Fight Club____for Sailors

[CharlieCobra]

Let's see:

1. Old boat, wouldn't know what a vang was if it bit it on the...
2. No traveler, just a simple set of double block on the boom and two outrigger blocks.
3. No Cunningham.

I plan to address these issues as I go along. The only sail adjustments I have are the Jib sheets and the Main outhaul. Ya work with what ya got, for now.

[Surfesq]

Well then try what I suggested. (The Vang is the gadget you see that connects the boom to the boat. Usually about one third from the mast). Yours might not have one based upon your description.

[Surfesq]

"The upside of drinking includes such things as helping the student to unwind, helping them meet dates and opening up social opportunities." This according to a study performed by Prof. Kate Carey of the Center for Health and Behavior in the psychology department at the University of Syracuse.

Hell, I could have saved her a bunch of time and money. Isn't it amazing when an Academic comes to a conclusion that you reached on your first night of college?

Jimmy Buffet said it best....".....your'e looking better every beer. Barmaid bring a pitcher, another round of brew...Why don't we get drunk and screw."

[CharlieCobra]

Oh, I know what a vang is, the boat doesn't though. I've been eyeballing one that acts in place of a topping lift.

[Sonofasonofasailor]

Date: June 18, 2006

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search about 1:45 p.m. today for the 41-foot sailing vessel Free Spirit, with four people on board, which was reported to be in distress June 15 approximately 200 nautical miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia and 290 nautical miles east of Chatham, Mass.

Today the Coast Guard continued an exhaustive search using the Coast Guard Cutter Spencer, homeported in Boston, the Canadian vessel CCGS Earl Grey and a U.S. Navy P-3 fixed-wing airplane from Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine, but they were unsuccessful in finding the Free Spirit.

The Coast Guard searched more than 15,000 square miles over the last 73 hours, an area slightly larger than the state of Massachussetts.

"Suspending a search is one of the hardest decisions a district commander has to make," said Rear Admiral David Pekoske, commander, Coast Guard First District. "I understand how difficult it is for family and friends to move forward when a search is suspended without the hoped for outcome. I can assure you that the Coast Guard worked around the clock trying to locate the Free Spirit or its crew."

Kirsty Scott, Jacek Beilecki's stepdaughter, called New York police, who contacted the Coast Guard about 11:55 a.m. June 15. Scott stated that she received a satellite phone call from her stepfather, stating his GPS position and that he was in distress and needed to be rescued immediately. The seas were reported to be 23 to 30 feet, and the winds were reported to be 50 to 90 knots.

[sailingdog]

As I've said before...there's no good excuse for them going bluewater without a working EPIRB. In the last year alone, the EPIRB has proven its value as a piece of vital safety gear.

[Surfesq]

You are 100% correct on that Sailingdog. Also a lot of the radios have that distress signal feature which sends out a GPS coordinates. So there is really no excuse. But so many people head out into the Ocean unprepared. I know my daughter would not have been on that boat. From the article, it seemed as though the boat was not ready to be sailed in the ocean.

[Surfesq]

Here is the word on Merrill, the fellow in Annapolis who went missing from his boat:

Merrill Apparently Shot Himself On the Bay

By Eric Rich
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 21, 2006; Page A01

Philip Merrill, the prominent publisher and former diplomat whose body was found floating in the Chesapeake Bay on Monday, apparently took his own life after struggling with a heart condition for more than a year, his family said last night.

Merrill, 72, was found with a small anchor tied around one or both ankles and what investigators believe was a shotgun wound to the head, according to a source familiar with the investigation. The source said Merrill had bought a shotgun in recent weeks.

Philip Merrill had become fatigued and unmotivated, relatives said.
"Obviously, he took his own life," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation remains open. "This is not an accident."

The development was a startling turn in a tragedy that began June 10, when Merrill's boat, the Merrilly, was found under full sail but with no one aboard, drifting in a stiff breeze near Plum Point. A recreational boater found his body Monday near Poplar Island, more than 11 miles from where the Merrilly was discovered.

Merrill, who was famously brash and determined as the leader of the Annapolis-based publishing empire that includes Washingtonian magazine and the Capital newspaper, lately had become fatigued and unmotivated, his family said in a statement late yesterday.

"Over the past four weeks we observed that his spirit had dimmed," the relatives said.

Merrill had undergone heart surgery a year ago and was on several medications as a result, they said.

"We were concerned for his welfare but never imagined that he would consider taking his own life," they said. "Unfortunately, with the same resolve and single-mindedness that made him so effective as an executive he appears to have made his decision to carry out his actions with tragic consequences."

From the moment the boat was recovered, authorities said they did not suspect foul play. Although Merrill's expertise as a sailor contributed to speculation that an accident was unlikely, confirmation of an apparent suicide left some of his former associates stunned.

"To be honest with you, I'm speechless," said Tom Marquardt, executive editor of the Capital. "This ending does not change his accomplishments one iota."

Chuck Conconi, who worked alongside Merrill for 15 years as Washingtonian's editor at large, said: "It is the most improbable thing I could conceive of. From everything I could determine, he loved his life."

Merrill was assistant secretary general to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the early 1990s and president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States from 2002 until last year. Throughout his working life, he took time away from his business interests to pursue diplomatic and intelligence assignments for the government. He served six administrations, mostly in the State and Defense departments.

Philip Merrill 1934-2006

1934: Born Philip Merrill Levine in Baltimore on April 28. Raised in Norwalk, Conn.
1955: Graduated from Cornell University; later graduated from Harvard University's business school
1961-1968: Worked for the State Department
1968: Bought the Capital-Gazette Press Inc. for $2.5 million. Papers include: the Capital of Annapolis, Maryland Gazette, Bowie Blade-News, Crofton News-Crier and West County News
1977: Baltimore magazine added to Capital-Gazette portfolio (it was later sold)
1979: Bought the Washingtonian magazine for $3.6 million; added to the holdings of Capital Gazette
1981-1983: Served in Department of Defense as counselor of defense
1987: Built printing plant and new offices for Capital-Gazette Communications
1988: Awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the secretary of defense, the highest civilian honor given by the department
1990-1992: Assistant Secretary General for NATO in Brussels
2000: Donated $7.5 million to Chesapeake Bay Foundation; the foundation's headquarters building is now named after him
2001: Donated $10 million to University of Maryland College of Journalism; the college is now named after him
2002: Chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States
2003: Donated $4 million to Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, creating the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies


Sources: The Washington Post, Philip Merrill College of Journalism

[Surfesq]

Check out what this guy said about me on the Anti-Fight Club Thread:

"One should always consider the source of any public statement. The words of a wise man will stand on their own. The rantings of a self centered blowhard know it all will collapse under their own weight."
pigslo

See now that was the reaction I was going for. A total Non whining about me on another thread. Too bad this guy doesn't have the stones to actually come onto this site and type that for himself. But it is pretty damn funny. lol. I think this site needs a place where people can express strong opinions. It is a Public Forum after all. This guy or anyone for that matter should bring it!

On a separate note:

I was oddly relieved to see that Mr. Merrill did not die from a sailing accident. I am not suggesting that I am happy he chose to end his life. He obviously was very depressed about his health and it is a real tragedy for his family. But I was irritated by the Nons with the old "I told you so" who so quickly assumed that he fell overboard because he was pushing the limits on a breezy day. You can push the limits safely...Mr. Merrill had been doing just that for years. Who knows, maybe he became depressed at the thought of losing the ability to get out on the Bay and push his own limits. I can sympathize with that train of thought. What good is life if you can't live it?

[pluscard]

The seas were reported to be 23 to 30 feet, and the winds were reported to be 50 to 90 knots.
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Geez, had the guy read this forum, and had some rum in his belly, he certainly could have sailed thru that - probably without even reefing...