Been a Busy Summer!

Two catboats. The Bolger Bobcat S/V Zodiac is new.

  It's been a busy summer and I've been awful about updating. But here is a series of pictures that will update you on what's been happening with the IPNCo. 

7/16 New rudder for Kat Boat.

7/23 Learning to sail catamarans on Lake Coeur d'Alene

7/25 Ran the committee boat for the first time with Dan.

8/1 Sailed from Big Fork to Sommers and back.

8/9 Spend the weekend on Flathead

8/11 Picked up a new catboat

 In these unprecedented times (ugh) I've done more sailing then I ever have before. I have at least two full weekends of sailing left this year if not a few random days here and there. I'm off to Idaho week after next to sail both CdA and Pend Oreille, then the big hullabolloo for Labor Day up at the Yacht Club. And I have a boat to work on now too.

A July 4th to Remember

At Rest in Finley Point

 One thing I adore is having a boat that is not just functional, but beautiful too. I get questions and stares everywhere I go. From the Yacht Harbor to the gas station, everyone seems drawn to my little boat. The most asked question is "Did you build it yourself?" At this point I'm really close to answering yes. Because it sure feels that way.

 Over the beginning of the summer we've had quite a few days on the water. I sailed from Big Arm to Finley Point, a bucket list sail I've wanted to do for awhile. Spent the night on board with The Lady, and spend a fine 4th of July weekend out at Dayton. I've also lost one anchor, broken the lazy jacks, and seen what fine manners the boat has when sailed close hauled. And in front of me this week I have work. But more on that later.

Replaced the halyard cam cleats with horn cleats.

 The fact is we're still spending money at a decent rate to get the boat to the proper condition. And a lot of the work can only be found through empirical testing. This last weekend is a good example of that. My main ground tackle for the last few years has been 100' of nylon rode, backed with 10' of 1/4" chain and a Mantus Dingy Anchor. Other then a want to not stay put this has been a tried and true anchor system for awhile now on my boat. Never drug, reset with wind changes and reliable. On Independence Day however that was not the case.

 The forecast for the whole weekend was perfect sailing weather. The sun would be out to power the thermals that make the Big Arm/Dayton area some of the finest and most predictable sailing in the northwest. And if the morning of the 4th was any indication then that would be the case. I ended up overnighting in Dayton Bay after failing to make Cedar Island from Big Arm. I woke up and spend a wonderful day sailing to Wildhorse and back. By my count we had 17 sailboats out on the bay, enough for me to have to try and remember my rules of the road. That's rare.

Didn't quite make that Cedar Island on the 3rd

Hot breakfast=Luxury on a small boat

Sailed all the way to the beach

Wild Horse Island was very busy

Anchor down for the evening

 Recently I've been playing around with a stern anchor to stop the boat from dancing. Seemed to work well. With the usual solar easterlies blowing I dropped my bow anchor and set the stern one as well and got to work making dinner. Unbeknownst to me the wind has shifted 180 degrees and picked up. Dayton, unlike Big Arm is very deceiving when it comes to wind strength and apparent effects. Whereas Big Arm will become a churning mess of whitecaps and obvious doom, Dayton simply gets a touch lumpy. It took me a few minutes to figure out why my stern anchor was suddenly taut and my bow anchor line was slack. And then my sense of time goes out a bit as tends to happen when things happen rapidly. I let out all the scope to my rear anchor and that held for a bit. But as I watched the parallel shoreline it started to move. My first anchor dragging event. Knowing I could not reset as I drifted closer to the massed boats at the dock I tied the end of the stern rode to a fender and tossed it over board. Firing up the electric spanker I managed to work my way upwind and into the Bay. I reset my bow anchor and felt it bite. But the boat, true to it's nature swung broadside to the wind and took the full force beam on. That was enough for my hook to start dragging once more. I was again headed for a wall of docked boats. The hook reset temporarily and I thought "The hell with it!" hauled in the anchor and made a beeline for the service dock at the Dayton Yacht Harbor. I just needed to attached to something with no chance of movement. A fellow sailor caught my lines and helped make me fast. Everyone I spoke to up at Harbor House told me to get a slip. I spoke with one of the owners and secured an offer for a slip. I mistakenly tied up in the pump out dock but made sure to get out early in the morning.

Dayton Winds 7/4/20

 There was an upside to all this. I got to watch the most amazing fireworks display on my literal doorstep. I woke at 0530 to the sound of wavelets on the hull. The wind was still from the west, down a bit from what I remembered but decent sailing. I sailed off the dock around 0610 and figured I'd wait the wind out then anchor. Or I could beach on the dingy dock. But I was hungry and hauled the sails down in preparation for the morning respite.  The electric spanker refused to respond. With appropriate salty language I hauled the sails up and bore away from the boats back into the bay. The original plan was to sail to Big Arm, where my car was waiting, but I had instead asked The Lady to come haul me out at Dayton. I needed to ensure the Yacht Harbor got my payment for services rendered. So I simply sailed around the bay as the sun came up. I attempted to be as technical as I could. Worked on close-hauled sailing a bit, seeing where the luff would ruffle and catch the lifts and the headers. On Kat Boat the 1st reef is a good amount of working sail for all conditions. We chased the puffs as the wind slowly died down. By 0845 it was still again. I dropped my bow anchor on a short scope and waited. And sure enough, like clockwork, at 0900 the easterly solar wind set in. I hauled in the anchor and sailed to where The Lady waited at the new Dayton city dock. Although set up for power boaters it's a fine place to end a trip. It certainly was a 4th of July to remember.

What a display!

Morning rush hours at the dock

Famous Flathead Water

On the way to the dock.

Now sitting at home I can touch on a few things I learned. I lost the mushroom anchor when a powerboat removed my fender, which thankfully was retrieved. I've replaced it with a Danforth and the original 10' of 1/4" chain on a 100' of rode. My bow anchor now sports 20' of chain. I feel better with this tackle. I would like to thank all of my fellow sailors I interacted with on the 4th. My imposter syndrome not withstanding all knew the wind was not in the forecast, was not usual, and wanting to ensure my safety. They made this small boat sailor feel welcome all during the week and that meant a lot. I learned later someone blew a mainsail lug in the blow. And true to form Big Arm was a washing machine during the wind event. I'm not the only sailor who decided not to anchor that evening. We'll go out and anchor again in Dayton Bay I'm sure. But with some knowledge and forethought we'll hopefully be in a better way. And isn't that what this is all about?

My SPOT track.

A Nice Day Off

From West Shore State Park

 With the Lido sold the plan was simple. Borrow the Lazy Shamrock from The Typesetter and do a bit of daysailing at Dayton. How hard could it be? Well harder then we thought but the results were pretty good.
We left the house around 0830 with the hope of meeting the new owners of the Lido for some sailing. However we did not make the final exit out of Missoula before discovering the port side indicator light was missing off the trailer. Now those who are more unscrupulous then myself may have been prepared to feign ignorance of a non working trailer light. It happens. But when the entire light is missing that makes such a ruse a bit more difficult. With heavy hearts we returned boat and trailer from whence they came. However we decided to continue our drive north and see what we could see. Nothing else to do anyway.
 Upon arrival in Dayton the whole town was abuzz. It was Dayton Daze, the end of summer celebration that turns the sleepy little wine and sailing town into a wonderful zoo. We pulled into the SFYC and made our way inside. The Lady had not seen the inside and was delighted with the amenities. I dropped off our dues and some magazines, Wooden Boat and Good Ol' Boat and decided to walk the docks.
 Set up in front was a pop-up with the sign "Sailboat Rides". There was a suggested donation to the local volunteer fire department for the privilege. Twist our arms why don't you! Donation given we meet with Skip, who invited us aboard one of the twin Capri 22's that the Yacht Harbor keeps as rentals/instruction boats. Motor out of the tight confines, where I had one my first yacht race previously, and sails up. And just like that the magic happened.

Motoring out

Under a full press of sail

Didn't think I was going sailing.

 The Capri was a wonderful boat. Now I've never used a winch before but learned pretty quickly! Or a roller furling jib system. I've since been informed our next boat must have the latter if equipped with a jib. There was also the novelty of a true down below which The Lady tried out.

The plush accommodations. A step up from a Lido 14!

This also met with her approval. We were not out for long but it was marvelous to simply be on the water again. It was over too soon and we were deposited back at the dock. We took the opportunity to walk the dock and enjoy watching the sailboats.

The aptly named S/V Minion

Making sail for parts unknown

Putting some speed on

Heading in

Wooden tender beautifully done

 Our time in Dayton came to a close. We decided to drive north and found ourselves eventually at West Shore State Park. The views as always were stunning.

After a quick lunch we found ourselves near the National Bison Range. Sadly we did not have the time for the full tour but did get a few quick photos.

Our National Mammal

They looked like statues

 Then it was finally time to head home. But not before a short train chase. I couldn't get far enough ahead to take my own photo so I quickly pulled to a crossing and gave The Lady the shot. The result was stunning.

Notice the boat fender in the grab iron there. Photos by KB

A wonderful end to a wonderful day. We pick up the FatCat2 this weekend. I can't wait.

Weekend to Remember

Dayton Yacht Harbor

 Well I think the title says it all. Out in the boat both Saturday and Sunday. Let go of my first real boat. And discovered the joy that is yacht racing. All in the weekend that is traditionally the end of summer.
 Saturday was a simple sailing day. I was taking a family I know out for a sailboat ride.The wind wasn't very accommodating and built all day. Great big boat weather but not so much for my Lido. We ended up sailing out on a fast run, then motored back. A great time was had by all but a day on the water it was not to be. But we did head out to Dayton, where it was blowing 15+ and looked at the boats.

Gloria's and all the boats

  Sunday I woke up earlier then usual. I knew skipper meeting was at 0930 and I would have to leave around 0730 if I had a chance to make it. But my first thought was to roll back over and get an extra hour of sleep. I didn't have to meet Travis, my boat buyer, until 1030. But I simply couldn't. The lady left for work at 0645 and by 0715 I was on the road. Buck, the owner of the Dayton Yacht Harbor was kind enough to allow me to store Esmeralda overnight in the boat yard, thereby saving me the need to drag it back and up again. I had exactly a quarter tank leaving my driveway and 91.6mi to go. I was a bit worried but after splurging what could have been gas money on coffee I settled down to a slow cruise and headed north. An extra $1.36 I found in the seats later I made it hale and sound to Dayton. There was my boat waiting for a day of adventure. The last adventure I would have with her while she was "mine".

Ready to go

 But who was I kidding? She was never mine. I was her keeper for the better part of a decade. I poured my equity as best I could into her and did what I could to ensure her continued use. And this was the day I'd pass her on for someone else to do the same. I tried to keep these melancholy thoughts out of my head as I headed to boat house for skippers meeting and whatever else the morning had to offer.
 Joining a new group of people is difficult at the best of times. I knew about the South Flathead Yacht Club for years and had corresponded with some of their members. Always meaning to join. The current Commodore works with me on the steam sawmill I run. But the lure of a dingy race is what drew me today. After the big boat buoy races there would be a small boat race, as there had been the last few Labor Day Regatta's. Except I had every intention of making this one. I saw John, the Commodore and made a few introductions, asked where I could find Jeremy, the Race Coordinator and ambled over to what was the big boat skipper meeting. After the very laid back and informative meeting Jeremy and I chatted a bit about our afternoon plans, racing at 1500, and I went to wonder around the Harbor House and the pier area.

The leeward mark

Heading out to race

SFYC Harbor House

Flathead Lake Sailing School in session

 My phone went off and it was Travis. The time had come. We meet up, picked up the Lido and I began the instruction. First up was how to rig the boat. Or more properly how I rig the boat. It's second nature and most of what I do is performed with the single handed sailor in mind. More hands definitely make lighter work. Then the dance of getting the rigged boat in the water. The public slip at Dayton is no where near ideal for sailboats. There was also a procession of motorboats that by right were being launched and recovered so enjoyed the rising sun and wind until our turn came. The wind was out of the east and and on the same side of the dock as the ramp. We'd need to move the Lido around the dock in order to get underway. Not to mention Flathead lake is rapidly being drawn down and there was not enough draft for the centerboard and only just for the rudder. I guess if sailing was easy everyone would do it.
 I parked the car and trailer and returned to the dock. Sails up and we were off. Board down twenty feet off the pier and we picked up our reach and shot out into the bay. Hi-fives were exchanged as we simply enjoyed the thrill of sailing. Much newer for one then the other but the same joy was felt.
 By this time the fleet was out and racing so we stayed well clear and I continued to share what I know of sailing the Lido 14. Points of sail, rig notes, balance, how to pass the tiller behind your back.
 They say you never know how much you know until you do it without thought. As I instructed I was acutely aware of how much I do without thought on my boat. Steering a straight course, tacking and gybing, setting a sail. I was very comfortable in that fourteen foot length of mahogany and fiberglass. And as I let go the secrets I have accumulated I realized I would miss this. Not like in a sad way. But this feeling of if not mastery, understanding and knowledge.

The new skipper at the helm

 Eventually the Typesetter arrived in the Piccup and he went ranging far and wide under a full press of sail. It was hearting to look out over the water and see the balanced lug tall and proud over great waters. The fleet was also out and doing big boat things. With a competent person at the helm I had a few moments to pull out the camera and take in the spectacle.

Windward and leeward

Rounding the Mark. My favorite image I captured.

Beating

 Then it was time for dingy racing. After a few practice runs with The Typesetter we were recalled via text to the transient dock for the start of official racing. One of the things as a teacher is sometimes you feel you could do it better but the student has to learn. I'm pleased to say Travis parallel parked the Lido with an audience and I don't think I could have done it better. First up was a brief skippers meeting where we went over the basic rules, course and start plan. It should be noted I've read about this. And watched a few videos. But now it was time to actually do it.

Skippers Meeting. Lido #1280, Piccup Pram Lazy Shamrock, and a Gig Harbor Captains Gig.

The two minute horn went off and we started jockeying for position. I was forward running the jib and acting as a tactician. Travis was helmsman. We had very easy communication with ideas and execution moving both ways. One minute. Favored side on starboard lead to a line of moored boats. Thirty seconds. Planning our escape, watching the line. Ten seconds. "Hit it!" Haul the jib in and we point to the line. Start. Decent start. I think. No penalty at least. First mark is a reach. The Piccup is dead even and the Captains Gig is hot on our heels. We have a major advantage in sail area and boat speed. Look ahead, not back. Shave the mark, go deep. Now it's a tacking duel as we head upwind. The Piccup is behind, the CG is in an excellent position and gaining ground. Suddenly becalmed. The boat herself is indecisive in the wind. CG begins sculling. No protest. We begin sculling. Thankful for the solid oak tiller the Lido is now equipped with. The minutes crawl by. I see Rex, the captain in the Gig, bear away. A wind line! We follow in slow pursuit. Suddenly were on again, mark in sight. We're below and hoping for rights. but the wind is dead to the mark. Forty feet, thirty. It's anybodies rounding. Twenty feet.

Anybody's sailboat race. Photo by Jeremy Keene.

 We're forced to give way to leeward and I think we've lost the mark. But the Gig hits the mark and stalls! A hard kick of the rudder and we are by. Now downwind, centerboard fully up. The helmsman plays the wind like a violin and we're downwind, wing and wing. The Gig is behind but can't get the speed. We cross and the finish horn sounds. We've gotten line honors. And then, to my surprise, applause. The members waiting for dinner have watched our little contest and reward us for the entertainment.  For myself the accolades go to my boat and my helm. I had only a vague idea of what I was doing and trusted pure book knowledge and the wisdom of others to pull us through.

Dayton Labor Day Regatta 2018 dingy race participants.

We go for a victory lap. The Lazy Shamrock has abandoned the race but is still sailing. It's just about time to head in. We do a rounding of the marks for no reason and short tack our way up the pier. A captain congratulates us and we enjoy the good wind and fun. Travis's phone goes off. It's Rose, the other half and we head to the dock to meet her.
 I've been at the helm for the last twenty minutes after the race. Enjoying how the boat responds to my commands and thinking on the years well spent. My last act as skipper is docking under sail with the wind directly down the dock. Board up, gauging the sideslip just so. And when all is said and done just right, allowing the crew to leap to the dock, line in hand. Almost like I knew what I was doing.A find performance that befits the boat and our time. But it's over now. We haul out and derig. I double check that my stuff is off the boat. And we head to dinner.
 And there we do some final paperwork, money is handed over. And the boat is no longer "mine". And I honestly couldn't be happier. Not for not having the boat, but for that it's future adventures will take it far and wide. I may even get to tag along for a few. And that made for a weekend to remember. I pick up the FatCat2 in two weeks. But more on that later.

Rose, Travis, and Lido #1280. Good luck. And Godspeed.