Boat Owners Again

 

Patrick, Kenzie, Finn & Fjord in front of our 1980 Ericson 30

These are but a few glimpses into the wonderful (and expensive) world of sailing in which we find ourselves.  

Story time:

Back in December I was doing my hourly scan of  Craigslist to see if I could find anything.  Lo and behold I see and ad for a 30' Ericson sloop for cheap...like MY price range cheap.  I put it in my mind, and contacted the owners right away.  After I dropped Kenzie and the boys off in Utah, I figured I would make the most of my airport run and check out the boat while I was down in town [Honolulu].  I saw the boat, it looked to be sold, but the previous owners lived aboard for nearly 4 years and it was covered in junk.  The interior looked scary, there were empty prescription bottles everywhere, so many cigarete butts, and a few bongs lying around.  Anyway, fast forward a few months.  I kept tabs on the boat, waiting for when they would actually pull the trigger to sell it.  Finally in May they were ready.  I went down to scrape the bottom clean.  As I worked on the boat, and they moved their stuff off, the guy started freaking out because I was getting too close to the through hulls and he was worried I'd cause a leak.  That troubled me.  I spent a couple hours chipping barnacles off of the bottom of the boat.  It looked like an alien landscape!  There were so many tube worms, crabs, and soft corals that I was pretty sure I saw some new species I had never witnessed in the coral reefs around the island.  After cleaning it, we went back down the next day to hopefully sail it away to a new dock.  In the end, we did all the paperwork and stayed at the Ke'ehi Small Boat Harbor temporarily for about 3 weeks.  It was right under the airport takeoff zone, so it got kinda loud. 

On our first sail out, we brought along some friends and decided to just sail the whole way.  I swam a line out to a pillar in the bay, pulled the boat back and let us drift so we were pointing into the wind, then popped up the jib (which ended up being a tiny sail, almost a storm jib) and shoved off.  We started sailing in the gusty weather...the wrong way.  We headed back to a dock, almost bumped into another boat.  Finally got her flipped around, and went sailing.  It was all pretty uneventful, till we started coming back in.  Other guys came out on their sailboat to rescue us.  They respected me for trying to do it all with sail, but thought it was foolhardy with the kids aboard, and the reef being so close.  The channel to get in and out of the harbor is about 500' wide, and very long.  It takes a good half hour just to get OUT of the harbor.  As the guys pulled close in their 27' albin vega sloop, a pod of dolphins came to play.  They put on quite the show!  They would dive under the boats, hop in the air, twirl, and converge as the rode down the face of a wave.

Riley, a skipper who lives on a Dreadnought 32 when he's not playing "deadliest catch" up in Alaska hopped across from one boat to ours.  He took over.  Normally my pride would have been injured, but it was the first time on a new boat in a new harbor in a new ocean.  I was a little reluctant to hand over the helm, but at the same time willing to learn.  We put up the mainsail to balance out the rig and allow us to tack.  We were able to head back in all the way up the long channel and tie up at an end dock safely.  Riley went through at least 4 beers completing this maneuver.  We then "hip-tied" an inflatable dinghy to the side, and motored to a dock.  Hopefully we get better at this docking and undocking thing.

Vacation Time

My boat is back in the water and ready for action.  I have gone from having a mooring in Milwaukee to a mooring in Oconto.  It is a little over an hour north of me, but it's still close enough that I can get out for a good sail if I have the day off.
I was planning on selling the boat because...well, that's what I do.  Posting it online was all too easy.  Adding pictures to the ebay listing, or the ad on craigslist made me nitpick and see all of the imperfections that I realized would make her difficult to sell.  One day I decided to head up and make sure nothing had been damaged over the winter months.  I hadn't been on my boat since October, and here I was well into June before making my first visit.  As soon as I saw my Glander Cay, I began to have reservations about selling her.  Instantly upon stepping aboard I realized that I didn't want anyone else to have her.  I had gotten such a good deal on a boat that not many would appreciate, and up to that point in the year, all I could think of was dollar signs.  Once I saw the potential again first hand, I pretty much decided that I'd hang onto her until I was offered six times what I paid for her, or until she was not longer fit to sail.  A good solid hull that is as well traveled as this one is not usually cheap.  Anyway.
The mooring was fairly inexpensive, and it meant that I could get out on the Bay much quicker because I wouldn't have to motor down the river all the way from Hi-Seas Marina.  It also meant that I had to find a way to get out to my boat without a dock.  Previously it had been warm, and I was accustomed to placing my clothes in a drybag, and swimming out to my boat.  The first time I had done this was the night I tied her to the new mooring.  I had motored the mile or so from the marina to the mooring, tied off, and tidied up a bit.  To get to shore I swam, fought through the reeds and lily pads, then changed back into my clothes in a nearby restroom.  The bright green drybag I had picked up with my Cabela's gift card did wonderfully.  My clothes were still bone dry.  I began my hike back in the rain down the dark county road.  I made it most of the way there before getting picked up by a kind man in a Ford Ranger.  The interior of his truck suggested that he was a chain smoker.  He explained to me that he was just doing his second good deed for the day.
Fast forward to now.  I found out that I get a week's paid vacation because I have been at my current job for over a year.  Time off being like money in my pocket burning to be used up, I took the first available week in September to do a cruise.  I wanted to take advantage of what little "warm" weather we have left.  Wisconsin has been insufferably cold and wet this summer, and I had a feeling that sailing in October again would not be nearly as pleasant as last year.
The plan is to leave on Monday, sail up through the Green Bay, and stop at islands along the way.  Chamber's island is about 6 hours away from Oconto.  Washington Island is another 6 north of that.  After sleeping on one of these little beauties, I will get to go up and explore Rock Island, St. Martins Island, Plum Island, Poverty Island, and many others.  The area is known as Death's Door, or Porte Des Morts by the French.  After studying the cruising charts I can begin to see why there are over 250 shipwrecks in such a small area.  The Niagara Escarpment (the rock the giant falls are carved out of) extends past the tip of the peninsula and occasionally juts up into an island.  There are multitudes of rocky shoals near the islands.  The depth quickly goes from 100' to 3' in some areas.  I'm sure I'll be glad to have such a shallow draft boat designed for island hopping.

Strictly Sail

Recently in Chicago they had a boat show entirely devoted to sailboats.  I had to go.
Luckily for myself I had a spare day off of work saved up for just such an occasion.  One thing that I don't like about Chicago is that it takes about $5 in tolls to get there.  After navigating the horrendous downtown traffic, parking next to several exotic cars, and using a subway restaurant purely for the restroom, I was on my way to the boat show.  The windy city certainly earned its title that day as wind chills threatened to freeze my ears and nose off.  The idea that I was going to soon see so many new sailboats was more than enough to get me to walk briskly over to the Navy Pier.
I had never been to the Pier before, and I highly recommend it.  I'm not sure who's idea it was to put suck light things like 50 foot sailboats on the second floor while reserving the ground level for heavy artifacts like stained glass windows, but I digress.  As soon as I had my bright paper bracelet on my wrist I was off with my trusty DSLR camera to tour the sloops and take as many pictures as I could.  All around there were offerings from Catalina, Jeanneau, Benetau, Hunter, and many more.  Sizes ranged from tiny kayaks and inflatable dinghies on up to a Beneteau Sense 50.  I was in heaven.
Although I am a fan of old classic looking boats with long, full keels, I couldn't help but be awestruck at the beautiful dual helms, plumb bows, and beamy sterns of these modern racer cruisers.  It has always amazed me how much space can be found in a 30 by 10 space.  I am not quite sure if I can pick a favorite boat yet.  They each had their own charm.  The Blue Jacket 40 certainly seemed to be a favorite of the cruising community with its rich wood and chrome interior.  The Com Pac yachts had interesting choices in the sub-30 foot category.  One yacht of particular interest was the chubby Com Pac 23 Motor sailor.  With a stout pilot house one could choose either to steer with the tiller at the stern, or the shiny helm wheel tucked safely below.
Several vendors were set up pedaling their inflatable life jackets, propane powered outboards, carbon fiber winches and the like.  I did get to try my hand at grinding away on a large Harken pedestal winch.  I had the second fastest time [to do 20 revolutions] of the day.  
Some boats sacrificed all of the usable space in order to achieve greater speed.  A 27 foot boat that could hardly sleep two seems a bit of a waste to me, but I'm sure the racers out there can't understand how a cruiser can make due with such a heavy hull and such small sails.  I guess everyone has their own taste, and there's a craft for each.  As far as racers go, the most stunning boat of the day had to be the old Shields classone-design sloop.  A full keel racing boat with long over hangs and a very fine transom had all the telltale signs of boat plans drawn in a bygone era.  Favoring minimal wetted surface area over having a longer waterline was the norm back in the day.  Although it was one of those longer boats that are good for no more than racing and daysailing, I would take one in a heartbeat.
Pictures to follow.

Cruising for the first time

Well, this is what she looks like on paper.

I got the opportunity to take the new boat out sailing a few times with family members, but it was only a couple of little day sailing outings.  What I really wanted to do was put some miles under her keel and travel.  I knew I'd have to wait a while, but as I've said before, I'm impatient.
The Glander Cay was out on a mooring in the South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee.  A mooring is nice because it means I'm less likely to hit another boat in my marina maneuvers.  It's not quite as convenient as a dock because I can't just walk out to the boat, I have to row out.  In one of my less intelligent decisions, I sold my 8' rowing dinghy (since I had no immediate use for it) and so now I had to resort to a small inflatable raft to paddle out to my new boat.  It's not so much the physical effort I dislike, but it's the fact that I know I look like a landlubber fool cranking his $15 Walmart blow up boat out to his craigslist find sailboat. Appearances aside, I was glad I wasn't swimming.  Lake Michigan is never warm, but as you get later and later in the year, hypothermia becomes more and more of a commonplace term.
One day of no particular significance I decided to go sailing after work.  Work for me gets over at 8:00 at night.  I worked about 45 minutes away from the yacht club.  Combining the travel time and the time it took to blow up the raft, and paddle out to the Glander, and get her ready meant that I wasn't really pulling away from land too much before 10:30 at night.  The spartan trimmings of my new boat meant that she was not equipped with adequate navigational lights to venture out past sunset.  I had to resort to the portable lights that I had clipped onto my Bristol; it is a crude way of getting by, but a way nonetheless.  Not having enough time to stop back at home, or the foresight to bring a spare change of clothes left me sailing solo out of Milwaukee under full cover of night in dress shoes, slacks, and a polo shirt with my name one it.  Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't reconsider some of my life decisions.
Getting the sails set all by my lonesome was somewhat more difficult than it had been on my Bristol.  The Glander had two headsails vs. the one I was accustomed to , and they were both attached at the mid and end point of a six foot long bowsprit.  There is no netting to catch me if I slip off the bowsprit, no hand rail to steady myself against, and no one to notice if I fell in.  Luckily I have always fancied myself to be a bit of a waterman and I'm not afraid to trust my cozy dry clothes to all the balance that I can muster out of my butt cheeks.  I sat balanced precariously over the black water as I clipped each of the old bronze hasps to the forestay, and double checked that I had run the halyards properly.  Once the Jib (front sail) was set, I moved back to the deck and set about attaching the staysail (sail behind the jib, but in front of the mast).  Once both headsails were good to go I turned on the outboard motor, dropped the mooring lines and eased out of the harbor in relative silence.

This is what she looks like in daylight

Milwaukee has an amazing skyline from the water; its glow can be seen for many miles away.  I had been sailing for about three hours when I realized that the wind was really not helping me progress northwards at all.  I was trying to get home by the next morning so I could show my family the new boat, and as much as I tried with tacking, it didn't seem that I'd get there any time soon unless I cheated.  Around 2:00 in the morning I decided to motor sail.  Cranking up the motor and relying on the sails, I was able to make about 6 knots heading in the right direction.  On the one hand, I felt bad using the motor, on the other hand, it was nice to know I wasn't going to get stranded and miss a few days of work.

As the hours wore on, I played with the trim of the motor and the tiller to try and get her to track straight on her own, but with the outboard being off center, and the wind blowing, this task proved impossible.  I tried taking some pictures with my phone, but was unable until the sun came up.  Late into the night I kept myself awake by singing my own karaoke songs as loud as I could, and by reenacting the entire first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.  I'm not ashamed that I know all the lines by heart, or that my Elizabeth Swann sounds pretty dang convincing.  

As the first light of day started to creep over the horizon, the sky turned a brilliant contrast of burnt orange and teal.  There wasn't a cloud in sight but for the first time in hours I could make out the coastline.  I had sailed much further offshore than I had originally anticipated, and I knew it would take another two hours of just east to west travelling to make it into the port at Sheboygan.  No sooner did I start heading for shore than I came within three feet of an ominous buoy protruding from the surface of the water.  Based on my knowledge of the area, I think it was a marker for a shipwreck.  I would love to dive on a wreck sometime, but I have no interest in creating one of my own.  I stayed offshore a bit in case it was marking a reef.  Even though the Glander only draws 3' of water, I'd rather not take any risks.

After 13 hours of motoring I made it from Milwaukee to Sheboygan.  I found that the city maintains a small courtesy dock in the river for transient boaters such as myself who only need to tie up for a few hours.  Seeing as most of the boats were out of the water for the season, I thought it unlikely that I would be taking anyone's spot.  My cell phone had died, and since my family had no idea of when or where to expect me, I had to walk home.  The two or three miles seemed an eternity.  My legs were set in sea mode.  I had stood most of the journey to keep from falling asleep, and that combined with the fact that I had been awake for 30 hours meant that I was a cross between a zombie and a drunk ad I trudged home.  Standing in the shower on dry land proved to be more difficult than urinating off the side of the boat out on the waves.  Land sickness is a funny thing.  Help me get across the pond.

Put to the test

All was set for our epic voyage across the 64 mile expanse of water known as Lake Michigan.  After 12 hours of work I quickly darted over to Wal-Mart and spent a surprising amount of money on some last minute safety items and food.  I picked up some water and Mountain Dew (to keep myself awake), a few sandwiches, a flare gun, some heavy rope to use as jack lines, and some flashlights.  Adam and Gavin were waiting for me down at the marina with their duffel bags packed with the gear they anticipated using.  After transferring the stuff to my boat and putting my laundry baskets in the back of my Mom's van we were set to depart.  There was still no sign of Spencer.  I was really hoping he would be on time so we could get out of the harbor as soon as possible.  I couldn't imagine why he would be late since he only lives 2 blocks away from the water.  I called him as we walked down the dock.  "Where are you?" I asked, "Marshfield. Why?" was the reply.  Now my Wisconsin geography is not that good, but I could tell that he wasn't going to be there in the next 15 minutes.  "Don't worry, I'll be there by morning." he said.  Apparently he was not on the same wavelength that all the rest of us were.  At first I got mad cause he flaked out, but then I figured it was just his loss.  I didn't realize at the time how much it would have helped to have another helmsman aboard. 
I wrapped the sparkling grape juice bottle in a plastic bag to catch the debris and smacked it hard against the bow to finally christen Aequitas.  Yeah the bag split and shattered glass went all over.  Oops!
We untied the mooring lines, secured the dinghy to a short painter attached to the stern and headed out silently.  It took quite a few tacks to get out, but I had expected light winds for the first few hours of the trip anyway.  I fired up the GPS which proved indispensable in the pitch black night.  It was a very young moon, and a very cloudy night.  We had a hard time finding the angle of the wind because it was too dark to see my telltales.  I tried to steer by the GPS, but light winds make that difficult.  We slowly made our way East away from civilization.  I could still see the lights from Sheboygan hours after leaving, it was a bit frustrating.  Eventually we left it all behind and the only glow came from the solar powered stern light I had taped to the rail.  Adam and Gavin had no problem heading below and sleeping.  I downed a couple sodas and sat at my station steering from 9:30 till about 3:00 am.  Gavin took over while I tried to catch some sleep in the port quarter berth.  I found it difficult to sleep with all the caffeine in my system, and the rocking of the boat.  Everything sounds much more ominous when you're down below.  The mast reverberating through the hull, the sails slapping as as we pounded over waves.  Just the sound of water passing by the keel made it sound as though water was trickling into the engine compartment.  I got up to check it once with a flashlight only to find it bone dry.  I finally settled down resting my head against the rubber fenders we had stowed below.  I was just drifting off to sleep when we gybed accidentally.  I heard the commotion and tried to sit bolt upright in my bunk only to be reminded painfully of the metal radio bracket hanging down at exactly eye-brow height.  I was glad it wasn't my eye, but it hurt.....a lot.

We got back on course and I tried to sleep a bit more.  I think I dozed for half an hour, but didn't actually feel rested.  I took over at the helm again for quite some time.  According to the GPS we were only averaging 2.9 MPH.  The sky gradually got lighter and lighter.  Adam got up around 4:45 to keep me company.  It was nice to finally be able to see the boat around me, and to have a small point of reference.  There was a small patch in the cloudy sky that was lighter than the rest, so I took it to mean I was at least heading towards the sun.  I had a couple pop-tarts but they didn't agree with my stomache.  I didn't get sea sick at all the whole trip, but it made sleep nearly impossible.  I think it was just the fact that I had stayed up too late.  By now I had been awake for nearly 22 hours.  I went to the forward cabin to see if it was any easier to sleep there.  I noticed that the forward berth was subject to more of the boat's pitching as we crested over waves.  Not too comfy.  Adam took a turn steering along a GPS course through some of the stronger winds as I drifted in and out of consciousness.  I suppose I really should have kept better track of when our watches were.  I was up again by 7:00 to steer again.  We were nearing the center line of the lake.  It felt as though we were crawling west and we would never reach even the halfway point, let alone Michigan itself.  The wind kept dying as well, so we were not making the progress I had hoped.  I was still counting on the 19 MPH winds the forecast had promised me.
It was an interesting feeling to be completely out of sight of land.  We felt completely alone knowing that there was no one around for miles, and no solid point of reference.  I think this was when Gavin's seasickness really started to kick in. 

As we inched closer and closer to the halfway point, and I got more and more exhausted I came to realize we weren't going to make it.  I guess when you're cruising you really shouldn't have a tight schedule.  The reason I was so miserable was because I had pushed my body to stay awake and concentrate longer than I should have just so we could make it there and back in time for work.  The GPS would keep calculating how long it would take based on current speed and heading.  Even 30 miles out it was still allotting us 16-18 hours to reach Pentwater.  I informed my crew that we'd make it at least over the middle line then turn back.  There was no point in seeing how far we could go just to be stubborn.  Thus far I was proud of my little boat, but annoyed at the fickle and weak wind. 
We drifted here and there, tacked to try and find better wind, and eventually passed the center line without even knowing it.  A little over 32 miles out we turned and headed for home with what little wind there was coming across out port quarter.  Adam and Gavin donned wetsuits and life jackets and got dragged back to the Wisconsin side of the lake.  The 900 foot deep water was insanely clear and dark blue.  We dropped a few cans of soda into a bag and lowered it into the freezing depths to act as a refrigerator.  It wasn't until we let out about 30 feet of line that we finally lost sight of it. 

We played around, but my mood steadily deteriorated as I got more and more tired.  I was not having fun on my maiden voyage.  I'm supposed to be the one that loves sailing no matter what no matter when.  There are some things I've learned I don't actually like.  I hate being over tired, I hate not having wind, and I hate the little black horse flies that seemed to have an insatiable appetite for human ankles. 

At 28 miles out the wind and waves kicked up and blew us quickly along.  The speedometer quickly registered that we were regularly going 6.8-7.3 MPH which is pretty dang fast for my boat.  At one point I wasn't sure how much stress my jury rigged back stay could take so I called everyone up from their slumber to help reef in the main.  It was an exercise in futility.  We tried to head into the wind but kept falling off.  I guess I wasn't a pro at heaving to quite yet.

We went back to what we were doing before.  Adam: sleeping below.  Gavin: sleeping in the cockpit trying not to vomit, and me: gripping the tiller tight and keeping a wary eye on my fresh rigging and 40 year old boat.  The GPS recalculated that the return journey would only take 6 or 7 hours vs. the 13 it took us to get out. I was glad that we'd get in before sundown, and maybe still do something fun with the rest of the day.  We blasted along towards Sheboygan until about 10 miles out we got hit by random squalls of rain, and variable winds.  The waves remained, but the wind couldn't make up its mind.  I had never seen the wind go from so fast to completely dead before. 

After a bit of waiting and spinning in circles I was able to conjure up enough speed to get us to the harbor, then 2.75 miles out the wind was gone.  Completely gone and not showing any signs of returning.  The waves were still strong and snapped the sails back and forth so violently that I was sure any breath of air there may have been was instantly spilled out.  I think this is when it all became too much for Gavin and he lost his meager lunch over the side.  I got so frustrated at the lack of wind.  I was really kicking myself for not having the engine.  It wouldn't be bad, but we were so close, the weather was just mocking me now.  Thick fog rolled in and a thunderstorm passed over head.  I draped a shroud over the side so that if we did get struck by lightning hopefully we wouldn't all explode in a fireball.  In the end I got so fed up I hopped in the dinghy and began rowing the boat.  I could have radioed the Coast Guard, but then I thought about how much they might charge for their services and decided to just row and row and row.  My arms are a bit chafed from the repetitions sweeping across my life jacket (our mom's would be so happy, we wore them whenever we were out of the cabin).  According to the GPS I was moving us at 1.1 MPH for about a half mile.  A small breeze kicked up and I returned to Aequitas to try and sail in.  A few fishing boats motored past us, though we could hear them more than we could see them.
The sun set behind the fog bank as we gradually made our way in.  At one point I was relying wholly on the GPS just so we wouldn't hit the lighthouse cause I couldn't see through soup like air.  As luck would have it, as soon as we rounded the breakwater the wind picked up again and drove us straight for my dock.  In fact it was almost too strong and it took a lot of effort to slow us down as we put into the slip. 
As soon as we tied off the exhaustion made it hard to fight off apathy.  We got the sails folded properly, and most everything tidied up.  I said goodbye to Adam and Gavin and headed straight for the hot tub.  I was met there by my perpetually drunk German neighbor.  As I tried to relax he kept going on and on about how stupid my boating is.  He said he respected me for trying so hard, but I do it all in a very pigheaded way.  I go out when there's no wind and get bitten by black flies (how he knew about that I'll never know), saying that it's all well and good that I can sail engine less, but that I'm creating more of a headache for myself and a hazard for others boats than I should.  I could see his point and was definitely getting discouraged quickly.  I love sailing, but I had sold myself so much on this idea of long distance cruising being the life for me, but after just 75 miles I was beat.  I think a lot of the distress can be chalked up to the timetable I was under.  Next cruise I'm going to take a week off of work and just get there when I get there. 
On a side note, my phone had started roaming about 12 miles out and so the battery drained within a few hours.  I put on dry clothes and staggered like a zombie the 2 or so miles over to my mom's house to get my phone charger and check my facebook.  I have never been so exhausted in my life, and hope I never am again.  I don't even want to think about how many hours I was actually awake for this whole venture, but next time I'll have people to take over.

No wind = frustration

Yesterday it was light air again for the second Tuesday in a row. Getting out of the harbor was pretty hairy.  In fact this whole ordeal with low wind speeds has taken quite the toll on my confidence as an engine less sailor.  I pushed the boat out and by the time I hopped on she had flipped backwards and was trying to drift in between two docked boats.  I got her turned sideways, but then she kept drifting.  A guy came over to help push off.  No damage done I don't think, but I'd be mad if someone had bumped into my boat.  I'm starting to think that if there isn't a lot of wind, or at least a discernible direction of wind that I just won't go out.  After I got out of the harbor I was moving along at a slow walking pace.  It was a fun day still.  I had my brother, Liam, out on the boat.  We went snorkeling, and practiced diving through the transparent water down to the anchor.  I can hold my breath for about 2 minutes in a hot tub, but only about 20 seconds in the lake.  I don't know what they temperature difference does to me, but it's annoying. 
We entertained two families from church and had a grand ole' time just ghosting about.  I'm planning on heading across Lake Michigan in two weeks with whatever crew I can scare up.  I should be getting my new compass, GPS, anchor, sail cover, and hammock this week.  If only I could get my electrical system working, or a wind vane autopilot.  It would be nice to have one, but they're super expensive.  If you want to get me one for Christmas I won't complain!

Why I love it!

I've been sailing two days in a row now!  On Tuesday I got to go out on the Merit 25 with some Italian foreign exchange students.  The wind was nice and strong; with 4 people riding the windward rail we still were able to heel over 25 degrees.  I love it when the boat actually starts moving, and it's always fun when there's friendly foreign girls along.  Although I may not have understood everything they said, I'm pretty sure we all had a fun time.

Then yesterday I went with some other friends from church.  I love teaching others to sail, and it's really cool when they pick up on so easily.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm good at teaching or just because they're natural at it.  I would love to have my own charter operation someday, someplace.  Just pick up random groups of people in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean.  Just strangers hitchhiking on the seas, is there any better way to live?  Probably, but for a 23 year old single guy...not really.  On a note about Aequitas, I'm still waiting for my turnbuckle replacements.  I put in an email today to the place and If it doesn't show up soon I'm gonna start to get mad.  I wouldn't pay $30 extra for 2nd day air if I had known it was gonna take a week anyway.

Sun baked

I slept in till about 9:15 and it felt amazing.  It was warm in Aequitas' cabin and although my alarm went off at the usual 7:15 I felt completely vindicated in choosing not to leave my berth.  I went and helped put up the mast on the Sea Scouts' Merit 25.  It went off without a hitch.  We only had four people there to help, and after the spinnaker pole was rigged as a lever arm I cranked on the winch and the mast popped up light as a feather.  I can only hope that with practice and the right length shrouds my own mast will go up as easily.  I still need to measure to make sure the back stay and fore stay are the right length.

After the mast was up and the rigging was sufficiently tight my friend, Gavin, had to climb up the mast to re do some lines.  It's a good thing he has the upper body strength for it, because we didn't have a ladder around.

It's only after I spend a along time in the sun that I notice the crisping feeling on my face and back.  One odd place that I got burnt this time was the tops of my feet.  Quite painful when I have to wear shoes for most of what I do in life.  I can't wait to be bare footing it out in warmer climates.
After the mast project I relaxed in my cabin reading some more of Jessica Watson's book : True Spirit.   It's a good read; very inspirational for someone like me.  I invited my older sister to bring her kids down to the marina for a ride in my new dinghy.  Noah was initially scared, but once he got aboard it was hard to get him back on dry land.  I loved seeing them scrambling all over Aequitas just as natural as anything.  Every now and again one of them would let loose some pirate jargon and threaten to make the other walk the plank.

I also decided to see how easily I could row all around the harbor.  I got over to the yacht club and saw my friend, Bailey, teaching sailing lessons to little kids in Opti sailboats.

It's crazy to see such young kids sailing on their own, but I'm sure I'll want my own kids to be comfortable on the water.  The way I see it, as long as it doesn't make you complacent then the more comfortable you are in a situation, the less dangerous it becomes.

Oatmeal

I finally bought a stove for my boat.  I decided on an inexpensive camp stove that runs on propane.  I've heard that propane is easily obtainable and heats very well, but it sinks and if there's any stray gas in your bilge, the slightest spark could cause my boat to explode!  Not too worried about a catastrophic explosion from a 20oz. canister I decided to risk it.
After I had gotten it all set up in the galley I read the owner's manual.  Apparently it is only to be used outdoors in open spaces because it can create carbon monoxide (which also sinks but is odorless) and that can poison you.  I figure I've got pretty good ventilation on the boat, but seeing as I died from CO poisoning when I was a little kid.  We were moving out in the country in Utah and just transferring stuff out of the camper we were using as a moving van.  My brothers and I were too young to be any help so we just sat on a couch playing spaceship while my parents and older sister worked.  There was a generator running to provide power for us, and I guess we all figured since it was outside that it would be fine.  Even sitting 6 or so feet away from the generator I was still able to inhale enough exhaust to make me feel really sleepy.  My parents couldn't wake me up.  Unbeknownst to me I was hung upside down and slapped in the face to get some response out of me.  It was only after I was made to walk around for a bit in the fresh air that I regained consciousness.  A scary experience, but it was a good thing it happened than and there, otherwise we might have unwittingly parked the generator too close to the house and we all might ave died in the night.
I keep the propane cylinder outside when I sleep and just to be safe I left a candle burning on the floor as I cooked my first hot meal aboard; oatmeal.

First sail of the season

Happy Memorial Day!  Well, that was yesterday, but it was a good one.  The weather could not have been more perfect yesterday. 12-15 knot winds for most of the day blowing warm, moist air up from the Gulf of Mexico.  The sun was shining, and the air was hot.  As soon as work was over I rushed to the Marina and hopped aboard Aequitas to change clothes.  In the slip right next to mine there is a nice couple (and their dog) that live aboard an O'Day 30 on the weekends.  She looks to be a pretty nice vessel.  I met them last week and they said I was welcome to join them anytime I wanted to go out on the water.  I at first thought it was just a nice gesture, but as I was walking down the dock one of them met me and asked where I was all day.  Apparently they had gone out for a sail and the fog had fallen on them with a vengeance and they could have used an extra hand to get back into the harbor.  I was surprised that she even remembered my name (because I must confess that I cannot remember hers for the life of me). 
My friend, Sarah, was in town for the weekend; so we got together to go sailing.  Luckily the Sea Scout's Flying Junior sailboats (14' college racing dinghies) were rigged and ready to go.  We grabbed the essentials: life jackets, sails, rudder, tiller, paddle; out of the locker and got going as quickly as possible.  We were out on the water for about 2 hours.....Amazing!  It almost surprises me every time when I remember how in love with sailing I am.  It's nice to feel like there is something in this life that I was born to do.  The raw power of the wind being harnessed by contoured slabs of fabric.  It's rewarding to be able to utilize and in some ways control two of earth's most powerful elements: wind and water.

I, for the most part, stayed dry while Sarah got a good deal of spray as we pounded over 1-2 foot waves.  I'll have to take more pictures next time so you can all see what Sheboygan looks like from outside of the harbor.  Until then, thanks for reading.  Feel free to leave comments below, or ask questions.  Thanks!

Homeless

Yesterday was my birthday!  It was pretty uneventful to begin with.  I worked all day (literally).  The only thing to break up the monotony was going out to Culver's with a friend for lunch.  If you've never been to Culver's I highly recommend it.  A better brand of beef truly does make a butter-burger better.  I worked from 8:30 in the morning until 9:30 at night.  We close at 8:00, but I had some last minute customers that bought a car.  Oh well, money is good right?  After I updated my Facebook account and replied to most of the birthday wishes I started to head home.  On the way I suddenly grew hungry.  The problem with Sheboygan is that there's nowhere to go at 11:00 at night for food except Perkins.  I didn't want to go to the restaurant alone and feel lame so I decided to just turn in for the night.  As I was almost to the marina I got a text from my friend Jessica, she was with another friend.....at Perkins.  So in the end I did get some more birthday fun, and I got to eat inordinate amounts of food.  That's a good day in my book.
As I got home to Aequitas I noticed that there was no longer any water dripping into the bilge; small victories.  Thursday I will be moving the rest of my belongings out of my apartment so I can fully move onto the boat.  I wonder if I'll get in trouble for being technically homeless.  Does living on a boat count as homelessness?  What if I have my Mom's house as my mailing address.  Soon the only bills I will have are my cell phone and the insurance for the car I sold to my sister and brother in-law.  Hopefully this means that I will be able to save quickly for my trip to California this summer, and to Europe next summer.
Just as a backup plan I began searching for flight prices to head to all the places I want to visit next summer.  Oddly enough if I did it as a multi-stop flight and spent about a week in each country it would only be just over $1,000 for the whole trip.  That's stopping in Ireland, England, Spain, and Florida.  For that price I may as well do that this year.  Obviously that doesn't cover food and lodging.  The main thing I want to experience though is cruising on my own boat and pulling into a strange port and seeing everything from that perspective.  Then I can explore every cove and inlet along the way, stop at any beach that intrigues me, and carry my living place with me like a snail's shell. 

A brief ray of sunshine

It's my day off.  And it was tolerable weather.  Sound unlikely for me......yeah.  OK although the afore mentioned statements are true, it wasn't exactly perfect.  Despite being my day off I had to go in to work (twice) in order to keep appointments with clients.  (If in the future after I am an amazingly successful cruising sailor and I have to get a job on land I hope that they will read this and see my awesome work ethic).  I only stayed at work a total of 3 1/2 hours, but I sold 2 cars, so it's ok.  As for the weather, it's been kinda depressing.  A couple Sundays ago it was up in the 70's, and then this last weekend we got 3 inches of snow!  It just came out of nowhere, and covered everything in slush.  I had hoped that I would be able to start varnishing, but with all the changing weather and moisture in the air I've decided to hold off for a bit.

I completed a few tasks on the boat though.  I taped off and repainted the waterline, I put on the boat registration stickers, and finished sanding the woodwork. I took pictures of all this today, but forgot to bring it over here so I could upload them.  I'll do that tomorrow.

I checked out the slot that had been cut to drain any excess water in the keel, it was pretty much dry.  I decided it'd be a good idea to make sure there was no water next to the ballast on the other side of the keel. So although when you think of boat maintenance you usually think of patching holes, not drilling new ones, that's exactly what I had to do.
I drilled into the side of the keel and a bit of gritty black goop came out followed by some water.  I drilled 8 other holes along the keel to drain any moisture I could.  I'm still a bit worried about all this water that has been in there for who knows how long, but I'm pretty confident in the structural integrity of the Bristol.

I found out that the rig I have (from a Columbia 26) has a roller reefing boom, so I don't need to add reefing point to the sail if I need to make the sail smaller in a storm.  It's gonna be nice to just wrap it around the boom and not have to worry about folding it.  I've heard that the roller reefing systems weren't that good, and that's why no one does it anymore.....I guess we'll see.

After sunset I went to Home Depot to get some Frog Tape (way better than the blue painter's tape most people get), some more sanding blocks, some gloves so I don't ruin my skin with the anti-fouling paint, and some tack cloth so I can varnish properly.  Then I bought some rubbing compound and wax to make the boat's hull all slippery and shiny.

It's gratifying to see things coming together over the last couple of weeks.  I've had a list of things to buy, and things to do which wasn't changing at all over the winter months.  I had to get insurance, pay for the slip, get anti-fouling paint ($126/gallon).  Now all I have to do is buy some sails.

An old guy came up to me today and told me about some sailing stuff he was selling.  He had a new sail that didn't fit his boat he was gonna sell for $400, and a roller furling unit for the Jib.  It might not fit, but I'll see how cheap I can buy it off him.

I've recently joined a www.cruisersforum.com which has been great!  The combined knowledge of hundreds of sailors from all over the world helping me trouble shoot my way has been invaluable.  It's also nice to see that I'm not the only one who's starting small and trying to make due with as little as possible.  I know I seem naive to many, but I feel like I could get to Europe just on will power at this point.

Impatient or just excited?

Another short day of working on my lovely little sloop.  I couldn't get down to see her till around 4:00 in the afternoon, but I recruited the help of my little brother, Liam, to help with some sanding.  We scrubbed out the bilge a bit, and I painted some scuzzy looking parts of the cabin top and the cockpit while Liam ran around sanding some of the woodwork.  I hadn't really added up how much varnish it's going to take to get her in Bristol condition, but I'm sure it will be well worth the effort of doing it properly.  The weather here in Wisconsin is warming up a bit, but that is bringing in more moisture than I'd like, so it's been foggy and rainy.  Tomorrow is supposed to be up to 71 degrees, but it's also supposed to have crazy thunderstorms and almost tornado conditions.  I've been reading up a bit on what I can do to forestall my decision on what to do about the engine.  My Bristol 24 had a small diesel engine that is meant to be mounted inboard just under the cockpit.  This is a nice setup because while it's running it can also charge the batteries, and since the propeller is lower down in the water, it is more likely to stay under water in the event of rough seas.  It would be simple to mount an outboard motor onto the transom, but that would look ugly, and I'd have to raise it and lower it every time I want to use it..... and it would cost more money that I don't have.
I finally bought insurance for my boat, so now at least if I crash into anyone I'll be covered.  Now the only main expenses I have are paying off the rest of the boat slip ($691) and buying a set of sails; I figure I can pick up a used set for about $500.  When I think about how quickly the boat is coming together I get really excited for the summer.  I get the feeling that it will be more and more difficult to bring myself into work each day when I have the prospect of taking off and cruising whenever I want.  The one thing I know that will keep me grounded is knowing that my cruising range is limited by my funds, and in order to do my big cruise next summer I'm going to have to work hard and save a lot.
I recently watched a couple of sailing movies.  I had heard Abby Sunderland recommend Deep Water, a documentary about one ill-fated sailor and his attempt in the first solo, non-stop round the world race.  It was insightful, but I don't think I should let my Mom watch it; she might worry.  I also watched Morning Light, a documentary made by Disney about their crew of young rookie sailors and their first TransPac Race.  I'd love to do something like that, but those high powered race machines make the trip from California to Hawaii in 10 days.  A 70 foot boat making 20 knots is a little bit more intense than my 24 foot boat making 5.....probably 4 knots average.
I know I really need to get some pictures up, but I just ran over here from my apartment and forgot to bring my camera along with me.  Keep your fingers crossed for next time.
Thanks for reading!

The Marina

I went down to the harbor center marina here in beautiful Sheboygan and spoke to the guys there about getting a slip for the upcoming season.  At first I thought I was going to have to get an efficiency dock.  This arrangement would put me all the way back in the sandy shallow area that would be difficult to get out of, and I would have no storage attached to my dock.  Because of a fortunate turn of events and some lucky timing I was able to get a much nicer dock designed for a 35 foot boat over on the outer edge of one of the main docks.  Clear deep water.  Also I'll be over in the neighborhood of the other sailors.  It'll be nice to exchange information and get advice, but on the other hand it might be embarrassing if anything goes wrong while I'm over there.  (It's my first boat people, gimme a break!)  But the dock is going to be cheaper than the efficiency dock and it comes with electricity, water hook ups, and the port for a cable TV. 
I will have access to the pool, the hot tub, the barbecues, the showers, bathrooms, laundry room, and kitchen.  I'm seriously thinking I'll just move out of my apartment and live on my boat for the summer.  It would be the equivalent of paying $165 a month for rent as opposed to $315 (plus utilities).  I'm really not seeing a downside here.  I'll be able to save more for my trip to Europe, and I'll be able to get used to living aboard my boat.

It's been a while.

OK so you may have been wondering what has happened to me.  Sadly with the Wisconsin winter weather rolling  there hasn't been too much nautical going on in my life.  It has finally snowed, and we're due for another blizzard tonight.  I love the snow!  I got a tarp put up over the cockpit on my boat just in time so it doesn't fill up with snow and ice over the winter.  I helped cover up one of the Sea Scout boats, a Merit 25, in the middle of the first snow storm.  It just makes me wonder what it would be like to be sailing on the southern ocean.  I'm sure it wouldn't be the tropical dream that everyone thinks of when they picture sailing off somewhere, but for me any aspect of sailing is amazing. 
On a more financial note, my paychecks won't be going towards my vessel for a little while since I have to get my wisdom teeth ripped out.  They've been bugging me for quite some time, so I finally decided to get it done.  The good part is that my jaw will stop swelling up, and my teeth won't hurt; the bad is that it costs $2300!  I'm not looking forward to that, but I'm sure it'll all work out.
In more news in relation to my planned voyage to Europe.  I have officially decided to postpone it a year.  On the one hand I'm a bit worried that if I put it off life will get in the way and it may never happen; but it's just too much stress I've piled on myself telling everyone that I'm going on a jaunt across the Atlantic next summer in a boat I've never sailed.  I need not only more time to prepare the boat, and practice my skills on it, but I need to save up money to get the proper gear to make it a safe trip.  And although I'm sure I'll be demonstrating thrifty living for a while, I would like to have a little bit of spending money while I'm over there.  I can think of a couple individuals who would not be pleased if I were to come back from Europe again without any souvenirs for them.
So with this new plan I am still confident that it'll happen, but this way I know I'll be more prepared and I'll be able to spend the summer with my friends testing which configurations work well for me on the boat, and which ones don't.  One example of this is the presence of lifelines.  I've already spent time and money fixing the stanchions, but at the end of the day I'm kind of liking the extra deck space in not having the stanchions there.  I've heard just as many stories saying lifelines are a necessity as there are that say they are dangerous.  Pros: they can catch you if you lose your footing, slip, or are about to roll overboard for any other reason.  They are convenient places to tie things.  Cons:  Anything you tie to them adds windage and drag up top, they cannot be relied upon to keep you in the boat, if you fall on them you could damage the hull if they try to rip out, they take up valuable space on the side and fore decks, the head sail can chafe up against them, they get in the way when trying to get on a dock of another vessel.  OK I'm beginning to thin that I sound biased.  They do add a sense of security, but it may be a false sense if you don't hold onto the boat because you trust the lifelines to catch you.  The only benefit I can see now is if I had small children on board.  In that case I would string netting between to stanchions to catch kids.  I'm kinda wishing I hadn't put so much adhesive on the stanchion bases, I might not be able to get them off now. 
Like I said, I'll try all sorts of different configurations with people on board, and test to find out what work best. 
Anyone that would like to learn more about my boat, or my planned trips feel free to comment below.  As well anyone that wants to donate to my boat fund, or my Wisdom Teeth fund can let me know as well.

Chores yet to do.

I was able to get over to the boat before all the dew had been dried up by the sun.  I used an old towel to wipe the moisture away so I could begin work.  A little bit more sanding, and another two coats of paint finished off the transom.  It is now gleaming in "china white", and ready to have a name painted on it.  I have decided on the name, but I'll explain that later.
I still need power tools to get the rest of the flooring up in the cabin.  I can't wait to get down there and level it all out so I can rebuild the floor.  I am looking forward to having another 2" of headroom, and a solid surface to walk on.  I am also hoping that the musty smell will go away after I get everything vacuumed up and repainted in the engine compartment.  While I was waiting for coats of paint to dry I curled up in the foreward berth for a few minutes.  It was surprisingly comfortable.  I let my mind wander a bit; I love thinking of when she'll actually be in the water heading off to distant horizons.  I can just imagine diving off of the bow pulpit to help set a heavy anchor in the sand near a tropical reef.  I'd love to bring a surfboard along wherever I go because you never know when you'll find that perfect wave. 
The Sheboygan Sea Scout skipper, Tom, just happened to be driving by.  I showed him my new boat for the first time.  He was kind enough to give me a few names of people who might be able to help me inspect the diesel engine and make sure it's ready to go.  I've always wanted to have an inboard so I can charge up my batteries with the alternator, and so I don't have to strap an ugly outboard onto my freshly painted transom.  There are pros and cons of every set up on a boat, but I think I've found the perfect compromise with everything my boat has. 
I'm hoping to be able to borrow some tools from my grandma (cause we all know she's never gonna use a circular saw) to speed up the work.  The chores I have yet to do are as follows (in no particular order):  install dorade vents, buff out the plexiglass windows so their transparent again, oil all the woodwork and rub rails, remove the rest of the cabin sole, drain and dry the foam insulation, level the cabin floor support, rebuild the cabin sole, re-seat all the stanchions, repair and re-seat the veneer on my deck hatch box, caulk seams on some of the woodwork, clean and paint the engine compartment, repack the rudder bearings, inspect and install the engine (and all parts), clean the head [toilet], inspect the septic tank, mount bow stanchions and hand rail, mount the mast step, paint the bottom with anti-fouling paint, and then buff and wax the whole hull.  It should be fun.  I really am looking forward to it.  A lot of it is just cosmetic, some of it is just preventative maintenance, and some (like the cabin sole) needs to be done. 
Of course I also have to paint the name on her transom. I'll let y'all know my decision in a later post.  I hope to get some before and after pictures up pretty soon as well.  Thanks for reading!

Whew!

Yeah the newspaper didn't work at all.  But after a few days of bailing I decided to go check the drain holes that had been cut in the keel by the boat yard.  After clearing the gunk out of one of them water began to trickle out.  The next day when I stopped by there was no water in the bilge!  So there's still water in the boat, and I should proabably clear out the old foam insulation, I'm just glad to know that it's not going to pop over the cold winter.  I still don't have any power tools to use, so I'm removing the cabin sole by hand.  The work is going slow since I onlty really have one day a week that I can work on the boat, and since that's my only day off work, it's the only day that I can do a lot of other things.  Hey I'd reather be busy than bored any day.
I do like just sitting on the deck of the boat, or lying out in the cockpit to just relax.  I can't wait till I'm actually out there living the dream.  I can just imagine myself struggling through the rain and swells in the cold rough times, but also snorkeling in transparent waters, and tanning in the good times.  There are just so many possibilities that having this boat opens up for me.  Maybe someday I'll get my coast guard captain's license so I can be the skipper on a charter vessel.  That would be a fun way to make a buck in the bahamas someday.  For right now it's all just a dream, but they're not going to stay that way for long.  The dreams that are so forceful that they get into your waking thought can't be left alone until they are realized and turned into memories of things you've actually done. 
Still looking for the perfect name.  Maybe Aequitas. I like it.  Let me know what you think, and feel free to explore around the rest of my blog.  I'll try to put more detail in here as I write from time to time.

My First Post

Alright, so this is my first post of my new blog.  I'll try to keep it current and be accurate with everything.  This is going to be one way that I keep track of where I travel to, how I get there, and what happens along the way.  I have big plans for the future, and like many people I'm starting off small and cheap.  I've always loved boats, and after reading a few National Geographic magazines when I was younger I decided that I wanted to travel to the Galapagos Archipelago.  This must have been when I was 12.  I later became interested in Sailboats.  In the town of Sheboygan, WI there is a pretty good maritime community.  I used to spend hours sitting on the pier watching the boats go by.  I wished that I could be out there.  I was under the impression that I needed to get a 40 foot boat at the bare minimum or I'd be going nowhere. I had no money, and no clue how I was going to get into sailing.  But I read all that I could on the subject.
In my junior year of High School I was introduced to Sea Scouts.  This is a great organization and an amazing way to use other peoples boats to gain experience.  I was hooked for life.  I spent as much time as I could spare sailing and working on the boats. Anyway, to cut to the chase... I moved around a lot.  I've always had a love of travel.  Growing up I rarely stayed in the same house (or city for that matter) longer than 3 years.  And after moving back to Sheboygan I decided to take my desires for adventure and travel up a notch and actually buy a boat.  After lots of research I determined what type of boat would suit my needs for blue water cruising best, and then examined my budget and found something that fit both criteria. 
I inspected a couple of boats and decided on a 1970 Bristol 24 that I found on Craigslist.com and Boats.com  I'll explain more of the pros and cons of her in a later entry. 
My plan is to fix her up over the winter, and be ready for a trip next summer.  I'd like to be in the water by May 24th. (My 23rd Birthday).  And then I plan to sail out the Great Lakes Chain, across to Ireland (the land of my heritage), then over to Wales and England (where I served as an LDS missionary for 2 years), then over to France and Spain.  I intend to hit the Azores on the way home, and then work on completing bigger trips.  Anyone that wants to sponsor my endeavors, or would like to know more, feel free.
Thanks!