To Do Lists

Ever since I was little, my mother has encouraged “To Do Lists.”  When I was 6, she posted a list of chores to be completed each day, next to my dresser.  It was fun to be able to cross each item off the list, and then be able to do other things, knowing those jobs were done.  I hope to do that with the tyke, once he’s able to READ!

Meanwhile, I’ve got some things that I can cross off my sailing “to do list.”

1.  Assemble the tiller

2.  Get new non-crispy lines for the halyard and sheets.

3.  Oil the trailer tire bearings.

4.  Attach the new trailer plates.

And yet, as with all “to do lists,” there are always things to be added.

5.  Now that I’ve got new lines, I need to cut them to fit, and cauterize the ends.

6.  Find the boat plugs.

7.  Make sure the new trailer lock fits.

8.  Find the sail, lifejackets, bailer, and oar.

9.  Make sure to bring the rudder and centerboard!

It’s especially important to make checklists when I go sailing, because the nearest lake is about an hour away.  One doesn’t want to forget a crucial item, and then have to drive back home to get it.  Last time I tried to go sailing with someone, he brought his Laser.  We spent the better part of 30 minutes getting the stupid thing off his SUV, and then he realized he forgot his centerboard at home.  I can’t fault him for it, because I didn’t realize I had lost my rudder until I had trailered my boat 60 miles, only to find that it wasn’t in the boathouse.  So together, we were like a blind and a lame man attempting to go for a scenic walk.

I do have a new rule for myself, though.  I am not sailing with anyone who cannot get his own boat off his car.

Sailing Solo

So, my sailboat is just about ready for its first shakedown sail of the year.  I am a member of a local sailing forum, and someone asked if anyone needed crew this weekend.  People are always happy to let me crew, and I figure, I should pay the favor back.  So, I told this guy, “You can join me.”

That was the other day.  Well, yesterday, I told my husband about it, and he goes, “Do you know this person?”

Well, no.

“Then, how do you know he’s not a freak show?”

“Because he posted that he sailed 420′s and he wants to get back into racing.”

“Anyone who posts that they’re into sailing on a forum is a freak show.”

“Does that mean *I’m* a freak show?”

“You’re the exception.”

Thanks, Matt.

Anyway, so he finally loosened up about it.  I told him, we’re taking separate cars.  And he’d better be nice to me, because *I* am the one supplying the boat.  Still, it’s a recurring problem for me.  Sailing with guys.  ‘Truth is, there just aren’t a lot of women sailors in my area.  I’ve tried looking, believe me!  Currently, there are women who sail, in this particular local sailing club, but they *always* sail with their husbands.  I also don’t think they fancy getting wet, and I really prefer sailing dinghies, rather than cabin boats, so they really wouldn’t like sailing with me anyway.

It’s a tough call.

But, the other problem is. . . I really like sailing solo.

I like the freedom.  No one to criticize my sailing.  No one to blame if something goes wrong.  And frankly, my boat sails better with one person than with two.  That’s just the way it is.  I’ve pondered getting a bigger boat, for when the tyke can sail.  However I’m hoping that, if he even likes sailing at all, he’ll want to sail his own boat, and we can race instead.  Big dreams for a little person.

So, this weekend, I’m prepared to sail with someone.  Maybe I’ll actually have some fun!

Banshee Gooseneck

One of the notorious problems with Banshees is that the gooseneck will inevitably break.  I’ve seen different kinds of fixes, but recently I saw a novel one that I thought I’d record here, for anyone searching the Internet for gooseneck repair options.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was shopping for spare parts for my Banshee, and I met a man who was selling one of his.  He had the gooseneck problem, also, and this is how he fixed it:

The new gooseneck has a pin that inserts into the boom end.

This is the new end of the boom, with plastic socket for the pin.

It works, because really, the sail being a unarig, there’s not a whole lot of outhaul pressure on the foot of the sail. So, the socket is really just to keep the boom aligned with the mast.

It’s a clever solution, and if my gooseneck should break again, I’ll probably implement this fix instead.

I thought it was kind of funny that the guy who was selling this sailboat ended up joining the sailing club and sailing it last weekend, instead of selling it. When I went to look at his boat, I asked him why he was selling it, and he said, “I’m too old to be sailing.” I told him, “I don’t think so.” If you can walk and move your hand enough to open a door, you can still sail.

Boat Collisions

I seem to be posting a lot of morbid topics lately.  My apologies!  But, I just had to post a link about this Cowes’ race collision, which probably everyone in the sailing world has seen by now, thanks to YouTube.

But of course, I have to tie this topic in to one of my favorite subjects — Junk Rigs!

Thanks to this new sailing website, called YachtPals, I found a beautiful ship called the Princess Tai Ping — a gorgeous replica of a traditional Chinese Junk-rigged sailboat.  Unfortunately, the Princess Tai Ping met a sad fate, when it collided with a Norwegian freighter, just before completing its return journey back to Taiwan.  Sucks!  But, unlike in the early days of junk sailing, one has to watch out for ferries and tankers these days.

I have sneaking suspicion that they were so close to home that they let their guard down.  Exhausted after transversing the Pacific twice, perhaps whoever was on watch that night fell asleep.

Ah well.  It still doesn’t put me off junk sailing.

Boat Maintenance and Rudder Replacement

So, I had to finish cleaning the boat myself today, because husband and tyke fell asleep about 7 PM.  It was nice though because he cleared out a space in the garage for it, so the pecan tree isn’t dripping gum on it anymore.  I honestly don’t know how I ended up with such an understanding husband.  We have a two-car garage, but he understands I need space for my boat in the garage.

Anyway, I also had to clean the rudder.  This was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  It came from the mechanics’ garage, and while I was picking it up Thursday, one of the mechanics apologized for getting it dirty.  I thought, “Eh!  No problem.  It’ll clean off nicely.”

Moving the boat out of the mechanics’ garage

But I got home, and set to work on it with some dishwashing liquid, and those marks just didn’t come out.  So I broke out the secret weapon.

Bar Keeper’s Friend

A shot of the side that I didn’t do today

Status post cleaning

I’m thinking those were not just good ole Texas dirt stains. No, that was oil. Luckily, Bar Keeper’s Friend works on it.

Sailing With Children

My husband was away at work this morning, so I decided to take the tyke out to the driveway and wash down the sailboat for the first time in two years.  It was coated with a decent layer of Texas dust.  I remember reading somewhere that dust provides an SPF of 4.  So, it may actually have been better for us to leave it be.  But I can’t stand to look at it like that.  So I filled up a pail, and we set to work!

I think it looks pretty good.  We only did one half.  By then, daddy was home and it was time for lunch.  So we’ll finish off the other half tomorrow.

Now that my rudder is back from the mechanic, perfectly ground down (he even made a notch in it for the screw of the latch), I just have to

1.  Assemble the tiller

2.  Get new non-crispy lines for the halyard and sheets.

3.  Oil the trailer tire bearings.

4.  Attach the new trailer plates.

And we’re good to go sailing.

Or are we?  I’ve been pondering this dilemma ever since I attempted to go sailing with the Bantam back in May.  (May 14, 2011 to be exact.)  I hated to leave husband on shore with the little one.  It seemed unfair.  Plus, the kiddo really enjoys the water (of his bathtub), and I have a feeling that he’d really take to sailing as well.  The problem is, how early does one put a child on a dinghy?

At the moment, I don’t think dinghy sailing is appropriate for him.  He needs to be able to communicate clearly and effectively.  And his current vocabulary does not allow for that.

He also needs to know how to swim.  He already has a life jacket, but there are no Type I PFDs for his age group.  So he still needs to be able to right himself, if he goes overboard. 

He also needs to know that in order to sail a boat, he cannot go overboard.  It seems strange to say that, but it’s true.  He *LOVES* to touch the water.  And this is why I always warn my patients’ moms not to leave them unattended in bathrooms, because babies can actually fall into a toilet head-first, and not be able to push themselves out.

So many things to consider.

Anyway, I posted a few more links to other websites that talk about sailing with one’s children:

1. Joe Boyle talks about sailing with his daughter. I can totally identify with his feelings about sailing with his spouse. I post one part of his article that made me cringe, below:

“Rafting up with some powerboater friends in LaTrappe creek later that evening we had a close call. I was steering and Christy was on the port bow getting ready to toss a line to our friends who were anchored in a big honking condo-sized powerboat. Just at the critical moment Cassie, who was clutching the lifelines near the cockpit, let out a shriek that meant real pain. My choices ran instantly through my head, grab for my daughter and risk t-boning this huge powerboat or let her wail. I took the risk and stretched out to grab the handle on the back of her lifevest. I hoisted her into the carpeted cockpit sole while only losing touch with the wheel for a second or two and managed to avoid giving our friends on the powerboat a fiberglass kiss. Cassie had fallen and wedged herself between a winch and a cleat but she was just fine; two beers later, so was I.”

– from “Sail, Baby, Sail!” at http://www.searoom.com/sail_baby.htm

2. Rebel Heart who has a darling daughter aboard their sailboat.

3. The Ceal Mor in the Gulf of Mexico

Gorgeous Kite-Cam Views

I know I’ve seen people use a kite-cam to take movies of their sailboats before.  I dunno if it was this guy or not.  However, I thought I’d post a link to his videos.  One really has to be a master of the wind to be able to solo-sail one’s sailboat at the *same* time as one is flying a kite that has an expensive piece of electronic video equipment dangling from it!!!!

Sailing on the Brain

In going through old posts and pictures, trying to find ones of junk rigs and wooden boats, I happened across these old pictures I posted 8 years ago. (8 years ago! Yowie!)

“The Female Brain” according to someone on the Internet

Very different. But the same in that we all have our own obsessions, hobbies, or things that fascinate us. I have no desire to collect shoes. I really dislike shopping for purses. If I find one I like that suits my purpose, I use it till it falls apart. Literally.

But sailboats. I see a sailboat. I want it. The biggest problem with collecting sailboats is that they tend to be a heck of a lot more expensive than purses. . . .

I’m just a high maintenance girl at heart. And one has to be, if one has sailboats.

Junk Rigs

One of the things about Xanga that is a little annoying is that I have no good way to categorize my posts. So, the only way to do that is to do it manually. I’m just going to make a post that I will add to, little by little, to collect all of my posts of a certain subject.

*This* particular collection is of Junk Rig posts — my favorite type of sailboat. Aesthetically, that is.

March 2, 2003 Naga Pelagi

April 7, 2003 Unknown Red-Sailed Junk for Sale

July 28, 2011 Typical Models of Ancient Chinese Junks

August 10, 2011 Princess Tai Ping

Overloading a Sailboat

Back in March, I read a story somewhere about a charter sailboat that capsized, and a couple of people died.  It was in San Diego.  I can’t remember details, but one news story can be found here:

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Pic_Shows_Sailboat_Before_Deadly_Accident_San_Diego-118834989.html.

The conclusion was that the sailboat was overloaded with people, and that passengers were not wearing lifejackets.

Sad.

But it happens.

People don’t want to wear something that’s proven to save lives.  ‘Common excuse?  “I know how to swim.”  ‘Doesn’t matter.  Even an Olympic medalist can drown if he or she is unconscious — knocked out by a boom or simply falling and having a concussion due to rough weather.

Sad story.  But a lesson to be learned.