Current wind condition

Very short sail

Our Very Short sail route

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 Usually it is me that is screaming like a little girl, but this time it was Lisa. Note how close we got to the shore (almost a 1/2 mile!) where we would have ended up on the rocks like an Italian cruise liner. We had some waves, but nothing that serious. Lisa got nervous when we weren't moving and I noticed she had us almost in irons and no water was going over the rudder hence, no steerage. 3Sum loves playing in the bigger washer during spin cycle that Tampa Bay offers. I know Lisa is going to pay me back for these comments when I end up screaming like a little school girl.

The MLK parade was going on at the time. We need to head back out and redeem ourselves. I made Lisa buy me lunch and we went over to Frescos and I had a delicious yucatan spring roll and wifey had something else that had a cross-culturally cuisine name containing shrimp and bacon. We ate outside and looked at the two geminis for sale next to our table and noted how similar their rigging was to ours. I think we could just jump on one of those guys and take off without too much problem of fumbling any more than we already do.

Since we didn't Go Sailing today....

I thought I would post a couple videos from youtube.

2012 Good Old Boat Regatta | SPSA

2012 Good Old Boat Regatta | SPSA

Screecher appears furled backwards

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The screecher appeared to be furled backwards

Looks like an albino anaconda.

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Blowing up Sailboats

This link takes you to the Yachting World's website where they demonstrate different controlled scenarios such as dismasting, sinking, fires and "getting blowed up real good."

Blowing up Sailboats

removing the glue behind the cushions

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New Ideas on the Screecher

After doing extensive furler forensics, we believe we may have identified the problems we were having. We had a spinning shackle underneath the furler. Not sure why I attached it in the first place, but it was in the box near the furling drum and they appeared to fit neatly, hence, I assembled it that way.  We also had the screecher wrapped backwards. I think we may also have had the drum loaded in the wrong direction, but having cases of dyslexia doesn't make this any easier. "Brag a case a Lysdexia - Reeb Never tasted so good!"

We again had issues with the screecher. I like using this sail once it is up as it really gets the boat hauling. Putting it up and especially getting it furled is a major PITA!!!

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Screecher

Here is the screacher up. Big arse sail and is a fun one to use.

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fouled furler and brow - ???

I was trying to hold on to the boat without falling off while I worked on detangling this rats nest. We also found out the port sheet is about 10 feet too short. Now I know why we haven't used this sail a good deal - it is a real PITA to hook up and use. Furling and unfurling is next to impossible. Couple things we need to look at - get the spinnaker halyard tighter and make sure bow sprit is all the way out. Also, I am not sure that the vid Will posted on youtube stating to wrap it 12-14 clockwise wraps was correct. I'm thinking it should be counterclockwise like the main furler.

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Nice day to go to the Bahamas

Looks like winds are at 5 mph from the south going up through the gulfstream.

The Round-the-World Record has been CRUSHED! Banque Populaire V Wins the Jules Verne Trophy [VIDEO] | gCaptain - Maritime & Offshore

The Round-the-World Record has been CRUSHED!

Boating Knots | How to Tie Boating Knots | Animated Boating Knots

From Drop Box

Boating Knots | How to Tie Boating Knots | Animated Boating Knots

 

No, can't say as I miss this weather. This was taken about 3 years ago outside of Minneapolis.

Nothing to do with sailing, but cool anyway.

I think we are good for jams and jellies this season

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Comments on New Years St. Pete 2012

Our sail on Saturday was good, but the wind was quite soft and we just cruised around for a bit. We came back around 5 and saw a bunch of boats getting into position for the 9 pm and midnight fireworks. We saw a Gemini catamaran called Whiskey Talk (I think) and I got out my binocs to check out his boat. I saw him looking at me with his binocs and so I waved. I don't think he waved back though.

We went to Fresco's after walking around a bit looking for a place to eat. Since I usually am not picky, we ended up going to eat appetizers at the bar and it was excellent. Gotta give it 5 stars for the coconut shrimp, garlic shrimp and the salmon pizza. We headed back to the boat and watched the 9 pm fireworks. We went to bed on 3Sum and were gently awakened to the midnight fireworks.

We have to agree that St. Pete is one of the coolest cities and has some awesome sailing potential. I wish we didn't live so far away. It would be nice to just go down to the boat and go for a quick sail instead of having to drive for a couple hours.

I have to say that waking up to a bright blue sky for new year was great. I walked to Starbucks and carried 2 large coffees 5 blocks and didn't spill much. A bit tricky, but I used to bartend, so I'm pretty good at this. We ate breakfast on 3Sum and enjoyed another boat's alarm clock going off for about an hour. We walked to the pier, checked out Southern Cross and washed the bird sh*t off 3Sum. Since there was no wind, we headed over to Bradenton to check out the marina and our potential first destination trip.

I was proud of Lisa as she actually slept on 3Sum. I can sleep pretty much anywhere, so it wasn't a big deal. Now, back to the real world. Uhh.