I finally got out sailing yesterday for the first time this year, although it wasn't on my boat. I was crewing on Knot Again in the Wednesday night race series at Raritan Yacht Club. We DFL'd but had a good time nevertheless. I can't believe it's taken this long to get under sail. Even now now I still haven't got the sails on Messing About. It's unlikely to happen this weekend so maybe Memorial Day.
I came close last weekend but I was tied up on Saturday and it was too windy on Sunday.
Someone once told me that you spend twice as many days working on your boat as you do sailing. As I have been pottering about on Messing About almost every weekend since February I am starting to see the truth in that statement.
My goal is to get in 25 days of sailing between now and putting the boat up in October. It's not much really 🙁
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This is why I went to small boats. When I had the Olson, it was fix this, fix that. So I went down in size to the Cape Dory. I was still repairing things. The hatch needs a new coat of varnish. It easier to work on your boat when it’s in your garage.
Get yourself a wooden boat then maintenance will become a pleasure rather than work.
25 days. I wish! I did four days at easter and I’m competing in the Round The Island race in June but other than that, with my current work committments I’m struggling to see when I can get any more sailing in. With the cost of capital tied up, and the costs of ownership plus the marina fees it makes sailing expensive when you cost it per mile travelled, but I still wouldn’t have it any other way 🙂
As per Joe, when the wife is away you can bring your boat into the living room if it’s a windsurfer. Of course you can not drink a G&T on a windsurfer.
congratulations on your first sail anyway! Do you guys work up callouses on the lines or is it all winches and brass gears?
In response to Chris … when my brother lived in San Diego, he had a saying: “Having a boat is good. Having a friend with a boat is better.”
On the other hand, there’s a lot of satisfaction in doing things on a boat to fix things or make things better. The more primitive the boat, the more you can do satisfying things. I’d hate to have to rebuild a head, but then my boat doesn’t have one. Fiberglass work, however, is really satisfying.
I’ll be posting a picture of the exhaustive work I put in preparing the Romany for the season one of these days soon.
You may not like me very much after that.
;D