Will Sail for Food

So I get to go sailing on this 41 ft sailboat in trade for working on the boat. The thing is, I don’t know HOW to work on a boat, so I’m learning as needed. So far I know most of the routine maintenance stuff, scrubbing, cleaning, tidying up lines (or “ropes” for you landlubbers). And -everything- on a sailboat is there for a reason, usually an important one.

First, a few nautical terms and the everyday English meaning :

sheet = rope

halyard = rope

line = rope

outhaul = rope

lazy jack = rope

There, don’t you feel more knowledgable ?

The biggest thing I have learned about sailboats is that they almost all have an engine too! It’s used mostly for getting in and out of the marina, or motoring around if there is no wind. And if you think about it, what would happen if you came sailing up to the dock ? Boats don’t have brakes, and it takes a few minutes to get the sails down and under control if there is wind. So you kinda need some sort of motor just to get the thing parked

Here I am working on the engine. I have named it Mr Perkins. The engine is located directly below the cockpit, between the galley and the nav table.

I now know how to change oil, fuel filters, waterpumps, and belts on a 62HP Perkins diesel, as well as more than I wanted to know about wiring on a Westerbeke generator. And here I was thinking sailboats were so simple !

One of the most important parts of a boat is the bilge pump. If water gets in, the bilge pump comes on automatically and pumps it out. That’s why you see water squirting out of the side of lots of otherwise inactive boats. If the bilge pump fails, the boat will sink (eventually).

Sailing

I have been taking advantage of the opportunity to go sailing as much as possible lately. Living near the Gulf Coast has allowed me to do things that generally not possible in West Texas …. sailing ferinstance. I have sailed on a 41 ft Irwin ketch three times, and most recently a ~30 ft sloop, J-boat, I think. It has been very educational, and the “Annapolis Book of Seamanship” which I have had for many years has helped me learn a lot. The pictures here are of my latest outing last Saturday. There were 5 of us on board, and we left the dock in Clear Lake and sailed out into Galveston Bay around 10:00 AM. We headed north for a while, with very little wind. But you know, if you are only going 2.5 knots, well, in an hour you will be 2.5 nautical miles further than before ! It wasn’t long before the wind picked up, and we found ourselves alongside a sailboat race in progress. We followed alongside, at a distance so as to not interfere with the race, but got some great pictures. It is very relaxing sailing along with no sound other than the wind in the rigging and waves slapping the side of the boat. The water was extremely smooth, unlike the exciting waves and 30 mph winds of the prevoius weekend. Sailing south, back down the bay towards the Gulf of Mexico, we all took turns at the helm, or managing the sails, and had a great time. We sailed around off Eagle’s Point for a while, and finally headed back to Kemah, our starting point. As we entered Clear Lake, we stopped at a restaurant and tied up a the dock. A waitress came out to ask if we were eating there, or needed a “to-go” order. We decided to “eat in”, although it was actually outside, about 30 ft from the water. Some ordered shrimp-kabobs, some ordered tasty burgers. Then we motored back the final 3 miles to the dock, arriving just after dark. Other than a little sunburn, a good time was had by all. I will attempt to post some photos of the outing soon. 

Upcoming Outings

Our Russian language meetup group is getting together next Thursday at the Hobbit Cafe. We usually have one or more native Russian speakers, as well as learners with a wide variety of skill levels. Caroline has done a great job organizing the meetings, and a good time is usually had by all. I guess we will find out how popular the new venue is – this is the fourth location we’ve tried in the past year.

I have also discovered a Houston area sailing meetup group. We are also going on a short sailboat ride on December 8th to see a “Parade of Boats”, I assume decorated with Christmas lights and such. The sail will be fun, as long as we don’t get wet. It’s not my first choice of outings with an unknown group on a strange boat, but a little adventure makes life more interesting. We’ll leave the dock at 5:00, find a good spot to anchor and watch the parade which starts at 6:00 PM. According to the organizer ,depending on wind and weather, we might anchor in Clear Lake near the channel or just outside the restaurants in the Bay.

Christmas List :)

I have been asked for a Christmas list, so anybody who feels the need to blow money for my benefit this Christmas can consider the following, in no particular order of preference:

Magazines:

• Circuit Cellar (www.circuitcellar.com/subscribe)
• Russian Life ( www.rispubs.com)

Useful Stuff:

• Pilot G2 gel pens – get the 0.7 version, because the 0.5’s dont quite get ‘r done. <update> I just saw some “mini” versions of the same pen at Office Depot. Same pen but about 4″ long instead of the standard 5 1/2″. Those are just perfect pocket sizes.

Other apprecicated things :

• Anything from thinkgeek.com
• A phone call from my children.
• A CD of music by Bach … fugues rock !