Thursday, July 10, 2008

8.8

Yea Baby.
8.8 knots. That's what we got in 15 knots of wind, on a reach. I've got a picture of the speedo too, just in case nobody believes the old tub can go that fast. We asked for a breeze, and we got it. We waited for a lull in the wind to leave the dock, because of my special ability to kiss it before we are clear. Got to work on that. We motored out of the bay figuring the wind will die off. It did, a little, until we got the sails up in the lake, and caught a 15 knot gust which zoomed us up to 8.8 knots. I'm liking it. We were out there all damn day having fun. Only two other sailboats got to enjoy it with us. The biting flies came out towards evening, so we headed in, only to pick up more wind toward shore. This gave us a chance to haul it all in, and see how she does upwind. Yes, 7.2 knots with a reefed genny, and I'm a happy camper. Just like the wife, "I think I'll keep her" :0 Shouldn't catch any crap for that comment. Alert is looking like a good speedy craft, like WhisperIII, only without all the heeling, and bouncing, and early reefing. My old ass needs a comfy ride now. Thursday we have more wind, too much actually, so we sit and relax, read, nap, do odd jobs. Yesterday was a bit stormy, so we read, napped, did odd jobs. I could get used to this :)

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Lazy Days of summer

We're just hanging out relaxing, and getting really sleepy. We need a strong breeze to get our blood going. Been some pretty slow sailing so far. We have had some spectacular sunsets though. Things are pretty quiet at the marina. That's good for us, bad for business. Been wondering about how my batteries will hold out overnight with the fridge running. I should probably test this before actually hanging on a hook. Don't want my Popsicles to melt. Yesterday we sailed out past the bluffs again, then drifted back, then caught a 10 knot breeze to close haul it back in. Alert handled very nice upwind. We got 4.5 knots out of 9, knot bad :) It was tough to keep our eyes open while drifting. Deb managed to nod off, while I just closed my eyes a few times. It's called geezer sailing. Go out and take a nap. Good thing we don't do this in a car.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Robin - Fire Goddess

My sister the firebug, thinks gasoline is a good starter. Patience is not one of her virtues. Thankfully she is fine, and not in a burn unit right now. Just has no eyebrows, which I just have to see. I posted some videos of other people she can relate to. Love ya Bird :)

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Family+1

Together again, on a boat. This time there was no whining, no "when are we going back", "I'm too hot", "I'm too cold", blah blah blah. We had a beautiful sail, on a great day, reaching out to the bluffs and back. Could not have wished for a better day. It was great to have Kell and Nic on board. We even allowed Eric the surfer dude to come along. Nic got a break from the Indiana heat, to ride the cool waters of Lake Ontario. It was great to see her again after all this time. Quite a change from the last time we were all together on a boat. My girls are growing up. Now that they're working stiffs, they appreciate the quiet moments on the water, relaxing, and enjoying themselves. Life was good this weekend, because I had all my babes on board. We're going to finish off another week at the barge. Hopefully we'll get some sailing in between all the thunderstorms predicted. A mini- cruise might be in order. This video was made for Carol (my favorite mother-in-law). Don't worry Mom, we'll give you plenty of advance notice before we shove off :)