Bristol-Blue Lake Michigan Sailing Adventures

Over the last few weeks, we have been sailing at least once a week. We are really just starting to get the feel for Woodstock. We are also really just starting to organize and make things our own.        Using the leftover Sunbrella from the sail cover and a mesh laundry bag I did a little cutting and sewing to make a few stow bags for all the lines coming back to the cockpit.   I also made two new winch covers, the Self-tailing Winchards I installed last season increased the size of the winches heads so the old covers no longer fit. I used velcro wraps on the bottom to secure them.  I know a lot of people use elastic but with Covid-19 it can be hard to come by and I like the way these came out better.   Here are some weird people, you might see in the channel.          Asymmetric Spinnaker Day 2  We have loved this sail in light winds. On this run, we caught up with a cruising catamaran. They gave us a nice...

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. 

We set out to the lake again today.  It was a great time.  We are still getting a feel for the procedure in tacking.  Moving the traveler setting the genoa blocks, prepping the sheets, changing up the backstay tension. This boat has a lot going on compared to the Typhoon and we are loving every bit of it.   We spent our first night out in the anchorage after we returned.  This panorama of Lake Kalamazoo early in the morning show the tranquility before the channel gets busy. The new mosquito netting on the forward hatch and companionway worked great for our first night out on the hook. I attached both of these with industrial strength velcro. This velcro is supposed to hold up to 10lbs and work when it is wet, so I know the netting is not going to fly away in the wind. We even got the privacy curtain installed. Now the head can be used without flashing everyone on the boat. Again I used industrial velcro but at the top, I installed ...

I haven't posted in a while and a few people have been wondering what is up. This summer Myles and I have been fishing a bit and he has been using his Mom's sit on top Kayak.  I decided it was time to go ahead and build him one of his own after all he is starting to get too big to sit and just ride along.  First I looked at  Yostwerks .  I highly recommend Tom's boats.  I built a Sea Tour about 10 years ago I'm building a Canvas Back Kayak.  Here are the plans  for those interested.  This came from an old  Mechanix Illustrated  magazine. My brother ran across someone selling a pile of already cut out kayaks a few years back and he assembled one but has had limited success with his canvas skin.  We took it out this summer and it is far more stable than my kayak, a plus for a young child in my eyes.  After about 30 minutes, the water started soaking through the canvas in my brother's kayak and we came back. ...

Tower Marine pulled Kraken for me mid-September this year and it has been raining ever since.  Sunday after it stopped raining I got down and pulled all the sails and cushions for the winter.   I have to get down and do a little more cleaning and pull the motor this weekend.  I'm hoping to get the cabin squeaky clean so when spring rolls around I'm ready for a early launch again this year.  This year I'm planning on leaving the mast up and tarping off over the boom and spinnaker pole hopefully giving my self a bit more pitch so the snow slides off as they are predicting a rough winter for us. It all fits in the back of a Ford focus. Sun setting on the end of a great season. Drying stuff out in the garage. A quick end of season cleaning before stashing the cushions under the guest bead for the winter helps.  It is amazing the condition of these cushions after 38 years they still look new with a little Armor All.

Time for the hand sewing.  This is the stitch by stitch stuff that adds real strength to the pressure points on the sail.  For this, sailrite has sent along wax coated Dacron thread and a sail makers needle.  The needle is like a tiny bayonet.  Three sides and super sharp, poking yourself and you're sure to bleed a bit. I use a few other tools when doing this. One of them, is my trusty sewing awl.  This is a must have in my opinion.  I'm sure you could get by with a regular awl, but this thing makes punching through finishing leather, nylon strapping and six layers of Dacron a bit easier.   I didn't bend the needle,  it came curved.  I suspect this little curve adds some strength or at least takes direct pressure off the shaft of the needle as you jam it into something hard. This is a thick brass thimble.  Last sail I made I punched right through a little tin one and into my hand. I'm not making that mistake again....