Bristol-Blue Lake Michigan Sailing Adventures

This past week has been super hot and there has been a significant lack of wind. Today we finally got a light breeze and Myles and I took the boat out. We were not exactly screaming along but made good time.  After a while, we decided to take a swim. BB meant us after work at the beach and I brought Woodstock back single-handed. There is some question as to whether it was a Mutiny of the Crew or a Marooning of the Crew Member. 😂

We could not have asked for a better day for a shakedown. We set off to Lake Michigan in the early afternoon to a smooth lake and winds between 5 and 10 knots out of the north. We made several passes straight out and back. Trying out the new roller furler. Wow, I don't know why we didn't put one of these on our boats sooner.   Then we flew the asymmetric for a bit.  Video of a Tack Master of the Cleats.  Helm works. The Red Hot Challenge continues.  How long can you keep it on your tongue?  Lazy feet. Bow Watch Man An amazing first run for the season. Happy faces and all the new rigging and sail changes worked great. 

Santa Clause was good to Woodstock this year. He brought me a new Sail Rite mainsail cover kit and some luff tape for a roller furler conversion.  After some debating back and forth on whether or not to just order the fabric, parts, and pieces I decided to go with the kit for the cover.  First I thought I would just make a copy of the cover I currently have but by the time I added it all up the kit was only a few dollars more and offered pre-laid out directions and patterns.  The first step is to layout the material. I went with Sunbrella silver to match the bimini I installed this summer.   Sail Rite  marks all the lines you need to cut right out for you on the fabric.  I lay a cutting board underneath so as not to mark up the floors. Then it is pretty simple to just follow the pre-laid outlines with a hot knife. My hot knife is not a $150 specialty tool. It is a harbor freight job that doubles as a wood burner. It does a really nice job cutting and sealing the edg

It has been blowing here all night shortly after yesterday's post I went and raked the snow off the tarp.  This may have been a big mistake.  This morning it appears that the wind has shredded the front half of my cover.  I'll have to get another tarp here in the next few days and brush off the deck right now no one is going anywhere.  The county, schools, colleges, even the local pizza joint is closed.  The main part of the blizzard is past but now we are in for some serious lake effect snow and wicked cold days. Hopefully these winds will settle down soon the snow drifts are growing pretty quick out there.  Good luck all and stay warm.  Just for fun here's a link to a Saugatuck Harbor web cam.  

Michigan 11 and a 1/2 inches of snow.  3-8 more inches expected by tomorrow!