Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay

That was what they did in the beginning, but it does produce one heck of an advantage to the Defender!! That was one way that the NYYC was so successful in the early races (late 1800's early 1900's) since they only had to sail out of NY Harbor to the races, the Challenger had to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and thus had to be built more ruggedly. Most boats did in fact carry pretty complete cruising accommodations. Picture a CAL 40 racing against a WESTSAIL 42....... or an Island Packet. I do think though that the racers need to be built for coastal/near-offshore racing instead of the lake or sheltered waters designs that have been used lately! When they cancel the races due to typical Buzzards Bay / San Francisco Bay / San Diego Bay, etc. conditions being to rough for the racers.... well, it seems that the racers are underbuilt. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:14:48 -0800 (PST) Helen Horn <he… [at] sbcglobal.net> writes: I feel that race boats should be sailed to event !! And Must have "Living Space" So later in boats' life Some Cruiser can Fly around in OLD design Race boat then all the$$$ spent or boat is worth it! Edward & Helen Cal 29 & Cal 36 Weight Loss Program Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=_o0YDa7jshXEQxFqPSZv7QAAJ1CIixW8vmHn6WPZlsvVErEuAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEUgAAAAA=

Nice sentiment but unrealistic. Look at the BOR racers I have no problem sleeping on a sail bag and I have done so. I have also slept in my weathers with my arms and legs pointing down because the 8 meter leaked so badly it was as wet below as on deck.. None the less we won our class in the Ensenada Race, More than once too. If you have never been ther you will never know. My Best, Mike Farrell Golden Gate YC member# 1293 From: Rodney G. Johnson <rj… [at] juno.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 12:29:31 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay  That was what they did in the beginning, but it does produce one heck of an advantage to the Defender!! That was one way that the NYYC was so successful in the early races (late 1800's early 1900's) since they only had to sail out of NY Harbor to the races, the Challenger had to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and thus had to be built more ruggedly. Most boats did in fact carry pretty complete cruising accommodations. Picture a CAL 40 racing against a WESTSAIL 42....... or an Island Packet. I do think though that the racers need to be built for coastal/near-offshore racing instead of the lake or sheltered waters designs that have been used lately! When they cancel the races due to typical Buzzards Bay / San Francisco Bay / San Diego Bay, etc. conditions being to rough for the racers.... well, it seems that the racers are underbuilt. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:14:48 -0800 (PST) Helen Horn <he… [at] sbcglobal.net> writes: >I feel that race boats should be sailed to event !! >And Must have "Living Space" So later in boats' >life Some Cruiser can Fly around in OLD design >Race boat then all the$$$ spent or boat is worth it! >Edward & Helen Cal 29 & Cal 36 > > Weight Loss Program Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here!

Mike, Very cool, you will have the Auld Mug on display at your Yacht Club? too much! Jerry --- On Mon, 2/15/10, mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> wrote: From: mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, February 15, 2010, 6:58 PM Nice sentiment but unrealistic. Look at the BOR racers I have no problem sleeping on a sail bag and I have done so. I have also slept in my weathers with my arms and legs pointing down because the 8 meter leaked so badly it was as wet below as on deck.. None the less we won our class in the Ensenada Race, More than once too. If you have never been ther you will never know. My Best, Mike Farrell Golden Gate YC member# 1293 From: Rodney G. Johnson <rjohnson24@juno. com> To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 12:29:31 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay  That was what they did in the beginning, but it does produce one heck of an advantage to the Defender!! That was one way that the NYYC was so successful in the early races (late 1800's early 1900's) since they only had to sail out of NY Harbor to the races, the Challenger had to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and thus had to be built more ruggedly. Most boats did in fact carry pretty complete cruising accommodations. Picture a CAL 40 racing against a WESTSAIL 42....... or an Island Packet. I do think though that the racers need to be built for coastal/near- offshore racing instead of the lake or sheltered waters designs that have been used lately! When they cancel the races due to typical Buzzards Bay / San Francisco Bay / San Diego Bay, etc. conditions being to rough for the racers.... well, it seems that the racers are underbuilt. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:14:48 -0800 (PST) Helen Horn <helenhorn@sbcglobal .net> writes: I feel that race boats should be sailed to event !! And Must have "Living Space" So later in boats' life Some Cruiser can Fly around in OLD design Race boat then all the$$$ spent or boat is worth it! Edward & Helen Cal 29 & Cal 36 ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___ Weight Loss Program Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here!

None of the modern (aka, used in AC racing) 12 Meters had any cruising accommodations while being raced. However, many have since been converted to cruisers by adding interiors, although that has been mostly the older, wooden boats, only one aluminum 12 has had cruising accommodations added that I know of and that was MARINER a failed design from the 1974 races (she had a radical underbody that worked great in the test tank using a small model, but proved uncompetitive in full size). She was wrecked a few years ago on a Florida beach after being blown ashore in a storm. Sailing the challenger to the race site is not going to happen, too risky to an expensive design, and as I said before...... a boat designed and built to cross oceans would not be competitive in a "round the buoys" race against a boat designed and built strictly for the conditions on the race course (and able to stay in port if the weather was rough). Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:58:22 -0800 (PST) mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> writes: Nice sentiment but unrealistic. Look at the BOR racers I have no problem sleeping on a sail bag and I have done so. I have also slept in my weathers with my arms and legs pointing down because the 8 meter leaked so badly it was as wet below as on deck.. None the less we won our class in the Ensenada Race, More than once too. If you have never been ther you will never know. My Best, Mike Farrell Golden Gate YC member# 1293 From: Rodney G. Johnson <rj… [at] juno.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 12:29:31 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay ? That was what they did in the beginning, but it does produce one heck of an advantage to the Defender!! That was one way that the NYYC was so successful in the early races (late 1800's early 1900's) since they only had to sail out of NY Harbor to the races, the Challenger had to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and thus had to be built more ruggedly. Most boats did in fact carry pretty complete cruising accommodations. Picture a CAL 40 racing against a WESTSAIL 42....... or an Island Packet. I do think though that the racers need to be built for coastal/near-offshore racing instead of the lake or sheltered waters designs that have been used lately! When they cancel the races due to typical Buzzards Bay / San Francisco Bay / San Diego Bay, etc. conditions being to rough for the racers.... well, it seems that the racers are underbuilt. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:14:48 -0800 (PST) Helen Horn <he… [at] sbcglobal.net> writes: I feel that race boats should be sailed to event !! And Must have "Living Space" So later in boats' life Some Cruiser can Fly around in OLD design Race boat then all the$$$ spent or boat is worth it! Edward & Helen Cal 29 & Cal 36 Weight Loss Program Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! Banking Click here to find the perfect banking opportunity! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=rdAGdHbaoKii9z9shNxxLwAAJ1CIixW8vmHn6WPZlsvVErEuAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXeAAAAAA=

Frankly, I don't see the point or need for cruising accommodations in a boat designed for buoy racing, which is what these boats, Cup boats, were built for. When I first sailed on ocean going mono-hulls (26' to 40' yachts), I couldn't get over the fact that, once we left the dock, the only reason anyone went below was to use the head. More often then not folks would get nauseous from motion sickness within minutes of going below, so, the entire group was always sitting in the cockpit or on deck. So what was the point of the expense of owning such a big boat? Only a small fraction of cruise capable sailboats ever go cruising, and I mean, a VERY small one. Lucky is the boat, here in Marina del Rey, that gets to leave the dock more than a few times a year. The majority of boats on my dock have NEVER left the dock, for years and years. Besides the enthusiasm my ancient mentors at the Marina Single Sailors at Marina del Rey had for Cals, what drew me toward them was the exceptional size of the bunks, which are just as big on my tiny Cal 24 as on larger Cals, which are almost all far bigger than on any other make of sailboat. ...because Bill Lapworth was 6'5" Did I just contradict myself? When I bought my boat I had dreams of weekly cruises to the island. I bet only a microscopic number of sailboats in Marina del Rey have been there, and far less on an annual basis...which is fine, less crowding! Just my three cents (that's inflation). Jerry --- On Mon, 2/15/10, Rodney G. Johnson <rj… [at] juno.com> wrote: From: Rodney G. Johnson <rj… [at] juno.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, February 15, 2010, 9:36 PM  None of the modern (aka, used in AC racing) 12 Meters had any cruising accommodations while being raced. However, many have since been converted to cruisers by adding interiors, although that has been mostly the older, wooden boats, only one aluminum 12 has had cruising accommodations added that I know of and that was MARINER a failed design from the 1974 races (she had a radical underbody that worked great in the test tank using a small model, but proved uncompetitive in full size). She was wrecked a few years ago on a Florida beach after being blown ashore in a storm. Sailing the challenger to the race site is not going to happen, too risky to an expensive design, and as I said before...... a boat designed and built to cross oceans would not be competitive in a "round the buoys" race against a boat designed and built strictly for the conditions on the race course (and able to stay in port if the weather was rough). Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:58:22 -0800 (PST) mike farrell <vectormenow@ yahoo.com> writes: Nice sentiment but unrealistic. Look at the BOR racers I have no problem sleeping on a sail bag and I have done so. I have also slept in my weathers with my arms and legs pointing down because the 8 meter leaked so badly it was as wet below as on deck.. None the less we won our class in the Ensenada Race, More than once too. If you have never been ther you will never know. My Best, Mike Farrell Golden Gate YC member# 1293 From: Rodney G. Johnson <rjohnson24@juno. com> To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 12:29:31 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay  That was what they did in the beginning, but it does produce one heck of an advantage to the Defender!! That was one way that the NYYC was so successful in the early races (late 1800's early 1900's) since they only had to sail out of NY Harbor to the races, the Challenger had to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and thus had to be built more ruggedly. Most boats did in fact carry pretty complete cruising accommodations. Picture a CAL 40 racing against a WESTSAIL 42....... or an Island Packet. I do think though that the racers need to be built for coastal/near- offshore racing instead of the lake or sheltered waters designs that have been used lately! When they cancel the races due to typical Buzzards Bay / San Francisco Bay / San Diego Bay, etc. conditions being to rough for the racers.... well, it seems that the racers are underbuilt. Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:14:48 -0800 (PST) Helen Horn <helenhorn@sbcglobal .net> writes: I feel that race boats should be sailed to event !! And Must have "Living Space" So later in boats' life Some Cruiser can Fly around in OLD design Race boat then all the$$$ spent or boat is worth it! Edward & Helen Cal 29 & Cal 36 ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___ Weight Loss Program Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___ Banking Click here to find the perfect banking opportunity!

The city administration of San Francisco did not treat Larry Ellison very well, so there was some doubt as to the display of the cup. Perhaps that is now in the past. The Saint Francis YC was approached by Larry and he was told that The Club will administer the challenge and as that was not his choice. He and GGYC formed a happy confederation with Commodore Marcus Allen. Go to the GGYC web site and see the legal activity that has taken place in the last two years. It speaks to the character of both teams! I bet the StFYC wishes they could have better choices now that the cup is in rival hands. Jerry, You and all other Cal group members are invited to see the cup and have your pix taken along side it. This is America's cup won by some courageous guys from NY in 1851. The Auld Mug was won by leading edge technology by guys who dared. Be my guest, GGYC extends guest priveliges to nearly all other clubs world wide and if any sailor and or Cal group member is not a YC member, be my personal guest. I believe that GGYC, Team BMW Oracle will behave as gentlemen sportsmen should and the legal acrimony is a thing of the past. As soon as a sked for cup viewing I will let the group know! MY BEST, Mike Farrell Cal 20 Rambler 1114 & Cal20 Coyote 61 From: Gerald Sobel <so… [at] yahoo.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 7:19:34 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay Mike, Very cool, you will have the Auld Mug on display at your Yacht Club? too much! Jerry --- On Mon, 2/15/10, mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> wrote: >From: mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> >Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay >To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com >Date: Monday, February 15, 2010, 6:58 PM > > > > Nice sentiment but unrealistic. Look at the BOR racers I have no problem sleeping on a sail bag and I have done so. I have also slept in my weathers with my arms and legs pointing down because the 8 meter leaked so badly it was as wet below as on deck.. None the less we won our class in the Ensenada Race, More than once too. If you have never been ther you will never know. > My Best, Mike Farrell Golden Gate YC member# 1293 > > > From: Rodney G. Johnson <rjohnson24@juno. com> >To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com >Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 12:29:31 PM >Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay > > > > >That was what they did in the beginning, but it does produce one heck of an advantage to the Defender!! >That was one way that the NYYC was so successful in the early races (late 1800's early 1900's) since they only had to sail out of NY Harbor to the races, the Challenger had to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and thus had to be built more ruggedly. Most boats did in fact carry pretty complete cruising accommodations. Picture a CAL 40 racing against a WESTSAIL 42....... or an Island Packet. I do think though that the racers need to be built for coastal/near- offshore racing instead of the lake or sheltered waters designs that have been used lately! When they cancel the races due to typical Buzzards Bay / San Francisco Bay / San Diego Bay, etc. conditions being to rough for the racers.... well, it seems that the racers are underbuilt. > > Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" > >On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:14:48 -0800 (PST) Helen Horn <helenhorn@sbcglobal .net> writes: > >>I feel that race boats should be sailed to event !! >>And Must have "Living Space" So later in boats' >>life Some Cruiser can Fly around in OLD design >>Race boat then all the$$$ spent or boat is worth it! >>Edward & Helen Cal 29 & Cal 36 >> >> > > > >____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___ >Weight Loss Program >Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! >

Awesome offer! I will follow your updates. I saw the cup when it was in San Diego -- my membership in Seabrook Sailing Club got me admitted -- but I did not have a camera. We stood in front of the display case for 10 or 15 minutes (my wife and I): reluctant to leave. Donald Dutton, 1986 Cal 33-2, "Quantum Evolution" "Twenty Years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ........Mark Twain From: mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Tue, February 16, 2010 3:56:02 AM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay The city administration of San Francisco did not treat Larry Ellison very well, so there was some doubt as to the display of the cup. Perhaps that is now in the past. The Saint Francis YC was approached by Larry and he was told that The Club will administer the challenge and as that was not his choice. He and GGYC formed a happy confederation with Commodore Marcus Allen. Go to the GGYC web site and see the legal activity that has taken place in the last two years. It speaks to the character of both teams! I bet the StFYC wishes they could have better choices now that the cup is in rival hands. Jerry, You and all other Cal group members are invited to see the cup and have your pix taken along side it. This is America's cup won by some courageous guys from NY in 1851. The Auld Mug was won by leading edge technology by guys who dared. Be my guest, GGYC extends guest priveliges to nearly all other clubs world wide and if any sailor and or Cal group member is not a YC member, be my personal guest. I believe that GGYC, Team BMW Oracle will behave as gentlemen sportsmen should and the legal acrimony is a thing of the past. As soon as a sked for cup viewing I will let the group know! MY BEST, Mike Farrell Cal 20 Rambler 1114 & Cal20 Coyote 61 From: Gerald Sobel <sobel_solar@ yahoo.com> To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 7:19:34 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay Mike, Very cool, you will have the Auld Mug on display at your Yacht Club? too much! Jerry --- On Mon, 2/15/10, mike farrell <vectormenow@ yahoo.com> wrote: >From: mike farrell <vectormenow@ yahoo.com> >Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay >To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com >Date: Monday, February 15, 2010, 6:58 PM > > > > Nice sentiment but unrealistic. Look at the BOR racers I have no problem sleeping on a sail bag and I have done so. I have also slept in my weathers with my arms and legs pointing down because the 8 meter leaked so badly it was as wet below as on deck.. None the less we won our class in the Ensenada Race, More than once too. If you have never been ther you will never know. > My Best, Mike Farrell Golden Gate YC member# 1293 > > > From: Rodney G. Johnson <rjohnson24@juno. com> >To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com >Sent: Mon, February 15, 2010 12:29:31 PM >Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] A CUP in Sf bay > > > > >That was what they did in the beginning, but it does produce one heck of an advantage to the Defender!! >That was one way that the NYYC was so successful in the early races (late 1800's early 1900's) since they only had to sail out of NY Harbor to the races, the Challenger had to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and thus had to be built more ruggedly. Most boats did in fact carry pretty complete cruising accommodations. Picture a CAL 40 racing against a WESTSAIL 42....... or an Island Packet. I do think though that the racers need to be built for coastal/near- offshore racing instead of the lake or sheltered waters designs that have been used lately! When they cancel the races due to typical Buzzards Bay / San Francisco Bay / San Diego Bay, etc. conditions being to rough for the racers.... well, it seems that the racers are underbuilt. > > Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" > >On Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:14:48 -0800 (PST) Helen Horn <helenhorn@sbcglobal .net> writes: > >>I feel that race boats should be sailed to event !! >>And Must have "Living Space" So later in boats' >>life Some Cruiser can Fly around in OLD design >>Race boat then all the$$$ spent or boat is worth it! >>Edward & Helen Cal 29 & Cal 36 >> >> > > > >____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___ >Weight Loss Program >Best Weight Loss Program - Click Here! >

Gerald Sobel wrote: > > > > Only a small fraction of cruise capable sailboats ever go cruising, > and I mean, a VERY small one. Lucky is the boat, here in Marina del > Rey, that gets to leave the dock more than a few times a year. The > majority of boats on my dock have NEVER left the dock, for years and > years. > Maybe this reflects the fact that your boats can stay in the water year-round. Here in the freshwater seas, we only get half a year's time to go sailing, so it's more precious to us. People who don't go sailing get tired of the launch/haul/launch/haul cycle (and of paying for it) if they don't actually use their boats. Those who do use them tend to use them often to make the price worthwhile. There's probably some classical economic law that describes this phenomenon, but of course we midwesterners generally roll our eyes at laid-back California behavior anyway. Chris Campbell >

On Feb 17, 2010, at 7:23 AM, Chris Campbell wrote: > Gerald Sobel wrote: > >> >> Only a small fraction of cruise capable sailboats ever go cruising, >> and I mean, a VERY small one. Lucky is the boat, here in Marina del >> Rey, that gets to leave the dock more than a few times a year. The >> majority of boats on my dock have NEVER left the dock, for years >> and years. > > Maybe this reflects the fact that your boats can stay in the water > year-round. Here in the freshwater seas, we only get half a year's > time to go sailing, so it's more precious to us. People who don't > go sailing get tired of the launch/haul/launch/haul cycle (and of > paying for it) if they don't actually use their boats. Those who do > use them tend to use them often to make the price worthwhile. > There's probably some classical economic law that describes this > phenomenon, but of course we midwesterners generally roll our eyes > at laid-back California behavior anyway. That's a Marina Del Rey thing, Chris. When we see a boat going out with the fenders still hanging down the sides, we refer to that as a "Marina Del Rey burgee." On my dock in the summer, more than half the boats around us are gone every weekend. That's because they have a place to go at Catalina, though. Unless someone races, most people tire of day sailing. I'm sure you are right about the short season. Mike Kennedy Conquest Cal 40 # 96 > > Chris Campbell >> > > >

Michael Kennedy wrote: > > >> > > That's a Marina Del Rey thing, Chris. When we see a boat going out > with the fenders still hanging down the sides, we refer to that as a > "Marina Del Rey burgee." My father would sooner walk down the street naked than sail with fenders over, and I have acquired the same aversion. Here, it's usually related to duration of sailing experience and not a geographical thing. > On my dock in the summer, more than half the > boats around us are gone every weekend. That's because they have a > place to go at Catalina, though. Unless someone races, most people > tire of day sailing. I'm sure you are right about the short season. > It does help to have a good destination. But it also helps for sailing to be easy. Here, I can be at my boat via the bicycle in 5-10 minutes from my house, and sailing off the mooring takes as long as it takes to hank on a jib and uncover the mainsail. For a guy with an indoor desk job with lots of pressures, getting out on the boat just to sail is enduringly attractive. On light-air afternoons, the 1970s Ray Jefferson RDF and the equally antique RCA car stereo speaker in the cockpit give me classical music to sail by. In "schooner weather," when the only other boats out are the local schooners, I can get wet and have fun making the boat go efficiently in wind & waves until I'm too wet and too cold. My other boat berths at a marina which has lately pushed the "boating lifestyle." That is mostly a powerboat concept and it involves sitting in the marina all weekend, eating and drinking. It would be cheaper and easier to do that in the backyard. It may explain the turnover in powerboat ownership. The reason to have a sailboat is to sail it, or so it seems to me. The biggest boat in that harbor, a 60-something older custom racer, lies at the outer end of the floating docks my boat's on. The owner is egotistical and obnoxious and wanted to have the fastest boat in town, but one thing I've noticed is that he goes out sailing all the time. That compensates for a lot of character flaws. Chris Campbell >

You can often tell the obnoxious ones by the boat name. I did like one though. It was an old mahogany speedboat about 40 feet long and was named "Thunderballs." I Have a Lido 14 at a lake 10 minutes from my home and I think my sailing is getting to be more at that level than the Cal 40. Mike Kennedy Conquest Cal 40 # 96 On Feb 17, 2010, at 10:48 AM, Chris Campbell wrote: > Michael Kennedy wrote: > >> >>> >> That's a Marina Del Rey thing, Chris. When we see a boat going out >> with the fenders still hanging down the sides, we refer to that as a >> "Marina Del Rey burgee." > > My father would sooner walk down the street naked than sail with > fenders over, and I have acquired the same aversion. Here, it's > usually related to duration of sailing experience and not a > geographical thing. >> On my dock in the summer, more than half the >> boats around us are gone every weekend. That's because they have a >> place to go at Catalina, though. Unless someone races, most people >> tire of day sailing. I'm sure you are right about the short season. >> > It does help to have a good destination. But it also helps for > sailing to be easy. Here, I can be at my boat via the bicycle in > 5-10 minutes from my house, and sailing off the mooring takes as > long as it takes to hank on a jib and uncover the mainsail. For a > guy with an indoor desk job with lots of pressures, getting out on > the boat just to sail is enduringly attractive. On light-air > afternoons, the 1970s Ray Jefferson RDF and the equally antique RCA > car stereo speaker in the cockpit give me classical music to sail > by. In "schooner weather," when the only other boats out are the > local schooners, I can get wet and have fun making the boat go > efficiently in wind & waves until I'm too wet and too cold. > > My other boat berths at a marina which has lately pushed the > "boating lifestyle." That is mostly a powerboat concept and it > involves sitting in the marina all weekend, eating and drinking. It > would be cheaper and easier to do that in the backyard. It may > explain the turnover in powerboat ownership. The reason to have a > sailboat is to sail it, or so it seems to me. The biggest boat in > that harbor, a 60-something older custom racer, lies at the outer > end of the floating docks my boat's on. The owner is egotistical > and obnoxious and wanted to have the fastest boat in town, but one > thing I've noticed is that he goes out sailing all the time. That > compensates for a lot of character flaws. > > Chris Campbell >> > > >

Michael Kennedy wrote: > You can often tell the obnoxious ones by the boat name. There's a travel trailer model called the "Intruder." I've seen it multiple times and each time it prompts contemplation about what the marketing department must have been thinking when they chose that name. Most of the powerboats with the dual V-8s and unmuffled exhausts--the faux Cigarette-style racing boats--have notably aggressive names. I always think about what they must be compensating for by choosing such names and inflicting the roar upon everybody else within a several-mile radius. > I did like one > though. It was an old mahogany speedboat about 40 feet long and was > named "Thunderballs." > Old and mahogany earns tolerance that new and indebted doesn't get. Chris Campbell >

--- On Wed, 2/17/10, Chris Campbell <cl… [at] charterinternet.com> wrote: Michael Kennedy wrote: > You can often tell the obnoxious ones by the boat name. There's a travel trailer model called the "Intruder." I've seen it multiple times and each time it prompts contemplation about what the marketing department must have been thinking when they chose that name. Michael, as long as we are on the subject of F-22's, Intruder brings to mind the good-old A-6 Intruder, the very hi-tech computer and inertial navigated night bomber made better known in the book, and later the movie (not a half bad rendition of the novel) "Flight of the Intruder". I highly recommend it. It was a bit reminiscent of the earlier movie, "Bridges of Toko-Ri" of 1954. I had figured on re-inacting the movie myself circa 1972 but as fate would have it, I didn't quite do it, choosing, instead, to impale a mountainside with the pointy end of a hang glider and my head. Ouch! Oh well. You can see why a brown shoe type like me would appreciate a balls to the wall boats in the America's Cup like we just had. I wouldn't mind if they did something like that again, and they will, but the boats will be more evenly matched. Kool! Then you won't complain so much about the race being as boe-ring to watch Jerry PS, as far as noisy stink potters go my favorite peeve is being out in the middle of the San Pedro Channel, half way to Catalina, hearing a cigarette boat roaring in your ear like a Bengal Tiger that had its tail stepped on, yet so far away that you can't even see where it is, since sound can carry that far on the sea, sometimes. Shheeeeshhh! Stuff his tail pipes with a ten pound bag of potatoes!