[Sloop Scoop 2009] #1 8/28 -- 9/9

[Sloop John B]

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