Well, it's been a busy week here in Lake Wobegon.

I have one more week of a brutal graveyard, then it's back to days and training.

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@ Teeks. I'd love to have funny little dancing fantails around here. We have some of the same family of birds, but none with those expressive little tails. My cat would love them. He's not much of a mouser. We get more avian gifts from him than anything else.
According to wiki they have a short life span. A lot shorter if my Monkeybutt could live with you.

@ Ham. Damn! You beat me to it.

@ Seb. Ditto, man

@ TBT. Haven't seen nor heard a Weird Al vid in a long time. Does the MTV live version come with a Miley lookalike?

@ Matti My proximity to Canada doesn't compute on the weather scale. Ask TBT or Sprock what Arctic/Canadian weather means. Here we live in this strange meteorological microcosm. My crap weather actually comes from Hawaii. It can be seen on satellite photos as a river of moist air that rolls up from the islands. Weathermen here call it the "Pineapple Express". It rolls in from the southwest low and scudding, then hangs up on the Olympic Mountains creating massive rainfall on the west slope (google Olympic rainforest pics). What rolls around the Olympics comes up the South Sound an then hangs up on the Cascade Mountains. My proximity to Mt. Rainier exaggerates this. While Hamlin in Alabama may get more annual rainfall than I do. I get more average days of grey overcast and some sort of measurable daily precip' than anyone else in the country. That's why we all are weird up here. Also, we don't get tan. We rust.

Now for a further lesson. The Skagit Valley, wher I'll be working, is in what's known as the NW Convergence Zone. Wind rushing eastward down the Strait of Juan de Fuca, effectively cuts off the northerly flow of low, moist air coming from the south and dumps a lot of rain onto a major river system's flood plain. Making a prime region for tulip growing. A mini Netherlands' if you like (google Skagit Valley tulips).

Lesson #3. Anacortes, the San Juans and Bellingham fall into what is known here as the Olympic Rainshadow.. Between wind coming down the Straits and the Olympic mountains on the peninsula blocking the southerly marine air and creating the NWCZ. This area actually sees the least rainfall of the entire region. Go figure, eh?

What I've known here in the South Sound is this.

The weather I wake up with, is the weather I'll see all day, if not all week.

Skagit Valley? The weather can change, but when it rains, it pours. In the spring, when the rain is coupled with mountain runoff, it's going to flood and flood big time.

Where I want to live?. Don't worry. Be happy. The weather may change on an hourly basis.

Never too extreme. Mostly temperate.

Cool runnings, Mon.

So.

Now to the meat and potatoes of my post.

Let's talk about boats, shall we?

Her's a little taste

1960 Chris Craft

 

Pretty boat, imagine the constant maintenance though, wooden boats are quite popular here in Tas, something to do with all the huon pine we have.

 

Oh, I know she'd be a handful.

Sailed the crap for years out of a company owned 28' foot sloop in the 8o's. Briefly had a half share in another in the 90's.

Upkeep on a newer 'glass sailboat can cost ya', let alone a wooden Chris Connie'.

Oh, but she sings to me. She does.

Moorage and upkeep would cost as much as whatever little hovel we choose to live in.

Advised the Mrs. to be ready to devote all time and expense into getting any return out of a boat


Any boat.

Let alone that sweet Connie'

 

There's a saying here that there are two happy days in a boat owner's life. The first when you bring it home, and the next when you sell it. I'm lucky enough to not have to invest in one cause my sister keeps her mahoosive Rinker in the marina just a few hundred meters away. She says I can borrow it if I fill up what fuel I use. The thing is if you're moving the whole day you're burning 6-800 eur...

 

Excuse me for a moment whilst I look up a Rinker.

Ok. Well the pics I saw looked like a fast, powerful pleasure cruiser more in line with what the modern boat lover wants these days.

In my sailing days we referred to something like that as a Stinkpot.

Or a Toilet.

I have, in the past, gone a whole season with a sailboat on only 20 gal of diesel.

Granted, we have a short pleasure season here.

The Mrs. always with her Pollyanna ways declares her love of boating. Especially sailing.

She had also declared her love of fresh oysters but had never shucked one.

She had also declared her love of fresh salmon but had never cleaned one.

So I asked her if she could learn to hop from rail to dock and handle lines.

Against the current and tide if need be.

She'd been a guest on boat but never a sailor. Never had to do the work

Sailing is work and though I'm not against work I'm old and don't want to do it single handed every time.

Hence the powerboat option.

Anacortes, with it's proximity to the San Juan's and Canada, won't cost us a fortune in fuel. Cruise in and hole up in a secluded cove and camp on the water. Drop some pots, do a little fishing and relax.

Pacific Salmon is king here, but halibut and ling cod are around. Squid and octopus can be on the menu as well

Or dock at the resort and pretend we're rich. Whatever

My taste? Well Mrs. Woof looks for amenities. I look for how it's rigged.

She wants a galley and an electric flushing head. I want a potwinch and electric downriggers and a kicker with helm and transom controls.

She wants luxury.

Dammit! I want to drop pots then go fishing. Rinse and repeat

No blue blasers on my vessel and if you show up in Sperry Top Siders, they'll go overboard with you in them

I love old Chris Craft, don't get me wrong. She's pretty and all that. I could grow old with her.

but...

21' Bayliner Trophy's are dime a dozen out here. Spartan interior but most on the books are already rigged, trailer-able with a half ton pick-up if not going far and all that is what, I myself, would ever need.

Did I say I love old Chris Connies? The boat, does sing to me

 

I sail raced for 15 years - proudly as a bow man - even did a couple of blue water events. I love sailing - nearly as much as I love motorcycling.

My idea of Heaven in a 30 plus footer with a small bike below decks for the hard when in port.

I love sailing.

I love to sail.

Sailing I enjoy very muchly.

It's been two seasons since I raced as my 80 year old skipper finally decided to call it a day (well his knees called it for him) and I now miss sailing.

I do own an ex Olympic Games/International Tempest Keelboat

Tempest (keelboat) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's a little down at 'keel' at the moment, but time for maintenance eludes me.

Have I said I love sailing?

Cheers, SB

PS: we now return you to your normal evening threadjacking.
PPS: It's a public holiday weekend in Australia (3 days)
PPPS: Get the boat Woof. Not only are the best two days of ownership - as Matti said - the day you buy it, and the day you sell it, but sailing is best described as 'standing under a cold shower tearing up $100 bills'

 

Hah yea the only one word I can think of to describe the Rinker is "pompous". I don't know the model but it's one of those black sided ones with two oval windows and the roof arch if you look at the pictures. Looks funny standing at the side of their house at wintertime, almost as high as a two storey building, covered in snow. Takes 400 liters of 98ron to fill up, which costs depending on a day, around 1,70e per liter.

I'm not much of a boat person but I see it like I did with the Alfa. It was a dumb decision, it ended up costing me quite a bit, I never got to drive it top down much at all, it was uncomfortable and unreliable but dammit I wanted one so I got it, if nothing else I can say I've owned an Alfa convertible so I have no regrets. If that's what you want then that's what you gotta have, just be prepared to do some work on it...

 

Here's a nice little sloop. decent price

1983 Newport MK lll Sloop

 

Looks like a lot of boat for the money

 

??? MTV has nothing to do with music. LOL

It seams that the thread has derailed again and there is much discussion about boating. I'd like to get back on subject, the weather.

East of the mountains are deserts. I have been to one that is owned by the government. Some of that area grows grape for wine.

Funny how you can go from rain forest and drive a few hours to the desert.