The Little Sailboat

My friend Chuck, has several boats, and one is a Precision 23 sailboat. When I saw the boat, I didn't see a name written across the transom. I asked about her name, he replied, "She doesn't have one. I just call her 'the little sailboat'." I told him that she needed a name, but I don't believe he thinks that's very important, so I will name her 'THE LITTLE SAILBOAT' until I come up with a better name.

Her mainsail was ripped, and in need of repair. I kept my heavy-duty portable sewing machine, so I took the sail and fixed it, now she's ready for another romp in the Atlantic.

Many homes in the Keys have canals behind the house, and Chuck's home is no exception. How convenient is that! Yesterday, Chuck and I decided to take 'THE LITTLE SAILBOAT' out for a sunset sail. We got the jib on, mainsail cover off, drinks and chips aboard, motor warmed up, cast off and headed for the channel. Once we got to the channel, the motor would die when we tried to give it gas and get on down the channel, so we slowly crabbed toward #2 marker. Once pasted #2, we turned to port and raised the sails. We barely had any wind, which was probably a good thing. Not sure of the swing keel's position, Chuck pulled up on the line, but the keel didn't fall back down. Okay, now we don't have a keel, the motor is not reliable, we decide to head back to the dock. Luckily, it's down wind and with the current, so off we go.

It was nice to be back on a sailboat, even if it was not a very successful sail, it was fun for me. I will make a list of repairs that need to be done so she can go out and have fun in the warm waters of the Atlantic. Sailboats are not Chuck's favorite mode of transportation on the water. She has spent most of her time at the dock, but I hope to change that now. :-)

Two Ducks and a Goose at Lake Bastrop

It's not often, actually it's rare, that I'm in the picture because I'm usually behind the camera. But, this last weekend I ended up on the other side a few times. Dave was in Duck Soup and I was in iDuck, we were sailing along and I saw that he was filming. I wanted to get my camera out and film him in Duck Soup, but I had both hands full and was busy staying right-side-up.

photos & video by Dave aka Super Dave and Kevin.

Dave also got Kevin in his goose.

Click the link below to see Super Dave in Duck Soup.

Super Dave! PunkSailor.com

The wind was blowing pretty good and the occasional wave made it an interesting sail. Just thought I would share these short videos that Dave and Kevin took.

Sailing Lizards

Dale and I took our PDRacer, iDuck and baby Goose, gOZling sailing on Lake Somerville. We store the boats under a tarp in the backyard. Two lizards had set up house in Dale's boat. When I saw them the day before, I warned them that they might want to stay home, because they might not like sailing. They did not heed my warning. Dale saw them in his boat (the blue one named gOZling) when we unloaded the boats at the lake.

We arrived around 10 am, and the wind was blowing pretty good, about 20 knots. We reefed all the way down, and later in the day when the wind got up a little more, it wasn't enough. The biggest problem we had, was getting launched. We had not sailed from this location before, and did not realize that it is shallow for a long ways from the shore. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the wind was high, and trying to blow us back to shore. My plan was to video while we where sailing. But in these little boats, with the wind gusting, I had the tiller in one hand and the sheet in the other. If I get distracted for just a second, I can end up in the brink. Didn't really want to go swimming yesterday. However, I did turn it over once, but it was in only 3 feet of water. My hair didn't get wet, but everything else did.

The lizards first sail was a rough one, but they made it back to shore safe and sound. The little one pictured above, decided to come out on deck and sun for a bit before returning home. The trailer was backed into the drive and left until this morning. The little lizard was still there. The larger one, had obviously found a new and safer home.

Dolphins

With all the cold weather that we have had, my thoughts have turned to the warm days, being on the water, and our experiences.

There is just something fascinating about dolphins. I don't believe they have special powers. I don't believe they are smarter than humans, but they are fun to watch in the water. Before Dale and I started sailing, I had never seen them up close. Galveston Bay, where we usually sail, has dolphins and can be seen on occasion.

In 2009, Dale and I joined our friend, Eric on Escapades as crew for the annual Harvest Moon Regatta. We sailed from Kemah to Galveston and then to Port Aransas via the Gulf. We spent the weekend at Port Aransas. On our way home, as we sailed through Aransas Bay, a pod of dolphins joined us. I didn't get my camera, which was down in the cabin, because I thought by the time I got back on deck, they would be gone. After about 4 or 5 minutes, they were still swimming with us, so I ran and got the camera. They were so close, I could have almost touched them. This day will stay with me forever. Here is a short video of that time. Enjoy.

Attitude

The last few days, it's been way too cold to work on paradox. I don't have any news on the build, so I thought I would share one of our sailing stories.

It was Memorial Day Weekend of 2008. We had been sailing with our new friend, Eric, for about four or five months. Eric is the owner of Escapades, an Irwin 41 ketch. This is a nice cruising boat and very comfortable. Eric asked if we wanted to take a trip with him since Dale had a couple of days off. We jumped at the chance.

The first day we sailed from Kemah to Galveston and then we headed down the Intracoastal Waterway for Freeport. This was our first time on the ICW, also known as "the ditch". We motored some, because the angle of the wind would change with every turn the ditch made, and the trees on the banks would blanket the wind. It was sundown and we decided to anchor in what is known as "$30K Cut" just east of Freeport. After an early breakfast, we set out for Matagorda. The trip was very relaxing, and we were learning first hand how to negotiate passing the many barges that call the ICW home. We went through a set of locks crossing the Brazos River and dodged tree branches as they floated by, on our way to Matagorda. There, we docked Escapades on the bulkhead at the marina. After a delicious meal at a nearby restaurant and a hot shower at the marina head, we settled down for a restful night which consisted of a movie and then sleep.

The next morning, we woke to a 25 knot wind that had us pinned to that bulkhead. After a lot of work (that's a story for another time), we finally got off that bulkhead and headed back down the ICW. Eric noticed that the engine was overheating. I took over the wheel, and Dale and Eric looked at the engine to see what the problem was. The heat exchanger hose had a hole and was losing water. This was not something that could be fixed while on our journey, so a decision had to be made. We shut off the engine and put three sails. The wind was strong and she loved the angle. We were sailing at an average of 7 knots down the ICW. It was exciting.

Eric wasn't sure what we, as newbies, could withstand. He didn't want to turn us against sailing with what might become a hard trip. He gave us three options and let us decide what to do.

1. Limp back to Freeport, dock the boat, rent a car and drive back to Houston.

2. Call Tow US, be towed all the way back to Kemah. That would have been very expensive!

3. Go ahead and sail to Galveston. We would not get there until about 1 in the morning.

Dale and I looked at each other, and without hesitation, we said, "It's a sailboat and we have good wind. Let's sail to Galveston." Well, being the newbies that we were, we didn't find out until later, that NOBODY goes down the ICW at night! The wind was strong, which means the barges have to head into the wind to varying degrees depending on their load. If they are running empty, they take up most of the ditch. And, yes we did encounter some running empty.

When we arrived at the locks, we had to start up the engine to circle and wait for our turn to go through. In order for the engine to not get too hot, Dale had to continually pour fresh water into the heat exchanger, one cup at a time. There is only about a six inch clearance between the heat exchanger and the top of engine enclosure. This was a hot and tedious job, and the water was leaking out about as fast as Dale was pouring it in. But, Dale kept the engine running long enough for us to get past the locks and bridges we had in our path, with only a few burns on his hand.

After the sun went down, it got DARK, but we had enough moonlight to see the shore line and stay in the ditch. The ICW cuts through Chocolate Bay. This is about 3 miles marked with floating markers. They are not lighted. Dale and I got flashlights and we shone our light on the buoy as we approached them. When Eric saw it, he would yell, "Got it." As we sailed on, we would find the next marker. That's how we made it through Chocolate Bay and then again when we got to Offatts Bayou at Galveston. We did get to Offatts about 1 o'clock, anchored, opened the hatches and that was the best sleep Dale and I have ever had.

The last day of our trip was easy back to Kemah with the wind at our back on Galveston Bay. That was one of our many fun trips with Eric on Escapades. That next Christmas, we gave Eric a plaque that says:

ATTITUDE: The difference between

an ordeal and an adventure.

That weekend, we had an adventure. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing you have accomplished something that most would not even try.