Anybody Sailing?

[commanderpete]

Too much technical, not enough sailing around here.

Family weekend out here. You can really pack them in on the Commander. Saturday I had 10 on board for a day sail. Sunday I had 9. Half were kids, but I was still a bit heavy in the stern. Some water coming in to the cockpit from the motor well while racing other boats. I told them it was normal.

Boat needed a good cleaning after all that spilled soda, potato chips and sneaker marks.

My record is 13 on the boat. Now that is crowded.

Hmmmm....where were these people when I was doing all that work on the boat?

[Janice Collins]

Did two overnighters the last coulple weekends before this last weekend. Winds were 15-20 knots, waves 2-4 feet. The usual around here. Perfect.
I'm practicing in preparation for that first sail single handed adventure.... Really its just a matter of guts at this stage of the game......August is my goal to take that solo leap.......

The record for Wayward Star was 4 Adults, 1 child and 1 cat for a 10 day cruise around us and British Virgin Islands. Mind you, you can't do this with just anyone....... but it was the right group, loose, easy going and adventurous. A lot of sailing, snorkling, star gazing and beachcombing (which we call going to "Sea-Mart " around here.) It was great.

[Bill]

Now there's a formula that sounds great: "Winds were 15-20 knots, waves 2-4 feet" -- and warm temperatures :cool:

[Janice Collins]

This time of year winds are usually out of the SE and mild in between the tropical waves...depressions...tropical storms and hurricanes. My favorite time for sailing.

Winter winds are out of th NE, 20-25knots to
25-35 + knots and seas 4-6, building 6-8 feet and up depending on whatever. A bit more exciting. It even gets cold enough for a sweatshirt at night!!!!!

If its rough on the northside of the islands , you can sail on the south ,the Caribbean. If its rough on the south side, you can sail the North , the Alantic. Thats why diving is so good here too. A group of us are planning on getting certified this summer.

It has been extremely hazy, due to the Sahara Desert sand which gets blown across the Atlantic. It leaves a layer of reddish dust on everything.

1996 we had a direct hit from Hurricane Bertha around July 7th, so my attentilon is turned towards the tropical waves coming off the coast of Africa.

:cool:

[ebb]

another >sigh<

[S.Airing]

Sorry Commanderpete only 3 little dinky day sails so far this year,and Im not a day sailor.Normally I go out for at least 3 days.I think Ill head out for a week this month.Ill take some pictures of the Chesapeake Bay for you.I need a BIGGER BOAT!!!

[Janice Collins]

A week sail, now I'm jealous....I've been trying to find someone to go with me for 4 days this weekend......but so far everyone is too busy.

[glissando]

Not to make everyone really jealous, but we're heading out in just over a week for a 2-month cruise down the coast of Maine...doing it right with no firm schedule, except for a Triton rendezvous in mid-August. Hopefully our recent bout of warm, summerlike weather will continue now until September (or later). It was so crappy here in Maine all May and most of June.

Final cruise loading is happening this week and next...my waterline is nearly a memory! It's amazing how much STUFF one can cram onto such a small boat.

In the meantime, I get out sailing 3-5 days a week, schedule and weather depending.

Tim

[Mike Goodwin]

Steve,
You don't need s bigger boat , you need another boat , another Ariel . Put them side by side and make a Ariel-maran or get a Triton too and make a Aritonmaran or Artritonmaran. Just dont get a Morgan Outhouse 41 , bleh !

Mike G

PS, I'm tied to the pier waiting for the USCG to "find" my documentation papers . I know all the local boarding officers , but don't want to strain the friendships , save the favors for when they really count .

[S.Airing]

Naw,I wont get a Morgan OI,I ve been looking at Allied Seawind II.I did anchor out one night,only about 2 miles from the marina just to escape the heat.The weather here on the middle bay has been bad also,no wind and high temps.

[commanderpete]

Big Sigh.

Tim, you deserve a break after all that work.

Steve, stop that nonsense about another boat, and don't let Sirocco hear you talk about cheating on her.

Janice, singlehanding is just a matter of getting in to a routine.

I'm still getting my sea legs back.

The maiden voyage a few weeks ago was a good one. I was hoping for a nice, easy sail for the shakedown cruise. But, the winds wanted to blow 20-25+ Forgot to bring the reefing lines, gloves, jacket, winch handle. No matter, I wasn't going to be denied any longer.

Hauled up that big Main sail and away we go. Bashing away, throwing some spray. Only a few other sailors out. They carry just a scrap of sail. Grace powers on by, cutting through the whitecaps. After a few hours of this, I'm totally drenched but happy. Nothing breaks, no funny noises.

Turned around for a nice long run to home. Unfurled some Genny. Pushing a big bow wave. I love that sound- hissing foam. Romping now. Riding the following seas.

All too soon I'm back home. Seems that I've forgotten how to dock in a crosswind over the winter. End up backing up over one of the dock lines and wrapping the prop. Oh well. Its a bit ugly, but I get tied off. This is not the first time that I fouled the prop. But, this is the first time the prop chewed up the line and spit it out again. Bonus.

Ah yes, its sailing time again.

[S.Airing]

Mike,Janice I always single hand Sirocco rarely do I have any crew.I find it easier,the hardest part is getting in and out of my slip.I do prefer to raft up at night for the company,but rarely do that anymore.Most people come down to my marina go out for a 2 hour sail and then go home.This is a fairly large marina about 150 slips,my old marina had about 20 but was a lot friendlier,we would go out for a weekend sail and due a raft up with 4 or 5 boats.I do miss that.

[Mike Goodwin]

Steve ,
The Allied Seawind II is a great boat , I have sailed the original prototype built in wood and also the one that was the 1st fiberglass boat to sail around the world .
Tom Gilmer is a great designer and a teriffic guy .I used to own a woodenboat he designed and had built back in '54 , she is now in the Center for Woodenboats in Seattle .
I could not fault you for getting a Seawind , the Mark II is a better boat BTW .
Gilmer sailed one for years , 70's ,80's and sold in in the early 90's .
If you sail down this way we can raft up in Crawford Bay with #45 & #105 ( Commander )and we'll treat you to a BBQ & a Beer .

[dasein668]

19 days ok?

Tim seems like the winner here, with 2 months, but my wife and I are doing almost 3 weeks in August on our Triton. Penobscot Bay and the NETA Triton rendezvous in Castine.

Other than that, 2 long weekends, with one more planned for July, and daysailing 3 or 4 days a week....

Nathan
Dasein, Triton 668
home.earthlink.net/~knatre/

[SailorLiz]

Well, I don't like being a "newbie" so I will post a message here too. We have had several daysails with family and friends. Two long 4 day weekend cruises, with another hopefully starting tommorrow. Our first cruise this season was to Mackinac Island for the Lilac Festival. Always a fun time. Other sailors friends go also, so we usually have a fun time. Of course since the Commander has that nice roomy cockpit, all of our friends come over in the morning and have coffee and baileys in our comfortable cockpit. We have an origo 3000 stove that we make our cofe on, right in the cockpit. We have a stainless steel coffeepot. Makes wonderful tasting and smelling coffee. Here is a picture of Fagel Attraction II at night. The harbormaster passes out purple lights for all of the boaters to decorate the boats with. We turn them on at 10:00 pm every night in the harbor.

[SailorLiz]

For our second weekend cruise a couple of weekends ago, we cruised about a total of 64 miles, to Hessel, Mi, then through the Les Cheneaux (pronounced Snows) Islands, and anchored out in Government Bay. We had beautiful sunsets and sunrises. I have attached a picture of Fagel Attraction II at the dock in Hessel, MI. Mu husband and I had a great time and wonderful weather. On our sail back to our home port, we got to sail with the Port Huron-Mackinac Island racers. That was fun.

[SailorLiz]

Here is a picture of Dollar Island. It is one of the small islands in the chain of 36 Les Cheneaux Islands. What do you think?

[Al Lorman]

Liz,

Is your blue hull original? I have a Commander with a blue hull, but I always assumed it had been painted at some point.

Al

[SailorLiz]

I'm not for sure. The p.o. owner said it was blue when he bought it. I think this boat has had about 4 to 5 owners. It looks like it could be original. We also had a guy stop by and talk to us this spring in the boatyard, when we were getting ready for launch. He owned many years ago, a blue hull Commander. He thought this might be it. I told him the year and hull #, but he said he remembers that he had a higher hull number. So my guess is, they also came from the manufacture in the color blue.

[Al Lorman]

Liz

I didn't intetionally post my message twice, nordid I intentionally put that odd little face in it. Sorry.

Al

[SailorLiz]

I know that you didn't do it intentionally. I thought the face was cute and interrputed as you thought you had the only good looking blue hull commander. :>

[Bill]

The administrator has been contacted about the problem . . .:cool:

Especially to figure out how the "smilies" :< got added!

[Hull376]

Liz's hull matches the color of my hull exactly (at least from the picture), and I know for sure mine is the original.

[Al Lorman]

Weren't dark blue hulls pretty daring for the 60's?