Hello,
I was just wondering if anyone has their sailboat out today. The reason I'm asking is because I need a little diversion from the snow we're getting here in Ohio. Here's a photo to show what I was doing today. Sounds like more snow is predicted for tonight and tomorrow with high winds and drifting snow.

Jack Hoying
Fort Loramie, Ohio
Prindle 18 #1645
http://www.bright.net/~jmhoying/sailing/prindle.htm

Great John Deere commercial! Looks like fun to me.

If you are really into masochism, I'll help you out by reporting that it's 85 degrees in the shade here with low humidity, and two Hobie Waves are out sailing with a perfect offshore breeze. Couldn't be more idyllic.

But I still miss shoveling snow.

Jack-
We were out cleaning up our sailing club today, will be sailing tomorrow. It's not as warm as down there in FL but I was working in shortsleeves here in AR.

I DON'T miss shoveling the snow!

Kirt

Well, this is what the Chesapeake Bay (above the Bridge) looked like on Saturday!

And this is somebody from my neighborhood windsurfing! Air temp 27 degrees, water temp 32.7! Wind 24 knots sustained, 26 knots gust! My boat remained on the trailer....

It was also snowing, although that doesn't show in the picture. In between runs he commented that the boom was freezing over, making it hard to grip. He must have figured it out, he sailed for a while!

Great day of sailing the cats on Boca Ciega Bay in Gulfport Florida at the Gulfport Yacht Club A+ Regatta. Saturday was 78 degrees sunny with winds of 10 Knots. A beautiful day on the water. Only three boats went over in the gusts. We ran the Tornado/A-Cat course today and got three races off. Sunday we will try to get two races off using the old triangle course. It is about 64 degrees right now (7 am) but should warm up to the 70's as we top off the marks for the days racing. Winds are predicted to be a little higher today so the A cats and open class should be screaming. No snow is predicted. See you on the water after breakfast at the club house.

Ice storm here today. Be a good day for ice boats, but not quite right for cat sailing.

Jonathan

By the way, I did a quick web search, and came up with an ice sailing site that shows movies, pictures, and has links to plans:

http://www.virtuo.com/icesailing/98-99.html

You northerners may have nothing to complain about!

Jonathan

I went sailing on saturday out of Wilmington NC on a Hunter 23. Went about 3 miles offshore, got a bit chilly, and some crew were getting seasick, so we turned around prematurely.

The carbon fiber, kevlar 445 is the only way to plow. I hear that Mike Worrell is talking about this for next years beach tractor. I have this from a reliable source... if it is true, your 310 will only be worth twice what you paid new for it! Gone are the days of tripling your tractor values.

Just had to come up with a story to post my pic too....

I sailed saturday, 70 degrees and 20 knots. the harbor was medium chop but the air temp was warm enough to offset the water temp of 54. i picked up crew on the beach. the dude had never sailed before, i gave him some gortex and he did fine. i couldnt convince him to hike out though, he just sat on the wing, but we kept her flat. we were out about an hour sailing across the harbor to the aquarium and back the sullivan's island

Sunday worked out well for my testing and practice maneuvers for emergency depowering at sea. I was in wind so high that it required maximum flattening of the main (main only) when sailing upwind. I reached speeds in excess of 9 knots upwind. I had little difficulty dousing the main and tying down on deck. I did learn not to let the halyard slop around. (seems I've done this once before also)

The halyard wrapped around the spin halyard block on the front of the mast and I had to to to the bows four times in the process of untangling it. I never came close to falling from the boat, nor capsizing. I am working very smartly and keeping myself tied to the boat at all times when doing such stunts. The sail is never allowed to be untied from the boat by at least one line at some point on the sail. A capsize at any time would have been SoloRight recoverable.

The seas were choppy and that makes for good practice at frustrating conditions. Everything went real well except for the gps not recording my hauling butt broad reach down the main channel. I've got to do the loose battery fix in my gps to prevent these accidental shutdowns.

Upwind I outpointed all the Monohulls and seem to have made 45º off true wind progress, AFTER side slip and other losses.

Sailing under mast alone gave me a couple of knots of speed and felt extremely manageable. Deploying the jib gave some power and I could hardly believe the gps when I saw that I was maintaining speeds of well over 4 knots because it hardly felt as though I was moving. This because of all the choppy seas. But the jib certainly improved the feeling of controllability of steerage. Steering was very responsive.

The boat stayed perfectly flat and I could have probably sat on the lee side if it would have been necessary for any strange reason.

After powering up I was easily able to maintain excess of 13 knots without even getting out on the wire. After all the exercises I had put myself through, I was not in a mood to push the envelope. I was fairly certain that the only way to keep myself from a capsize was to not tempt myself to push the envelope. You can't push it as far when not on the wire, so I stayed off of the wire. 19+ knots should have been easily attainable, but in steep choppy seas you take a real hosing when pushing that hard.

It was a great day of solo sailing on the Santa Monica Bay and I found myself wearing only a T shirt and swim Trunks when I gave Whisk her bath.
Track Data Attached, use "attachment" link above.
GARY

Picture attached

i just finished up 3 days of sailing in the st. petersburg NOOD.

On Sunday there were no windsurfers, just the abominable snow dog!