Bristol-Blue Lake Michigan Sailing Adventures

Several years back, I built this Kayak.  It is fun to see the fish swim under you in the shallows while you paddle.  this summer,  West System  ran a competition on their Facebook page.  You know the kind, post a picture of something you built with their product and they will pick a winner. My kayak won a  West System  prize pack.   Over the years, I have tried different epoxy systems with limited success but if I want something done right I always go back to  West System .  Six10 is my current go to product for everything.  It is a thickened epoxy in a resealable caulking tube.  The kayak above was built with the traditional 105 system.  I actually still have my first West System project a Gee Gee model pond yacht.  This stuff is tough and well worth considering if you are looking to do any kind of repair on your boat or around the house.  I actually have a list of odds and ends around the house tha...

Out today doing what the Typhoon does best.  Sailing, fishing and beach bobbing.   Leaving the harbor.  Myles is getting some serious tiller time today. Here is a short video of us underway on Lake Michigan. Myles has mostly navigated by using visual fixes.    Point the bow at that (insert object here). However on the big lake with no visual cues this becomes an issue. Thus compass navigation becomes the norm of the day.   "Hold a course of 270 degrees. Chicago is only 2 days away." Mr. Fisherman Trolling off the stern, Focused at the tiller Sleeping at the tiller. Bobbing at the beach. Our trusty ice chest keeps our towels and supplies dry  as we swim from the boat to the beach. Beach finds of the day were sparse. Snorkeling however was great. Floating pretty. On the return trip we started with the Genoa but switched to the Spinnaker for the run back to the ch...

Today we set off for some big lake adventures on Lake Michigan.  With waves around 1ft we made good time sailing south to Oval Beach.  Oval is a huge destination beach and we usually go by car, logistically it is easier but nowhere near as fun.   Lunch Time Oval Beach Land Ho As we close in on the beach I like to anchor near one of the swim area markers.  This performs two tasks; first, it shortens the swim to the beach.  Second, and more importantly, is it gives me an easy frame of reference to see if my anchor is dragging.  After all, I'm anchoring on a sand bar and it would be nice to know if the boat is moving before it gets too close to shore.  Finding an anchorage site.   The picture here doesn't really do it justice, we were quite close.   Close enough to chat with a couple who came out and asked what kind of boat we were on and have a whole conversation about the water temperature and depth while they stood on the other s...

Rigged and Ready.  We even got out Sunday (Mothers Day) for a quick shake down.  Things are looking good and we are ready for the season

This year I have decided to switch up not just my bottom paint but I'm starting to phase out the varnish for teak oil.  The varnish does a nice job but it tends to have some difficulties holding up on horizontal services and the toe rails.  The other problem I tend to run into with the varnish is the need to have several good warm days to apply it.  My plan is to have the boat in the water sometime in the next week and frankly we've only had a few days that would have been warm enough to varnish. This season, I have moved to a mixed medium; some areas varnish and some teak oil.  By next season I expect all of the wood work on the boat will be switched over.  I have been pleasantly surprised how well the two have worked in combination.  The teak oil color matches very well and two coats of oil bring the sheen right up to the same level of the remaining varnish. Starting sanding of the rails. Nicely scuffed up peeling and flaking removed. Ho...

The desire to get the boat in the water this spring is has reached a fever pitch.  Just after noon today the temperature outside reached the magic number: 50 degrees.  What is so magic about this number?  It is the temperature one needs it to be to apply bottom paint.  Immediately after lunch I headed for the marina.  When I arrived one other boater was there working on waxing his hull but within the hour, several other sailors had showed up and opened their paint cans. This year, I have decided to switch up my bottom paint.  I'm going with a multi-season paint.  I'm hoping this will set the boat up for the next 2 years.  The sales rep says it may be good for three years with some touch up. So this is some different stuff.  It is super thin and looks a bit like soapy water.  As I started I was beginning to have second thoughts.  It goes on super thin then it began to bubble.  I've seen this before with latex paints an...

Spring training starts for many this week and it is time to start the boat prep.  Fist trick is to climb in. After a few hours and a bottle of glass cleaner.  I moved all the gear, sails, and cushions back aboard and here is the finished project.  Ship shape and cleaned up.