Launch April 26th, No, May 1st, Uh, No, May 6th, Uh.....Stay Tuned

As most of you are aware, we have been tackling some bigger projects this year in order to get the boat ready for the sailing season. Although it has been a long process, the light at the end of the tunnel no longer appears to be a train and SOON we'll be back in the water. The current launch date is now May 6th at 10:30 but I am going to try and push that back a bit more to see if I can get one more full weekend of work on it before we splash. I'll keep you posted.

There was some rotted balsa core in the deck around the chainplates on both the port and starboard sides. In addition, I removed and replaced the divider up in the bow. ( I just can't seem to eat enough fiberglass dust)

Currently, I'm in the process of re-glassing everything in under the much appreciated direction of Joe Parker from the Gougeon Brothers. (All of you need to keep him in beer for the forseeable future) Joe has generously supplied both materials and advice throughout this project and his help has been indispensible. In addition, I'd like to thank all of you that have contributed your time and effort helping to see this project through.

Although the repairs this year have gone way beyond our normal bottom prep, wax and cleaning routine, they were needed and we were fortunate to properly address them in time to avoid an even bigger project down the road. There is still much to do. After I finish the fiberglass, we need to paint, re-install the cabinets and stereo, re-install new bilge pumps and throttle and two deck winches, rig the mast and refinish the floor. Then clean, clean. clean and re-oil all the wood below. The bottom is pretty much done and the hull is waxed and we have a BRAND NEW Light #1 headsail that Turbo from Dolphin is building (Yaaaaaay!!!!!!) (Thank you Meme!!!)We're going to call it "The Turbonator".

We're getting close. This should be a GREAT year and I'm looking forward to sailing with all of you. Also, there is a meeting this Wednesday night at the Bay City Yacht Club. (6 ish?) If you feel inclined, stop by and join Meme and I for a cocktail or two. There should be a good turnout as it is the last "meeting" before the start of the racing season.

Shiny Happy People Holding Rags

WOW, those are some shiny shoes !!!!!! Click on the picture for full effect ! Well, this past weekend got us off to a great start in preparing the boat for the upcoming season. We were able to clean and wax the hull, remove the manual bilge pump and throttle quadrant for much needed maintenance, remove a couple of halyards that need replacing, and pull off two deck winches that are in need of cleaning and lubrication. So it was a VERY productive day !Thanks to all that helped! This coming Sunday we'll be at it again, chipping away at the list, so anyone who wants to join in and be as happy as these guys please feel free to wander by. I'll be out there from about 11-4. I'd like to get started on the botttom. It looks pretty good this year so it shouldn't take too much whip it into racing form. I guess all the work we put into it over the past couple of years has paid off. If you plan on coming out be prepared to get smudgy as bottom work has a way of doing that. The building is heated and it is very comfortable to work in despite the cold temperatures outside. None of the boats being stored outside had any activity going on around them so we are fortunate to have Meme provide an opportunity for us to get the jump on the competition. Thank you Meme !!!!! Last weekend, we 'emptied' the boat cooler so you may want to bring along a thirst quencher. If we follow last week's model we'll probably stop off somewhere afterwards to sit, relax and make doubly sure we aren't thirsty. Did I say Thank You Meme yet ? Anyway, hope to see you out there !!!!

Billy

Bottom's Up !!!!!

Scratching your head wondering what you want to do next weekend? Well, I have a great suggestion. This coming Saturday, January 19th, we'll be out at Bay Harbor Marina getting down and dirty. Yes, it's that time again. We're just a month and a half away from March already so the clock is ticking on getting the old girl ready for her annual dunking. John, Maury, myself and possibly Meme decided to head out there this coming weekend while we were at the party at Meme's this past Saturday night. For those of you who missed it, you missed some great food, wine, friends and laughs. We'll have a "Crew Party" soon so you still have an opporunity to cash in on a good old fashioned hangover. This weekend, I'd like to start work on the bottom so search your respective wardrobes for the most dirt friendly attire you can find. I also would like to pull out the manual bilge pump to R&R it as well as the throttle quadrant. Both gave us fits lasts year and it would be nice to finally fix em and forget em.

I don't anticipate spending alot of time out there Saturday, maybe three or four hours. If we have enough people there though we can get alot done. PLEASE try and make it if you can. We'll start about 11am. If you can, either call me or leave your intentions in the comment section of this post. It will be Maury's birthday too by the way so feel free to bring him gifts or money. We have another MAJOR crew announcement, however, I will let that come from the person involved so as not to steal the thunder.

Anyway, for those of you who I did not get a chance to see over the holidays, I hope they treated you well, and I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Thanks.
Billy

Merry Christmas To You All !!!!!!!

Pictures for Snowy Days, click pic to enlarge (click back to return to the dock)

Her Long Winter Nap

Hi guys, as you know, the boat is out of the water for the winter. She's in the heated storage building again and already we've begun chores to prepare her for next year's racing season. There is much to be done this year if we want to be competitive on the race course. Although the list seems endless, if we can find a way to get everybody together for work parties over the coming weeks and months, we won't be faced with the last minute rush come spring. I'd also like to say that I have set up this site as a clearing house of boat/race related info for the crew to communicate through. I will be posting threads dedicated to race schedules as that information becomes available. In order to be sure we have the coverage for upcoming regattas, I'd like some input from each of you as to what your realistic level of participation and dedication to next year's program will be. As you know, it's hard to be competitive when 3 people show up at the dock when it's raining and blowing 30 knots. On the other hand, those sunny summer days when it's 85 with 5 knots of air are difficult to be fast in with 12 people and 16 cases of beer. So. in short, I'd like to see if we as a crew can co-ordinate a little better than we have in the past. The big Regattas such as the Mackinaw Race and Harbor Springs are races that should be sailed with crew that know and feel comfortable with the boat. Aside from the competitive angle, safety is my biggest concern as is documented by what has happened to the J35 sailors in the story below. I'd also like to organize dedicated practice days this year so if everyone could give me suggestions as to what days or evenings would be best, let's try to get that dialogue started now. Also, as you know, this past summer we did not compete in any SBYRA events other tham the Tawas race. It is my opinion that if our class remains to be consisted of just us, Dolphin, and Iodine, there is no point to it. The SBYRA's refusal to address both the ratings disparity in our fleet under PHRF rules and the makeup of the fleet itself is an arguement that I've long ago grown tired of. If their attitude changes, and they should decide to address ratings issues and combine fleets to increase the level of competition, then my opinion will change. I'm afraid that unless and until there is a change in the leadership of the SBYRA, that will not happen, but we'll watch and see. We will of course be racing the BCYC wednesday evening series as it seems to be the only reasonably competitive game in town.

Even if the SBYRA were to get back on the path of listening to the member's concerns and rebuilding the fleets in the best interest of fair competion, that will not guarantee that we will magically win races. We need to have our heads in the game and sail as a team. For that we need people to show up. So please, let me know who wants to booze cruise and who wants to race. There's plenty of time for us to enjoy both, but we should make a concerted effort this year to seperate the two.

Also, should you have anyone who is interested in joining the program, now is the time to be thinking about that. I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving and I look forward to sharing some Holiday cheer with each of you!!!!!!

Thanks,

Billy

Tragedy Strikes Great Lakes Sailing Community

Shock waves reverberated through the sailing community this past week on the news that three, out of a crew of four sailors were lost when their J35 broke apart on a Chicago breakwall and sank in heavy seas.

The sailors, all from the Chicago area were delivering the boat for winter haulout when things went terribly wrong. Despite the fact all the crew were wearing life jackets, the rough conditions, coupled with the cold water temperature proved to be too much for what was from all accounts, a fairly experienced crew.

Somewhere in the vicinity of the breakwall things began to fall apart when a crewmember fell overboard in seas estimated to be nine to ten feet. While attempting to rescue the crewmember the vessel either grounded or broke apart on the pier and disinegrated, leaving the sailors to the mercy of the waves. All that has been recovered is a small piece of the bow section pictured here.

This story strikes close to home as we've raced the same type of boat on the Great Lakes for many years. As skipper on Special K, I have often tried to remind people that come aboard, especially new crew, to have a healthy respect for what could go wrong. We have been fortunate. Other than bruised egos, the occasional bump or bruise, or severe head trauma brought on from the night before, we have managed to come through relatively unscathed.

Still, there is a lesson to be learned here. There is alot of second guessing going on as to whether or not they should or shoudn't have been out there in the first place. There are those that will point to the crew's experience, having sailed in the Chicago to Mackinac race and a host of other local races, as a qualification that they did nothing wrong. Unfortunately, something did go wrong. Something that they obviously were not prepared to handle. Personally, although I've always been an avid supporter of sailing in rough conditions for the sake of teaching people how to handle them if forced to, I try to stack the deck in my favor whenever I can. In my opinion, this was a trip that didn't have to take place, and shouldn't have been embarked on. Not at night. Not when the water is this cold and certainly not in ten foot seas in the proximity of a breakwall. There are too many other things that can go against you. A dismasting, an engine failure, or..... a crewmember overboard.

I don't mean this to be an indictment. Certainly the blame for this will eventually settle on a home and all the facts aren't in. To all those I sail with, and to those I sail "against", pray for the families and friends of this tragedy. Hopefully, if any good is to come out of this tragic event, it will be to serve as a reminder the responsibility each of us have to keep sailing a safe sport for all to enjoy.

Here is the link to the original Chicago Tribune Story http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-boatdeaths25_weboct26,0,993651.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout