At least it's not snowing

It is, on the other hand, completely freezing out. Still, I managed to get the winter cover off last weekend and greased the seacocks. I'd like to see some warm days for hull waxing and bottom painting. Is that too much to ask for?

Is it Spring yet?

We're now post-St. Patrick's Day and from my point of view, it's not supposed to be snowing.

Mid-March is usually a great time to head to the marina yard and remove LIQUIDITY's winter cover. All it takes is a mild, sunny and relatively windless day. Cut off the cover, climb aboard, have lunch (either in the cockpit or the cabin, depending on the weather) and go home. Other than cutting the cover off, it's not intended to be a working day.

Maybe this weekend.

What I learned in Japan

L and I are just back from a two week vacation in Japan and I've been thinking about what I may have learned there that will make me a better sailor. It's not that we sailed in Japan. Rather, we did the usual tourist thing, visiting historic sites, eating, more sites, more eating. So what did I learn?

Well, it seems the Japanese people are expert at doing more with less. They live in small homes, with little in the way of furnishings. They eat simply. Life for them just takes up less space. There's a lesson there. It's not in the specifics, it's in the philosophy.

Perhaps their lifestyle is lesson enough.

2013 Vacation Plan?

Cruising Boston Harbor, Cape Cod Bay, Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound makes me a slave to tides and currents. My typical vacation plan starts with picking the best week or two, then crafting a float plan that best fits. But with LIQUIDITY on the hard and a 2013 copy of Eldridge in hand, I'm thinking that's backwards.

While I'll always be subject to the short term weather window, I'm thinking I should START with the tide and current tables. Then, as least in theory, I'll leave Boston on an ebb tide, comfortably arrive at the Cape Cod canal when it's convenient to me, pass through Woods Hole on my schedule, etc., etc. I'll plan on laying out the perfect two week cruise.

Of course, in practice, wind and weather will change everything within a day or two. I'll go for it anyway.

That's it; LIQUIDITY is on the hard

I know; it happens every year. This year, due to storms that delayed the hauling of boats at Marina Bay, LIQUIDITY is out of the water a week later than usual, but today I got the call. LIQUIDITY is on the hard.

It's as good a time as any to reflect upon the sailing season. I haven't counted the sailing days and in any case I'm not trying to compare this year to any other. This is just an opportunity to look back. Here are the highlights:

This was the first season in a very long time that I sailed without Roxy. She went to sea when she was about six months old and was with me for 13 sailing seasons.

Gracie sailed with us for six seasons, learning to deal with heeling and bouncing and waves, not to mention navigating dock to deck and cockpit to cabin. She's missed as well.

Taking up the slack, Bear took naturally to sailing. He's not yet learned to tack and tends to stay to windward a bit too long (i.e., he slides off!) but he's as comfortable as he can be on the boat.

Enough about the critter-crew. The season found us off the dock often enough. Ports visited included Scituate, Provincetown, Onset, Red Brook, Cuttyhunk, Menemsha, Lake Tashmoo, some multiple times. We spent a sufficient number of weekends anchored at Peddocks Island, collecting buckets of sea glass.

It was a season of light winds, at least while we were out there. Mostly, it was dry, but not always. Visibility was good, at least while we were out there. I have no complaints.

Time to start counting down to Spring, 2013!

Hey, it's almost Thanksgiving!

Yes, we have Thanksgiving every year and it's always at the end of November. On the other hand, by now, I'm usually out of the water, gear is back in the basement and the boat's being put to bed for the winter.

This year though, Sandy happened, the election happened, a nor'easter happened. (This would be the first season in the 16 years I've owned LIQUIDITY that we've had snow while I'm still in the water.)

I'm looking forward to good boat weather this weekend.!

Clearwater never gets old

I'm back from my third volunteer week on the Hudson River Sloop "Clearwater" and by now I'm used to the routine. I was thinking that I could skip the Sunday training day, being an old hand, but didn't think that would be fair to the other volunteers. I'm glad I spent the day; where I didn't learn much new and barely needed the refresher, bonding with the other volunteers and sharing what I'd learned previously was of value to all of us.

No volunteer week is the same as any other. There's turnover in the crew, different kids (and sometimes adults) rolling through the education program, different weather. Still, the overall experience reflects the culture of Clearwater.

Was there a highlight of the week? I'd have to think about that for a while because nothing comes readily to mind. The real highlight is the week itself.

Does Clearwater make a difference? I know that it does. Over the summer, walking Bear in a local park a "30-something" noticed my Clearwater volunteer shirt. He asked if I had been on Clearwater and shared that growing up in New York City, his elementary school visited the sloop for a three hour sail. I asked what he remembered about the program. He told me that he didn't remember the details but that the message was that it's important to keep the river clean. That's all the detail he and the river need.