Captains Log 2008

05-16-2008 > Splash happened a couple of weeks ago on a beautiful sunny Sunday. I sailed a few hours a week ago in the bay. The first sail of the season is special even though the winds were 5-7mph. I mostly tried out my new-to-me GPS. My best SOG this day was 4.9kts. Today I came up after work since rain was forecasted for the weekend. This would be a good time to check for leaks. Nothing turned up wet inside Purr'n. Very few boats in the western basin of the marina as yet.

06-01-2008 > Very windy when I arrived at the marina. White caps on the bay. I put in one reef before going out on the main alone. I hit 5.8kts. using just the reefed main. After a few hours the wind started to diminish. I sailed with the reefed main and the jib to 6.1kts. Lots of fun! Eventually I was able to take the reef out of the main for the rest of the day. Lots of spray in my face early on - woo-hoo!

06-15-2008 > Sailed over to the CP beach for a swim and lunch. Sunday the wind was better and I ended up over at the CP beach again.

06-22-2008 > A nice Sunday sail. I went out for a good six hours. Sailed past the Marblehead lighthouse into a hole in the wind. Motored out about a quarter mile to pick up some wind. Sailed back to CP, motored through the channel and sailed around in the bay. Very light winds. The bay was calm enough to read the wind on the water, so I just kept heading for wind. Some of the other sailboats must have wondered where I was getting my wind. Washed Purr'n and then hit the pool before the thunder storms hit.

07-05-2008 > Friday was really windy. Cedar Point had their fireworks on the evening of the 4th. Saturday was an absolutely idyllic day for sailing. I headed out of the bay and East to Huron. I tied up at the Huron Boat basin outer wall. $5 for 3 hours, so I had lunch at i5's and hung out for a while before sailing back to Sandusky. Sunday the wind was gone.

07-19-2008 > I sailed on Thursday and Friday as there was some wonderful off-shore breezes, and the weather for the weekend didn't sound good. I sailed over to Lakeside - East bay area Thursday. This was fun. Got overtaken by a 35 something that I tried to beat, but it was fun. I hit 7.1kts SOG according to the GPS for a bit and 6.8 - 6.9 for a few minutes, and it felt fast. Waaay cool! Friday I sailed to Marblehead, then to the East side of Kellys and over to Cedar Point Beach for lunch & a dip. The bay was pretty choppy when returning both days. West winds both days. I have this theory regarding West wind and lousy bay days. If I get out of the bay under motor, sailing along Marblehead is very possible as the land really knocks down the wind from the West, whereas the bay takes a direct hit due to it's Westerly inclination. I'll have to test it out next time.

07-27-2008 > I finally got to sail with Bill & Jan this weekend. We sailed in the bay which was pretty choppy from the wind and power boats. The real story of the weekend though is the new owner of a Catalina 22 on the next pier that is sailing it back to Wisconsin. Tim Prior is his name. A nice gentleman. Bill & I helped Tim replace his outboard motor bracket on Sunday. His plan includes traveling up the East coast of Lake Huron. It should be a trip to remember. Hopefully he e-mails me some pics.

08-03-2008 > Debbie and I sailed out to the Marblehead Lighthouse in pretty light winds. We stayed pretty close to shore just for fun. Debbie likes to watch more than sail. We motored back since the winds were so light. We got back just before Jan & Bill. We all went out to Tofts for icecream treats.

09-01-2008 > This was a really nice Labor Day weekend. I sailed Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday I sailed to Kellys Island. All the dock space was taken as expected, but that's ok as I hove-to and ate lunch just off the island. Then sailed over to Cedar Point. Sunday was ok but the wind was pretty light. I motored over to Cedar Point Marina and then over to Johnson Island to have something to do. Tim down the dock invited me to a barbeque at his mother-in-law's place on Cedar Point. Great time, good food, thanks Tim. Monday was awesome. A nice breeze coming off shore made for a nice sail down the coast and back.

09-07-2008 > Not a bad weekend of sailing. Saturday started out pretty breezy until about 1pm, 30 minutes after I went out. Then it was pretty calm so I motored bad to the dock. I did assist the Coast Guard in identifing a 30 foot sailboat that found itself on the beach at Bay Point. Someone had incorrectly radioed the location as Johnson Island. I called to correct the location and pass along what I ccould. Sunday started with rain even before I had my first cup of coffee. Rained until about 10am, then started clearing. I went out for a sail before all the wind was gone. The forecast was calling for 6mph wind and it delivered as the clouds rolled out. Pretty glad I went out early.

09-20-2008 > I sailed to Put-in-Bay on Friday morning. It took me about 3 1/2 hours from Sandusky. I arrived just before 1pm and tied up at "B" Dock. The Dockmaster is a character, in a good way. Did some beer tasting and shopping before eating dinner at the Boardwalk on the outside deck. Sailed back to Sandusky on Saturday morning.

11-23-2008 > My boat is stored away in my shop for the winter. I miss sailing already. I have a couple of mods planned for 2009. I'd like to get a Ocean Air port shade/screen for the v-berth. Change the interior lights over to LED. Just some minor stuff like that. In the spring I'll add a new coat of VC17m bottom paint too.