THIS IS THE SPORT WE ALL LOVE!

Here, I post a little excerpt from their news page:

Foredeck queen “Spinner” douses the “glad-bag” SHE DOES THIS FOR FUN??? My old friend Nancy “Spinner” Strayer from Seattle is one of the finest foredeck people I have ever sailed with. She travels to the BVI to act as foredeck instructor for the BVI Spring Regatta and The Rolex Regatta. She grew up on a farm in Ohio where her parents still live. Sharing her sailing experiences with her non-sailing family is always a challenge. She shared with me an excerpt of a letter to her folks with the comment “if you wondered what your foredeck instructor was thinking during those long beats at the Rolex……” “My best description of what I experience from my position as first crewperson on the rail, closest to the bow: First, imagine yourself in a lawn chair sitting in the sun. Except take away the chair back and arms. Tilt the chair back slightly, and drop the ground away so your legs are dangling 4-5 feet above the ground. Now rock the chair side to side and back and forth, in no particular order or rhythm. Still with me? Turn on one of those warehouse fans and point it directly at one of your shoulders, to the side. Imagine it being so cranked up that your hat flies off every time you look toward the fan at the wrong angle (this is why they sell strings with clips on them at marine shops). “ “Now rig a clothesline so it cuts across your stomach side to side. Strap a second clothesline about Adams’ apple height. (These are the lifelines). Comfortable? How about a 5-gallon pickle bucket of cold briny water thrown directly into your face and chest at least every 5 minutes and always when you least expect it. (And I do this for fun??) Those sitting next to you on the side away from the fan are cheering your efforts at keeping them dry. Now this scenario is only true for the first third of the crew. Those farther back get splashed a little or not at all. This is why I, as foredeck can be seen sporting foul weather gear and knee high boots in July. The driver, who doesn’t even hang her legs over, will be in shorts or tennis shoes.”

That was from http://www.sailsistership.com/news.html.

CAMPING, SAILING SOLO, AND RACING Nyquil is the best thing I have ever discovered. I finished my surgery rotation Monday, so my husband and I decided to go camping on the spur of the moment. Unfortunately, I could feel a cold coming on. I am convinced my mom sent me her cold germs in the See’s Easter candy she mailed me. Anyway, I spent a nice long cold two days being rained on in a tent with a couple of makeshift Kleenex nose tampons to staunch the flow. And so we drove home, and Matt recommends Nyquil. This stuff is amazing! After the initial distasteful swallow, your mucous membranes dry up, you feel a little buzzed, you collapse for a couple of hours and wake up to a loud *POP* from the engine of the sailing club’s car dying in front of your driveway. So, being zonked on Nyquil, I was able to drive the sailing team to Chicago for our first race.

The sailing was good. One of my teammates lives on a little lake, so we spent Saturday taking turns sailing up and down the lake in a little Butterfly, while the others stoked the bonfire on a little island in the middle of the lake. That was my first time sailing absolutely solo. It was fun! It was also the only way to reach the bathroom which was back at Bob’s house. The boathouse at Northwestern University is beauuuuuutiful. They have a number of 420′s and Lasers and Hobie Cats (still disassembled from winter storage) and a whole wall of windsurfboards. They also have a great view of the Chicago skyline from a protected cove. I watched the races from the seawall, and spent some time on the beach in the sand. I still have some sand in my shoes.

We placed 1st twice, in 12 races. In our first win, there was a freak wind change. Apparently, everyone passed the starting line on a port tack, except for my teammates who headed on a starboard tack. The wind completely died except for a freak strip of wind to the west which allowed our racing team to sail that starboard tack all the way to the windward mark, which put them so far in the lead, there was no competition after that point.

It was great to watch! Especially as our team has never sailed 420′s before!!!!!

Everyone was really nice. Met men and women sailors from all over the Midwest.

View of Northwestern University’s sailing beach from Bob’s Piper

I even met a woman in her 50′s who windsurfs. I met her because I made a wisecrack about windsurfers, and someone mentioned there was a windsurfer behind me! Oops! And it turned out this woman has been windsurfing since the 1970′s. She did *NOT* look 50. I hope I look like her when I’m 50. She gave me some pointers about windsurfing, which I will keep in mind for this summer. Her tips: 1. It helps to start off with big boards at first. 2. Use small sails first, so that it doesn’t blow out of control. Also better for shorter people, like me. 3. Her husband, who was also standing there, told me you should be able to steer by just shifting your weight — leaning out to fall off, and pulling back to head up. 4. He also said that one should be able to manage by simply holding the mast, and that once one gets that part, one can fine tune the sail with the boom.

SAILING. IT’S NOT JUST FOR MEN ANYMORE.

I hate to burst people’s bubbles of illusion, but women can sail. Women do sail. Women own boats. Women skipper them. Some live on boats by themselves, and they love it. They don’t sit around pining for some guy to come along and demote them to “first mate”. I mean, c’mon. Seriously! Would you???

There’s a website, which I might consider useful for finding crew members. Boatcrew.net. Maybe for some people it will be useful. For me, it was just an instant source of irritation.

Why? Well, I found a delightfully sexist ad in it the other day. I post part of it here for your reading enjoyment:

Member # 3762 – Looking for Captain & Wife

We are looking for a captain and wife (or female companion) to sail and manage our sailboat (65 foot ketch). Currently our boat is in flordia and we are looking to leave up the east coast around late May. It is important to know that we will be aboard for a couple of months at a time and anyone interested in this position should be able to co-exist with owners for extended periods. The boat has been completely refitted with new interior, all new electronics, has satcom, sat TV., 3 large staterooms which one would be for crew. The compansation package for this position will be above industry standards. Please reply to me by email @ charlie@tradewinds-lp.com

Now first of all, it’s “compensation”, not “compansation”. Secondly, I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, because insults are really all in how you interpret them. However, my interpretation causes me to be offended. “Captain and wife” indeed.

Perhaps one day I’ll have my own yacht. I won’t be hiring someone to sail it for me though. (I can think of better ways to get a tax break.) If I do hire someone, I certainly wouldn’t be advertising it as “Captain and her husband” either. Sexism works both ways.

My husband and I went kite-flying today because it was a bit too windy to go sailing in a dinghy. My husband’s a great guy. He’s irritating too sometimes, but so am I.

HAPPY EASTER!

Someone (you know who you are) sent me an Easter Card. Thank you! I never send cards anymore because I end up talking to people via email more. Snail mail is nice to get though. It beats bills in the box! That’s for sure!

My mom’s mom is really cool because she used to make greeting cards by hand, cutting and pasting out letters from magazines to make really amazing collages. She doesn’t do it anymore, but I sometimes fantasize about having enough time to do that kind of stuff.

Instead, I cut and paste from other people’s Xanga’s to make collages of my own.

Here’s my Easter Greeting Card to you (whoever reads this).

Devich’s Greeting Card

(with a picture cut out of Maure’s Xanga Site. Do visit her site, if you have time.)

No sailing references in this post. Sorry! I know you’re so disappointed!

MELONSEEDS AND MELONHEADS

There’s this cute little boat called the Melonseed. It’s usually made of wood. It has a sprit rig. (Confused? So was I. Here’s a page about rigs.) It is so adorable!!! Here are some pictures of this cute little dinghy. Its shape reminds me of a Laser or a Banshee. But being wood, it’s not a Laser. And having a sprit rig, it’s definitely not a Laser. SO CUTE! Unfortunately, a brand new one, made-to-order, costs $7000. $600 for the custom trailer.

It’s nice to see old boats get recreated. Here’s an excerpt from http://www.sailnet.com/sailing/99/bobfeb99.htm#melonseed:

That’s right. It’s a gunning skiff. It was originally designed to sneak up on ducks and scare them to death, with the aid of a shotgun. Guns aside, it’s little boats like the curvaceous Melonseed that can quickly remind you why you sail. The Melonseed is a bona fide lifestyle statement. It’s 200 pounds of pure sailing essence.

SAILING AND MENSTRUATION

I don’t like to listen to people gripe, but I can gripe because this is my Xanga site. Yeah? So I’m going to tell all you lovely people out there in cyberspace how much I hate having my period.

Yes, and I know you all wanna hear this. How do I know? Because you’re still reading! Stop reading already, if you don’t want to hear about it.

Periods suck. I know, I know. Some of you say, “Just stick a tampon in.” But, tampons absorb water too! They’re absorbent at both ends! I don’t want a bunch of water from a nuclear power plant cooling reservoir saturating my tampon! My husband actually asked me, “Why can’t you go sailing?” And I said, “Cuz sanitary napkins don’t absorb blood if they’re already full of nuclear power plant cooling reservoir water.” He goes, “Oh.”

And that’s why I didn’t go sailing with the sailing club guys yesterday. I’m not about to tell them that though. But I told you! Why? Because you wanted to read it.

When I went to Thailand three years ago, I snagged this British guy in the hostel in Bangkok and we bussed over to Pattaya. I was determined to snorkel at the beach before leaving, and Pattaya was the only place I could go, because my relatives wouldn’t let me go snorkeling in Southern Thailand where there are less prostitutes. So anyway, I had my period then, too. And do you know how HARD it is to find tampons in downtown Bangkok? VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE. I finally found a little dusty drug store which had ONE package of OB tampons which looked like they’d been sitting there for 5 years, the package was so faded and yellow. But I used them so I could go snorkeling in Pattaya. That was the year that some German guy died from a shark attack during the same month that I was there.

So when the British guy teased me about seeing my tampon in the water, I don’t think I’ve ever hopped back onto a jetski faster than I did that day. Thanks a lot, PAUL.

Periods suck.

Besides getting Depo-Provera shots, which I don’t wanna do, I don’t see any other nonsurgical solution.

FIBERGLASS

I used to think repairing a boat would be something really hard. It isn’t. Fiberglassing is really easy. The hard part is the boredom you get as you sand the gelcoat off.

If you want to buy a small sailboat (< 18') but can't afford a brand new one (Brand new Lasers run into the $5000-6000s.), it isn't a bad deal to buy a used and slightly bunged up boat.

My sailing club has a couple of really old boats that are still in pretty good condition. They’ve been patched in more places than I can count on one hand, but they are watertight. So don’t let a couple of holes or gouges get you down. I mean, cosmetically, it ain’t gonna be as pretty as a professional job, but if you don’t care about looks, and all you want to do is sail and not sink, all you need are the following:

1. two disposable aluminum pie pans This is to put the resin or Bondo in. 2. latex gloves (or neoprene if you’re allergic to latex) This is so that you don’t stick to everything you touch after fiberglassing. 3. a cheap disposable brush This is to paint the resin onto the fiberglass. This brush will be virtually useless afterwards, so don’t use a brush you want to keep. You could use your hand too, but that’s really, really messy. 4. some scissors To cut the fiberglass to the proper shape 5. fiberglass mat It doesn’t matter what kind. Some people argue that you should get the “cloth”-like kind. Some say the “mat” kind. It really just doesn’t matter cuz it’s the resin that hardens either kind. 6. fiberglass resin When you buy the resin, make sure the little tiny tube of catalyst comes with it and hasn’t fallen off or out of the package, in the store. The catalyst is what hardens the resin. Otherwise you’ll be waiting for a long time to be able to use your boat. 7. Bondo-brand filler This is for if you have really big holes, and you need to fill them in to make the fiberglass mat flush with the rest of the boat. This stuff has a catalyst too. 8. dispensable paint scraper This is for if you’re going to be using the Bondo. 9. sandpaper Large grit is better for the first sanding. Then some finer grit for smoothing the fiberglass after it’s done hardening. 10. mask Fiberglass ain’t a very good thing to breathe. Especially if you’ve been sanding small particles of it into the air. 11. Paint thinner To clean your hands or spills of resin. (Don’t store this near anything you think can catch on fire. And don’t soak rags in it and leave it in the kitchen garbage overnight, as it can combust really easily.) 12. A nicely ventilated place to work This is really important, unless you like getting high off volatile fumes, and have a yen for brain damage. And so, to patch a hole, you want the spot to be as dry as possible. Some people claim using a hair dryer for a couple of hours over the spot helps. I think it’s easier to just let the boat dry out for a couple of months. Saves electricity anyway. Sand the spot around the hole until you can see the stuff under the gelcoat. Since I’m an impatient person, this seems to take forever. You should see the fiberglass beneath the gelcoat. Exposing the fiberglass will make for a better bond with the mat you’re about to put on it. Make sure and clean all the dust off the spot. Decide if the hole is too big for just fiberglass mat. If it is, mix up some Bondo in a pie pan, and use the paint scraper to mush it into the hole, sort of like Philadelphia cream cheese. Let it harden. Next make sure you have enough fiberglass mat/cloth to cover the hole before you even mix the resin. Or else, you’ll be fumbling with very sticky fingers and your scissors will be worthless afterwards. (speaking from experience) Then mix the resin with the catalyst in a pie pan, stirring with the brush or a clean stick you pulled off a tree, or something. Place your fiberglass mat (already cut to shape) in the pie pan and gently wet it with resin. It shouldn’t be dripping with resin… Just coated on one side. Lift it out and place it over the hole. Use the brush to gently paint resin on the other side of the mat until it’s fully saturated with resin. Let it dry! Put another layer on afterwards, if you want to. When it’s dry (here’s where some people use hair dryers to speed the process up), you can sand the roughness out of the patch, and then repaint it.

Voila! Boat patched.

TITLE IX

I saw something on the news the other day about the anniversary of Title IX. What’s Title IX? Oh, it’s something about how the government passed a law that allowed “girls to participate in sports”. I suppose it may have been banned at one time, for high school girls to request to participate in certain sports.

There was a time when I tried to become active in a local group whose main purpose is to get girls interested in activities that are normally considered guy activities. It was the anniversary of Title IX, and the woman who was the leader of this group wanted women in the community to volunteer to set up programs to teach girls about their respective sports. Well, I don’t know how many women actually ended up participating in this, because the leader of this group didn’t call me back. Since the whole thing seemed pretty disorganized, I didn’t care to call her back either.

I’ve found that sailing is simply predominantly a guy sport, and have to face the fact that most of my companions are going to be male, simply because most women are not interested in my types of sports. I ask them if they want to go sailing, but most of them would rather do other things which don’t interest me either.

So Title IX or not, if girls aren’t interested in sports, they aren’t going to do them, even if they are “exposed” to them. Furthermore, if they eventually find a sport they like, there’s nothing now to keep them from pursuing it.

Sailing included.

REMOTE CONTROL SAILBOATS

The weather where I am is cold again — “glove-wearing” cold. However today wasn’t too bad. It warmed up enough, and the sun came out. So I said yes, when one of my sailing clubmates asked me if I wanted to be part of his aviation experiment. Basically he had to try to teach someone with no prior flying experience how to fly a flight simulator. Very interesting! It was really hard though, because you have to look at several dials constantly in order to keep track of your altitude, roll, pitch, windspeed, vertical speed, propeller rpms, etc. I’m not good at multitasking, so I’m glad I don’t do it for a living.

That aside, I have some pictures of our sailing club’s trip to Chicago. Aside from getting to peek inside all the different sailboats, my favorite part was sailing these remote controlled sailboats. They were perfect miniature sailboats, down to the jib-sheets and the battens. So cute!

So, here are some pictures of these pint-sized things next to some of the full-sized Catalinas on display next to them. These cute little boats are fun to sail when the weather is inclement, but they cost about $300 each (and that’s not even assembled). My own real life boat cost me $500, trailer and all.

Always good winds in the remote-control pond.

JUNK RIGS REVISITED

Oh, I just love junk rigs. According to some website I visited, “junk” is actually an attempt at phonetic spelling of a Chinese word for boat.

The picture below is of a junk that was for sale, somewhere in Asia. The picture is no longer on the ‘Net, but I saved it because it’s so beautiful! The original site it came from was http://www.chinaseas.org/junkforsale/forsale1.gif. This website had no credits for the photography, so I don’t know who took the picture.

http://www.chinaseas.org/junkforsale/junkforsale.html