How do you work this thing, wha?

Boating Adventure #5

August 6th, 2011

Before I begin, let me first explain the hats.

100 degree August weather with UV index of 10, and heat index of 115 dictates that fashion is merely secondary to comfort. I have come to terms with this.

Within 6 hours we drank 1 gallon and a half a piece, accidentally broke the autobailer, and almost lost the boat.

We learned a lot in those 6 hours and the degradation of our appearance, slowly, through photographic time, is the true testament to that fact.

Now for our first sailing raw footage!

This takes place on the Eastern most side of the lake where we caught some serious wind and were booking it for forever. This was before we realized why other boats don't go near the dead-wind dam side. It was a fun ride to the dam, but a slow going back.

I get tangled in my hat and sunglasses midway through Matt's recording. Pretty awesome.

Matt also wanted me to tell the story of how we almost lost the boat.

It was an hour into sailing and we were on the West end of the lake, just picked up speed on a port tack, getting very comfortable. A little too comfortable. That was when Matt decided to go to the bow of the boat to dip his feet in the water.

This isn't an unusual occurrence, this feet dip technique. It's done whenever the impulse arises, and always up at the top of the bow. As we are meandering near an island, a significant and angry gust of wind pulls the boat at an alarming rate. It was like going near the island, there was some sort of vacuum created by the wind splitting over it (my Captain Kirk theory).

It happened so fast, one minute we were upright and the next the boat is at a 65 degree angle to the water, starboard side first. We were flipping, or as we say in the south, tumping over.

Quick like a cat Matt fell on the port side, readying to right the boat should the sails go down and the centerboard come out of the water. I let go of the rudder, remembering that "when in doubt let it out", but I forgot that when in shock the rudder isn't the only thing that needs to be let out.

Meanwhile Matt is yelling at me to loosen the sail as the mainsheet is cleated ever so tightly at my feet. I pick up my jaw and furiously tug at it, as water is seeping, no, pouring into the cockpit. As soon as the sail is loose, the sailboat is upright as if it never happened. Only there's about a foot of water in the cockpit and a shaking girl and a drenched and smug boy.

But we made it.

More Reasons to Learn to Sail!

Searching sailing blogs, I stumbled upon one that highlights the advantage of a sailboat in the pending zombie apocalypse. http://EVK4.blogspot.com

I wouldn't say that I'm a total nerd about it, but (full disclosure) I love anything zombie-related. Be it feature films, video games, re-working of Jane Austen books, and sailing blogs, I crave it.

For a good plan to escape them, please read:

http://evk4.blogspot.com/2010/09/sailors-will-survive-zombie-apocalypse.html

braaaains...

Sailing Wishlist # 32

I caught wind of this cool shop, Batten, based out of Brooklyn. I was browsing stylesight.com, which brought me to one of my new favorite blogs: A Continuous Lean (ACL) and then came the article which should be linked at the bottom.

With sweet vintage-looking, sailor-friendly weather gear, all made in the U.S., I can't wait til these duds come out to the public. Check it out!

http://www.acontinuouslean.com/2011/07/26/introducing-batten-sportswear/#more-22477

Lightening and No Wind Makes Libby Very Dull

So, lack of wind has led to lack of posts : ( sorry

We actually went out for an hour Wednesday knowing that the weekend weather outlook was hairy. It was a lot of fun and we did learn some new ways to trim the sails, but it is difficult when you are on land, trying to pull the boat in before it gets dark and being the subject to one million mosquito aerial attacks all at once. I forgot to bring my nice camera to capture the action, but I did take some "artistic" Hipstamatic pictures with my iPhone afterwards.

Notice Matt's endearing "Let's go home now" face.

Love it.

Now where can I find a Member's Only Jacket to match...

I'm up in the club, rub a dub a dub dub... :)

Look out world! We have passed the red velvet rope and have officially been accepted into Grand Maumelle Sailing Club.

Sam's Club is cake next to getting into this!

I guess I've been a little impatient as I have been bugging the head of membership all month, but now I feel super elite and posh and ready to eat a shrimp cocktail for the hell of it!

Don't get me wrong though, it is really down to earth here. It's all volunteer run so the monthly dues are super low. Since it is not a "Yacht Club" like other "Clubs" we've heard of (*cough* Austin Yacht Club *cough*) it means you get to hang with all the riff raff who actually know how to sail without having to employ a full crew, captain, chef and Yorkie pooper scooper. This is the real deal, where the nitty of the gritty sailors post up. And the best part is, we can keep our boat with the mast up behind secure gates, seconds to the launching dock! Yessssssss!

So tired of hauling it out, stepping mast, launching, coming back, un-stepping, hauling back to downtown. Pain in the ass.

Check it out:

www.gmsc.org

VooDoo Lady 7/17/11

Shaking that stick and driving me crazy...

Sierra's sailing debut!!!!

Outfitted with the proper doggy life saving floatation device, she was born to sail.

It was a little shaky when we launched and she accidentally fell off and furiously tried to paddle us to shore, but she got her sea legs shortly after that incident and loves it just as much as Matt and I.

This trip out the wind was on our side. A steady ESE 9 mph wind kept us moving, and going super fast! We didn't need our jib for the first hour, it would have been too much horsepower and all we really wanted to do was cruise and get used to the boat's feel.

But ooooooh snap! You can really feel it in the smaller boats! Matt said it best when he commented that the closer down to the water you are, the more in touch with the boat's subtle movements you are, you feel a connection. And at times I had to take heed and let the rudder or sail out, because we were heeling more than I'm comfortable with for the time being. We have it sorted out that I'm the rudder girl and Matt is best at trimming the sails, which is perfect because that's all you need!

Sierra, Matt and I are the three best friends that anyone could have and we'll never ever ever leave each other.

Sailing Buddies

This... is not our boat. Unfortunately. It is a gorgeous 27 Starwind that our friends from sailing class own. Clay and his wife Kris were gracious enough to invite us out on a sail at dusk two Sundays ago where we also met their friends Trish and Travis. Very relaxing and fun hanging out, listening to music, cruising toward the sunset. Travis wanted so badly to jump in the lake water, he reminded me of a little boy on the edge of the pool at adult swim. Fortunately there was the bucket: Wilson the 2nd and this gave us much needed relief from the heat. The original Wilson had, much like the movie, been swept away with the sheer force of the pull of the ocean (or lake in this case). I love the pictures of the girls on the bow!

Maiden Voyage on the Fair Weather Flaneur

June 17, 2011

First OFFICIAL day of sailing on the Flaneur, our 16" O'day Daysailer II circa 1979.

Woohoo!

We actually tried in April one weekend and nothing would work. The engine started to work when tested but cut off as soon as we were out in open water. As if that wasn't enough, our centerboard wouldn't fall down either (found out later that a build up of mud-dobber's nests in the centerboard compartment were to blame). We called in for a tow, all was well, but a great sailing day was lost..:(

This time around it was the weekend after sail school. We were good, ready, confident, possibly a little cocky, had our game faces on. BUT, as with everything in sailing and in life, nothing is for certain. The motor was switched by the repairshop to another evinrude 2hp owner earlier that week. Once we got ours back and tried it out at the dock found that the pull had no recoil. Awesome. Super-TOed at the repairshop-that-will-not-be-named in North Little Rock.

But after sail school, we were confident little sailors: "we don't need no stinkin' motors!"

We launched off sans motor and I was so happy to be sailing that I forgot everything I learned. This was great help to Matt who was manning the jib and main and was desperately trying to plant the boat advantageously to the dying wind as I sit there "oooh, look at the pretty bird!"

As you can see in the pictures, Matt came to the rescue with a paddle to slowly help us back to the dock.

So it didn't go totally perfect, but it was a great first try and we had some good fun and terrible champagne!

GMSC Hooked on Phonics Sailing Edition - Adults Only

It was work on Friday at 3:00 pm and my cell phone sounded off. I usually don't take calls from my cell phone at work, part of the reason being I don't hear it or I'm not by my desk, but the other part being my work is run like a well oiled viking slave ship most days.

Fatefully I answered and was invited to Grand Maumelle Sailing Club adult learn to sail, with class starting that night at 7:00. Nicole, the coordinator, called everybody on the waiting list, 10 people, and I was the only one that managed to answer. Sailing on club members' 24-30 foot keel boats all weekend.... Yes, please!

Super proud of Matt and I for surviving our first day of school. First part of the day we learned as much as we could with hands on experience, had varied shifting wind and came in safely. Start off great in the afternoon until a harrowing random little popcorn storm developed over Lake Maumelle with 40 MPH wind and waves so forceful they broke the welding on the dock. This was a good time to have 40 foot metal mast in the middle of the lake....

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of this madness; my camera was stuck on board Captain Drew's J boat when our whole crew left everything to literally outrun the lightening hitting the water. 20 minutes in, with the waves crashing the other boats into the docks, Drew's mooring line came loose with his excellent J 24 steadily on course to run aground. At the last minute Drew saved her by running the Jib halyard as quickly as possible. Epic save!

Again, too bad I didn't have any photographic record of this, only the goofy pictures afterward where it would look like any normal day but Matt and I are so plainly rocked and soaked by the crazy events.

Second day was opposite with zeeero wind, but it was good to know the tricks of low wind sailing. Pop open a cold one, yer gonna be here a while...

Thanks to Jon, Nicole, Bruce, Jeff and Drew of GMSC for letting us novice greenhorns a chance at the helm!