From sloopscoop@jewellgems.com Fri Aug 28 20:02:35 2009 From: sloopscoop@jewellgems.com (Sloop John B) Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:02:35 -0500 Subject: [Sloop Scoop 2009] #1 8/28 -- 9/9 Message-ID: <20090828184948.1F41B4CE6A@braxton.siteprotect.com> Belated summer greetings! Yes the Sloop and her Skipper are still alive and sailing. I hope you all have had a good--albeit cool, cool--summer. The boat went in the water on May 2nd. May, June, July and August have passed since the last Sloop Scoop, each issue not happening for different reasons: boat's not ready, weather's not cooperative, my schedule briefly busy in July, the engine becoming problematic, the weather not cooperative, I'm out of the habit. . . I think that's a record--one I don't care to repeat. So rest assured that you were NOT removed from the Sloop Scoop this year (I did have a few people contact me concerned that they had been sacked!). The people that have made it out sailing have been the ones to contact me directly, or people that I just happened to see or talk to a day or two beforehand. so don't take the Scoop silence to necessarily mean the Sloop silence. MAINTENANCE MAY, JUNKY-WEATHER JUNE, JUST-TO-BUSY JULY, AUSPICIOUS AUGUST I was mostly a mechanic/plumber/electrician/carpenter during Maintenance May and Junky-weather June,. The boat however, looked and worked better than it has in many seasons. I did finally get sailing in windows , with and without a working engine in Just-too-busy July (when I took the carburetor apart three times--and when the caveat for coming sailing was "I can promise you we'll get back, but I can't promise you when") and quite a bit lately in Auspicious August. I've sometimes taking advantage of the good weather that seems to hover around weekday mornings and afternoons (the only advantage to unemployment and underemployment), but also challenged two wild 20+ knot wind Sundays that the boat weathered with much excitement. SOLO SKIPPER Thanks to Shaharazad, my autopilot, I have done quite a bit of solo-sailing this year and I really love it! It also makes me realize I can take out more people w/o experience, not be so dependant on crew to sail (at least as long as my back cooperates), and take advantage of those weather-perfect days when I'm the only one available to sail. Rest assured, those of you who love to worry, that I do wear my life jacket on those days, and I often go out alongside another boat so we can keep an eye on each other. I wish I had gotten Shaharazad and solo-confidence sooner. WEDNESDAY WINS? We've made it our for three Wednesday night club races and it's been fun. The crew's been a mix of new and old faces, and all seem to blend well as usual. It looks like this coming Wednesday will actually be sailable, unlike the past two, and I plan to race again. If you want to come out--come on. We can always use ballast as well as hands that want to work. We need to leave the dock by 6:30 and will hopefully make it to the start on time this week! We'll be a day away from the full moon, so we should also have a nice moonrise. LABOR DAY LAUNCHES (& LUNCHES) For those of you who'll be in town, I plan to take the boat out on Labor Day, and either Saturday or Sunday. I'll decide next week based on my schedule, potential weather and interest, but my inclination is to go Saturday if the weather is good because you can never count on the next day. That's my lesson this season--strike while the iron is hot. Weather doesn't accommodate busy schedules. If you want to sail you have to fold to the weather! FABULOUS FALL Most people think sailing ends with Labor Day, but I'll be my usual broken record and say Fall is my favorite time to sail. There is something special about the light and the coolness (although we've had plenty of coolness this summer). The boat will be in the water through the first part of October, so there's still time for sailing. FRIENDLY FACEBOOK Be sure to friend me on facebook if you are there, and joint the "Sloop Scoop" group so you can see pictures and connect with the people you sailed with (what was the person's name again . . . ). If you sail, please try to upload pictures to the group as well as your personal pages so others can see them even if they aren't your fb friend. Sorry for the long silence. Don't give up on the ship or the skipper! Hope to see you soon. Skipper Schuy/Lisa cell: 773-343-0153 General information: http://www.jewellgems.com/sloopscoop/index.htm (what to do and bring, directions to the harbor (long-winded but interesting and accurate), etc.) ----------------------------------------------------------- SCHEDULE (many things permitting . . .) ___Sunday 8/30 Afternoon sail. Be at the harbor by 1230 hours, we'll leave the dock by 1300 hours and will try to be in by 1600 hours. (CAVEAT: presently it is full with people I have already spoken to, but it is also highly unlikely we'll go out given the forecast, so check with me before heading to the harbor). ___Monday and/or Tuesday 8/31 and/or 9/1 Weekday morning sail. Be at the harbor at 0945 hours, we'll leave the dock around 1015 hours. Bring snacks and/or lunch. We should be in by 1330 hours. ___Wednesday 9/2 Wednesday night race. Be at the harbor at 1815 hours, we'll leave the dock at 1830 hours. They will be selling burgers, etc, so if you come earlier you can get dinner at the harbor We should be back by 2130 hours. ___Saturday or Sunday 9/5 or 9/6 Be at the harbor at 1100 hours. We should be back by 1500 hours. Bring something to eat and something to share. If it's calm and I have enough crew to both sail and cook, I could try the grill, but I'm a bit hesitant to promise it. (Please note: Starting this season I request grill food be limited to fish, chicken and vegetables). ___Monday 9/7 Afternoon sail. Be at the harbor at 1300 hours. We should be back by 1700 hours. ___Wednesday 9/9 Wednesday night race. Be at the harbor at 1815 hours, we'll leave the dock at 1830 hours. They will be selling burgers, etc, so if you come earlier you can get dinner at the harbor We should be back by 2130 hours. ON THE HORIZON Fall sailing