Topic: thread deleted...gone sailing.

[BeSeeingYou]

Thread deleted...gone sailing.

[Gordon]

Umm, can I come with you next time?  That looks ridiculously tranquil and relaxing.

[brooze72]

Now THAT looks like a vacation!  Post more pics please.

[78 k550]

Umm, can I come with you next time?  That looks ridiculously tranquil and relaxing.

x2

sure doesn't look like that in Texas.

How you doing Gordon?

Paul

[demon78]

How did you find the water levels ? I've noticed that both on the Huron side and the Georgian Bay side the levels look to be down a foot or so from last time I looked, not that I remember a specific date when that was. Sort of one of those things that catches your attention in passing.
Bill the demon.

[Duanob]

Nice vacation! I appreciate boating vacations as much a bike trips. Maybe more so. We have a few spots here in the PNW that look like that. Boating is about the most relaxing vacation I can think of especially in out of the way anchorages like that. Nice that its blueberry season there I think we have another few weeks to go.

[Retro Rocket]

Cool pics Steve...   

[demon78]

Steve but there have been good times economically fairly recently and the quote "Raison de etre" has been the people are going to chuck every thing and do a Joshua Slocum, so called ocean cruisers are the thing to have, whether they are competent enough to sail a dingy or not, all same that everyone wanted a P51 Mustang when I was young mind you 1 in a 1000 was competent enough to fly them. Status. I could rant about using the proper tool but we all know that's BS
Bill the demon.

[MoMo]

Very nice photos, was up in that area once-it is about as peaceful and relaxing as a place can be...Larry

[evanphi]

Awesome! What size is your boat? Looks under 30', certainly. My wife and I just bought a Tanzer 22, and we want to get a boom-tent like you have. Sleeping below only is so much fun. Getting out in the fresh air is best!

[Duke McDukiedook]

It's official now, I hate and loathe you. 

[Stev-o]

Awesome! What size is your boat? Looks under 30', certainly. My wife and I just bought a Tanzer 22, and we want to get a boom-tent like you have. Sleeping below only is so much fun. Getting out in the fresh air is best!

I wouldn't think twice about trailering either boat to Florida and sailing to the Bahamas....maybe someday soon.  

Have you sailed on the Atlantic?   I would not cross in a twenty-two footer!  My brother has motored from S. Florida to the Bahamas but he has a 38'r....

[333]

Reminds me of when my son and I rented a 32' houseboat on the Trent Severn Waterway, about 2 hours northeast of Toronto.  Good times.

[andy750]

Great photos! Looks like a real vacation!

[evanphi]

Awesome! What size is your boat? Looks under 30', certainly. My wife and I just bought a Tanzer 22, and we want to get a boom-tent like you have. Sleeping below only is so much fun. Getting out in the fresh air is best!

    Congrats on your Tanzer.  That was a popular boat in it's day and well reguarded.  Mine is a 22 foot Sirius 22 built in Canada like your Tanzer  though both companies are now out of business as happened to so many boatbuilders in the late 80's.  I wouldn't think twice about trailering either boat to Florida and sailing to the Bahamas....maybe someday soon.   The interior layout is very similar in both boats but I think the dinette is a bit larger in mine.  Ours has a "poptop cabin" where a portion of the cabin top can be raised at anchor and a canvas enclosure snapped on giving standing headroom.  You can see it in a few of the photos.  Our boom tent is made from ripstop nylon (tent material) and is very lightweight.  We use it for a rainy days or very hot sunny days.  It does flap a bit in a breeze which is only a problem at night when we are trying to sleep.  If you think you want one for your boat and will use it often sunbrella or some type of marine canvas may be a good choice as it will flap less due to the heavier fabric.  On a rainy day we stretch out in the cockpit and nap or read.  Cockpit cushions are a must.  You don't spend all that much time inside the boat...the world about you is your porch so the small size is not much of a problem.  The weather cloths laced around the cockpit are great when sailing in cool or cold weather as a windbreak and give privacy at anchor in crowded places.
     Our boat has a swing keel and kick up rudder so the sailing draft of 5 feet (deep for such a small boat) can be reduced to about 2 feet for ease of trailering and getting into shallow places.  Put up a photo of your boat if you have one.  I love boats..even more than bikes.


Barr Island Lake Superior

Thanks for all the tips! Our Tanzer is actually one year older than my bike, and also in great shape.

'On a Whim' at her berth


And under sail (my mother took this photo from their boat with what appears to be a potato).

[72 yellow]

Awesome! What size is your boat? Looks under 30', certainly. My wife and I just bought a Tanzer 22, and we want to get a boom-tent like you have. Sleeping below only is so much fun. Getting out in the fresh air is best!

I wouldn't think twice about trailering either boat to Florida and sailing to the Bahamas....maybe someday soon.  

Have you sailed on the Atlantic?   I would not cross in a twenty-two footer!  My brother has motored from S. Florida to the Bahamas but he has a 38'r....

   I actually have, Florida to St. Thomas what they call the "thorny path" because it is against the prevailing weather.  On a friends boat not mine.  Florida Keys, Chesapeake to New York.   I don't make the comment lightly.  The big issue is the Gulf Stream not the boat size.  You have to pick your weather window and cannot be in a hurry.  Any wind out of the north will knock you silly in the Stream with wind against the current.  With the right weather it's a nice trip...just remember to account for the current and aim south of your destination.   I have confindence in my ability and in my boat.  Gerry Spiess, a local man known for crossing the Atlantic and Pacific in the homebuilt 10 foot Yankee Girl had chosen a new version of my boat (with a fixed keel instead of a swing keel) for his next adventure.  The company was forced out of business before they could produce more than a few and Gerry never got his built.  The Sirius 22 has built in foam floatation (most boats do not) as a safety facter if the worst happens.  They have a repuation for a strong high quality build.  I picked this boat for a reason years ago.
   The Great Lakes, Superior especially, are a good training ground and if you can sail there you can sail anywhere.  We often will see 6 foot waves on the Lake and spent one day running with 10 footers coming back from Isle Royale.  The waves on the lakes are often worse than the ocean due to the changing wind directions, they get steep and knock you about.  If you get wind from a constant direction you can get big waves but they stretch out and size is not as important.  The 10 foot stuff we were in was an example.  Strong wind had blown for several days so they built up and stretched out.  It was actually quite fun and the only time I have ever surfed my boat down the wave faces.   We had one memorable sail in the Apostle Islands years ago in rough conditions and when we arrived at our destination we tied up to the dock at Rocky Island and a 40 footer was there.  Looking at our boat they exclaimed "you guys were out there in that!".   They stayed tied to the dock cause they felt it too rough out there.   I am not trying to sound bad ass cause I am not but people all have different levels of comfort and excitement and I don't judge anyone else who happens to stay in port instead.
    I think the the largest peacetime loss of merchant shipping in a single storm anywhere was the 1913 "Big Blow" that hit Superior and Huron.  They may be "lakes" but this is serious water here.  Even now days the freighter captains will tell you "it takes more skill to go from Duluth to Cleveland than from Tokyo to LA.

Remember the Edmund Fitzgerald....

[evanphi]

    Looks good ...even if taken with a potatocam.   Do you have the fixed keel or keel/centerboard model?   The later being much easier to trailer.  Maybe living where you do you have no need of a trailer though it could save you on off season storage at the marina.
    I see you need an operators license in Canada now.  Just need to pass a written test I guess and it can be done online.  This was something fairly new and it caught me by surprise until I learned it did not apply to non-residents spending less than 45 days in Canadian waters.
   Another thing you could do to ease sail handling is rig a downhaul on the jib.  A small diameter line run through fairleads back to the cockpit from a small pulley at the base of the headstay.  This end of the line is fastened to the shackle at the head of the sail and goes up with the sail.  When you turn up into the wind to drop the headsail you can then pull it down from the cockpit without having to go out on the foredeck. You still have to go up there to bag it but at least now you aren't having to pull the sail down and can have a hand to hold on.  One hand for yourself and one for the ship.    Of course the ultimate solution is a roller furler but big $$$.  I also mounted a winch on the cabin top along with a double line clutch, a two sheave turning block and two pulleys at the mast step so our main and jib halyards lead back to the cockpit.  Things can get a bit lively in lumpy seas when you have to turn upwind to raise or lower sails so the more you set up the boat to manage things from the cockpit the better.

Fixed keel. The club we keep her at has a crane, but it is also easily trailer-able, just needs an extension on the trailer. This is where we sail from: http://goo.gl/maps/KZcnf

Thanks for the idea of the jib downhaul. That is a great idea! My wife is pregnant (full-term tomorrow), and we haven't been able to sail much because I am teaching her how to sail as well as do everything by myself, thus requiring fairly light winds. Winter projects (after bike ) include some clutches/deck organizers for cockpit operation of halyards, re-building the hatch cover, re-finishing the teak, and maybe a smoked plexiglass hatch insert. Also I need a way to fix a car seat into place! I was considering hanging it like a lantern so it can sway back and forth. Wife didn't like that idea very much. Maybe a hammock.

[evanphi]

Ah yes, I also forgot I am removing the "fridge" and putting in some nice cabinets. likely not teak, though, at 30$ a board foot... Our cushions are also in pretty rough shape after being sat on... PO was mostly a racer, so kept the cushions out. V berth cushions are awesome though!

The PO of my boat put a nice system in for charging. Two batteries, one for the electric start outboard, and that hooks to an alternator to charge the main battery when running the outboard. Good system! That reminds me: I need to go over all the wiring this winter, too.

I also think the hanging seat is a good idea. my parents have a bungee to control the swing of their lantern. Can't be much different for a baby, right?!

[Lenny55]

Love this thread guys!  Race night tonight, and two offshore races here this weekend.  Saturday we race from Thunder Bay to Sawyer's Bay, Sunday is a day off to cruise around, and then Monday we race back to Thunder Bay from Silver Islet.  Srust, I'm sure you're familiar with all these places (I think we've talked about this before....) since you've been cruising Superior for a long time. 

I used to have a Thunderbird 26 for a number of years, but I sold it last year.  Now I crew on a friend's J-35, mainly racing, but we get one or two cruises in every year.

Hard to say which I love more, bikes or boats......

[demon78]

That was the next thing I was going to ask, how's the water ?
Bill the demon.

[evanphi]

   We do have teak trim on the interior that came with the boat but stuff I have added I used Mahogany.....it's close enough.  Teak is better used on the outside as it can hold up to weathering.  I may make a new table too as the original fake veneer one is getting ratty around the edges.  I have several nice pieces of 100 year old clear pine 12 inches wide that I may use and trim the edges with Mahogany.  I have a stash or real Honduran Mahogany too...most that you see today is fake, called African or Philippine "Mahogany".  Someone also gave me several pieces of Ironwood....so heavy it does not float.  It looks nice but is so hard I wonder what it will do to my saw blades and edge tools.  Not sure how I can use it.
   We don't use the cushions in the V berth or the quarter berth so they get left a home on trips with just the two of us.  The convertable dinnette is the most comfy place for two on our boat.  In the V berth I don't care for sleeping next to the toilet...that's for company.
   This trip we decided to go without ice/cooler and it was fine.  In Superior we can use one of the bilge lockers to keep things cool enough.  I can always find a deep hole to sink my beer into using a net bag for cooling purposes.   My wife insisted on bringing her Soda Stream and it was great for fizzing up the water.  We take water straight from the lake but run it through a Katadyn Base Camp filter first.

So far, V-berth is the only place the two of us can sleep. We move the portable head aft when sleeping, but normally its storage is just ahead of the bulkhead under the V. The quarter berths are very narrow and low. Only good for one person who isn't claustrophobic! We may remove the quarter berth cushions all together as they are in the worst condition and will never get used. Our dinette is also just a cheap veneer, but in quite good condition and aluminium trim. Good idea with the bilge lockers. Great for keeping things cool!

My father is a cabinet maker, so I have a nice source for wood... I think he would make me pay him for his teak, though!

[Lenny55]

Great story about rowing in to Silver Islet, that's pretty hardcore! I met Jim Coslett on a few occasions, but I didn't really know him at all, he used to take his motorsailor out and start the race from Silver Islet to Thunder Bay for us every year.  Unfortunately Jim passed away a couple of years ago.  Starting the race just isn't the same without his shotgun booming.

We try and get to Thompson every year.  We usually do a crew season wrap up party sometime around Thanksgiving and head there for the weekend.  It's one of my favourite places on the planet, unbelievably gorgeous.  The sauna is unbeatable!

I'll try and get some nice pics this weekend.  I trust you've been to Tee Harbour as well?

[Lenny55]

That was the next thing I was going to ask, how's the water ?
Bill the demon.

Bill, the water is beautiful.  I've drank it straight out of the lake several times, well, not straight, there was a fair bit of whiskey mixed in. 

[evanphi]

Wow. Sailing on a lake with a swing keel looks quite appealing! The river I sail has quite extreme tides, so getting that close to a beach is near impossible. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John_River_(Bay_of_Fundy)

[demon78]

It would be an interesting trip to follow the "Copper trade route" through to where it comes ashore in lake Huron.
Bill the demon.