yesterday

A wonderful day on the water.  Used the GoPro just to make sure I've got the apps on the new computer and iPad set up correctly.  

Chilly early in the day with light wind.  Breezier and warmer by mid-day.  I really enjoy winter sailing on the Pasquotank River.

sunday sail

Finally, a day off and good weather. Perfect!

spring, the long sail

I am told I may have more free time this coming year.  That could mean some longer sailing trips.

For spring I had been planning a ten day trip on Tangier Sound.  With the extra time I'm now looking at something like a month-long trip in North Carolina.  I've roughed out a possible trip, above.  Putting in at Potter's Marine I would head north on the Pungo River, take the canal up to the Alligator River, sail west on Albemarle Sound toward Edenton.  Then back east down the sound to Roanoke Island, south on Pamlico Sound, Ocracoke, the Neuse River and New Bern.  Back down the Neuse to Adams Creek Canal, Beaufort, Cape Lookout, Core Sound.  From there north to the Pamlico River up to Little Washington and then back to Potter's Marine.

It's just a thought right now.

Webb Chiles: the interview

Just came across this in an email.  Note the first topic:  "Webb Chiles Interview."  I look forward to reading this.   

trailer month

Unseasonably and incredibly warm these days, but the weather is not good for sailing.  Rainy and gusts up into the 30s, SPARTINA will not be out on the water this weekend.

February has become the annual trailer month for me.  I've placed an order with Loadrite for hangers, leaf springs and bushings.  The hangers on my trailer are corroded.  When the new ones arrive I will coat them a few times with liquid galvanizing.  

The leaf springs are also "sprung".  While the trailer is rated for 1000 lbs, I noticed that the o.e.m. leaf springs - with two leafs and 22" long - were rated for 600 lbs.  I will replace with 22" leaf springs with three leafs, rated at 1000 lbs.

The leaf springs hang from the frame by four hangers, above (which is inverted in the catalog image), and the leaf springs sit on top of the axle.  Should be a simple enough project that could be completed in a few hours.

I'll also drop the hubs off with the nice ladies at Portsmouth trailer and have the bearings repacked.  Then I should be ready to go.

Hoping for better weather next weekend.

ten years later

This afternoon I came across one of my photographs of the amphibious assault ship BATAAN in the Washington Post.  It ran with a story about the current crisis in the Mideast.  A few minutes later I heard from a friend, the young lady with the machine gun below, reminding me it was 10 years ago this month that the two of us got on the BATAAN at Naval Station Norfolk and headed south for Haiti on an earthquake relief mission.

During the trip I remember the commanding officer talking about the capabilities of an amphibious assault ship - they can carry thousands of marines; launch hovercraft and landing craft from the well deck; launch helicopters and certain types of fixed wing aircraft from the flight deck.  "We can bring help just as well as we can bring harm," he said.  I am glad we were there when they were bringing help.