Steve Day

Rann, I don't live in CA, so I can't show you the boat. I built a 10N and have it in LA (Lower Alabama). I am using it as a tender for my 40' Beneteau. The boat fits quite nicely on the foredeck of the big boat and it is a cinch to put it together on the foredeck and launch it as a whole boat. The 10 is the perfect size for my wife and me. When we have guests (more than 1) on board, we might have to make two trips to shore, but that is rare enough that it is not a problem. It handles three people and supplies with no difficulty and is quite seaworthy. I can get very close to planing the boat with a 2.5 HP Mercury outboard with me alone on board. If I had it to do over again, I would build the 10N. Steve

No Mike, I haven't seen the "new" hull. What'chya got? Steve

Keep going Adla. You're getting close. The boat looks great. I can't wait to see her in the water. Steve

Tell Katrina to take heart. No one from around here will be able to forget her name. The supplies are really starting to roll in now. On the way back from Mississippi yesterday we saw three or four convoys of 10 to 15 semis heading west on the interstate. I think we were able to get some supplies to the folks in the interim. Looks like the long term stream is flowing now. I'm sure there will be more needs in the near future. Steve

Good show! That's a good looking boat. Steve

Mike, What a fine story. Sounds like you and the wife had a fine day. Did your wife have any comment about the powerboaters and their misfortune? It is days like that that make sailboating worthwhile. Thank you for that fine tale. That is the first I have read about how your little boat sails. Glad to hear that it works that well. Congratulations on another successful building project. Steve

Right now, we are doing OK. We had a Dollar General Store that was damaged and they have donated all the merchandise we can haul off. We have taken three trailer loads out of the store and are distributing it as fast as we can collect it. we are estimating we have collected about 13,000 pounds of merchandise including food, clothing, first aid supplies, pillows, etc. We're going back for more tomorrow. The next step will be to coordinate with a church(s) in Mississippi for delivery. If you want to donate, I would suggest your local church. Almost all of them have connections to get the donations to the right place at 100 cents on the dollar. Thanks for the offer, Steve

Ooops on my oops. They were in reverse order in the preview, but correct on the actual message. I'll get that right someday. Steve

Here is a shot of our boat on Tuesday after Katrina. It is the one in the middle. The second shot is at a marina about 6 miles away. (OK, I forgot these go up in reverse order.) :oops: Steve

MIke, We are concentrating on helping others right now. We are in good shape. The biggest need right now is to get supplies, food and water to the people hurt by the storm. I'm sure you have been seeing the images on the TV and Internet. They need help! We are concentrating our efforts through our church, but there are many options. I'm sure we will be hauling stuff into the area for quite a while. Steve

Hey Guys, Gina and I are alive and well here in Daphne AL. We got a lot of wind and a 12' - 15' storm surge on the east shore of Mobile Bay. Some of the damage right on the shore is staggering, but we came through with no damage to the boat or the house. We have been VERY busy with cleanup and relief work with the church. This is the first time I have gotten on the site since the storm. Sorry about the delay. Thank you for your concern and prayers. We are collecting food and basic supplies for the church, repackaging them, and distributing them to folks in south Mississippi as fast as we can. A daunting task, but very worthwhile. The beauty of this is that I now have the time to do this work, now that I am officially retired. Has anyone heard from our friend at Bayou la Batre? Unfortunately, I cannot recall his name right now. Steve

Charlie, This little boat is really great! It sails well, rows well, and ALMOST gets me (230lbs) on the plane with 2.5 horsepower. All that and it can be a one man evolution to get it out of the water, taken apart, and nested on deck. What's not to like about this boat? Next time you get over this way, we'll be here. Steve

I finally got the opportunity to get the Spindrift on the foredeck of Day's Dream. I think she looks pretty good up there. When I took it off and put it in the water, I tried to assemble her on the foredeck. Using a halyard for a lift, I was able to position the boat precisely and she went together very easily. After that, it was a simple lift to get her over the lifelines and into the water. Unfortunately, I was too busy to get any pictures of the procedure. The next time I put her on deck, I will get pictures. Every time I use the dinghy, I become more satisfied with the design and my choice to build her. Thank you Graham! Steve

One more thing -- I moved from Nebraska to Alabama just to get closer to the hurricanes. Had two here in the first week after I moved! Glad to see that you are back. Steve

Heeey Adla! So good to see you didn't quit and that you are still around. I notice that you are still doing great work on the boat, too. Follow Jake's advice and get started on the seats. I would hate to think that was the only thing keeping you out of the water. Welcome back to our world. Steve

Very nice job! Graham, it must be nice to see your boats all over the world. I know I get a kick out of seeing them. Steve

Greg, Not to worry. We are doing great with no damage to the boats or the house. We have resumed the press to get all of the STUFF unpacked and set up in the house. I have been working 16 hour days trying to get the master closet organized better, the garage cleaned out, and other such mundane stuff and have not had a whole lot of time to update e-mail and participate on the forum. Sorry about not communicating. :oops: Sorry to hear your trip was delayed. Steve

Charlie, When I took Day's Dream up the Mobile River to hide out from Dennis in the hurricane hole on Briar Creek last week. We had a 5 mile dinghy ride from the anchorage to the ramp where we met the truck. That is a long row in a dinghy! As we were getting ready to board the dinghy, a young gentleman and his girlfriend offered us a ride in his boat (what I might define as a cracker boat). His boat had a 75 HP Mercury on it and we had an opportunity to travel at higher than normal dinghy speeds. We didn't run flat out, but we were running well over 20 knots. The dinghy sat back there in the wake as solid as a rock, definitely on the plane. What a great testiment to the hull shape! When we evacuated to Birmingham for the hurricane, we found a 2.5 Mercury and bought it. The ride back out to the boat was a good bit better than rowing, but not as good as the ride with the 75. When I was alone in the dinghy, I tried to get up on the plane, but my 230 pounds is just a little too much for the 2.5. I can get really close, but not quite all the way up on the plane. I'm sure it would work if a 130 pound person was running the boat. These are really GREAT boats! Steve

Mike, That makes me really happy for you that you got the boat in the water and she sails well. Nice to see Momma is happy too. That was a pretty neat group on the boat. Which one is which? The boat looks really good! Steve

Greg, I subscribe to Practical Sailor and they just did an article on VHF radios. If I remember correctly, They liked an ICOM M302 unit for about $160. This is a mounted unit - not a hand-held. Their website is: http://www.practical-sailor.com/ Hope that helps, Steve

I hope all of you are faring well and have no ill effects from Hurricane Dennis. We had an interesting day yesterday as we took the charter fleet (3 boats) up the Mobile river to a hurricane hole. We anchored the boats and secured them as best we could do and are praying we don't have a direct hit and that we come out of this with them still floating. This hole is far enough back that we had about a 5 mile dinghy ride from the boat to the landing. Not a fun evolution! The house is as secured as we can get it and we are under a mandatory evacuation order, so we packed up the car and hauled north to Birmingham, where we are staying with friends (and fellow boat owners). BTW, we have lived in the house a total of 6 days and have had a tropical storm and a hurricane so far. Not a really great start to our "retirement." The spindrift had its first working voyage and performed very well. She's a great boat! Steve

Howard, I have the seat in the stern sheets as a result of rowing the boat a good bit during the trip when all of the photos you have seen were taken. I figured out that additional seating was needed for both rowing and sailing and have since installed the seats. The setup for mine is a bit different than yours because the access hand holes for the aft floatation compartments are on the tops. This allows me to get into them from either in or out of the boat. I would include some pictures of the boat with this note, but I am currently "hiding" from Dennis up here in Birmingham, AL and don't have them with me. Steve

Actually, I found it better to keep the resolution higher and to crop the photo to show what I want. Gives a better picture on the website. These photos are OK, but the resolution makes it difficult to see any details. Steve

Nice little steam box there with the pipe. I may try that someday. A comment on laminating for a gunwale. I did that with poplar and oak on my spindrift 10N. There is quite a bend in that gunwale and I had no problems with the bends, epoxy "glue" and the wood. The boat has since seen temperature extremes from over 100 degrees F to less than -10 degrees F. No signs of any distress from differential movement on the gunwales. I like the look of different woods in this application and will use the laminations where I can for looks using bright finish. A lot easier to put together, too. Just my 2 cents, Steve

Charlie, Gina and I had some idea that we might want to take Day's Dream over toward Texas, so I am reading Laura's account with great interest. So far, I'm thinking that the Intracoastal may not be the best way to do that with a 40' boat that draws 5' 6". (Fixed bridges are also a concern for us.) Thanks to you both for taking the trip and writing about your adventures so well. I am anxiously awaiting each new installment. We only have about a week left here in Nebraska and are eagerly anticipating our own sailing adventures as we settle into retirement. Steve