So Sunday rolled around, and about 9 AM I woke up to a slight breeze. Figuring it would be a nice day out, I decided to back myself out of the slip and head out to sea, er, lake. Now one of the things that I did before departing, was to rig a small line to the topping lift block that was dangling above the mast. I thought if I could make that work, it would be easier than the supporting hook on the backstay when it came time to raise the main. I rigged the jib prior to leaving so I wouldn't have to bounce around on deck, and headed through the channel.
The first thing that happened, was that the topping lift line just went POOF! right through the block, sending it swinging all over (it eventually wrapped around a shroud enough that it stopped). Then it turns out, I ran the starboard jib sheets INSIDE the shrouds, instead of out. I tell you, I was a right old mess out of the gate. But once I got sorted, it was a very long downwind leg to a few miles shy of Sodus Bay before I decided to turn around. The upwind beat back to Fair Haven took a few hours, and gave me a good time to note that the shrouds needed another turn or two on the buckles, and also that I could stand in the companionway on the steps with the tiller extension and avoid a majority of the breeze and spray. Go me! It was a little under six hours from dock to dock, and a shade over 19 miles. I know this because what I DIDN'T know, was that Open CPN will track your trips for ya! How fancy is that?! And it also gives a breakdown along the way, with coordinates, speeds, elapsed times, and the like. Quite impressive, and that's just scratching the surface.
Once I got back to the dock, it was only minutes before my Dad gave me a call to let me know that he'd be able to come up after all. We set a time the next morning for arrival, made a small checklist of goodies to grab, and I buckled in for the evening to get some rest after cleaning the boat up and taking non-essential bits to the car. He arrived around noon-ish, and we had a few hot dogs on the boat, and walked around a little before taking off. The conditions were almost identical to what I had Sunday - average of 10 knots of wind from the Northeast, with some decent swell, but very easy and quick for a downwind run. This time we went down past Sodus, to my favorite little anchorage down there. It's halfway between Sodus Bay, and Fairbanks Point. It's barely a cove, but the wind was forecast to swing Southward so we'd be protected and it's always made for great scenery on the waking hour. As it happened, the swell didn't want to get any better until the very early morning hours, and this new-to-me boat has quite a few creaks and groans. I believe it's in part due to this boat having a liner in the cabin, but regardless, the wind being JUST off-kilter from the waves, would turn us back and forth between a smooth silent moment, and a rolling, groaning one. The anchor held fine with 6:1 scope through the night, even with that ride but by morning, it had calmed to nothingness. And it's just hard to beat a sunset on the lake.
We sailed off anchor (that's a lot of faith in my ability to pull the outboard rope twenty times in succession to get it to start, if something goes wrong), and turned a little West, as I had never actually been further than my little spot. The breeze was just a little puffy here and there but we actually did manage a couple miles before turning back around and heading upwind. It was slow to start, but the wind eventually did shift South, and we had a very nice beam reach, that eventually turned into a close reach, until we got to the marina once again. The reason we ducked back in on Tuesday night, even though he had more time available, was the wind and weather for Wed and Thursday was forecast to increase to gusts up to and over 40 knots. I have faith in my boat and anchor, but I'm also practical. All in all we did about 43 miles down and back, and treated ourselves to a pizza at the local shop for lunch.
The overnight sleep at the dock was quite a contrast to the bounce house we slept in for Monday night, which I'm sure my Dad was grateful for. I've bounced around even at the dock a bit before, and it really was just the creaking that kept me up a little longer than average on that night, but for him, this was the first time overnight on the water this year, and that must've been hard to get used to. Wednesday morning treated us to a pretty stiff Southerly breeze, and a few drops on the window from the night. The big difference was the sea state on the lake - There was more wind, less swell, probably because it was coming FROM a shallow water direction instead of towards it. Brunch was burgers, and then we got him packed up and on the way before the rain started. I took a little longer to get my junk rounded up. I also made the mistake of forgetting where I was. I had the companionway hatch slid closed because it had started raining lightly, so in my hurry to go load some stuff into the car, I grabbed arms full and went to bound up the steps - straight up into the hatch. I sat down rather quick.
It looks worse than it was, I'm sure. I was more annoyed at myself that I forgot about the hatch and felt like an idiot. But I soldiered on and packed up, heading home finally. All in all, it was a pretty great trip. 5 Days on the boat, and some good quality time with Dad along the way.
Since getting home, I did manage to fix the rear axle u-joint on my car, and more importantly, ordered the new Dometic SaniPottie 975MSD for the boat, along with - drum roll please - new foam to make cushions out of! It remains to be seen how well this comes out, but I bought some foam from Thefoamfactory.com which comes pre-cut in the dimensions you wish. They even do V-berth cushions complete with the little notch at the bottom. However, since the notch is off-center for the Newport 28, I opted for just a straight trapezoid shape in the overall size, and I can cut that out after it arrives. I ordered the foam for the V-berth, and two more pieces for the seats in the main cabin. You can also have the pieces pre-wrapped with fiberfill to make your cushions nice and smooth. I still have to order up the material, and then after we see how they come out, there's the quarter berth cushion left, and the seat backs. If I get really daring, maybe cockpit cushions too!
Happy Father's Day to all those out there!
