First Overnight of The Season

[waterdog]

The frozen wasteland called Canada isn't all bad.   Second sailing weekend in a row with beautiful sunshine. A lovely run into Snug Cove under genoa alone drifting along at 4 knots.  Tied up next to us is a nice Island Packet.   Tracey is developing a keen eye for the offshore worthy.  "is that a Hewlett Packard?"

Yes dear.  That's a Hewlett Packard. 

As long as she wants to drive them, she can call them whatever she wants. 

[Craig Illman]

Some of those Hewlett Packards are nice looking boats! 

[Noah]

I hear they are less expensive than the Macintosh but not as easy to sail.

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Have you looked at Pacific Seacraft?

[Indian Falls]

Have you looked at a Ryan Seacrest?

[waterdog]

Yes the Ryan Seacrests used to be my dream when I thought about a cruising boat!   Stoutly built.   Canoe stern.  Cutter rig.    Rudder on a skeg.   Nice lines.  Everything they tell you you should have on a blue water cruising boat.   

Then I went cruising.  The Valiants, Pacific Seacrafts, and probably the  Hewlett Packards fell off my list.   I am much more interested in larger cockpits, decent access to the the water, decent performance, decent layout.    Optimizing for ocean passage when 90% + of the time is spent  on short runs and at anchor entertaining doesn't make a lot of sense to me.   

Tracey's favourite so far is a 1999 Beneteau 44 centre cockpit with a a walk around queen.    The new boats we saw at the boat show mostly don't compare to boats they made ten years ago.   I develop a skin rash when I go in the modern "kitchen" of a Beneteau and there is veneered cabinet door with slidey hardware to open the cheap bar fridge.    Ugghhh..

The only boat we saw at the show that was new that we thought we would love to have was a Catalina 445.   But that's a bit beyond our budget so we'll find a nice used boat at some point in the next few years.   

[waterdog]

Howe Sound in February.  Not quite T-shirt weather, but my neighbour did mow his lawn today..

[Footloose]

Maybe I should move north to warmer weather.  Yesterday morning it was 60* warmer in my refrigerator than it was outside  


Boat club opens in 10 weeks

[mregan]

We just got another 6" of snow last night.

[patrice]

Ok ok
Please don't make it harder on us..... 

We had a pretty cold winter this year...  -4 to -15 deg F for to long now.  And that was on the thermometer, not even felt temp...
So the lakes are still solid ice, and will be for quite a few weeks..

BUT, I do enjoy looking at nice pics

[Dave Spencer]

Looks great Steve!
Here's a picture of our marina on Valentine's Day taken by one of my friends.  Georgian Bay on the left, Lion's Head Harbour on the right.  My boat is out of view behind the two buildings in the middle of the picture.

10 1/2 weeks to launch for me and the Great lakes are 89% covered in ice.  Better days to come!

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Steve,
I think the Catalina 42 is the boat for you (and it even rhymes)   

Mike

[waterdog]

I knew there was real winter elsewhere, but now I feel bad.  I am not going to post the pictures of the daffodils and irises in the garden.   That would be cruel.  

[Lance Jones]

We had our first overnight in over a year. Last year, Kitty's Cat was sidelined due to our prop, prop shaft and prop strut damage. We did around 36 miles around Choctawhatchee Bay.

[waterdog]

Nice.   

You understand of course that people in Boston hate you.   And people in San Diego are scratching their heads wondering what we mean by first overnight of the season...