Sailing Review: May 20-23
A review of the past weekend of sailing on the Minneapolis Lakes! I sail often on both Harriet and Calhoun, but don't get a chance to sail on Nokomis. If you you have pictures, send them, or better yet invite me down for a sail!
Saturday was to be race day for me, as I had volunteered to crew on the first Lake Calhoun Keelboat race of the year. 11AM start, and we had a eclectic group of 6 boats ready for the line, including a 20 foot lapstrake yawl! But the weather worked against us:
But all was not lost, after the race was abandoned, we sailed about in the rain until thunder drove us off the water, and then headed to the Tin Fish to swap grand sailing stories and other lies.
In the afternoon, the skies cleared up, and I went for a sail with Werner. On the day he helped launch my boat, we sailed in the big winds with just the blade. Winds were picking up this day, and so we sailed with just his jib. Sweet and easy.
By 3PM the wind REALLY came. In the lee the Calhoun boats fared better, but the Harriet buoys were rocked by the 35 MPH winds from the east.
The wind really pulled the boats, straining the lines. Two broke free and one turtled, but neither had been signed up for the boat announcement service. Now's a good time to do that, HERE. Watch the bow of Glen's sweet Victoria Eighteen bite into this big wave. The load pulls the buoy under the water:
The bow of this scow was constantly being driven under water by the wave action. I was happy to see it come up every time!
The Beneteau 235, with her fine entry and plumb bow stem, just cuts through the waves, giving her an easier ride. The pull on the line is still huge however, and she has pulled her buoy under as well.
By evening the winds dropped and shifted to the south, allowing me to row out and go for sail. Reefed and with the jib only partially rolled out, it still was work. Getting back to the buoy was even more a chore, but I got lucky on my first pass. As I watched the wind, an intrepid Hobie driver clawed his way back to his buoy. I have sailed these things and know what they are like in high wind, so this guy has my total respect:
Sunday was big-boat day on Harriet, at one time there were four 22+ boats tied up on the dock. It looked like a boat show! I don't think the members of the TCSC were as impressed with the big hulls cluttering up the dock, but they took it in stride. And besides, it's our dock too! Here is a picture of myself, Wayne & Karen, and Scott by our boats:
Never mind the total rats nest on my boat, I had just come down-lake on a spinnaker run and sheets and control lines are all over the place. Dave caught this picture of Jackdaw running downwind to the dock. For more on spinnaker sailing, see the next post.
The reason Scott was there was not a happy one, his boat was broken into again! The sad part is, sailors are partly to blame. One of the tenders was left unlocked Friday night, and some punks took it and broke in. If you use the tenders, LOCK THEM UP!!! For more about security on the lake, and a good boat alarm system, see this link HERE.
The other 22 footer on the dock was a very pretty Catalina 22. Her red hull was just beautiful. A C-22 was my first real boat, so I always smile when I see one in Bristol condition like this one. The 4 guys sailing her had a blast, and I am happy to say that she has a buoy down in 'cruiser's corner'. Welcome!
After a snack and drink on the boat, I locked up, TURNED ON MY ALARM, and headed to Lake Calhoun to hang out with some friends. The sunset made a perfect close to another great sailing week:
Saturday was to be race day for me, as I had volunteered to crew on the first Lake Calhoun Keelboat race of the year. 11AM start, and we had a eclectic group of 6 boats ready for the line, including a 20 foot lapstrake yawl! But the weather worked against us:
But all was not lost, after the race was abandoned, we sailed about in the rain until thunder drove us off the water, and then headed to the Tin Fish to swap grand sailing stories and other lies.
In the afternoon, the skies cleared up, and I went for a sail with Werner. On the day he helped launch my boat, we sailed in the big winds with just the blade. Winds were picking up this day, and so we sailed with just his jib. Sweet and easy.
By 3PM the wind REALLY came. In the lee the Calhoun boats fared better, but the Harriet buoys were rocked by the 35 MPH winds from the east.
The wind really pulled the boats, straining the lines. Two broke free and one turtled, but neither had been signed up for the boat announcement service. Now's a good time to do that, HERE. Watch the bow of Glen's sweet Victoria Eighteen bite into this big wave. The load pulls the buoy under the water:
The bow of this scow was constantly being driven under water by the wave action. I was happy to see it come up every time!
The Beneteau 235, with her fine entry and plumb bow stem, just cuts through the waves, giving her an easier ride. The pull on the line is still huge however, and she has pulled her buoy under as well.
By evening the winds dropped and shifted to the south, allowing me to row out and go for sail. Reefed and with the jib only partially rolled out, it still was work. Getting back to the buoy was even more a chore, but I got lucky on my first pass. As I watched the wind, an intrepid Hobie driver clawed his way back to his buoy. I have sailed these things and know what they are like in high wind, so this guy has my total respect:
Sunday was big-boat day on Harriet, at one time there were four 22+ boats tied up on the dock. It looked like a boat show! I don't think the members of the TCSC were as impressed with the big hulls cluttering up the dock, but they took it in stride. And besides, it's our dock too! Here is a picture of myself, Wayne & Karen, and Scott by our boats:
Never mind the total rats nest on my boat, I had just come down-lake on a spinnaker run and sheets and control lines are all over the place. Dave caught this picture of Jackdaw running downwind to the dock. For more on spinnaker sailing, see the next post.
The reason Scott was there was not a happy one, his boat was broken into again! The sad part is, sailors are partly to blame. One of the tenders was left unlocked Friday night, and some punks took it and broke in. If you use the tenders, LOCK THEM UP!!! For more about security on the lake, and a good boat alarm system, see this link HERE.
The other 22 footer on the dock was a very pretty Catalina 22. Her red hull was just beautiful. A C-22 was my first real boat, so I always smile when I see one in Bristol condition like this one. The 4 guys sailing her had a blast, and I am happy to say that she has a buoy down in 'cruiser's corner'. Welcome!
After a snack and drink on the boat, I locked up, TURNED ON MY ALARM, and headed to Lake Calhoun to hang out with some friends. The sunset made a perfect close to another great sailing week:
obvious question about the vandalism: why?
ReplyDeleteKevin,
ReplyDeleteThat's the worst part. Just punks breaking in and breaking stuff for kicks. Seems that they have learned that the police cannot stop them, find them, or see them. We have to stop this with proactive steps. Watch for my next post (tomorrow)
Who were the couple at the Tin Fish? I cant remember their names, but didn't they go back to Europe?
ReplyDeleteYes, Henk and Winona. Back to Holland.
ReplyDelete