April 17, 2009, 10:56 am, San Diego, CA
On Sunday the 5th of April, my wife JoAnne and I left Colorado Springs and the bitter, blowing cold and snow and headed for sunny, warm, breezy San Diego - and our sailing course.
We spent the next seven days aboard a 30' yacht called "Karena Del Mar". The boat belongs to the San Diego Sailing Academy. We were picked up by Nick and delivered to the boat to check it out, inventory things and decide on our week of provisioning. We were "on our own" to do all of that. My wife and I raised five children and used to cook for all the kids and most of the neighborhood over the years had no problem with that part. (So we ate well during the week, and supplemented our food with various restaurants during the week.)
We met our instructor, Mike, on Sunday afternoon.
Over the course of the week we sailed most days, studied and tested for the ASA courses. By the end of the week we had passed all our tests, and sailed solo a few times.
But, on Friday morning we had asked Mike to come back and run through a few things with us. He had already signed off on our certifications by then and told us to sail out, have some fun, anchor out one evening (near by) and then we could sail or whatever on Saturday.
The instruction on Friday morning was during rather calm breezes and the day was supposed to remain pretty calm - so we were confident when Mike finished with us that we were going to do just fine.
So we motored out of the Kona Kai Marina and out to the bay, raised our sails and noted that from the time we left to the time we got in a location we could safely raise sails and be clear of the shoals near by, the winds had changed and we'd be sailing on a run.
So - run we did. It was great. We sailed for about an hour into the bay and decided we were pretty tired from most of the work that week and wanted to just relax so we turned around and started tacking back.
Then the wind started getting shifty and pretty soon I was doing my best to keep the sails in the right position while she drove the boat. At one point we got caught trying to drive upwind - and of course, we stalled out.
Then the winds changed, quickly. From one direction to another and we saw others having trouble as well. Several start dropping sails - and we weren't in a good position to do much at that point so started trying to turn to tack back, but the wind was gusty and I couldn't get control of the main.
Suddenly the wind whipped the boom from one side to the other - I looked up at the windex thinking it was coming from behind - but it wasn't. Before I could sheet in the main, it shifted off port and the boom whipped wildly to the starboard side ripping the mainsheet out of my hand. Before I knew what happened a loud explosion rocked our senses.
JoAnne let out a yell and I struggled to recover the main sheet as it headed over the side of the boat, along with the block and tackle which had ripped loose from the traveler. I yelled to JoAnne to point the boat into the wind at that point as best she could. She was trying. I grabbed the line and shoved it through the big ring on the traveler and cinched it down to a winch to be able to hold it until we got the boat under control.
About that time - the strangest thing happened. A dolphin leaped out of the water well above my head, off the starboard side a few feet away. JoAnne calmed down and I heard her say, "OoooooooOo!"
I thought, "Cool! But, no time for that now!"
At that point she'd gotten the engine started, in gear and pointed us to the wind giving me the chance to tighten down the boom, and I clambered up and dropped the mainsail. (I should mention at this point the jib was already down.)
JoAnne held the boat to the wind for the amount of time it took me to drop the mainsail and I tied everything down and then discovered that a shackle had practically exploded. Collected the pieces and we switched positions so I could drive the boat under power back.
We discussed for a minute whether we should go back and call it a day, or anchor out. She was in favor of going back and thought we'd "broken the boat". I showed her the parts and said, "Check in side the lazeratte, I'll bet there's parts in there."
Sure enough, she found a matching shackle and pin. So I made the decision for us.. Anchor out, fix the boat and let the instructor know what happened after we got settled in.
So - we did. We anchored out that night in very 'breezy conditions' (needless to say) and our "anchor test" passed well. Held all night (even though I checked it throughout the night) and the boat swung through over 180 degrees through the night. Other boats did the same nearby us. We left a message for the instructor.
Next morning they met us at the slip as we pulled in and congratulated us on "being REAL sailors" and handling ourselves without problems....
We have the broken shackle and pin and I'm going to put it on our own boat and keep it as a "good luck charm".
We want to thank Mike and Nick, our instructors, San Diego Sailing Academy and a nameless dolphin for all the instruction, advice and "help".
So - we're no longer "wannabe" sailors. We're no longer "Sailors on Paper".
We are sailors.
Rick and JoAnne Donaldson
Colorado Springs, CO
S/V Winds of Change
(A few pictures - and please if you're reading here, and aren't a member, join http://www.anything-sailing.com - great forum, great people!)
http://www.anything-sailing.com/album.php?albumid=66
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March 24, 2009, 12:26 pm, Colorado Springs, CO
It's been chilly for a couple of days, but Sunday JoAnne and I were able to get out and clean out the interior of the boat. We made ready the cushions and deck (carpet... ick, I like blue, but why put carpet in a boat? Haven't figured that out yet....)
She did the vacuuming and I had cleaned the cushions, and their covers, and recovered them myself because, man that is some heavy foam they put in them. Oh well...
I still have a table to build. The old one was damaged, even broken. It needs to serve as the flooring as well to form a bed area where you would normally sit to eat inside the boat. So, probably this weekend, since I'd like to get it accomplished before we leave in April.
I haven't written much lately, being busy with other things - but figured it was time to put a new entry into the blog.
So we head out on the first weekend of April for San Diego. We chose the "San Diego Sailing Academy" - and though I couldn't find much about them, and they were more expensive that pretty much everyone else I had heard a couple of good things and very little bad about them.
The one thing I liked it one instructor for two people, and they seem to specialize in couples so this suits my wife and I. Being a former instructor I will be probably somewhat less 'critical' of certain things, but will be writing both a blog entry here, as well as a review of the school and training we receive.
Over the winter I've done quite a bit of 'piddly things' in the boat, removed the old overhead and painted instead of replacing it with wood (and carpet, yuk!).
I also replaced the bow running lights. The old stuff simply fell apart when I started to examine it, so I replaced the front with LED lights. I've picked up a 55 Watt solar panel and a 100 W charge controller and have all the parts to build a full, twelve circuit, fused electrical panel. Probably a bit of overkill for this small boat, but I want to be able to add a few circuits, to include a couple of radios (Amateur) as well as control all the lights separately. I've already drawn the schematics, and a layout in Visio, but have yet to start drilling the panel to mount switches. Probably do that after we put the boat in the water for the first time.
We also raised our sails up and looked them over. The jib needs repair. There's a torn ring. I'm going to cut out the ring, sew in a patch and simply do without the ring that was there. If we keep the boat more than two years, I'll replace the sails. Otherwise, they will be fine for a couple more seasons.
I also cleaned the bottom as best I can reach for now. Doesn't need paint, amazingly.
The other thing to do this week is replace the lettering for the state registration, and put my state sticker on the boat.
JoAnne has been working on figuring out how to 'build a bed'. So far, we don't have a mat for the forward berth and not sure we will have one very soon. Foam is expensive.... so we will come up with something to get us through this first season with the boat.
We will be back from school after the second week of April. The third week, I hope to put the boat in the water for her first sail since she came out of Blue Mesa.
We're planning an "official, traditional naming ceremony" since the boat appears to have never been named on any forms, papers or by the three previous owners. My family has been invited, as has the previous owner if he wishes to come, and a couple of friends. If nothing else, my wife and I will have a nice quiet fun time of naming the boat, and sailing her that afternoon.
A couple other notes.
We purchased a new GPS unit. Haven't gotten it in the mail yet, but hope to have it before we depart for San Diego. It's a Garmin Colorado 400C and looks like a pretty good unit. Has coastal charts and can add a memory card and other maps - so we will be adding some inland maps later on.
All in all, this has been interesting, learning as much as we can before we actually step aboard a boat and putting ourselves in the hands of a hopefully, competent instructor to give us the hands-on, on-the-job-training we're going to need - basically giving us the confidence to take our own boat out on a lake (not the ocean yet!)....
Next entry should be when we get back.
Thanks for reading all!
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November 24, 2008, 10:11 am, Colorado Springs
Yesterday, it was sunny, warm and breezy, for a November day in Colorado. The temperate was in the high 50s and low 60s most of the day.
JoAnne decided to run to the store to pick up some items for the Thanksgiving dinner at my daughter's house on Thursday.
I, on the other hand, begged off of shopping and stood up the six foot ladder, and climbed aboard "Winds of Change" for some rope work. Ok, well, Mast Work.
Over the course of the last week I manufactured a gin pole, found some good rope and prepped that, found some double pulley blocks, brackets and assorted hardware and have been assembling, drilling, and generally laying things out.
Yesterday, once aboard the boat, I turned on the radio to some country music (we don't have a "Sailing Music All the time" FM station in Colorado Springs for some reason, and I just didn't feel like dragging out the iPod and Jimmy Buffet right then...) and started putting things together.
After awhile, I was ready. JoAnne was due back shortly, so I called my buddy Steve, whom I've known for about 25 years. We worked together in Washington, DC many years ago during the Reagan and Bush years at the White House Communications Agency. Steve lives a couple blocks away from me these days.
So, with the Admiral arriving with groceries, and me as the Skipper - and very shortly, the "First Mate" arrived and I gave Steve the most difficult job... sort of.
I asked him to pin the front stay when the mast was raised. He seemed disappointed when I told him JoAnne would be raising the mast, and I'd be ensuring nothing hung up, and the mast went straight into place.
So he positioned himself at the bow, I positioned myself under the mast to hold it in cast something "let go", and JoAnne stood on the port side of the cockpit with line in-hand. Once I double checked (for the fourth or fifth double-check of the day) all the shrouds, stays, connections, bolts.... I told her "Hoist away!"
She say "Aye!" and began to pull on the rope. It moved easily, and rather quickly. The mast raised into place and settled into position.
Steve had problems. The forestay bracket was almost exactly one half and inch too short to make it to the front bracket. He suggested laying the mast back down. I told him to stand by a minute.
JoAnne tied off the line for the block and tackle and Steve remained there to hold the forestay to keep the mast in place. I climbed down, surveyed the problem and realized that we were pulling on the mainsail halyard (used it to haul up the mast actually from the end of the gin pole). I saw that the jib halyard pulley is about 3 inches above where the forestay connects to the mast. So, I told Steve to prepare to pin the bracket.
I climbed aboard, had JoAnne give us a tug on the block and tackle, I tied off one end of the jib halyard, grabbed the free end and pulled. The mast bowed slightly in the middle, gave Steve the half inch and a bit more he needed, he bolted the pin into place and viola! We had mastage!
Ok, well, we're all happy, it is the first time we've actually raised a mast on a boat and it demonstrates that any of the three of us could have accomplished this alone... something I needed to make sure I could do, or JoAnne could so.
The mast will remain in place for a couple of weeks in the yard while I check sails, pulleys (have checked them on the ground, but need to make sure it all works as it should).
I know there is at least one issue with my jib - and might have to replace it, we'll see though. Perhaps it will be usable.
Anyway - we raised a cup of coffee since we didn't have any wine handy at the time. But, I'm very happy we were able to bring the mast up so easily.
I'll add some pictures later today when I get home.
Rick
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November 22, 2008, 11:40 am, Colorado Springs, CO
Over the past couple of weeks I've not really had time to write here however I did work on the boat.
Finished up the deck, where the Mast Step is located, after removing all the hardware I re-glasses, sanded and painted the surface. I added a new overheard brace between the beam and the overhead, redrilled all the holes for the brackets on the mast step and then checked all the hardware on the shrouds, stays and so forth.
I have mounted a swivel bracket to the base of the mast, modified a long pole to become my gin pole and did a couple of tests.
I need a couple of good, solid, double-pulleys and about 150 feet of new rope for the block and tackle, then we can step the mast for the first time. Going to pick up the rope today and get some pictures of me raising the mast for the first time.
If I get this right, JoAnne will be able to easily raise the mast as well herself without any help from me.
I still need to build some kind of a roller assembly at the stern of the boat over which we can raise the mast to make it sit properly and at the right angle to put the step pin through.
Also, I need to build a good, solid bridle or harness to hold the gin pole as everything is coming up and into place. Should, with luck and if the weather holds out, have that all working this weekend.
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November 11, 2008, 1:52 pm, Colorado Springs
Been pretty busy and haven't had time to add anything here, so just some quick updates.
We pulled all the old cushions out and checked them, washed the covers and will put them back together sometime soon.
Picked up a small, leather-bound note book to keep records and notes for myself. Called it "Captain's Log" however presumptive that might be.
I have repaired the deck where the mounting for the mast goes. Had to remove the hardware and then sanded it down to remove the surface paint, then reglassed the upper part under the mast housing.
The problem there was leaking from one of the bolts, which had rotted the inside overhead, the wood on the overhead and carpet. The bracing beam was fine so I added a heavy piece of ply wood, pounded the beam back in place and remounted all the hardware.
We tried to step the mast this weekend but could not due to the boat being too far back in the back and the mast being long enough to prevent raising it. The other problem was we couldn't get the bottom of the mast raised enough and at the right angle to push the pin bolt through, so gave up for now.
All of the hardware on the rigging is in good shape.
Things I really need to do soon are:
1) Remove the motor and check it out and make sure it is prepared for winter.
2) Remove the flotation material and crawl back into the stern, remove the bolts and the wooden brace from the rudder area, measure and make a new wooden brace.
3) I need to look at replacing the overhead wood - but that's not a big rush - if I don't, I need to fill the bolt holes temporarily though.
4) Build a gin pole
5) and the list goes on.
I want to have the boat prepared by the end of March to put her in the water. We're going to probably have a sign shop make a name for her - but we're also considering whether to register her with the Coast Guard because we want to sail her in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers sometime in the next two years.
I think that is all for the time being. I'll post more when I have more time.
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October 28, 2008, 7:36 pm, Monarch Pass Colorado
Here's a picture of us in front of the boat.
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