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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #2251
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    Several dear sailing friends of 50 years have been in the line of fire of Hurricane Irma: Skeeter up the Miami River and Bud in Ft. Myers, just west of Irma's eye wall track. No news is presumably good news, as power and phones are down. Both friends had nearby cement hurricane shelters for retreat and presumably are emerging to the clear skies following Irma's passage.

    Ironically, with the center of Irma passing up Florida's West Coast rather than East Coast, the counterclockwise wind preceding the hurricane center's passage was northeasterly, i.e. offshore. Which initially blew the water out of Florida and Tampa Bays, making for lowtide, rather than the high tide hurricane surge predicted.

    Locally here on Monterey Bay, the Monterey Peninsula is back lit this morning by an almost continuous lightning show of a low pressure moving northwest, up the Big Sur Coast. Thunderstorms with brief heavy rain are forecast, and the orange juice sunrise does not belie that forecast.

    On the subject of thunder, yesterday at noon a parade of Scottish pipers and drummers marched down the Capitola Esplanade during the annual end-of-summer Art and Wine Festival. As AH would confirm, the music of bagpipes is a heart racing, stirring, "going to war for Scotland," sound. The Festival came to a halt, and dozens joined in following the pipers parade to the nearby bandstand.

    Some years ago at about this date, we were racing AMERICA JANE III in a coastal race from SF Bay to Southern CA. North of Pt. Conception we encountered similar tropical weather, and just after sunset the rigging began to glow green. As we were on a metal boat, with a metal steering wheel, this was disconcerting to say the least. The St. Elmo's fire lasted about 20 minutes before fading and nothing came of the experience, except nobody wanted to steer. I'd only seen St. Elmo's once before, when working on the masthead of the all black, Mull aluminum 50 footer LA FORZA DEL DESTINO in Miami, my tools began to glow.

    My alarmed shout to Kim Desenberg, on deck below, contained no stutter hesitation: "Lower me down IMMEDIATELY!!"

    .... .. .... ..
    Last edited by sleddog; 09-11-2017 at 08:43 AM.

  2. #2252
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    Sep 2007
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    That's the Santa Cruz pipe band. I'm friends with two members..."member" being a rather loose term as the band sort of meets and sort of doesn't. Notice that they don't even all wear the same kilt.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  3. #2253
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    Quote Originally Posted by sleddog View Post



    The Ruby mountains in NE Nevada were a splendid find, with clear air, alpine lakes, and no crowds. Wildflowers were in full bloom at the end of August in the Rubys. Our campsite at 7,200 feet along a stream was pleasantly cool during the day when it was 98 degrees in Elko, 17 miles north. Hiking higher, at LeMouille Lake at 9,700 feet, we found snow and remnants of a glacier that had polished the cirque valley above Thomas Canyon.


    The Rubys, rising from the high desert, are less than 50 miles long and the equal of anything I've seen in the Sierra, just on a much reduced scale.

    Attachment 2683
    Oh my...That's just lovely.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  4. #2254
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    Sep 2007
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    Capitola,CA
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    Good news from Key West: 54 six toed cats, descendants of Ernest Hemingway's original "Snow White," reputedly given to him by a ship captain, have survived Hurricane Irma at the Hemingway Home and Museum, along with 10 staff members. Good thing the three story residence is built of 18" thick limestone bricks, 16 feet above sea level, and has survived many hurricanes.

    https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/54-c...010048650.html
    Last edited by sleddog; 09-13-2017 at 02:02 PM.

  5. #2255
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    Last stop on the Western States Eclipse Tour was Webber Lake in the Sierra, 17 miles north of Truckee. Webber Lake, in private hands for the last 100 years, has recently been donated to the Truckee/Donner Land Trust and opened to the public.

    Webber Lake is surrounded by history and beauty and lies on the old Henness Pass trail, lowest pass in the Sierra. The lake waters were swimmable with sand beaches, and perfect for kayaking and SUP. Anything with a motor must be kept under 5 mph. Osprey and bald eagles flew overhead. By noon on Labor Day, the camp sites were nearly empty and silence reigned.

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    Last edited by sleddog; 09-13-2017 at 11:41 AM.

  6. #2256
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    Wow. Webb Chiles beloved Moore-24 GANNET, 2/3rd's of the way towards completion of an epic circumnavigation, was recently hauled for the hurricane season in Marathon, Florida Keys. Marathon lies less than 30 miles east of Cudjoe Key, ground zero for hurricane Irma's Category 4 passage.

    Webb, in Evanston, Ill., feared he would lose GANNET and gave up watching the adrenalized hype on the Weather Channel. After all, he had lost two boats and all his possessions before..

    What happened to GANNET in the middle of Irma? Will Chiles be able to complete his solo circumnavigation at age 76? Or has GANNET become wreckage along the Keys Highway, where the highest thing above sea level in the vicinity is the curb?

    Webb will tell you the story of what he thinks happened. His clues are few but telling. http://self-portraitinthepresentseaj...spot.com/2017/

    Here is a hint for the sharp eyed:

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  7. #2257
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    Dec 2011
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    Santa Cruz
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    WELL...~!
    As any casual observer can easily see there are several vertical extrusions in this "HINT" picture, including a power tower, and all but one is going straight up.
    So the one on an angle is obviously from Santa Cruz because we here in Santa Cruz can't do anything straight up.
    And because the M24 is a 15/16 rig that must be Mr Chiles boat.

    It is so obvious I can't believe I am the only one that figured it out! (full discloser, I couldn't have guessed it without help from Rainer The PAINTER.)

  8. #2258
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    Sep 2008
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    Saratoga
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    Quote Originally Posted by H Spruit View Post
    WELL...~!
    because we here in Santa Cruz can't do anything straight up.
    The wind transducer on the standoff is the other identifier.

    I'm glad Gannet survived, because I really like the way Chiles writes.
    Last edited by Intermission; 09-16-2017 at 06:51 PM. Reason: crummy grammer

  9. #2259
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    Thanks to DAZZLER (Tom and Sue) for forwarding the below 3 minute video of the reaction of friends during the recent total eclipse as viewed from Philomath, Oregon, near Corvallis. The video was filmed by R2AK all star Mike Higgins. All but a few attendees of 30 were members of BASK, (Bay Area Sea Kayakers.) Mike was on his way back from a summer kayaking trip around Haida Gwaii https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ShE...ature=youtu.be Also below are photos by former BASK president Joe Petolino http://www.pbase.com/petolino/eclipse.

    Our location for eclipse viewing was atop Dimple Hill, 1,000 feet above Corvallis and three miles from Tom, Sue, and their BASK friends in Philomath.

    The next total solar eclipse viewable in N. America is April 8, 2024 as the shadow comes ashore at Mazatlan, MX, headed northeast over Texas towards Montreal, Canada.
    Last edited by sleddog; 09-18-2017 at 08:48 AM.

  10. #2260
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    Who would have thunk?

    We knew Ketchikan has some of the best bear viewing in all of Alaska. http://www.experienceketchikan.com/b...in-alaska.html

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    And that SHTP vets Dan and Linda Newland encounter bears on their property in the neighborhood of Port Townsend.

    We even knew annoyed ursids have eaten kayaks on the Inside Passage of SE Alaska, on the route of the R2AK.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI7hNdI94OQ

    So, it is no surprise to imagine a bear crew, big, strong, with good winterization, entered in the 2018 Race2Alaska. The promo lends credence to the possibility. The landscape seems "filled with bears." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THYVHkjuXLo

    Would you go?

    Happy Autumn Equinox!
    Last edited by sleddog; 09-22-2017 at 03:58 PM.

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