Spectacular day for boating!

[Donn]

This has been a glorious day, and is ending in stunning fashion. We got up to the mid 70's today, mostly sunny, and a tolerable breeze. Now the wind has switched to the south, and dropped our temperatures 10 degrees in the last hour, but the sky has cleared of clouds, and it's turning into a brilliant evening.

After a goodly amount of yard/garden work, I rowed the skiff out and took an extended tour of the bay. No tackle, just water and cigars, and since most of the boats in the area aren't in the water yet, it wasn't very crowded.

Today was the kind of day that makes me wish the sailboat was finished. There were none to be seen, and it seemed to me that the weather was perfect for sailing.

I settled for wind and current drifting over the flats, and poking about in the marshes looking for new mussel colonies (found a few).

No bugs, no crowds, perfect weather, and my bald spot is pink for the first time this year. These are the days that boats are made for.

Anyone else get out today?

[J. Dillon]

Sounds like a good day Donn. :D Do the planes in and out of Kennedy noise things up ?

Maybe spring is really here. The buds up here in CT are starting to burst open and I guess by the middle of next week everything will be green smile.gif again.

Expect to launch this week maybe tues. :D

JD

[whb]

Donn,

Last week we had our week of spring/summer/fall. yesterday we got 40-60 cm of heavy wet snow.

Your day sounded wonderful.

Howard

[Scott Rosen]

My younger daughter and I spent the day at the boatyard. Patience is still on the hard. I got a late start this year.

I spent the day scraping topside paint. This past winter was very hard on the paint. There was a lot more chipped and peeling paint than usual.

My daughter polished the boarding ladder on the transom, and she did a great job, if I don't say so myself.

Pookah had the most fun. She got to go swimming twice. Right now, all I can smell is wet dog. Yummm.

[Donn]

Pookah had the most fun. She got to go swimming twice. She must be a hearty soul. After an hour of rowing, while drifting back with the current, I got carried away. I leaned out over the transom, and thrust my right arm, up to the biceps, into the water to scrape crud off the transducer. Surprise! The water was 30 degrees cooler than the air, and it was quite a shock.

[Bruce Taylor]

A fine day here, too...if there had been any wind I'd have put a boat or two in.

Instead, I re-varnished Damselfly (Piccolo), getting her ready for the new sails (real beauties, by Todd Bradshaw).

Then I brushed new bottom paint on the Diablo.

Finally, I cleaned out the boatshed, and got set up to plank Blackfly. If the weather holds, I should be able to hang a couple of strakes within the week.

Maggie spent the day in the treehouse she's been building for the kids.

The kids and their friends built forts in the woods.

A very good day.

[Gary Bergman]

A mighty fine day on the water here also. Crew didn't show, so wife and I took the Royaliste out short-handed and had a bang up good day! The squares were way cool as we had an unusually shifty wind pattern with a lot of westerly. Found myself quite worn out after trimming three heads'ls,two gaffs and two squares. My life has become an endless mound of cordage!

[Chris Coose]

The weekend before last, me and the boy ran the Kenduskeag Stream race with about 800 other boats. Sunday we took a leasurely ride down the Royal River in the 1923 Old Town 18 footer. What with the wet cold spring so far, I haven't got too far with the cat boat but these little trips get me tuned into her.
A buddy just popped by and we cranked up a three day trip on the Moose River that each of us have been coveting for decades. It is a put-in at Attean pond in Jackman followed by a 1 mile portage up to Holeb pond (600- 800' vertical) then a 35 mile river loop trip, through spectacular Maine forest, ending back at Attean.

Oh what luxury problems we have! This is when I love winter. I'm not so sure I'd be so excited about wood boating if it weren't for the lull.

[Tar Devil]

Took my daugher to the river for two or three hours. Water was high and swift from recent rains, but we had a memorable day anyway.

Went back home and had a water fight. Don't know which she enjoyed more!!

Later,

Phil

[Matt Middleton]

I went out with some buddies on Saturday- it was overcast and we had 10-15 mph winds, and no chop! Great for sailing, but nobody was out!

Couldn't figure it our until yesterday morning, when EVERYONE (except me) took their boats up to Patrick AFB for an airshow. Talk about traffic! Maybe 40 boats went through the swingbridge as we waited, and that was one of many openings to let boats through! Great show, too.

Matt