"When I think of all the fools I've been it's a wonder that I've sailed this many miles." -Guy Clark

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

a quiet sense of satisfaction

  from Webb's journal...    


       Not able to reach San Diego before dark, I hove to last evening at about 7 PM eight miles SSW of Point Loma which marks the entrance to San Diego Bay.
        I went to sleep early, woke at 10 PM to find we had hardly moved.  Woke at midnight to find us being blown west at two knots.
        I got up, got into my foul weather gear, and started sailing back east.
        I set an alarm for 3 AM and dozed some at Central, but woke before the alarm went off.  I trimmed and retrimmed the sails to put us just off Point Loma at first light at 4:30 and we were.
       There was a quiet sense of satisfaction as we rounded Point Loma and entered the bay.
        In smoother water I fit the Torqeedo, which started as it should, dock lines, and fenders.


        I thought it odd that several sailboats passed us heading out, motorsailing with main up, until I reached the Customs dock and found it almost full of boats returning from the Ensenada Race.
        I also found on the dock a small unexpected welcoming party of friends who had seen our Yellowbrick position.  
        It was a hard passage.  Hard without any severe weather.  Hard with windless wastes beyond my experience or imaginagtion.  Hard with the last 1500 miles hard on the wind.
        I will write more in time.
        I have numerous emails to respond to.  I thank you all now generally for your congratulations and will individually when I can.
        This is a significant day in my life:  the end of the second part and the beginning of the third.
        November 11, 1941.   November 2, 1974.  April 29, 2019.



Sunday, April 28, 2019

Saturday, April 27, 2019

music


finally!

deflating


Music festival, Something in the Water, was a bust yesterday with high winds arriving midday and a series of thunderstorms that lasted from early afternoon through the evening.  Sunny and clear today.  Should be a great day on the beach.

Friday, April 26, 2019

#sitw


Something in the Water, big time musical festival down at the Virginia Beach oceanfront this weekend.  Weirdness began before dawn this morning.  Should be fun.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

sole spectator


SPARTINA served admirably as the spectator fleet
for last night's races on the river.


One more day on the river and it is back to work.





Sunday, April 21, 2019

sunday service


The crew on the TEMPUS FUGIT waved.

The choir at the waterfront service
sang the gospel blues.

The guys on the ketch from Chile, up here by way of
the Caribbean and on there way to New York and
the Europe, gave a thumbs up.

The Russian girls working the counter at the
downtown diner smiled.

It was a great day on the water.  Back for more
tomorrow.  Happy Easter.


Thursday, April 18, 2019

Chestertown Life

MaryLou was nice enough to send this photo from the Chestertown Life facebook page.  I believe that is SPARTINA on the right.  At first I thought it was from a down rigging festival but now I'm am not so sure.  Maybe this past fall?  Anyway it is a nice photo and my thanks to MaryLou and photographer Jamie Kirkpatrick.


It's a good reminder that the next time I sail in to Chestertown I want to spend a day or two there.

Monday, April 15, 2019

update on Webb


Webb passed near the southern tip of Baja California in the last day or so.  Light winds out of the north right now.  Winds will strengthen but stay out of the north so we should be tacking his way up the coast.

Monday, April 8, 2019

at the ramp


Peaceful morning, non-existent breeze.


Only boat at the quiet ramp.


SPARTINA, with new spring coat, slides into the water.


Breeze arrives about noon, wonderful sailing.


Thursday, April 4, 2019

#30footpaintjob


Stand a few feet away and paint looks ok.
Add an instagram filter and it looks better.
White deck paint next week.

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

maintenance, big and small


SPARTINA is ready for her new spring coat.  Hopefully that will go on on Wednesday when the high temperature should be about 70 degrees.  The bottom paint might wait until after the spring cruise.


----------------------------------------------------------------


About a dozen miles away maintenance takes on a much larger scale with the VIRGINIA.  Above is one of her two masts.  It was cut in two and rebuilt with multiple laminations, a job I don't even want to imagine.


And while on the water the VIRGINIA'S transom was removed and is being completely rebuilt.  I'm not sure if it was a design issue or building technique, but I have heard for years that the transom was slowly separating from the hull.  Very glad to see the problem resolved.  

Still lots of work to do on the schooner's masts, rigging and transom, but he captain says no problem having her ready for the first sail of the year in a few weeks.