Bristol-Blue Lake Michigan Sailing Adventures

So the motor has been running a bit rough this season.  It's been working but last Thursday when w e went out on our date sail it was sputtering more than I liked.  So this weekend I pulled the motor and brought it home.     I started by checking the fuel line  all the way back to the tank.  Then I moved on to the carburetor.  I pulled it off and took it apart and I found the float was sticking.  A bit of carb cleaner, and I put it all back together. Driveway bucket trials. Sea trials, we're ready to go.

Had a great night out with this cutie today.   After a nice dinner at Marros we headed out on the lake and had a great sail!   

So, for the past few weeks one of my teaching partners has been using weather bug as part of his First grade morning calendar routine. (That's right, school does not look like it did when you went.). One of the cool features on the weather bug site are local web cams.  Two of which happen to overlook Lake Kalamazoo.  So he has been kidding around with me for some time about being able to see my house on the web cam and this and that.  So I looked up the cam and had to trace it back to the wood tv 8 web site to find out he refresh rate.  Every 60 seconds it refreshes.  It took some time to figure out just which side of the flag pole in the picture I needed to be on.  After a several passes and refreshes on my phone I was able to pull some screen shots!   They're not great, after all they are web cam shots, but it is super cool to see.    As the wind died down I also did a quick sail change and for the first time flew my new Genoa!

It wasn't pretty.  Things were tangled reef lines weren't in and needs to be strung but it was good to be out on the lake.  Here are a few pictures from the family hiding out in the tea shop. Leaving the Dock Heading Up Good by Motor Heading Back  

So I called up Tower Marine last Saturday..  Um guys I can get to my boat...  I'd like to this afternoon.  After a few calls back from the office, they figured out a way to get me out there.  I stopped by and Bill was able to move the tow barge between the docks for me!   Tower Marine rocks! Thanks R.J. and Bill. They even gave me the option to move to another dock for a while if I wanted to, but the breeze was blowing pretty hard. I decided to just check and make sure the scuppers were draining and the boat was not filling with water.  Then I got the main main sail rigged up.   A look back and the temporary pier set up.  Riding out the surf at the dock.  This made rigging the main a lot more interesting. Ready to sail.

So Kraken is in. I went down to check on her problem is I can't get to her.  A huge piece of dock is missing and I'm not up for a swim. Hopefully the scuppers are draining.

It is crunch time this week.  After work this week I got on my grubby cloths and headed for the boat yard.  Monday I got the top sided rubbed out and a first coat of wax on before it started to rain.  My next chance to return to the boat yard was Thursday.  I was able to wax the hull and added two more layers of wax to the cabin top.  It's super shiny now.   We had company come in Friday night so I woke up early early Saturday and snuck out.  Saturday morning I painted the bottom, it took me 2 hours from leaving my house to returning.  It was like I was never gone as far as the company was concerned.   Out and back before anyone had breakfast.   I use Pettit Ultima eco. This is a copper free paint, so it's not as bad for the amphibians and wild life and does a nice job.  I also really like the bright blue color.  The gallon is a bit pricey but I will get 3-4 years out of a gallon. It took about a quart this year to do the whole bottom.   Cutting in the rudder with a foam brush