Spring has Sprung... Right Into Summer Pt. 1

        "This heat has got right out of hand..."
                                        -Bananarama



    * I started writing this post on May 30th....how the HELL did it become the end of June????

      Spring has sprung...

      ...  and then  more Summer came along and kicked it's ass.

    Check this- May 13th, we had sun, rain and temps around 15 degrees on the c scale.
                        May 14th, we had 30 knot winds and 6 degree temps.
                        May 15th, we had snow on the Dock.

                       SNOW.

                       Note that I did not opt to do any boatwork on those days.  Nope, not me.  I had a list of things to do but...


                       I opted out.  I called it on account of weather.

       SWMBO and I got a lot done in the weeks prior to splash, including, new carpet, new foam for the cabin cushions, and a new Low-Buck swim platform...

Karma hit the water on the first Friday of May, one of our earliest launches ever....

...and  she promptly decided to start to sink.

I was toiling away at my day job, making local businesses locally famous, so SWMBO was supervising the launch solo.  As I was on my way to the boatyard, toiling completed, I received a cryptic text message:

"Water"

 Hmmm...
Is SWMBO thirsty?
Is  she telling me that the boat is now in the water?
Or...is she telling me that the water is now in the boat?

Then, I received another cryptic text message:

"Hurry"

So, I hurried.

I got to the yard, and spied SWMBO in Karma's cockpit, pumping away.  Turns out, "water" was , in deed, coming into the boat.... at a worrisome rate. "Hurry" was appropriate, as the sole was awash, and SWMBO was usunre where the water was coming from.  I hurried down the companionway ladder, tore open access panels,  checked the stuffing box (fine) and then the raw water strainer (decidedly unfine, water streaming from the top of the reservoir).

     I closed the seacock so the water stopped hurrying into the boat and  removed the strainer and found that the o-ring seal was no longer sealing.

    It's Friday, it's after 5, nothing is open that is going to have the part that will solve this problem.  As I was pondering the paucity of options, Skipper Andy wanders past, headed to Cyclone, docked at the Bridge yachts yard this season.  I yell, enquiring rather loudly whether he may have any sealant materials aboard.

   Turns out he does-  and it is appropriately named:

  a strip of caulk later, and we're back in business, leak free.

  Thanks, Skipper!!

   It turns out that the water strainer seal has likely been quietly leaking, unseen, for several years-   the strainer is located in a corner of the engine bay and the leak was  not visible.  But, that unseen unknown leak meant that we had to be vigilant to pump our smallish bilge ever 3-4 days.   Since  resealing, we now pump our bilge every 7- 10 days, with little to show for the effort.

  So, boat no longer sinking,  we fire up the trusty Yanmar YSM-8 and set off downriver and around the corner to the marina, and we survey what's new on the Dock.

   Turns out, quite a bit.

    More to come  in Pt. 2.



Thanks for stopping by.  Please "Talk the Dock!" and pass the word.

Think She's Not Happy?

      "Fine young lady, standing by..."
                          -Johnny Kemp



        Ahhhh, it's Friday night.
       
        The turn of the key that starts the weekend.

        The night when romance is kindled...

        And, sometimes the night when relationships have a wooden stake driven through their heart.

       


      Thus, it seems like tonight is the perfect night to, erm, whip this out:

   
     Boat For Sale.

   In case the link disappears, here's the ad copy:

     "My stupid ex boyfriend is a commitment-phobe, so I guess it's no surprise that he wasn't up to the commitment involved in owning a boat. Like every other good thing in his life, my stupid ex boyfriend walked away from a beautiful sailboat, and left me to pick up the pieces. So I`m selling it. Don`t worry; I`m not a crazy jilted woman. I`ve got the legal right to sell this beauty.
The boat is actually quite wonderful, unlike my stupid ex boyfriend. It's a classic Alberg 22, with a full keel, a furling jib (something the stupid ex boyfriend never fully understood) and a suite of sails, all in pretty good condition. It's also unique in that it's got a black mast, and from the research I've done, it might be one of a kind in that sense. One of a kind--definitely not like my stupid ex boyfriend. It also has some very valuable opening, screened ports, probably worth more than I'm asking for the boat just themselves. I just want this thing out of my hands!
With a little dedication and work, this boat could be turned into something really special, not like my stupid ex boyfriend. No amount of work, dedication or patience could save him. Not even Christ can save him. Luckily for you, he never followed through on his plans for the boat (typical). Otherwise, who knows what kind of disaster he would have left in his wake (also typical). So do me, and yourself a favour, and buy my stupid ex boyfriend's ex-sailboat. Deals like this don't come around every day!
The boat is now in storage outside Almonte.

What you get:
Alberg 22 sailboat, sound hull and deck with amazing woodwork both interior and exterior
Folding cradle
Custom-made skeleton and canvas boat cover for winter
All sails, both hank-on or furling configurations
The satisfaction of knowing that my stupid ex boyfriend has nothing, and you have a beautiful boat."

         I gotta admit, that is maybe the most emotion fueled boat ad I have ever read.  Intrigued, I contacted the author/seller, and got the skinny:

      First, the owner, Alanis (all names changed to protect privacy)
       ((except mine.))
      seems like a very nice person.  She's a sailor, sails an Alberg 22, does some racing... sounds like she'd fit right in around here.

       Somebody else thought she was a nice person too, and thought she'd fit right in...

       Enter boyfriend, Slacker McUnsailor.

       Slacker and Alanis had been friends for a dozen years and decided to attempt getting serious.
     
       They had some hurdles to overcome.

        Hurdle #1 is obvious to anybody who has ever attempted to pop the Friend Bubble and move into the Love Zone- too much shared history.   Romance requires discovery and shared adventure to grow, that honeymoon period where you are discovering all the ways you are different, and all the shared dreams and passions, diving the path forward to create an "us" out of "me" and "you."

        Hurdle #2- Alanis and Slack were trying to make this work long distance.  Really long distance- about 600 kilometers separated them.

        Hurdle #3- In a quixotic kamikaze  gesture to prove his love and compatibility, Slack bought a boat.
       
         In the same club as Alanis's boat.

        Just like Alanis's boat.
 

        Except not as nice.

       Waaaaaaaayyyyy not as nice.

   As Alanis tells the tale, " Plan was to sail it back to his part of the province, or truck it, but it never came to be....He wasn't a sailor as much as a general boater. The sailing, apparently, was something he did for me."
      "The boat was.at my club,.he couldn't afford to move it, so he walked away."

    So, to recap:
   Slacker buys a fixer-upper,
   fails to fix it up,
   bails on the project...

    And leaves his now-ex-girlfriend to deal with the fallout.

    Nice.

    She is a much, much more reserved and composed writer than I would be in the same situation.


    So, if you know anyone looking for a great little full keel project boat in the Ottawa area, fire me a getback, and I'll pass the info onto Alanis.


    *Update:  I just got an email from Alanis- she sold the boat last week to a National Post editor, after the National Post ran an article on her, the ad, and his boat.




In the meantime...
"Talk the Dock!"

 

New Crew and Visitors, Too!

             "I'm just trying to make some sense."
                                   -Rolling Stones


   
  It's been raining down here on the Dock.

   A lot.

   Yeah, those worries about water levels I voiced a few weeks back?

    Water's way up.

     Thanks to all of you who prayed to whatever deity floats your boat.

     We're good now.

     You can stop.

      Please.

      In between cloudbursts, we managed to get some time on the water and drink some rum with some new, crew, old friends, and new friends I've known for years.



      I joined the SailNet community back in the fall of 2008, as a way of getting a sailing fix throughout the winter, and to  learn from the experience of others.  Interest-specific internet forums and chatrooms have been invaluable in every aspect of my life, from occupational advice to repairing my latest home improvement attempt.  I have learned a lot from crawling the web, and made some great friends as well.

    Back in 2008, I was one of the few Canadian members of SailNet, one of even fewer who lived in Ontario, and when it came to representing Lake Erie?

    I was it.

    Then I see a new username asking some good questions about a boat he had just bought and was fixing up to sail the next season.  He mentioned that he planned to sail on Pittock Lake, and my curiosity was piqued- Pittock Lake was where I learned to sail back in the 70s.
 
  And it's also less than an hour from here.

    Hey, cool, somebody local!

    In the years following, Eric and I would fire messages back and forth, trading advice and ideas on small boat repair, maintenance and sailing.

    But, even being less than an hour apart, we never sailed together.

    A couple of seasons back, Eric got a slip down here on the Dock for After School.  Now I could put a voice and a face to the name. We say hello and wave to each other in passing...

    But we never sail together.

    Last month, I'm walking down the Dock to Whiskeyjack, and Eric hails me as I pass his boat. He asks if I was heading out, and enquired whether I wanted company.
 
    Come on aboard!

     Great day, great sail, great company.

     One of the blogs I follow is Jaye Lunsford's Life Afloat ,  an excellent peek at the day-to-day of living aboard a smallish ( a 33' CSY ) sailboat.  Jaye and her husband Dan have lived aboard for more than a decade, ever since they both retired from government employment.  Jaye and I are both SailNet members, and we began corresponding semi-regularly when I started scribbling the D6C,  as I often picked her  helpful brain for advice. I got an email from Jaye in early June, informing me that they were going to be passing by on their return form a vacation in Michigan, and asked whether they could stop in.

    Oh yeah, and they would have rum.

     Come on aboard!

    The weather was dismal, but we had a wonderful time, meeting, eating, tasting rum, talking and laughing.

     Last month, on one of the rare  sunny hot days, I see a guy walking down the Dock, with a double-double in his hand.  He asks me about Whiskeyjack, and we get to talking:

    John has recently moved to Port Dover from Hamilton and is currently off work due to a bout of throat cancer.  As is often the case, a tap on the shoulder by the Big C will cause on to re-evaluate one's priorities, and  John had found himself spending a lot of time down here at the marina, just walking the docks, sipping coffee, watching the sunset or the sun rise.

   A lifelong interest in boats had gone from interest to passion, and "buying a sailboat" just shot to the top of John's bucketlist.

     Now, this is a fairly common occurence that usually takes one of two paths:

    Years of searching for the right boat, lots of discussion about what exactly is the right boat, some failed offers, and finally a new boat owner is born.

   Or, after some thinking and ruminating and examination, the boat ownership dream is quietly shelved.

    Over the following couple of weeks we'd talk about boats once or twice a week, and then John announces he has a slip.

   He got the last available slip on the Dock this season.

   Okay, John's not playing around!

   Now he just needs a boat to fill it.

   The slip was filled this morning.

   He's got some rigging yet to do, but he's hullwet, and that's a great start.  Good on ya, John!


     In Other Dock  news, Oriel C has new owners.


Glen and Debbie decided it was time to ditch life on land in Alberta and go sailing.

 So, they bought a boat.

Then they retired,  sold everything that needed selling, packed the camper and headed east.  They had sailed on Oriel, liked her and knew she would be a good fit for their next life-chapter.

    Glen and Debbie got here Tuesday, and two hot sweaty days of work later, got her splashed and settled in on Dock 1A.  After a couple weeks here, they plan to head into Lake Ontario and points East and South for the next year or so.

   New folks new to boats, new folks on new boats, and friends new and old.  We've met some good folks down here on the Dock with great stories to tell.

  You should come down and join us some time.








"Talk the Dock!"



   
   

Mid-Season Cast Changes Announced!

     "What chain reaction would cause an effect?"
                               -Tracy Chapman














  While the plot hasn't been altered, some new characters have been added to the Dock this season.  Some of these changes were made to skew younger demographically,  hoping to hook more fans in the coveted 18-49 age group,  and at least one was  a possible answer to our prayers.   Regretfully, the writing will be as crappy as ever, as the producers have not seen fit to increase the budget so that we could hire some real talent.


  New to the Dock and new to boating in general are Marco and his lovely wife Dee and their new-to-them boat Candy III.  They have proven to be a solid addition to the Dock  and we welcome them joining us.

     

   Another novice sailor this season  is Ed, who decided that there had to be more to life than stamp collecting and model railroading.  Browsing through the ads on Kijiji one day  he happened upon a Grampian 17.  He bought it, and decided he should learn how to sail it.  You may remember back in this post  I mentioned
"A greenhorn with a new-to-him Grampian 17 centerboarder has asked Jack to join him for the shakedown cruise.  Jack has told him to come out to the farm first.
   "Maybe I can sell him that Rainbow 24, "  he muttered.  "


  That greehorn was Ed.   Ed's flirtation with the Grampian didn't last long.  He decided  some living space would be a good thing, allowing him to maximize his sailing time on his days off by not having to go home.  So he put the Gramp up for sale and bought himself a Siren, which he has been busy sailing and upgrading and thoroughly enjoying.
And he has gone sailing with Jack and Melanie on the Bluenose.
Jack didn't sail  the Grampian.

   A couple of Sundays ago an older Bayfield 25 slipped onto the Dock with no fanfare.  I have yet to meet the owners, but welcome the appearance of this salty warhorse.

    As the sun goes down and we sip our beverages of choice on the Dock, it has occasionally been said, "Y'know what would make the Dock almost perfect?  A connection at the liquor store."

   This season, it happened!  Bryan-from-the-liquor-store and his new-to-him Siren have taken a slip on the Dock!  A pilot in addition to a sailor, Bryan has some great stories to share.

   From the "What Goes Around Comes Around" Department:  Before Jim and Marianne had a sailboat, they had a daughter, Yvonne, who married Andy, who liked sailing, so they bought a Tanzer 22, proceeded to sire a whole damn crew, and needed to move up to Tempus Fugit, their S2 8.0.  What of their Tanzer, you ask?
Prolific was bought by another novice, Bruce...  and is now docked a few slips down from Jim and Marianne.

  James and Brooke have two-footed themselves right off the Dock.  They sold The Instigator  and moved up to a Doral Prestancia, Mia Casa, which they have docked in their fancy new slip on dock four.  The picture below is the only shot I could get before security came and hustled me away.

  Gavin and Sylvia did the same.   Rather than splashing their Siren, they were offered the use of a Hunter 26, Sol Antics, this season.  Too big for any available slips on The Dock, they were forced to move to dock two...  now unofficially known as the Dock Six Annex.

   Travis is also moving up...but staying put.  He has sold his Crestliner and another boat should be in his slip soon.

  
...  In the meantime, with James and Brooke decamped and Travis between boats, that end of the Dock is looking mighty barren.

  Change is bittersweet.  It's sad to see familiar faces leave, but  new folks mean new stories and new adventures, and that ain't a bad thing.


Thanks for taking the time to check us out.  Please feel free to "Talk the Dock!"  Link us, follow us, or just tell your friends.

Dock Six 2011 Starting Lineup Announced!

     "Well, beat the drum and hold the phone, the sun came out today!"
                                                                                      -John Fogerty






      As the Dock's Opening Day nears (16 more sleeps!), this season's roster is firming up, subject to last minute contract negotiations and/or trades.  After last year's stellar season, culminating in a solid run of weather through Halloween,  this year's  Dock Six team  shows some serious staying power, with veterans returning and some promising new talent  filling key positions.  It looks like we might be able to take it all the way again this year!

     Jim and Jill have been tweaking "Carpe Diem",  getting ready to lap the bases, Jim and Marianne have been spending a lot of time in the bullpen with "Cranky",  James assures us that "George Too" will be hitting for the fence as usual...with less time on the DL than last season.  Our switch hitter Jack is on the bench, but so far hasn't revealed which bat he is going to swing. Gavin and Sylvia are pitching and catching on "Persephone" (ahem), and Hilary will once again be our utility man in the outfield.  Last years rookie, Jordan, looks to be seasoning into a solid designated hitter with Saphira, while "Whiskeyjack" is going to imporve over last year's record stats and "Legacy" will pinch hit.

    Roster changes:  Steve has been traded to the American League.  He'll be sailing out of Erie, but "Drifter" might remain on the Dock, leaving the possibility open for a mid-season trade.   Called up from the Pittock Lake minors is solid prospect Eric with his DS 20, "After School":

     Welcome aboard, "School's Out"!

       There are a number of seats still open- hopefully we'll have a solid bench before the All-Star break.  As the players are announced, you'll get all the stats and positions here.  Stay tuned.






     Thanks for taking the time to join us, and I hope you had fun.  Please feel free to "Talk the Dock"- follow us, link us, and pass us along to your friends.