Overnighter with Aelena

I promised myself when the season started that I'd spend a night on the boat at Star Island this year. I've been on vacation for the past two weeks and it was beginning to look like I might not during my time-off. But as luck (and God) would have it, I got my chance and I had such a good time that I wanted to write about it here.

I sailed out at 9:15 yesterday (Thursday) morning with the wind directly behind me. I went wing-and-wing all the way out and the only gas I used was getting her off the trailer and picking up the mooring. I hadn't moored in Gosport before (I hadn't moored anywhere before) and the 'Dockies' at Star told me which mooring was never used. I moored and buttoned up the boat and then hitched a ride into the dock with one of the aforementioned Dockies. There was another rider on the tender and he had a 17' sailboat anchored in the harbor. He and I chatted about our boats as we motored in and I was glad to talk with another small boat ocean sailor.

As I've probably mentioned in these posts before, I volunteer on the island one or two times every year working as a carpenter, software engineer or general laborer. That's how I spend the majority of my time there so this trip was a real luxury without having to work. I didn't do much at all except walk around talking with people I know and meeting some of the current conferees. I finished one novel and started reading another. It was extremely relaxing and the day passed quickly.

At about 8:45 the sun was down and I decided to head out to Aelena before the night got pitch black. I rowed out in one of the SI dinghies and was happy to get a view from my cockpit of the old hotel all lit up with the moon rising behind her. I couldn't stay there long, though, because the mosquitoes were brutal! I put on long pants and unrolled my sleeping bag down in the cuddy cabin. That didn't do much to stop the flying leaches, though, so I closed the companionway and was in for the night.

The boat is small but I'm not that big myself, so I was fairly comfortable with enough room on either side of me to stretch out a little. (It would be tight with two in there.) I brought a flashlight and read for 30 minutes or so before turning in. Thankfully the wind and chop had settled down and the boat rocked easily with the small waves in the harbor. I was asleep in short order, but the motion of the boat was unfamiliar to me as I slept and I woke a number of times.

At about 1:30 I had to relieve myself so I used the bucket that I keep on-board in case I ever have to bail water out of the bilge. When I finished, I opened the companionway and stepped out into the cockpit to wash out the bucket in the sea. When I dumped the contents overboard, I was startled by what looked like a thousand fireflies in the water. They disappeared quickly and when I bent to rinse out the bucket, there they were again. Mesmerized, I kept swirling the water to see the light show. It's hard to describe what a sight these phosphorescent plankton were in the deep black sea. Just amazing and awe inspiring.

I slept in fits until 5 AM when I rowed the tender back to the dock and eventually had coffee and breakfast. I was (and am) proud to have a boat that carries me to a place like Star Island and is (just) commodious enough for spending a night or two on-board. When I talked to people of the hotel porch (everybody on Star Island talks with everybody else - it's very sociable) over coffee, I would always point out my little Newport 17 in the harbor and tell them that's where I was staying.

I had a great day just relaxing with people I knew and people I'd met. Around noon I figured I should get going so I grabbed my bag and hitched a ride out to Aelena. There were more boats in the harbor now, one of which was a 40-footer about 100 yards off my stern. I'd never left a mooring before and I considered motoring away just to be safe, but I really wanted to leave under sail. So I stowed my gear, raised the mainsail, slipped the pendant and started gliding toward my neighbor. In a heartbeat I unfurled the jib, changed tacks and cruised past him with plenty of room to spare. The owner was sitting on his bow watching and he gave me a wave and said 'Good job!' as I sailed past. And it felt like it was.

So I've spent 12 of the past 24 hours on the sea and I can't stop the rocking sensation. I'm home and glad to be here but I always miss Star Island when I leave and especially this time.

Thank You Mr. Vice President

I am honored and humbled to think that Al Gore reads my blog and actually took the time to submit his own comment. Thank you Mr. Gore - I appreciate your observations and I'm taking this opportunity to post a response.

Like you, I look forward to the day when the world can rely on clean energy and ways of consuming it. Necessity will compel us to break our dependencies on fossil fuels, if for no other reason than the fact that those fuels will run out.

But we can all take steps today that will help minimize our energy consumption. And while many of us would happily buy new hybrid cars if we had unlimited funds, the steps I mentioned in my previous post can be used right now to cut down on our use of gasoline. It's the old adage 'think globally, act locally' put into practice.

So I urge you, Mr. Gore, and everyone who reads this, to leave a little earlier and slow down on the highway. Let's put our nation and our environment ahead of our own interests while we start to break the stranglehold that foreign oil has on us.

Better Gas Mileage

I am writing this post thinking that there is probably no one left reading it. After not writing for almost a full year, I don't blame whatever readers I might have had for abandoning me. But I'm here and posting this because I think it's an important topic.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I've never been meek behind the wheel. As far back as I can remember I've had a taste for speed and what some might term 'progressive' driving. Then, after living for ten years in Boston, I turned downright aggressive. Some of that was self-preservation in that city of moronic drivers, but it all came too naturally and I never really fell out of those bad habits.

Now the world has changed and I've recently started trying to get better gas mileage when I drive. The high price at the pump has provided some of the inspiration to do so, but so has the fact that the people who benefit most from those high prices are the same extremists that target our country and its citizens in their unholy terrorist campaigns. It seems irresponsible and even unpatriotic to drive at top speeds wasting gas and funding jihadists.

Now, instead of jumping on the gas pedal from a traffic stop I ease up to speed slowly, never revving the engine beyond 2000 RPM. And no more 85MPH on the highway - instead I do 60. And yes, it takes a little longer to get to my destination but I don't mind spending ten more minutes in the car on an hour's drive if I'm saving gas.

Most people aren't thrilled to get behind me on the highway and they usually pass at the earliest possible chance. But I've noticed fairly frequently that one or two cars will fall in line with me and stay behind me going 60. I view these drivers as like-minded individuals who realize there is a cause greater than their own self-interest. And when I come upon someone who is going slower than I am, I get in-line behind them. Then I'm no longer the slow-poke and I get to save more gas.

Another technique I'm using is coasting. If I have enough momentum to coast to a stop sign or down a hill when driving in-town, I'll throw it into neutral and let Isaac Newton's laws of physics propel me forward. The engine goes to idle speed and I use almost no gas during that time. Then, when it's time to accelerate, I just throw it into gear and go on. This works with automatic and manual transmissions.

In the month that I've been doing this I have dramatically increased the mileage I get from our cars. Lori's Nissan Murano went from getting 21.1 MPG combined city and highway to getting 26.5. My E320 was getting 26 MPG and not gets over 30. I haven't driven the Tacoma through a full tank of gas yet, but I was getting 21 MPG with that. I'll update this post when I have those numbers.

An added benefit to driving quietly is that I'm no longer as keyed-up behind the wheel. In the old days if someone challenged me on the road, I was inclined to show him who was boss. Now I just shake my head and think how much gas they could be saving. Sure, once-in-a-while, I'll rev it up for one reason or another, but so far, I'm pretty happy (self-satisfied?) with my ability to save money and lower my gasoline consumption.

Launching Aelena - a Whale of a Time

I took yesterday, Friday, May 25th, off for the 2007 seasonal launch of Aelena. The weather was great - sunny, steady breeze and warm temps. It was a good day to be at the marina because the holiday weekend hadn't yet begun and there was almost no one there.

My friend Seth and I had rigged her up a couple of nights prior so she was sitting pretty on the trailer at the marina when I got there around 10. All I had to do was back her down the ramp and set her afloat. I was sailing solo, which is the usual case, so here's the order of operation:

1. After hooking the trailer to the truck I towed her over to and backed her down the ramp.
2. Got out of the truck, pushed her off the trailer so she was floating.
3. Scurried aboard and started the motor.
4. Scurried off and unhooked her from the trailer.
5. Scurried back on board, motored over to the dock and tied her off.
6. Went back and pulled the truck and trailer up off the ramp and parked them in the spot reserved for the boat.
7. I got back to the dock, hoisted the main and sailed quietly out of the harbor. It was an uneventful launch, which is exactly what I prefer.
   

The wind was out of the SSW and about 10 knots which carried the boat nicely. It was good and steady until I got about two miles out when it died completely. I tried various tacks but couldn't catch the slightest breeze. I had no inclination to motor anywhere and I was content to put my feet up and just relax.

I was on the verge of dozing when I heard an odd noise somewhere behind me. It sounded as though something big fell into the water. I looked and saw a fishing boat about a half mile aft and thought they must have dropped a lobster pot. Sound plays tricks on the water and I went back to my quiet reverie.

A few minutes later, I heard it again, and this time it was louder. It looked like something was breaking the surface of the water about 100 yards away. It was hard to tell what it was, or if it was anything at all. Again, I went back to enjoying the perfect calm and quiet.

The next time it happened, it was 30 yards directly off my port beam- right where I happened to be looking. And right there, before my eyes a whale breached! WOW! I was knocked out!

A second later another breached directly aft of the boat. I scrambled for my camera and tried to get a picture, but they were soon out of range. I felt truly lucky to have had the experience but I wished I'd gotten a shot of one or both of them.

Twenty minutes later, after drifting along and catching what little breeze might materialize, I heard the sound that I now recognized as a whale exhaling through her blow-hole. Again, she was about 100 yards aft of the boat and heading toward me. She surfaced every 30 yards or so and kept a safe distance. And that's how the rest of the day went. I'd drift along or sail when there was wind and one or two whales would pop up around Aelena and me every fifteen or twenty minutes. As soon as I'd hear them, I'd grab the camera and try to anticipate where one would show up next.

Between the shutter lag on my older digital and trying to guess where they were coming up, it was pretty tough to get any pictures, but thankfully I had some luck. I got three or four shots of them above the water that I've posted the pictures on http://pescatello.org .

It was certainly a rewarding start to the '07 sailing season!

My New Community Guitar Site

I've always thougth that finding good guitar material on the Net was hit-or-miss at best. There's a lot of good stuff out there, but it's tough to find the best material. So I brought up a site dedicated to the guitar player. It's at http://FourthFret.com. You can upload videos and audio clips, meet other players, chat and blog - and it's all about guitar.

Check it out!

Affect vs Effect

I'm just putting this here so I can always get to it.

AFFECT/EFFECT
Affect: usually a verb meaning to influence
Effect: usually a noun meaning result or aid
Correct: If you’re a fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you probably loved the special effects.
Usage tip.... Something must affect something to have an effect on it.

My New Site

I think that poking around through the things that a person has collected throughout their life is a better way to find ideas for gifts - either for someone else or for yourself - than going to some 'big box' store and picking boxes off a shelf. It's that idea that inspired me to create a new web site: UncleBobsAttic.com. On it, I've assembled links to different items that I've used or had experience with in my life. Everything from guitars to novels to woodworking tools to watches are there. (A total of 225 links as of this writing, and still growing.) You can buy the items by following the links or just look around the site and read the stories of Uncle Bob.

And one great benefit of UncleBobsAttic.com. is that it brings together items from a variety of different web sites. Musical accessories from one site, home and hearth goods from another, books and music from a third, watches and accessories from a fourth.

So that's my plug. Let me know if you visit there and what you think.