CS17mk3 — Avocet’s Adventures

[PadrePoint]

2025 - Goal: a LOT more Boat Time

 

I just got back home from a 300-mile round trip downstate to get Avocet out of its winter storage.  (I rent 6 months’ of space from a guy who keeps his garage-building above 40 degrees; my daughter parks her little 13’ Scamp Camper there as well, among maybe 20 other RV’s and boats… nice arrangement for $55/month.)   I paused at a rest area for a photo. 

 

I note that I have added nothing to this thread for over two years.  I can’t believe how I slid along that long; my good intentions produced nothing.  I will change that for this year’s sailing season.  I might even add a few catch-up posts from the last couple years just to show that I actually did some sailing.  And, I must admit that some family and health things took a lot of time and attention, especially this past year. 
 

I have devised some goals for this year.  In particular, I intend to sail and camp on the lakes that are part of the Wisconsin River.  I created a Facebook Group and described my summer’s goal in this post: 

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16GzGAh95J/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I will use all three of my boats to accomplish the goal.  The Eagle River Chain of Lakes (which the Wisconsin River runs into and out of) doesn’t seem conducive for a sailboat to explore many of the 28 lakes, but my 15’ ski boat would be a fun alternative for me to tour the lakes (I’ve only driven by a few of the chain’s lakes and I look forward to seeing the chain from the water.)

 

So, after a month-long road trip out west with my wife in June, we plan to be home for July and August.  I shall endeavor to accomplish this goal in 2025.

[Don Silsbe]

I look forward to reading about your adventures, and hopefully sailing with you this summer.

[PadrePoint]

We got the two grandgirls up here for the Easter weekend; their parents come up Friday night.

SOOO…. let’s set up Avocet for the first time this year and do a little “trailer sailing.”  They did all the steps needed to set everything up as I showed them the “ropes” and processes.  (We’ll try out the reefing system tomorrow for something new.). Upon getting everything ready, they headed into the cabin for a snack.  

 

 

At home the family is currently working through the children’s novel, Swallows and Amazons (1920’s… four siblings sail their boat Swallows on a bunch of sailing and imaginative adventures.)

 

So NOW that setup is done, their imagination is kicking in, and some gentle wind is coming up.  Oh no, one just “fell overboard” and needs rescue (yes, we practice the drill when on the water… one gets to spontaneously throw a floaty and alert everyone, “man overboard!”)

 

Back aboard and they are starting to get LOUD with orders and imaginative sailing adventures.  How do two little girls make so much noise??  (It’s great.)

 

Temps are dropping a bit so I supplied them with a couple blankets for the cabin bunks.  Maybe they will chill at some point in their “sailing time”. I rigged the anchor to “lower” for some downtime. They asked about staying in it overnight… getting to 38 tonight… nah.  (But, summer’s comin’!!)

[Don Silsbe]

Let’s get these girls out in Two Bits this summer!

[Steve W]

"Better drown than duffers, if not duffers, won't drown."

 

They look like they might have a bit of Nancy B in them. In case you didn't know Swallows and Amazon's is from a serious of books, all wonderful. 

 

Take care,

Steve

[Don Silsbe]

My state’s library system doesn’t have this famous book!

[PadrePoint]

Maybe Swallows and Amazons been placed in the BANNED BOOKS list.  It seems like the currently banned books lists include all kinds of my and my wife’s favorite childhood reading.  Maybe books like Animal Farm too closely suggest current politics and we cannot have kids see or hear those words. (I apologize that my sarcasm meter is a little high today.)

 

A DCA Journal from last year had an article about the Journal editor’s wife taking her granddaughters to the lake and island that served as base for the children’s novel. 
When I bought it for my grandkids I read through it first.  The characters’ imagination and conversations are much like my granddaughters’ own.  I’m hoping the book will inspire their sailing and boating interests. 
 

Rain is forecast for tomorrow so I told the girls that after raising the sails again and having some imaginative pirate play we’ll put things back into trailer mode and return the boat back into the garage. 

 

[Peter HK]

18 hours ago, Steve W said:

In case you didn't know Swallows and Amazon's is from a serious of books, all wonderful. 

 

I enjoyed them all but really loved "Peter Duck" and "We didn't mean to go to Sea"

Ransome's yacht, which featured in the series, is still sailing- Named Nancy Blackett after his favourite character in the books

https://nancyblackett.org/

Cheers

Peter HK

[Don Silsbe]

I bought it from Amazon.

[Steve W]

I think Arthur Ransom's most amazing gift is his ability to capture the thought process of kids and humorously put it them in print.  My 8th grade English teacher read Swallows and Amazons to us in class (1974?). One of the main characters is "Titty" which made us young boys laugh. I can see this book being banned for this reason alone. Dumb. 

 

I was captivated by the story as I lived that kind of independent childhood. I read it to my daughter Helen when she was 6 or 7 and laughed so much. She became a prolific reader who went on to read the entire catalogue of Arthur Ransome. I named my Sea Pearl 21 "WildCat" for a boat in one of the books.

 

In this day of sedentary children and fearful parents, this book can inspire some independence and trust in youth. We all need more adventure. 

 

Take Care, 

Steve

 

[Andy B]

I'm with Peter HK on the ranking:  You can skip book two, Swallowdale.  Very little sailing, lots of boring exposition.

Jump right to We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea and then Peter Duck.  These are great books, I've enjoyed reading them to my kids and thanks to SteveW one of my current boats is named Wildcat after a boat in the series.

Edit to add:  Steve, I did change the name to "Kitty", like they do in the movie, just to prevent the giggling from the boys every night when I was trying to read them to sleep!

My favorite funny moment from the book is when the youngest makes an illustration in the ship's log, a page entirely full of black ink, to show what it looked like at sea at night.