Lake Calhoun to host large regatta this weekend!

The Lake Calhoun Yacht Club wanted me to pass on this message. Sounds like a lot of activity at Lake Calhoun (and at the dock) this weekend!

The LCYC will be hosting the ILYA youth championships this weekend (Aug 21-22). There will be lots of boats, up to 50 420s and a lesser number of Lasers. Most will be tying up to the sailing dock at  the same time so it may be difficult for the buoy holders to tie up at the same time. Certainly the lake is open to everyone but I think a warning is warranted. It would be like planning to go to Calhoun Square without knowing the Uptown Art Fair was happening.

So what does this mean? Well, first I would avoid time at the dock. Try and arrange a ride to your boat so you do not have to come back to the dock with a tender in tow. If you do, leave as soon as possible so the racers have more space.

On the water, watch for the courses and make an effort to stay clear. Want to read more about sailing while racing is going on? Read this post HERE.

An amazing four days of wind and sailing

I'm writing this in San Fransisco, and let me tell you, the 'city by the bay' has NOTHING on us for quality sailing wind. OK, at least not in the last 4 days. Starting on last Friday, we have consistent breezes in the 15-20 range. Consistent not only in speed, but in direction. It has been absolutely top-shelf sailing. The ability to hold a beat for the entire length of the lake and not have to adjust for a wild shift, gust, or lull has been a real treat. It this picture, I'm driving from the rail while Jackdaw makes 6.2 knots to windward. Good Times!

Strong winds are nothing to be feared if you know how to adjust your sails to match conditions. On this particular day, the wind was 15-20, so I sailed with a full main, but had flattened it using backstay pressure and lots of outhaul. These types of adjustments are common on fractionally rigged boats. If your boat is a masthead sloop, think about a reef, which would have been the next step for me. If you are on a scow, hang on tight!

For sloop sailors, it is also good to know if your boat will sail well with just one sail up. Some will, some will not. If yours does, dropping a sail is another way to enjoy the really windy days. Practice on lighter days to check, and see what sail works best. The ability to go to windward  (and tack) is the key thing to check. On Sunday, my wind gauge showed a breeze of 20 with gusts to 30. For Jackdaw with 2 novice guests on board, that was a day for just a reefed main, until the breezes dropped later in the afternoon and the jib came out. Everyone had a blast, and it was no stress sailing.

If your boat can go to windward with just a main, it makes a GREAT way to get back to the buoy in a blow. Approach from downwind, and feather the main as you approach the buoy to scrub off speed. This is amazingly controllable, and having the jib out of the way means that your foredeck person will not get flapped to death by the luffing jib while they go for the buoy. Roller furling is worth its weight in gold in this situation. Interested in learning more about roller furling? See this post HERE

Also, props to my buddy Glen who took the pix of Jackdaw in the breeze. I have lots of pictures of my boat, but not many of her in a blow. I figured it would be Glen to deliver, because he is the guy you can rely on being out when the big winds come up. So, I figured that I had to return the favor. Here's Glen, with his toe in the water.

Lets hope the winds keep up!

Keeping Your Goodies Dry

This is a classic case of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure. Electronic gadgets DO NOT like water. At all. Now I admit that I might be a nut-case, but I know we all bring electronic devices out to our boats. Cell phones, iPods, cameras, iPads, you get the picture. The trick is to keep them dry, and for the bigger boats, that might mean that the most vulnerable time is the trip out to the boat. An easy and low cost solution is to get dry bags designed to such a purpose. These are less capable then the ones designed for kayaking and canoeing, but are less expensive. For instance, that bag holding my iPad was less then 6 dollars at a sporting goods store. In a pinch, or for guests, it is a great idea to put some zip-lock bags in your boat bag. It might not survive a total submersion, but it will most likely save someones digital camera if it gets hit by a big splash.

Amazon has a wide range of dry bags, you can see them all HERE.

Another approach is to use water resistant equipment. One reserver for pros, gear you can use in the water is getting my common. Some device SAY they are waterproof, but how can you tell? 'Waterproof' is just a marketing term that holds no weight. Look for the so-called IP rating. IPx4 means a device can withstand splashing. IPx7 means it can withstand submersion in a meter of water.

Several cameras and phones are now waterproof, and might make sense on boats that get wet, like the scows or cats.

For cameras, very popular are the Pentax Optio cameras - highly rated. HERE
For GSM Cell phones (T-mobile or ATT) the Sonim XP3 phones work well. HERE

If you are interested in a REAL waterproof HD video camera, check out the GoPro link HERE.

But what if your gadget gets wet? You are probably lost, but try this:

1) Do NOT attempt to turn on
2) Take out battery
3) Remove any accessories
4) Rotate device in all directions to drain any water.
5) Towel dry
6) Place in a bowl of dry rice, in a oven at 120 degrees overnight, maybe the next day

Replace your battery and turn on. It MIGHT work, but in fact will never be the same. Speakers, mics, are the most at risk.Do not attempt a warrantee claim, as the manufacture will know water has entered, because they place water-sensitive discs inside these device that turn color if they have ever been wet. But maybe you will get SOME use out of it.

One more thing - Waterproof does NOT mean that is will not sink!! All the waterproofing in the world does not help if the device falls in the water away from shore.

Amazing Sunset

Well, the wind was light on Friday afternoon, turning what looked like a good sailing day into a good day for swimming and grilling. Amanda and I had ice cream at the dock, and then were treated to this sunset on that way back to the buoy. How amazing is that? If you ever looked up that thought you might see God in the clouds, it would be in a sky just like this.

Ladies - Time To Take The Tiller

This post is for the ladies.  Ladies, 5 Ts. Time to take the tiller.  I just finished reading the book “Saving Sailing”, which Clay has highly recommended.  I am the other half-owner of Jackdaw (friends only) and obviously the silent one.  Also, the student, and now I realize not a very good one.  New to sailing a couple summers ago, I have been content to tend to the jib and follow directions from Clay.  In spite of his encouragement to take the tiller, it seemed safer (for us and the boat) to stick to the easy job and leave the harder (and much scarier) job of “driving” to the expert.  I heard many times about the “bad things that could happen”, and even though I didn’t know or ask what those bad things were, I was worried they would happen if I was driving.  Taking lessons and reading “Saving Sailing” has given me a dose of courage.  This is kind of curious in itself, because I haven’t lacked courage in other areas (could I tell you stories) but there is something different about taking a risk that would affect not just yourself, but other people and this big boat.   I think perhaps that’s a gender thing where men have the natural self-confidence that we women may lack in areas that are male dominated.  But after reading this book, I realize that ladies, we are missing out by not taking our turn as captain of the boat.  When you take turns being the captain, it becomes much more of a team activity and I’m convinced will greatly increase our enjoyment of the sport.  Ask your sailing partner if they are willing to be a gentle mentor; that is to share their knowledge about heeling and tacking and all the other important things kindly to nudge you along without yelling or screaming.  Ladies, it doesn’t take big strength to be a good sailor, just brains so we should be able to handle the tiller as well as any guy – go for it.
Sheree

Standing Rigging - Time to Replace?

A lot of us sail boats that are in the 10-20 year old range, so it begs a question... How old is your standing rigging?

Your standing rigging is easily the most important system on your boat. Under huge loads, it is the only thing that keeps your mast up. And it's failure mode is sudden and absolute. One minute all is fine, and the next second the mast is laying in the water, hopefully hurting no one on the way down. Because of this, and because that you cannot positively detect imminent failure by inspection, the standard time-frame to swap out standing rigging is 7 years. Indeed, most insurance companies will NOT honor a rig failure claim if your standing rigging is over 10 years old.

So what to do?

Well, if your rig is over 10 years old, think about replacing it this season, or at very least, in this off season..

In any case, this might be a good time for a full inspection. You might not be able to see micro-cranks in the swages, but you can see corrosion and broken strands of SS wire, which would mean replacement right now.

If you DO need new rigging, you have several options. Any of the local shops can custom make it for you, but you should also check with SecoSouth. They are the OEM rigging makers for a lot of boatyards, including Beneteau, Hunter, Compac, and Precision. If they have the dimensions of you rig on file, they will make it for you without you needing to measure your old rig. Learn more HERE

One other thing: I have seen several boats on the lakes that have non-marine/non-rigging fittings in the shrouds. Team, this is dangerous beyond words. Standing rigging is NO place to be cheap, the failure of these 'hardware store' fittings can kill somebody. Done correctly, your rigging should consist of a marine turnbuckle, with a toggle on the lower side, and a swaged fitting to the shroud, looking like this. Also, the turnbuckles should then be wired or ring-pinned to prevent them from turning.









 If you boat looks like the forestay attachment on this Mcgregor 26, I'd fix that right away.. Someone is going to get hurt. We sail on small lakes, but we can have big winds.

Taking Friends Sailing - A Checklist

With the 4th of July upon us, many of us will be taking friends and family sailing, and for many of them, it will be the first time. Unlike my friends Mark and Alberto shown here, it will be a new experience, and it it your job to make sure that new sailors are prepared, and know what to expect. It will make the time on the water more fun for them, and safer for everybody, including your boat.

Here is a list of some things to check/ask/inform new sailors before heading out:

• Find out if they can swim - This is the biggie. As skipper you are responsible for everyone's safety, and non-swimmers should wear a PFD when on the boat.

• Tell them about your boat - And what kind of sailing they can expect. A sail on a M-16 will be different than on a 235. People may have impressions of what sailing MIGHT be like, based on things that have seen or read. Let them know about your boat. Can it capsize? Are they Likely to get wet? Will it be work? Can they lay out? is there a place to go to get out of the sun?

• Let them know what to wear - Partly based on weather, and boat type. Will they have a place to store extra clothes, and/or change? bathing suits? Shoes are KEY; maybe not dedicated boat shoes, but watch out for black soles.

• Let them know what will be expected of them - If you need your guest to be actively involved in the sailing let them know ahead of time. Even if that just means acting as rail meat, let them know what their job will be. If they just get to sit back and relax, let them know that too.

• What can they bring - Depends on your boat; so let them know. Do you want them to bring towels? Food to share? 

• What to leave behind - Many skipper have a list of things that cannot come on the boat. Pets? Glass? Dark liquids like red wine or tomato juice? I've had people show up with huge inflatable water toys.

• Where to meet. Meeting on the dock, rowing out together in a tender, or on the seawall for a dinghy ride? Let them know, and where to park. Remember that the bandshell parking lots are pay lots, and you cannot park on the parkways after 10pm.

• Plans for going potty - OK, a delicate topic, but one that must be discussed. Most boats I assume will go back to the dock for potty breaks, but you may have a porta-potty. Some new sailors might be uncomfortable with that idea. Your call. Also, remind people it might be a good idea to go before getting on.

• Cover basic emergency stuff - Better safe than sorry. Most important, what to do if someone falls overboard. This includes YOU. Always know who (if anyone) on your boat knows how to sail enough to at very least able to stall the boat. If the answer is no-one, it might makes sense to have a 5 minute MOB class.

Always remember; this is supposed to be fun, but it your job to insure:

1. Crew safety
2. Boat safety
3. Having fun

Everybody have a GREAT 4th of July!

Test post via iPad

This is a test post from my iPad. Just seeing if possible! In fact it is, and the iPad on the boat (never leave it there!) serves a lot of needs. It allows you access work and personal email, scan weather/radar images, listen to music, and when the kids get tired of sailing, they can watch a movie. And now I can post entries to the site via it as well. All in all, a pretty cool device. One other note, if you bring spendy electronics onto your boat, transport them in a waterproof bag. Trust me on that one.

34 Boats - June 22, 2010

We've all had sailing days where the weather was perfect, but no one else was on the lake. Last Tuesday was the not one of those days. The perfect weather, nice breeze, and the TCSC boats made for an amazing 34 boats on the lake. I got a picture , but could only fit half of boats the in the frame.

People often ask me why I have a boat more suited for Lake Superior on such a small lake. Well, I've had a boat on the big lake, loved it, but only got to use it every other weekend on average. Now, sailing is something that I can choose to do on the way home from work. I think that is the same for most of us.

It is days like this that makes you feel good about the future of sailing. My challenge to the readers; bring new people out. Imagine if every one of these boats had one person on board that was sailing for the first time. What a perfect day to introduce someone to the sport.

Mass Media Focuses on Milfoil

There has been a lot of media attention on milfoil in the last week. The Star Tribune, MPR, and WCCO have all done stories. Somehow I've become sort of a spokesperson for the lake on such things, and have been interviewed by both MPR (STORY) and WCCO TV. The WCCO story is below:




It IS clear that we are having a banner year for Milfoil, and that is not a good thing. The Harvesters have been to work on Lake Harriet already, and have made the dock area usable again. I hope it stays that way until it can come back. As sailors, I think we in general have a rather healthy, pragmatic perspective on milfoil and all things natural; its part of how we roll. We cannot control the wind or water, so we plan our actions and set our sails to get where we need to go. Same with the milfoil. It's here, it's not going away, so we adopt and not let it ruin our day.

Also, I have learned about a way that it MIGHT go away; biologists are now looking at a native water weevil to control the milfoil. Early results are very encouraging. If you are interested, you might want to look at this white paper on the progress in Wisconsin. Find it HERE.