Frank Hagan Posted May 25, 2009 Posted May 25, 2009 I pulled the mast off my Potter 19, and we decided to do a shake-down cruise in prep for sailing again. We decided to putt around the harbor using the Iron Genny, and motor over under some low bridges to some new restaurants. On board was my wife Jan, my daughter and my mother (who is 86, but doesn't act her age). We motored over for lunch, then on our way back ventured out near the breakwater. My mother loved the California brown pelicans. I've heard they are the only type that does the full-on, head first Kamakazi dive straight into the water (if you're swimming near one it sounds like an explosion). There were less than 100 breeding pairs in the 1970s due to a chemical factory dumping tons of DDT into the water here, but now they have come back and may soon be off the endangered list: Quote
Greg Luckett Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 Think they just wanted a close up look at a Potter 19? I came so close to buying one about 9 years ago and still think they are a cool little boat. Quote
Frank Hagan Posted May 30, 2009 Author Posted May 30, 2009 They did ask what happened to our mast. I looked up and said "Woah, where did it go?" (not really). We love our Potter; we were planning on heading out early to get to Marina Del Rey tomorrow for a sail with the local Potter club, but I'm just too wiped out. I'm not sleeping well at night due to a persistent allergy that forces me to either breath through my mouth (and wake up every hour with super dry mouth) or get up and use nasal spray every two hours. So we'll probably take her out of our local harbor around noon or 1 pm (when the wind starts around here anyway). Quote
Greg Luckett Posted May 31, 2009 Posted May 31, 2009 They did ask what happened to our mast. I looked up and said "Woah, where did it go?" (not really). ... You missed a golden opportunity. ;D Quote
Steve Day Posted June 5, 2009 Posted June 5, 2009 Frank, Now, don't you go claiming that Brown Pelicans are Californian. Just ain't so! They are all over the coastal US on the Gulf Coast and the east coast of Florida. It is really a hoot watching them feed using the controlled crashes. Some of them turn to where they are nearly inverted before they dive nearly straight down. Your comments about nearly losing them to DDT and such things is very true. When I was a kid back in the 50's, there was one on every piling in south Florida. They nearly disappeared, but have made a great recovery. Mobile Bay has a great rookery island and they are again "all over the place" here. We got boarded by the Coast Guard out in the middle of Mobile Bay in March and were just fine. Great group of guys and they enjoyed the "tour" of the boat. Boardings are not a problem when you have all of your required equipment. They can be a somewhat less enjoyable experience when you don't. How is the Spindrift doing? Steve Quote
Frank Hagan Posted June 5, 2009 Author Posted June 5, 2009 Now, don't you go claiming that Brown Pelicans are Californian. Just ain't so! They are all over the coastal US on the Gulf Coast and the east coast of Florida. It is really a hoot watching them feed using the controlled crashes. Some of them turn to where they are nearly inverted before they dive nearly straight down. Well, our California Brown Pelican is the one I was talking about! It is actually a separate sub-species or whatever they call it, and only found here. But its part of a larger family of brown pelicans. We were down to under 100 nesting pairs; I didn't realize they were endangered elsewhere. The DDT connection here was not just from agriculture, but also from massive illegal dumping by a chemical company. While the DDT didn't harm fish, it metabolized to a different chemical in the fish, and that chemical blocked calcium production in the pelicans so that their eggs broke when they nested (they stand on the eggs). They have made a comeback, and they are magnificent. We got boarded by the Coast Guard out in the middle of Mobile Bay in March and were just fine. Great group of guys and they enjoyed the "tour" of the boat. Boardings are not a problem when you have all of your required equipment. They can be a somewhat less enjoyable experience when you don't. How is the Spindrift doing? Steve Did I mention I have the centerboard completed on the Spindrift? We've had a lot of "life" interfering with "life" here the last few years, but I hope to be able to build either the Spindrift or a Glen-L Squirt (small, 2 seater runabout) sometime soon! (I've been saying that for a few years now). Quote
Greg Luckett Posted June 5, 2009 Posted June 5, 2009 Ray is right, Frank.(whoda thought?) I cannot get much done here in the winter but I spend that time gathering materials, planning lumber, etc. Once the weather is nicer I try to do a little bit every day. Some days that is really a "little/wee" bit which my wife calls "zoning out" but I call "sitting on the stool with a cup of coffee admiring the boat's lines" and thinking of things to do. On the other hand, you have been sailing and I have not now for two years. ;D Quote
Frank Hagan Posted June 6, 2009 Author Posted June 6, 2009 Ray is right, Frank.(whoda thought?) I cannot get much done here in the winter but I spend that time gathering materials, planning lumber, etc. Once the weather is nicer I try to do a little bit every day. Some days that is really a "little/wee" bit which my wife calls "zoning out" but I call "sitting on the stool with a cup of coffee admiring the boat's lines" and thinking of things to do. On the other hand, you have been sailing and I have not now for two years. ;D There is that ... we need to get out on the water again. Hoping the weather is good this weekend. Quote
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