From sloopscoop@jewellgems.com Thu May 8 21:00:30 2008 From: sloopscoop@jewellgems.com (Sloop John B) Date: Thu, 08 May 2008 15:00:30 -0500 Subject: [Sloop Scoop 2008] Preseason #2, May 9 - May 17th Message-ID: <20080508194955.81CC84CE40@braxton.siteprotect.com> Preseason greetings again-- Thanks to everyone who responded so far to my appeal for help this year. I haven't found a partner, but I have had several pledges from $20 on up and every little bit helps and adds up. I'm still short of what I need, so if you are willing & able to help us out this year, let me know as soon as possible. I have to cancel the mooring by May 15th to get the mooring fee back, so I need to know if we can launch before then. Please don't feel obligated in any way or feel you are not welcome on the boat. I have never and will never charge people to go sailing, and in the past I have even turned down money offered to me when people came out sailing. This year I still won't turn away anyone who wants to sail, but I also won't turn away any offers of help! That being said, we've been working hard to get the boat ready to go in the water by May 15th, thanks to decent weather and a couple of preseason volunteers. May 15th would be our earliest launch date ever! I have a three-month contract from May 19- August 15 (the worst dates for a sailor, but we work when we can find work!), so I want the boat in and the mast up before I head back into an office. I need several people to help on Saturday May 10th. I'll be there at 10:00 and I'll probably stay until about 3:30. Drop in for however long you can--we can use the help. The directions to the boatyard are below. I'd hoped to work on Sunday, too, but it currently appears the weather will not be permitting. I need one person for the river trip (more is hard to shuttle ride-wise), so if you are interested, let me know. The plan is for a weekday, but if we don't make it then we'd be heading up on Saturday the 17th, so let me know if the backup date is a possibility for you. Ideally we'll be in the harbor and able to put up the mast on the 17th, since I have a full day on the 18th and probably won't be able to do it then. The tentative schedule is below Again, the ideal situation would be to find a partner. If anyone knows someone with 1) sailing experience (enough to take out a boat on their own without me (and without me worrying about it!)), 2) an interest in racing, mechanical skills and an interest in actually getting hands dirty working on the boat in the pre- and post-season, and a pool of friends willing and able to help maintain and crew the boat, let me know. The arrangement I have had has been a fraction of expenses (usually divided equally among partners) in exchange for use of the boat, not actually buying into the boat. If you want to know numbers, contact me. Thanks for your consideration and support. I hope to hear from you, see you at the boatyard, or see you on the water soon. Skipper Schuy/Lisa SCHEDULE (many things permitting . . .) ___Friday 5/9 Work in the boatyard. Be at the yard by 1100 hours. ___Saturday 5/10 Boatyard work. I'll be at the boatyard between 0900 and 1230 hours. Some jobs don't need me there so if you can come late morning and stay after I leave that's fine. ___Sunday 5/11 Tentative work in the boatyard, noon. Right now it looks as if weather won't cooperate. And it is Mother's Day. ___Thursday 5/15 River trip. Meet at the harbor at 0800 hours. Don't count on being back to the harbor for sure before 1600 hours, but we could be back as early as 1300 hours. ___Saturday 5/17 Mast stepping. Be at the harbor at 1000 hours. ---------------- DIRECTIONS (driving) TO THE BOATYARD The boat's located at Croissant Marina, approximately S. 141st St. , just east of Torrence Avenue, in the fenced part of the yard. I usually take the Dan Ryan to the Bishop Ford (used to be Calumet Expy)--the left fork at the end of the Dan Ryan (to stay on I-94, vs. the right fork, which is I-57). I get off at the Dalton exit going east, take Dalton to Torrence (at that point Dalton has become State street), where there is a stoplight (I haven't counted stoplights to that point yet, but it's about a mile from the expressway). Turn left (north) at Torrence and go over the bridge and take your first left at the bottom of the bridge (there should be a sign there for the Waterfront Pub). Take that street (I think it's 141st) until it hits the gravel lot and bear right around the fenced section. There's a lot by the Waterfront Pub, or drive east (the direction you were driving in the yard) until the opening and turn right into the fenced in area yard and follow the line of boats along the fence. The stern is facing the road, so you should be able to see the Sloop's location when you're coming in. It may be best to park in the Pub lot. There's not a lot of parking in the yard. From sloopscoop@jewellgems.com Thu May 15 18:31:23 2008 From: sloopscoop@jewellgems.com (Sloop John B) Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 12:31:23 -0500 Subject: [Sloop Scoop 2008] #1, May 16 - May 28 Message-ID: <20080515172045.C81D24CE3D@braxton.siteprotect.com> Cruisers & Crew-- It's officially summer! The boat is in the water thanks to pledges by several patrons near and far, some of whom haven't even had a chance to sail with me in a while or live far away. It's heartening to know that fond memories have such staying power. We're in the water thanks also to preseason volunteer labor: Gordon as usual, but this year also Chas, Arleigh, Matthew, and Thomas. We did some needed jobs that had been put off for a couple of years, and the boat looks great, so come and see her! RIVER TRIP RAMBLINGS It was a rushed start to the river trip day since I still had to paint the bottom. I got to the yard later than I'd planned (not my fault this time--I was at my pickup point 15 minutes early!). I didn't have a roller cover. I used Al's leftover roller and brush, but the roller started falling apart. We did manage to procure another roller cover and I miraculously got the entire bottom painted in about 45 minutes--the travelift only had to wait about 10 minutes for me once they came to lift us out of the cradle and plop us in the water. The river trip was long. First, it was the longest lockage we've ever sat in--no idea why it took so long to get the water level up. Then, there was a very slow barge fighting a strong wind, and all the river traffic was stuck behind the barge unable to pass. So for about four S L O W miles there were several boats (power, sail, and barge pushers) idling or motoring around in circles all the way along the river. Once we were free of the barge in the basin we also got the full brunt of the south wind and waves on the beam, and since the boat is much more Weeble-y with the mast down, it was a wobbly ride until we cleared the breakwater. The lake trip, in contrast, was uncharacteristically fast and smooth. It is often rough in the early season. Once we headed north, the same wind and waves that beat us up in the basin became our friends, and we had a fast and awesome trip north surfing on the south wind and waves behind us. Having Gordon's brother Arne on my boat to help helm was great--it was my least stressful trip river trip ever with him and Gisele on the boat, beautiful weather (70, sunny), a happy engine (we motored over six knots!), and no deadlines to rush home for. RE-BECOMING A SAILBOAT Next task--stepping the mast. Without it, we're just a wobbly slow powerboat. We're hoping to do in tomorrow (Friday) in the morning since Chas has to rush off to a Cubs game around noon. We could use a few hands to help tune the rigging, put on sails, and get the boat ready for a shakedown sail this weekend. Saturday looks iffy for a shakedown so I have it listed as a tentative shakedown if it's not raining, or not too cold and/or windy. I really need to go to yoga in the morning, so I'm putting down a noon call. If we can't sail I could still use some help cleaning the boat and doing a few other tasks that didn't get done in the yard; we can work around the rain. Sunday looks like a better day though, and Gordon and I are considering a sunrise sail, but it may be just an early morning sail if we haven't shaken the boat down yet. I hope to start the standing Wednesday night sails, with Thursday evening rain dates, this week. That worked well last year. We did throw in a couple of Tuesday night pre-rain dates at times, so keep in touch. The general information (what to do and bring) and directions to the harbor (long-winded but interesting and accurate) can always be found on the Sloop Scoop site at http://www.jewellgems.com/sloopscoop/index.htm The schedule's below. I tried to catch the typos on date and time, but e-mail me if I missed anything! Hope to hear from you all and see you soon, and thanks again for all your good wishes and support. Skipper Schuy/Lisa ----------------- SCHEDULE (many things permitting . . .) ___Friday 5/16 Mast stepping. Be at the harbor at 0930 hours. I may be able to use a couple of people later in the morning/early afternoon, too. ___Saturday 5/17 Tentative shakedown sail or definite work day if it's not pouring rain for hours. Be at the harbor at 1200 hours. ___Sunday 5/18 Tentative sunrise sail (call me for time) or early morning sail (0800 hours). I need to be off of the boat by 1115 hours at the latest. ___Wednesday 5/21 Evening sail. Be at the harbor at 1830 hours. They won't have food at the harbor yet, so bring something to eat. We should be back by 2130 hours at the latest. ___Saturday 5/24 Midday lunch cruise. We'll inaugurate the grill for the season. Be at the harbor at 1200 hours. Bring something to grill and something to share. ___Monday 5/26 Memorial day cruise. Time TBA ___Wednesday 5/28 Evening sail. Be at the harbor at 1830 hours. They probably will start selling burgers, etc., at the harbor tonight. We should be back by 2130 hours at the latest. ON THE HORIZON A great sailing season! From sloopscoop@jewellgems.com Wed May 21 21:45:32 2008 From: sloopscoop@jewellgems.com (Sloop John B) Date: Wed, 21 May 2008 15:45:32 -0500 Subject: [Sloop Scoop 2008] #2, May 21 - May 28 Message-ID: <51950.1211402732@jewellgems.com> Ahoy again--=20 We're officially a sailboat! Thanks to Gordon, Chas, Arleigh, and Arne, th= e mast went up on Friday (a smooth and uneventful process)=20 and now the boat is rigged, the sails are on, and we're kinda tuned, needin= g a bit more sailing time to get it all right. We tried a=20 shakedown on Sunday morning, but the winds were 15-20 kts and the waves wer= e 2-4 feet and building and I decided it wasn't going=20 to be fun and it wasn't necessary. So we headed back to the harbor, and Go= rdon had the idea to raise the main and sail in the fairly=20 empty harbor so we did get a chance to yell "We're sailing!" Now we need t= o sail on the lake with two sails. I hope to do that tonight. It looks like a beautiful sailing night, so if you want to come tonight, ca= ll me and let me know. I'm going to try to get to the harbor by=20 6:00, but no later than 6:30. =20 I'm planning on sailing Saturday and Monday of this Memorial Day weekend. = The schedule is below. If we don't go on Saturday, I may=20 be open to sailing on Sunday (which I avoided b/c it is opening day at the = yacht club and kind of crowded), so let me know if you are=20 interested in sailing Sunday, and if I change my mind I'll let you know.=20 Beyond that, count on Wednesday nights (sometimes racing, but everyone is w= elcome) with rain/wind dates on Thursday night (not=20 racing) and I'll send another Sloop Scoop out covering the following weeken= d soon. The general information (what to do and bring) and directions to the harbor= (long-winded but interesting and accurate) can always be=20 found on the Sloop Scoop site at=20 http://www.jewellgems.com/sloopscoop/index.htm=20 Hope to hear from you all and see you soon, and thanks again for all=20 your good wishes and support.=20 Skipper Schuy/Lisa=20 -----------------=20 SCHEDULE (many things permitting . . .)=20 ___Wednesday 5/21=20 Evening sail. Be at the harbor at 1830 hours. They won't have food=20 at the harbor yet, so bring something to eat. We should be back by=20 2130 hours at the latest.=20 ___Saturday 5/24=20 Midday lunch cruise. We'll inaugurate the grill for the season. Be at the h= arbor at 1200 hours. Bring something to grill and something=20 to share.=20 ___Monday 5/26=20 Memorial day cruise. Time TBA=20 ___Wednesday 5/28=20 Evening sail. Be at the harbor at 1830 hours. They probably will start sell= ing burgers, etc., at the harbor tonight. We should be back by=20 2130 hours at the latest.=20 ON THE HORIZON=20 A great sailing season!=20 From sloopscoop@jewellgems.com Thu May 29 15:06:42 2008 From: sloopscoop@jewellgems.com (Sloop John B) Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 09:06:42 -0500 Subject: [Sloop Scoop 2008] #3, June 1 - 11 Message-ID: <20080529135601.768274CE3F@braxton.siteprotect.com> Sailors & Would-be sailors-- Greetings again. I hope you are surviving our bi-polar weather. (Though wouldn't bi-polar actually be cold and cold? hmmmmm. Metaphors can be tricky.). SAILING SOLO Last night the Sloop went out for her third sail of the year--third in MAY--which is remarkable. I'm not sure it's a record because we were out early and often in 1997 and 1998, but it's certainly a record in this millennium. I took the boat out all by myself since no one else wanted to come. They tried to recruit me to be a third boat to race but I didn't want to race without crew. The winds were light and there were leftover swells from two days of northeast winds. I kept the sails conservative--a double-reef in the main and the jib only pulled out halfway--but I was still sailing 4-5 knots. The boat continues to sail herself well; I barely need to touch the helm--last week I didn't touch it for most of a half hour, I just adjusted the mainsail to steer. I don't know what's different this year. I guess both the Sloop and I are very happy that she's in the water. We were blessed by a beautiful sunset. I did use Shaharazade (our autopilot) to raise and lower sails and on one of my tacks out into the lake. She performed well even in the slop rolling us from the beam. I wonder why I waited so long to get an autopilot and resisted so long sailing alone. It was glorious. I'd prefer company, but I really needed to get out last night after sitting in an office all day. GRILLS & GRUB Saturday turned out to be our only sail on Memorial Day weekend. As did many landlubbers, we inaugurated the grill for the season, after Arleigh's insistence that we clean it. It was pretty breezy and wavy when we headed out, so getting the grill going and getting the food on and off was an exercise in finesse that Paul and Chas handled well. It helped that we had fresh charcoal instead of stuff that had been sitting for a year soaking up humidity. We had salmon, sweet onions, and, fresh-from-farmers-market-that-day asparagus. We didn't even lose any food overboard! It was also chilly, so hot food was definitely welcome. We were out for about three-and-a-half hours. Over that time the winds calmed down from 15 knots to 11, and the waves calmed down from 2-4 ft to 2 feet or less, so it became a much more comfortable sail--even if still cold--as time went on. The boat was fast--we were sailing between 5.5 and 6.5 knots the entire time. She mostly sailed herself on starboard tack. It felt great. MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES? I rejoined the yacht club, thanks to targeted gifts from folks who wanted to race and my mother, who wanted to relax at the yacht club. So that means we are no longer delegated to the port-a-potty in the parking lot (though you can always use if for old-time's sake) and we get to eat at the club, hang our for snacks and drinks on Wednesdays after the race, pay to go to parties, and take advantage of whatever privileges membership offers. Apparently there was a lot of excitement at JPYC when people learned I was a member again. Long story. Of note--because I have been at Jackson Park a long time, and Gordon and Gloria (who used to work there) both call me Lisa, most club members know me as Lisa. So if you want to be let in the club when I'm not on shore, don't be surprised if you get a blank look when you say you're with Schuy. Best to use Sloop John B (or Lisa if you remember it). But on the boat I'm still Schuy! SUMMER AND SAILING Plan on enjoying the summer, which passed yet another harbinger of its arrival with Memorial Day (Buckingham Fountain turned on, and the boat in the water were the first two). Wednesdays are standing nights and they do sell food before we go out. This weekend I'm sailing on Sunday afternoon since that appears to be the best weather day (and I have to go to work on Saturday afternoon). Once it warms up some more I'll schedule the first Saturday night fireworks cruise and the first sunrise cruise. If you in general are interested in a sunrise cruise let me know--those are often scheduled on a whim the day before, so I'll know to contact you to give you the choice. The general information (what to do and bring) and directions to the harbor (long-winded but interesting and accurate) can always be found on the Sloop Scoop site at http://www.jewellgems.com/sloopscoop/index.htm The Sloop and I hope to sail with you soon. Skipper Schuy/Lisa ----------------- SCHEDULE (many things permitting . . .) ___Sunday 6/1 Afternoon cruise. Meet at the harbor at 1400 hours. We'll leave around 1430 hours. ___Wednesday 6/4 Evening sail. Be at the harbor at 1815 hours, we'll leave the dock around 1840 hours. They will be selling burgers, etc. We should be back by 2130 hours at the latest. ___Saturday 6/7 Lunch cruise. Meet at the harbor at 1200 hours. Bring something to grill and something to share. ___Sunday 6/8 Brunch cruise. Meet at the harbor at 1100 hours. We'll leave around 1130 hours. If you want to come earlier and have breakfast at the yacht club, I'll probably be there around 1000 hours. We're not brunching on the boat, so bring munchies if you don't have a late breakfast. ___Wednesday 6/11 Evening sail. Be at the harbor at 1830 hours. They won't have food at the harbor yet, so bring something to eat. We should be back by 2130 hours at the latest. ON THE HORIZON Saturday evening fireworks cruises Sunrise sails A few races A great sailing season!