do wish TownDock would update Laura's Drawing the Town feature on their page. But even if they don't you can still see more of her work at her own site.

And more weather. I was looking at Perry Burton's Coastal Cruising in a Pathfinder blog. Perry built the sloop rigged Pathfinder "Pikake" (a really beautiful boat) up in Newfoundland, Canada. He has an interesting post about a winter storm that damaged some of the old waterfront buildings that housed fishing gear stored by generations of fisherman. This will be a winter to remember for a lot of us on the east coast.

We've got the storm coming in tonight (I hope to sneak down to the Outer Banks to see what it is like down there) and another coming in on Monday.

So when does winter end?

steve