Song for Wednesday - Into the Mystic by Van Morrison

I know we generally do songs on Fridays but I don't care. Wednesday night is race night and I want a nice sailing jam. Here it is; please enjoy:

Sailing On Lake Pontchartrain

Yep, I'm Still Here

That's right. I'm still here. Still sailing. Just relocated down south.

Been sailing with a bunch of cool folks down in New Orleans for Wednesday Nights as well as some weekend races on a 40.7 Beneteau. I've been experimenting with not only taking pictures but also some short videos (via the Vine app if you're familiar). Hopefully you'll enjoy.

I'm on twitter way more than I post here so feel free to hit me up there. There aren't nearly enough sailors on there yet as my2fish and Tillerman can attest.

Which Captain's Licence Should I Go For? & Summer 2012 Plans

The above video is a quick explanation of the different types of Captain's licences. I am still working on the necessary sea time for my own 6-Pack license but I probably won't have that for another couple years.

In an effort to remedy that situation and despite taking summer law classes this year (meaning I won't be able to sail Wednesday nights in Round Bay), I hope to do most of my studying this summer aboard Surprise, our family's 30' Catalina. 


If I can actually stick to that plan, it will cutoff my internet access (read: main source of distraction), allow me to do some distraction-free studying, give me the time to do some boatwork, as well as pickup some additional sea days.

Doing law school at night while working full time is often a stressful juggling act and I'm hoping to balance out the stress with some sailing this summer.

Since you're probably interested in what the requirements for these licenses are, check out the U.S. Coast Guard's website which gives you all the detailed info.



BTW: In an effort to further my writing and professional website development skills, I will be migrating my writing over to a new website as soon as I get it set up. It will be much of the same content but (I hope) it will incorporate more law and law school related writings.

I'll let you all know what the site is once it's looking decent.

Wednesday Night Racing w/ Pictures!

Had a pretty decent "race" last Wednesday. Race is only in quotes because I have no idea if the Race Committee was actually keeping track on anyone's finish time. They seemed to have disappeared sometime in the middle of the race.... Weird.

Anyhow, here are some pictures I took:

Lose my Thread

So I've finally gotten my internet back up thanks to the people over at the MD corporate office of Comcast. Seriously, if you have any problems with Comcast, tweet @comcastcares and they answer you 10x faster than their automated phone system does.

Been able to get some sailing in these past few weeks which has been good. Had the tactician from one of the other boats we race against come over and show us a few cool new moves that we've been putting to work on Wednesdays. If you race and don't set the spinnaker from the cabin, I would seriously reconsider. It now takes a 1/3 or 1/4 the time that it used to, to set the spin.

I also had my car broken into this past week which has really sucked. Broke my driver side window for an iPod. I'm seriously considering leaving my car unlocked because anything they steal would cost me less than it costs me to replace the freaking window. Luckily, the lady-friend was able to get me a deal on the glass replacement. I'm becoming a pretty consistent customer at the body shop which is no good.

Anyway, hopefully I'll have some more time to blog coming up. Alas... in the mean time, please enjoy this throwback.

Speaking of Racing...

I have recently signed up for a bunch of races for this upcoming season!

I'm pretty stoked since Tango Too, the boat I sail with on Wednesdays, only does a few races here and there; mostly due to lack of crew.  Now I'll get to do some more intense, and longer races.

So far, I've signed up to crew in the Coast Guard Cup, the Governors Cup, Annapolis to Solomons Race, and the Screwpile.

The Coast Guard Cup is supposed to be 80 nautical miles (nm) depending on the forecast and is scheduled to be around 24-30 hours of straight sailing. It'll definitely be the longest race I'll have ever been a part of. That'll be another notch on the ole sailing belt.

The Governor's Cup goes from Annapolis down to St. Mary's and as an Asst. Harbor Master (in Annapolis), I got to talk to a bunch of people who sailed it and most of them had a pretty good time. Except the year when it was almost dead-downwind without the wind part. A bunch of boats grabbed moorings on their way back up the Bay and bitched about the sun and lack of wind. Fingers crossed, that doesn't happen this year.

The Annapolis to Solomons Race is pretty similar to the Governor's Cup (course wise) except its a little bit shorter, finishing at Solomons Island instead of St. Mary's.

I don't know much about the Screwpile but I've always heard its a bunch of fun from the people that have sailed it. It takes place in Southern MD but I think it'll be worth the drive.

Side note: I also got into law school and tonight is Poker Night so things have been going alright lately...

WE FLY LIKE A G6!

I'm forcing myself to make an entry on Fridays if I've been too busy during the week to post so... yeah.

Boat Show was ok this year. Not nearly as much free stuff but some kick-ass boats! My friend and I went on an Oyster and all I can say is "Holy Shit". We went on the 72 or the 885 (it was massive) and oh my...it was a floating mansion. Massive galley that is at least twice as big as the one in my apartment, at least 10 comfortable berths, 3 bathrooms and a huge lounge area with 2 desks. Also, biggest, and most extensive, electrical panel I've seen in my life.  Got to witness the boat show breakdown as well which was pretty cool.

Also, Girlfriend and I also had a fantastic sail this past Sunday. It was 65 degrees and sunny. Not a cloud in the sky! Wind was 5-15 setting out with gusts up 20 knots. 

Surprisingly, this was our first sail together just the two of us and what a pleasant sail it was! Girlfriend and I switched helm and trimming duties a few times and we beat a couple of other boats out on the Magothy.

As we were coming back in and the wind was a steady 17 knots and I saw another puff about 3 boat lengths ahead, I decided to furl the headsail. Reef early Reef often right? Well...once I saw that most everyone else still had their headsails up, I unfurled the jib and we still beat the other boat that was gaining on us. Surprisingly, we pointed quite a bit higher which was a nice change. I'm so used to being outpointed on Wednesday nights it was nice to be ahead and pointing better. I've been thinking about doing the Wednesday night races on the Magothy instead of in Round Bay; maybe I'll give it a bit more thought. Take Surprise out, put her through the paces, get a solid Wedneday Night Series crew and we might just FLY LIKE A G6!!!

Might I add that my docking skills were top notch, even in the 4-7 knots we had as we pulled up to our slip. Kinda bummed out the guy across the dock who was waiting for me to finish docking before he left. Looked like was waiting for me to screw up but maybe he was waiting to lend a hand... Either way I rocked it so no need.

Sadly no sailing this weekend as I'll be heading up to landlocked PA for a weekend retreat at a ski lodge with some college friends and I'm already in the mood if you can't tell.

Author's Note: A G6 is slang for a Gulfstream 650, a very expensive private jet. 

200

Hit my 200th day towards my Captain's license!

The wind was actually blowing last night which was a pleasant change from last week; prob b/c of the pre-race beer... We were much quicker putting up the spinnaker which is good b/c we'll need to be pretty quick with the chute for race week this weekend.

I'm looking forward to it and I'll try to post some pictures!

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Let's Get Out of Here

So one of the other great things about sailing last Wednesday (aside from just being out on the water!) was I was able to talk to Andrew, our bowman. Andrew is 28(?), finishing up a teaching stint at the Naval Academy (he’s a graduate) and is getting ready to go cruising with his wife.

We got to talking and it was pretty interesting how similar our future plans were. He was at the end of a 5 year plan with his wife and they are planning on setting off on a 28 ft Cape Dory come spring.

SIDENOTE: The Cape Dory is one of the boats that I have been looking at and Andrew said he’d basically redesigned the interior. Stock, the boat comes with the galley and engine all crammed and crowded around the gangway. Andrew has redesigned it so you aren’t stepping onto the food being prepared as you come into the cabin; which I thought was a smart decision. I am still considering the Cape Dory but that was definitely one of my concerns – the layout.

Anyhow…We talked a bit about boats (as you can tell) and plans. Mine  (and Girlfriend’s) current plan is to buy a boat, move onto it, SAVE, refit and outfit and then set off in about 2 ½ years.

Recently though I read the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss. I picked it up on a whim right before my flight to New Orleans this past weekend and read the whole thing before I got back. It certainly changed my perspective on what is possible and its definitely worth buying if you’re not completely satisfied with your job and the lifestyle it affords you. For a guy who can’t wait to get out on the water and go travel the world, this book was basically a manual of how to do it. It shows you how to get out of the 9-5 drudgery and travel the world, even if you don’t quit your job. Really interesting stuff. I give a very high personal recommendation. FYI, I bought the expanded version and it seems to have more tools and examples than the original.

This has gotten me thinking about maybe going sooner and different possible ways to finance such a trip. We’ll have to see though.

BTW, tonight will be my 200^th day on the water that can go towards my Captain’s license!

BTW 2: I’m starting my own website, www.peterfblack.com, but it doesn’t have anything up there yet so its not worth visiting now but I’m going to change that soon. 

Back on the Water; Back on Blog!

So I've been absent for a few weeks. I don't really have a reason except that there wasn't much to write about and I've been lazy.

However, last night I FINALLY got to out for a Wednesday night sail. It had been far too long.

To kick things off, we (the Captain and crew of Tango Too) weren't sure that there was even going to be a race. Lack of wind, not enough boats...etc. However enough boats eventually showed up that we were able to race. The wind was so slight tho, I was sure they would call it off before we started. Maybe I just went out expecting the race, for some reason, not to happen. Almost two months without racing will do that to you. [sigh].

Anyway, RC (race committee) made it a short, 4 mark course. We didn't start great which was a killer in this nothing air and we proceeded to drift for the next 45 mins.

We fiddled with the spinnaker; nothing.
We put down the spinnaker and took out the headsail; nothing.
Our knot meter kept a steady 0.00 - I know, awesome right?

Granted, the tide was coming in and we were making some headway; I could see it using the shore as a reference point; just not enough.

So we did what all racers (or at least the ones I sail with) do when the wind is dead and you're just drifting; we broke out the beer.

Suddenly, we get a little puff.
We drink some more.

More air...
We finish our beers.

We're moving at just shy of 3 knots past all the boats that left us behind at the start!

RC had decided to call the race at the first mark so we ended up finishing somewhere in the middle (we needed more beers on hand next time since the wind caught up to everyone else once we hit the middle) which was good for us. Still have to see how we do considering PHRF times tho...

It felt so good to finally be out on the water again; it still shocks me how much I miss it when I haven't been out in a while. Last night also makes my 199th day out on the water according to my logbook of seatime I've been keeping for my Captain's licence. I'm going to have to celebrate my 200th day with a sail and party soon.

Annapolis Race Week is coming up as well. Labor Day weekend can't come soon enough. We did OK last year but I'm hoping we can edge up a bit even though it feels like we haven't been out nearly as much (its probably about the same though minus a race to Oxford).

In other news, I'm flying back down to New Orleans and I'm looking forward to not to being in a sketchy hotel this time. Instead of ordering pizza delivery and hoping I don't get stabbed, this time I thought I might go out and try some local favorites.  I'm thinking House of Blues and visiting Cafe Du Monde.

Any suggestions?

RACE: Week 3

I don't know what it is, but I feel pretty good today; existentially speaking.

Personally, I think its because its been far too long since I've been sailing. Yesterday's race was only the second time this season. I've really been looking forward to, and planning on, going sailing a fair bit this summer but with moving down to DC, I'm not sure how often its going to happen. I just have to make more of an effort I suppose...

Anyhow, the race yesterday was great! Wind was all over the place with an average of 17-20 knots with the occasional gusts up to 35! It was roaring something fierce. We had a full crew on and a new guy (to the boat, not to sailing) from the Naval Academy who is pretty good at foredeck and was able to help me out. I'm not your worst choice at foredeck and I'm still learning. The new guy Drew is definitely going to be a good teacher. The good thing is that this year, I actually feel like I know what I'm doing when it comes to putting up and taking down the spinnaker...mostly. It was a long race but had some excitement with the wind being as brisk as she was. At one point, we were hard over with about 2 inches of the starboard gunwale in the water, trying to take down the spin and I lost my footing and had to quickly grab the mast with my right hand while keeping the spinnaker in the boat with my left while regaining my footing by standing on one of the starboard shrouds. I caught myself which at least kept me from falling into the jib, and seconds later, the water.

Nothing like a little action to liven up the work week!

I'm pretty sure we came in last, probably on corrected time as well but it was our first race of the season and I was just glad to be out there racing, having fun, and throwing back a few cold ones with some great guys. And since it was Cinco de Mayo yesterday and I really need a Mexican battle to justify drinking, I rounded out the evening with a few Dos Equis at my local cantina.

Wednesday Night Races Start Today!

So I'm pretty excited.

However, the way that Round Bay Sailing Association (RBSA) does it is that every boat captain that signs up has to be RC (race committee) at least one Wednesday and my captain, at least twice in a row now, has taken the first race of the season to be RC to get it out of the way. So no actual racing today (unless someone needs a foredeck guy this week). However, I do get to help out with RC, which I've never done and I think every racer should do to get a better understanding of rankings, PHRF, handicaps, how much crap RC gets...etc. Should be fun and I'm looking forward to it. Not necessarily the racing, but just being out on the water with some regularity again.

And I would like to hone by ability to toss up and douse a spinnaker. I learned the basics last year but I'm still working on the speed aspect.

So I get to do that this week but hopefully a race next week.

This is our boat, Tango Too, last year early on in the season. I'm the furthest forward.