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Thread: New Boat 4 Sled

  1. #461
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    Anchorages in the San Juans are many and varied. Like the boats that take their shelter, everything is a compromise when choosing an anchorage: the nature of the bottom for good anchor grabbing, protection from wind and wake, view, neighbors (hopefully without generators that run at sunset), beach access, insects, communication access are just a few of many considerations.

    I'm back briefly at Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, and will be taking off shortly for Fisherman Bay ("Fish Bay") on Lopez Island. Lopez Islanders call Friday Harbor "Sin City" in contrast to their more pastoral digs where passing drivers wave at each other, bicyclists, and walkers.
    Last edited by sleddog; 07-03-2013 at 10:55 AM.

  2. #462
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    Lopez Island's 4th of July Parade was wonderfully small town, with a cast of firetrucks, tractors, kids on bikes, antique cars, and the Lutheran Church drumming up business with a float that said “We're dying to have you join us!” and “Gluten free religion.”

    Of course everyone was giving the “Lopez Wave,” which is best described as the middle two fingers extended upwards, and wagged sideways. Only on Lopez.

    Walking back from the parade, I ran into hometown friends Toby and Kimberly, who car topped their canoe and bikes from Santa Cruz, are visiting the San Juan Islands by ferry, and staying at waterfront cottages. Looked good to me.

    Mid-afternoon I re-anchored at the southern end of Fisherman Bay, upwind of the fleet of 200 visiting vessels in town for the fireworks for which Lopez is famous. By 10:30 pm it was dark enough for the show to begin. Impressive would be an understatement. The themed aeriel display was some of the best I've seen, with
    Sweeping Comets, Purple Cycas Blooms, Glittering Silver to Bright Red, Revolving Dragons, Red Sunflower,Crossing Comets, Green Chrysanthemum to Crackling Display, Red Palm, Five Angle Star, Red White and Blue with Artillery, Golden Coconut, Golden Wave to Blue Swimming Chrysanthemum, Glittering Silver to Green to Red with Reports, Purple Crossette, Nishiki Kamuro Niagra Falls, and the Grand Finale.

    The echoes of the reports reverberated for miles around the hills and through the forests of Lopez Island.

    Four miles across San Juan Channel, Friday Harbor was replying in kind. Hot diggity, Dog Diggity, Boom diggity.
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    Last edited by sleddog; 07-05-2013 at 03:18 PM.

  3. #463
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    Santa Cruz
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    Lopez Island sounds great!
    Here in Santa Cruz we had thick fog, 42 arrests, two stabbings and 425 pounds of illegal fireworks confiscated and uncontrolled illegal fireworks going off in the neighborhoods, and docks until 4:AM.
    <H>

  4. #464
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    Though it's cheap theater watching the lone New Zealand AC 72 catamaran, costing $100 million, race itself in the first Louis Vuitton Cup race, I must say I'm slightly underwhelmed watching 10 crew furiously pump hydraulics as their machine goes 20 knots upwind, and touched 38 knots downwind.

    My dear friend Renee goes 5 knots on her well thrashed Santana 20 LIL VIXEN on Lake Tahoe. Renee is new to sailboat racing and covets tiller time, hard to get unless you own your own boat, which she bought for a song and has been fixing up.

    Until yesterday, 8 knots was a gleam in Renee's eye. But somebody loaned her a dirt boat (land sailor) on a Nevada dry lake bed, and in a few short minutes she was racing around, averaging GPS speeds in excess of 35 knots, on a machine that is decidedly low tech: no winches, no crew or hydraulic pumps, old dacron sail, well worn tires. And she's going faster than EMIRATES NEW ZEALAND, upwind and down.

    These dirt boats even kids can safely sail. And regularly do. Personally, I get a real kick out of watching dirt boats race. And even a bigger thrill going 40 knots into a two wheel drift around the leeward mark. Foiling? We don't need no stinkin' foiling.

    Maybe Renee will tell us about her day on the playa, sheeting the main tight, then tighter, as the apparent wind of 50 knots gusts into her smiling eyes. I can only post the pics she sent. Eat your heart out Americas Cup pros.

    North America Land Sailing Assoc. (NALSA) maintains a website at http://www.nalsa.org/ Read about sailing at 126 mph.
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    Last edited by sleddog; 07-08-2013 at 09:21 AM.

  5. #465
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    Proud to chime in here that I was on the Playa Friday last with Renee. It's all like Skip says: low cost, low tech, low rent, high speed, high thrill. An d a special mention to Lester (Moore 24 #29) for maintaining Misfits Flat for landsailing. SDK

  6. #466
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    Oh how I would love to sail again on Lake Tahoe! When I was young I sailed with friends out of Obexer's on the West Shore. Ten years ago I rented a 22' Catalina from the Tahoe City marina. We motored out into the lake and floated around for awhile (at $60/hour 2 hour minimum) before motoring back in. My understanding is that sailing on Lake Tahoe can be very wonderful, scary or dull. Where does Renee keep Lil Vixen, if I may be so bold? Jackie
    Last edited by Philpott; 07-08-2013 at 07:38 PM.

  7. #467
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    Jan 2013
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    Reno, NV
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    All I have to say is YEEEEEEEEHHHHAAAAAAA WEEEEEEEEEEE, HOLY SMOKES.... I HAVE GOT TO GET ONE OF THESE!!!!!! I don't need no stinking 8knts. This was about the most fun I could imagine doing with a sail. I did not have the control to make the 2 wheel drift around the leeward mark at 35knts. However, I certainly spent a fair bit of time on 2 wheels with the puffy air.... I must say there is a certain "pucker factor" that takes place in those moments and it takes a fair bit to void the instinct to let the sheet run. When you get in the 30knt speeds everything starts bouncing around and you start to pray that it holds together, goes in the direction you want, and does not spin out. Then I learned to slide sideways on demand... it's like a hockey stop on a boat... then I was told it is not a nice thing to do, too much dust, but it was way fun!!! Did I say I HAVE GOT TO GET ME ONE OF THESE?
    Renee
    Santana20 Vixen
    South Lake Tahoe

  8. #468
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    Dec 2011
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    Santa Cruz
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    Renee;
    Dennis Basano has a Manta For Sail!
    He can be contacted at "Dennis Michael Bassano Jr." <dmbassano@comcast.net>
    or(831) 423-4355
    He is president of NALSA
    Sincerely,
    Howard Spruit

  9. #469
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    A little excitement last evening as kids playing with fireworks set Cap Sante Head, overlooking Cap Sante Marina, in Anacortes, on fire. It's steep terrain, I could see the flames on the hillside, about a quarter mile away, and firemen couldn't easily get to the fire.

    Eventually several fire boats came into play, letting loose with an almighty deluge that soaked the hill and promptly extinguished things. No structures were damaged, except maybe some bunny dens and squirrel nests.

    http://www.goskagit.com/news/local_n...=image&photo=0

    Fair weather continues. I'm off today, northbound, towards Desolation Sound.
    Last edited by sleddog; 07-10-2013 at 06:44 AM.

  10. #470
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    WILDFLOWER trucked north yesterday through the Gulf Islands, goin' while the goin' was good. We left Orcas Island at 0830, and were tied up at Newcastle Island, Nanaimo, 12 hours later. 60 miles, including a pit stop at Bedwell Harbor to clear into Canada. That phone call took all of a minute.

    Shortly after Bedwell we passed two 19' whaleboats rowing and sailing north. They were lugsail rigged, ketches, with six crew and three pairs of oars. I pulled alongside to chat, and found they were crews from University of British Columbia at Vancouver. These crews would pull ashore and camp enroute. Pretty cool. I took a couple of photos.

    One disadvantage of these waters is the amount of flotsam, mainly timber of all sizes, drifting at random. It requires due diligence. No napping or reading. I had to alter for a 50' tree, and a 15 foot log. Many powerboats in these waters carry extra propellers.

    Dodd Narrows is about 50 yards wide. Much of the water in the Gulf Islands passes through here, creating currents to 9 knots. We entered Dodd an hour before slack, and had 4 knots pushing us merrily along.

    Newcastle Island is a beautiful park, administered by the local First Nation tribe. Nanaimo, a small city, is about quarter mile across the channel. Crossing the channel is challenging, with a steady flow of float planes landing and taking off. Planes have right of way. Good luck. Everyone seems to get along.
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    Last edited by sleddog; 07-12-2013 at 01:53 PM.

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