09/15/2008, Still in my driveway - actually its back in the garage.
I had originally planned for a Spring 07 launch. Didn't happen.
Then I planned a Spring 08 launch. Didn't happen either.
But it is so near complete I really think it will happen soon. At least just an inagural trip to prove that it floats before another winter lay up.
Structurally everything is complete. The standing rigging is complete. I've made my sails from Poly Sail and test fitted them to the mast. I have only to install running rigging and hardware and hang the rudder & tiller. The rudder and rudder box and tiller have all been fabricated but have not yet been hung on the boat.
How much longer? Only time will tell ... some say that I'm procrastinating; but I have really had a lot going on this year ... both on and off the job.
Let's keep our fingers crossed ...
On the other hand ... we had a real nice sailing themed vacation this summer and the wife realy enjoyed that.
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07/27/2008, Old Mystic Seaport, CT
Short story ...
We visited Mystic and had a great time.
We saw a lot of small sailboats - looked like summer camp kids learning to sail.
We ate a really nice brunch at a diner on the shoreline ...
And turned down a real nice opportunity to sail a catboat.
There was a ~17' catboat there at the waterfront that rented for a very reasonable fee. I was standing there looking at the sign on the dock when the wife says "are we gonna rent that boat?"
I said "no" ... and we kept going.
Later that evening she asked me why we didn't go rent the catboat ... she said she thought I really wanted to go sailing there in the old seaport.
I responded "I didn't think you were up to another "thriilling" adventure."
She gave me a funny look and said "what are you talking about?"
I explained that the last thing I wanted to do there in the bay was get her into another thrilling situation. She responded that she was serious the other day about the Hobie and that she really did enjoy it - thrills and all.
I guess I really did miss a great opportunity with the catboat. (But the again, the last thing I needed was to get out there with a bunch of kids in Puddle Ducks and crash through them in a big catboat.)
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07/25/2008, Kitty Hawk, NC
The youngest son moved to New Hampshire in February this year - took our 2yr old grandaughter with him (actually, I guess the granddaughter really belongs to him & his wife) so we had to go visit. We spent one week going across the country, visiting the Outer Banks, and visiting Old Mystic Seaport, CT before we continued on to VT & NH to visit them.
While visiting the OBX - we rented a Hobie Wave at Kitty Hawk/Kill Devil Hils. The first hour and a half we had a really great time sailing the sound. The last half hour was a different story.
Now, I never saw any markers, and the water is not clear and the rudders are maybe 30" deep? Yep, we kicked up the rudders in shallow water. We go from really being in control to riding a runaway pony in a flash. And did I mention that we ran aground in a marsh doing about 10-12 kts?
So I get out and muscle the Hobie back into water deep enough to float and hang on to the rudder bar (tiller was useless) and manhandle the thing back out to deeper water (4' maybe). I head up into the wind and ask the wife to hold it into the wind while I lock the rudders back down ... three or four times ... every time I'd get it pointing into the wind (stopping forward progress) and go to the back to lock down the rudders the boat would turn off the wind and take off like a rocket .. er, sailboat ... dragging me behind it!
I finally gave up trying to get the rudders to lock down ... and quit trying to manhandle the rudder bar ... and started sailing with the sheets! Got it close enough to the buoy to round up and jump off and tie it up before it got away.
Later that day I attempted to apologize for the mishap on the Hobie ... the wife's response ... "What mishap?"
I said "the last twenty minutes, when I couldn't control it."
She said "I thought it was thrilling"
I guess it's just from which perspective you see things, eh?
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