A day of elation..... Figment finally got her winter cover, a full three weeks and two snowstorms earlier than last year's cover. Oh, and what a glorious day at a boatyard! Cloudless sky, 50something degrees, only the lightest puff of breeze.
Other members dropped by the yard throughout the day to check on their boats, and gave me the much-deserved ballbusting over taking so long to cover the boat (hey, life happens....). One member's choice comment was something to the effect of "Jeeeeeezus! NOW you're covering the boat?!!!? On a day like today we should all be UNcovering our boats and hitting the water!"
This guy was onto something. As I taped the last tie-down on the tarp and stood back to see that everything was fair, the dinghy leaning against the boatstands was suddenly a BIG sore thumb. I told the wife I'd be home by lunchtime, but dammit sometimes a man's gotta go with his gut. Dinghy on one shoulder, oars on the other, I marched to the ramp and was afloat two minutes later.
I rowed out to the last channelmarker and back. 90 minutes spent blissfully afloat, pondering nothing deeper than the stroke of the oar. In this 90 minutes I encountered one other boat, three humans, six deer, and countless fowl.
All of life should pass at the speed of a rowboat.
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Tim
- Shipwright Extraordinaire
- Posts: 5708
- Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2003 6:39 pm
- Boat Name: Glissando
- Boat Type: Pearson Triton
- Location: Whitefield, ME
- Contact:
Nice! I'd love to get on the water.
You know, I'm OK with winter in general. Sure, 6-7 months of no boating is tough, but I'm OK with it as a general concept given that typically the weather is not conducive to sailing during those months. (And my enjoyment of winter is admittedly enhanced by my new facility in which to work, of course.)
But my acceptance of winter depends on one important quality: it needs to feel like winter. Otherwise, I get antsy and wish I was sailing! Maybe I ought to take my dink down and go for a row too.
You know, I'm OK with winter in general. Sure, 6-7 months of no boating is tough, but I'm OK with it as a general concept given that typically the weather is not conducive to sailing during those months. (And my enjoyment of winter is admittedly enhanced by my new facility in which to work, of course.)
But my acceptance of winter depends on one important quality: it needs to feel like winter. Otherwise, I get antsy and wish I was sailing! Maybe I ought to take my dink down and go for a row too.
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Figment
- Damned Because It's All Connected
- Posts: 2846
- Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 9:32 am
- Boat Name: Triton
- Boat Type: Grand Banks 42
- Location: L.I. Sound
Was that little rowboat ride 4 months ago!? wow. seems like yesterday.
Latest little jaunt:
Saturday was a nice day, but breezy. 14knots northwest at the dock, gusting to 25. I and owners of the other boats that were launched last week spent the day squaring things away, rigging for the upcoming season, etc. The guy with the Niagra 35 was supposed to take the boat around to his regular berth in Milford (about a 14 mile close reach), but decided to wait because he thought (we all agreed) that the conditions out in the sound would be a bit on the rough side, and besides there's no rush, have a beer.....
After spending the morning wrestling with 8D batteries I was content to let my father futz around in his engine room for a while. I had stuff to do on my own boat (friggin generator won't charge!) for cryin out loud. After a few hours, Beer Guy taps me on the shoulder and tells me to get my dad out of that engine room before he hurts/overexerts himself. So, I hop on dad's boat, and start filling a garbage bag with ice and beer. This ruckus causes the head to poke out the hatch, and I (verbally) grab him by the collar and drag him out of the hole. We're going for a boatride. My mainsail is still "in the shop", so it's just a river cruise to see who's launched and who's not. Figment is just a powerboat with a big funny stick, but c'mon a boatride is a boatride.
Down the river and out into the Sound. We're a mile offshore. The wind is kicking, but the seas are surprisingly calm. That Niagara 35 missed out on a GREAT day!!! I say "screw it, I have one sail on board, and I'm going to hoist it!!!" Up goes the ebay 150 genoa. Not bad for $100. Worth $120 at least! ;) My father, lifelong powerboater, has the helm, and is loving it. Two miles on an easy reach, making an easy 4.5 knots, before we run out of beer and turn around. A one-tack beat back to the river, rail down in the puffs.
Back at the dock, after the requisite "where the heck did you go for so long, we were about to call the coasties!" from everyone, the old man has a great time telling everyone about our little "first sail of the year." I don't imagine that I've converted him to sailing, but maybe he's a half-step closer to that tugboat my mom wants to retire on.....
Opportunities.
Latest little jaunt:
Saturday was a nice day, but breezy. 14knots northwest at the dock, gusting to 25. I and owners of the other boats that were launched last week spent the day squaring things away, rigging for the upcoming season, etc. The guy with the Niagra 35 was supposed to take the boat around to his regular berth in Milford (about a 14 mile close reach), but decided to wait because he thought (we all agreed) that the conditions out in the sound would be a bit on the rough side, and besides there's no rush, have a beer.....
After spending the morning wrestling with 8D batteries I was content to let my father futz around in his engine room for a while. I had stuff to do on my own boat (friggin generator won't charge!) for cryin out loud. After a few hours, Beer Guy taps me on the shoulder and tells me to get my dad out of that engine room before he hurts/overexerts himself. So, I hop on dad's boat, and start filling a garbage bag with ice and beer. This ruckus causes the head to poke out the hatch, and I (verbally) grab him by the collar and drag him out of the hole. We're going for a boatride. My mainsail is still "in the shop", so it's just a river cruise to see who's launched and who's not. Figment is just a powerboat with a big funny stick, but c'mon a boatride is a boatride.
Down the river and out into the Sound. We're a mile offshore. The wind is kicking, but the seas are surprisingly calm. That Niagara 35 missed out on a GREAT day!!! I say "screw it, I have one sail on board, and I'm going to hoist it!!!" Up goes the ebay 150 genoa. Not bad for $100. Worth $120 at least! ;) My father, lifelong powerboater, has the helm, and is loving it. Two miles on an easy reach, making an easy 4.5 knots, before we run out of beer and turn around. A one-tack beat back to the river, rail down in the puffs.
Back at the dock, after the requisite "where the heck did you go for so long, we were about to call the coasties!" from everyone, the old man has a great time telling everyone about our little "first sail of the year." I don't imagine that I've converted him to sailing, but maybe he's a half-step closer to that tugboat my mom wants to retire on.....
Opportunities.