It is getting pretty quiet around here....

[Craig]

What's everyone doing? Christmas shopping I expect. i'm still plugging away on the top for Toms Gulf Star. We flipped it on Wed and are well on our way with the under side. I have completed repairs on the compression post and the mast. Decided the old mast had a few more years in it even if it is heavy. I finished cleat with Helmsman's Spar polyuarathane. It looks soooo much better than that brown paint. I need to refiniish the boom now and the sprit. The top mast and sprit extensions are done but the cutter rig must wait until all the hiurricane damage is fixed. The top sides must be repainted also. The latex just doesn't hold up there and the storm took it's toll also with flying debris. For some reason it only hit the white parts. Not nick one in the blue hell. Go figure... Anyone else but me and Ed working? Everyone getting ready for the Spring Fling at Lanier? What are the dates this year Ed/Angie?

[Guest]

I totally agree with you on many issues. Its pretty quiet around here. Even the old standbys, Jan, Johanna, and Jake has been quiet with little chatter. Yes I am working on my secret [not so secret project] on the details, the slow stuff like boarding and sanding the bottom, finish installing the skeg shoe, shaping the centerboard trunk trim, and filling all of the screw holes with putty.

I spoke to Warthog today, and busted his chops about his time table on his project. I told him that he had to be done with his project before the summer heat set in, that I was making every attempt at drinking some of the champagne that is not spilled on the dock when he launches his new project, three years plus worth.

[Barry Pyeatt]

Just finished up two writing assignments. Got the last of them submitted yesterday. Now I can relax for a couple weeks until after the Christmas Holidays and make some sanding dust.

Finishing up a cradle for 2nd. grandson due in May. Christmas gift for the daughter-in-law/mother to be. She saw it in a magazine somewhere and her father ordered the plans. But he's not a woodworker. So...guess who got fingered to do the deed? Happy to do it, she doesn't have a clue.

Have some Elm Lumber on its way to me to make up some cleats and blocks. Hope to work on them as well and have them cut and shaped before the second week of January. Then I can work on getting them finished and assembled at my leisure while I'm on the road again.

[John B]

I'm in fibreglass dinghy hell. Refurbishing a sailing dinghy for our summer cruise. 2 weekends and each night after work...,..

[Craig]

Got to love all that sanding. Where are you going on the cruise? Ray the insurance people are always a pain in the butt. Ray I keep thinking about doing some of this on a commercial basis to get set up for a retirement job but if I do then I can't work out of my garage anymore and She will not like me being away so long every night. As is I can put in a couple hours or so and no complaints as I am right here. PLus if I go commercial I lose my weekends to sail. I may do it anyway and keep the work down to a managable scope. Oneseys and twoseys..... She keeps asking why I bought that thousand dollar sewing machine. :? [/i]

[adla]

finals week for me....i have some things planned for the month that i am out of school...namely the mast and seats ...people are probably thinking about the holidays...

adla

[Mike Pennington]

Writing, writing and more writing. Rewriting, rewriting and more rewriting. :shock:

Barry, I have meant to ask you more than once, who do you write for?

[Barry Pyeatt]

Mike,

Several different Corporate Investor/financial newsletters, two publishers of business/financial/investment related trade publications and a couple different book publishers, John Wiley & Sons, Lighhouse Publications and Prentiss Hall. Much of what I do is ghost writing for others that have the information but not the ability to prepare it and get it to the publishers. Makes for a lot of interesting contacts and research.

[tdrown]

Work and finals in Physics, Calculus, and Chemistry are keeping me busy this week. Plus I have to go back to Allentown for the next two weeks and I have to Christmas shop.

[John B]

Craig, the general aim is to head north from Auckland to the Bay of Islands about 120 miles away. If we get there ok we'll go another 40 miles or so to the next good harbour as well. Last year we only just made to the B.O.I because the weather was so good we could just bay hop on an exposed coast.A couple of 20 or 40 mile trips each day and then just laze up 10 or 5 miles a day from then. Bliss it was. 8) Gorgeous coast up that way.

[Mike Pennington]

I'm still practicing, Barry.

TOR has had a mystery novel of mine for awhile now. (only three months) I figure the longer that they don't send me a rejection slip, the better chances I have. :wink: My fantasy is, if they pick it up, I am going to buy a metal garage building for the new boat shed.

DNA publishing is about to get a fiction piece. If I ever get enough nerve to call it finished. I have set a goal by Jan.

Lars Opland, a retired quarter master off the Eagle, is sending me small pieces of witty remembrances. I've made it a project to weld the tales into a couple of nautical short stories, at his request of coarse. So I

[Phil Gowans]

Craig' date=' the general aim is to head north from Auckland to the Bay of Islands about 120 miles away. [/quote']

Years ago I used to live in the Northland, not too far from the Bay of Islands. I always wanted to sail there. It's not fair that you talk about such things without sending some pictures. I'd love to see your lovely boat with that backdrop. I understand the R. Tucker Thompson is going to be here in our summer, I'm hoping to run into them.

Now, Christmas at the beach, Kiwis know how to do that right, fair dinkum.

[Barry Pyeatt]

I'm afraid that my work is pretty dry reading unless you are looking for information on the topic. Generally about the "how-to's of a particular form of investing. The great adventure/mystery is in the stock/bond/commodities/money markets for a lot of individuals and businessesa for what I do. And then, how to protect the accounts from significant losses, capture the gains, protect them and some of the dangers/pitfalls to watchout for in managing the accounts.

Been working on my "great novel" for years and don't know if it will ever be more than an exercise in expressing myself to myself. So I envy those that have the talent and imagination to create in that way.

By the way, I only had about a hundred rejection letters after I had my first "significant" article published. Was a long time before the second one hit the streets. Hang in there.

[John B]

Hi Phil. I was up in the bay only 2 weeks ago and had a good look at the R TUCKER THOMPSON at the wharf. She'd be wonderful to have a sail on . I did however, get a sail on the IRIS while up there.. an 1864 Bristol channel pilot cutter. 56 ft on deck and about 50 ton from memory. that was fun.

[Steve Day]

Well, I haven't bee up on this forum too often lately as we have been looking for a rental house in the immediate area. That is not an easy task when you take my wife's standards into account. She will not compromise when it comes to living quarters. We finally found one and have been hauling stuff down there ever since. We moved the big stuff last weekend and slept in the new place for the first time Sunday night. Now we have to finish cleaning out the old place.

This is just a practice session for the move to Alabama next summer. We really didn't need to move right now, but the landlord sold the town house out from under me. Darned dirty thing for him to do. :evil:

What this tells us is that we have about 6 to 7 months to consolidate our stuff for the move south. I don't think another boat building project is in my future until we get settled down there. :cry:

Oh well, spring is just around the corner, or was that winter?

Steve

[Craig]

Alamaba just in time for next years cruise! HOw close to LA will you be?

[Steve Day]

The plan is to "retire" to the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. We are looking closely at the Daphne/ Fairhope area. We keep the boat at the Marriott Grand Hotel in Point Clear and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

I put the retire in quotes because I am retiring from the electric utility that I work for up here, but don't intend to sit on the front porch for the rest of my life. I will, most likely, devote near full time to "messin' about in boats."

We will be about 180 statute miles from New Orleans on I-10. However, if there is an opportunity to sail and/or visit with other boating folks, we might be able to figure out how to get the Day's Dream over that way.

I expect we will be making the move in mid to late July, but we haven't gotten to the point of firmly fixing the retirement date yet. 8)

Tell me more about the cruise.

Steve

[Craig]

I know the area over there Steve. It is very nice. There is nothing firm on the cruise as yet. I am attempting to start a BYYB fleet if there is sufficient interest but the cruise is open to anyone who wants to come. I posted some maps over on the BYYB board showing Choctawhatchee and Pensacola Bays. I am thinking of FWB east to Baytowne/Sandestin, East pass/Destin/Crab Island and tthen an overnight near the sea wall anchorage and RTB. A second option is Destin, FWB west to the Spector Island area then on to Navarre and back to FWB. Either way folks can sample the food down here, see the sights and enjoy the waters. Boats can set up races between themselves or not as they wish. Coordinates will be furnished so sleep-ins can catch up the rest later. We will have a 55' Motor Yacht to follow as a mother ship to carry extra deck cargo as might be needed for the smaller boats and to render first aid or other help as required. The Captain is my usual sailing partner. We currently have 7 definitely firms for the cruise. The option also exists to join the Trailer Sailor BEER group in Pensacola. As this is my party and not an official BYYB function as yet, I am open to ideas and suggestions for a change of venue. I would love to have you join us if you can. we are looking at mid to late May as a tentivitive window.

[Guest]

Funny, I logged in today to find that the BYYB seems to be defunked. Craig? Have been busy lately, and have some catching up to do around this place. I am in the winter survival mode, staying warm, that is....

There is rumor of another gathering, in your area, around the spring time, with some torn apart power boats group, that I occassionally visit online, for some fix of that smelly stuff

[Craig]

Mike I suspect they have a network problem, I couldn't get to them myself. Tom and I are still plugging away on his Top. I managed to miss mix some poxy at the end of a coat the other nite and had to scrape it off yesterday. Oh well. This isn't a profit job anyway. I haven't heard anything about the gathering. What is it ?