25 April 2012

Delivery Weekend Info!!

Hi Gang!!

Just a quick note for this weekend (Saturday, April 28.) (and more, as it turns out…)

Nearly all of the prep work is done, Don just needs 2 or maybe 3 people to come up for a few hours on Saturday to be paint mixers and maybe wash and wax (and if time permits) help rig the mast. We got a ton of work done this past weekend, so we're almost ready to go into the water! (Somehow Ryan managed to avoid his yearly task of sanding the boat bottom with Don… The Skipper may have something special planned for him now…)

Please let me know if you are interested in being his slave for a few hours that day… I mean helper… helper… please contact me and I will put you down. There is always more boat work to be done… ;)

Once that is done, here is what else is coming up:

Delivery Info:

Delivery Saturday, May 5th.

The plan is to take the train up to Waukegan as per usual. Here are the trains that get in on time to get us off the dock by 11am.

Train 803

Ogilvie Transportation Center - 08:35
Clybourn 08:43
Ravenswood 08:48
Rogers Park 08:52

Arrives-
Waukegan 09:50

One Way fare is $6.75. You can pre-buy (in the station) or pay on the train.

There is a train that leaves a bit after that, that gets into Waukegan at 11:50.. for OBVIOUS reasons, that will not work to get us off the dock by 11am, however, if we know you are coming…. and… you missed the train and are stuck, we will most likely wait. Please everyone try to make Train 803.

We take the train because then we don't have to go back up and retrieve cars. That is a pain in the ass.

Practice Starts!!

Saturday May 19th

Boat Call will be about 10:00(ish) am. We plan on sailing for about 3 hours, depending on how we are doing. If you are new to the boat or to sailing it would probably be a good idea to come out this day… lol. We do a lot with newer sailors when we get in our Wednesday night beercan races, but this would be a great time to get out on the water and start experiencing what we are actually DOING when we DO things on the boat. Good relaxed time to ask questions, and do other fun things, like start learning how to trim a sail, how to grind a winch, how to hike out you rummies… oh, wait. Anyways, it'll be a good time. Those of us Ye Olde Hands at this sailing thing could probably use a rust remover sail or three, also.

…and… what you are all waiting for….

Race Info!!

Well, Don has been up to his heinie in alligators with regards to the race season. Dates are changing, races are swapping out handicap systems, all kinds of political BS and shenanigans, so while we know there WILL be a season, as of yet, Don's major concern is just getting Maskwa safely dropped into the water and down to Chicago. Plan on the first race being the Spring Opener, and we'll take it from there. We will have a good practice or two down by then, and a pair of beercan races (one the tune-up, then Beercan #1.)

Cheers all!!

Scott

18 April 2012

Updated Race Season!

Hi All!

Well, I have updated our race schedule with our most likely races for this season. It's all there on the right on the box (also boat work weekends, etc...)

A few changes and notes--

Mackinac Yacht Club has moved the Race 'Round The Island to follow the Port Huron - Mackinac Race. That sucks. We've done it every year they have had it, and now they are having the race before we get there. I've removed it from the schedule for now.

The Abe Jacobs, which has started off the season for us, and us working as R/C for the Regatta, has been moved to August. Thanks, NATO!

We have a BUNCH of long distance/port-to-port races leading up to The Mac. There is a Chicago to St Joe entire weekend race (Friday start, Sunday return) that is new. I do not know if it is a night start. A few weeks later we have the Waukegan weekend, the Queen's Cup, the Michigan City round trip, and then the Mac.

This should bode well for us; we have done quite well in long distance races, so let's welcome them with open arms, and go out there and slay some boats.

There will probably be a practice weekend or two in there before the Spring Opener, and we usually do not do the Olympic Cup, but we may do both. The Chicago Long Distance Classic is not in the Area III website, although it is still in Crewsignup for July 1st. That would probably mean we would not be doing the Queen's Cup.

So you can see things are still quite up in the air for a few races.

Any way you slice it, we have a great season coming up. Hope you are all ready!!

Scott

16 April 2012

Boat Work Weekend!

Hi Everyone! (Even those who said they cannot make it this weekend….)

Our game plan is thus:

THIS weekend (21/22) is going to be our major push boatwork-wise. We will be working hard all weekend, but that is so that we're ready to go for the season. Thankfully, Don already has done quite a bit of work at home (sanding and staining the floors, etc…) so we only really have a few things to get done. Sand/paint the bottom, wash/wax the hull and mast/boom, rebuild the winches, and do some general cleaning.

We should be able to knock this out in 2 easy trips.

Saturday, for those of you who want to take the train, the best suggestion is Train 803 on the
Metra Union Pacific/North Line.

Here are the orders of the stops/departure times:

Train 803

Ogilvie Transportation Center - 08:35
Clybourn 08:43
Ravenswood 08:48
Rogers Park 08:52

Arrives-
Waukegan 09:50

Return trains are a piece of cake. There are trains every other (or so) hour from 12:10-19:10. The last 3 trains are out at, and arrive at
these stops at these times---

return departure times

1710

Rogers Park - skipped
Ravenswood - 17:55
Clybourn - skipped
Ogilvie - 18:11

1910

Rogers Park - 20:05
Ravenswood - 20:10
Clybourn - 20:17
Ogilvie - 20:28

The 22:40 train that is just silly late… I hope we are done long before that time!!


Fare one way for this trip is $6.75.

If you would rather drive, or organize a carpool for Saturday, You can look up Larson's Marine, Waukegan IL for directions from wherever you happen to be. Let me know if you want/need a carpool… we'll work out a convenient pick-up point.

Sunday!! (Sunday…Sunday… )

I will be driving up, and if anyone is interested in carpooling with me, please contact me. I plan on leaving about 09:45. If anyone else is interested in setting up a carpool, or can make it Sunday, let me know.

That is all for now, hope all is well, and start thinking of sailing (actually, as Don says, it should never be far from your mind anyways!)

Scott