[paikea]

OK, I'll play. I'm in my off-season right now. Still months away from getting back to the boat. Here's yesterday's adventure. Bet you're all jealous :

View attachment 146548

Like me , during the winter at the house in the mountains, during the summers on the boat. But I am jealous of that snow. Didnt see much of that this winter.

 

[MikeOReilly]

Like me , during the winter at the house in the mountains, during the summers on the boat. But I am jealous of that snow. Didnt see much of that this winter.

You want some of ours? We've had plenty here in southish Alberta.

Actually, it's probably been about the norm. We just haven't had any warm chinooks blow through lately. Normally we'd get one come through and melt/sublimate most of the snow away. Haven't had a good one in months.

 

[paikea]

You want some of ours? We've had plenty here in southish Alberta.

Actually, it's probably been about the norm. We just haven't had any warm chinooks blow through lately. Normally we'd get one come through and melt/sublimate most of the snow away. Haven't had a good one in months.

Right now just sick and tired of rain and mud and really want to get back on the boats, hence day dreaming in here a little and studying. We have two boats, the smaller one ( a 28) is for me to practice on and learn and this year I decided to redo its electrical system ( by myself entirely, my husband can do it fully and he is a pro at it, but this one is my challenge to figure out and I cant wait to get started on that, not that I have a clue what I am doing but the clue will be coming step by step hence the studying).

Enjoy the rest of the winter and wishing you a wonderful upcoming season!

 

[Zanshin]

I'm still stuck here in St. Martin, waiting for my genoa to be fixed. I do home office during the day, so this is all I get to see in the evening (Sint Maarten Yacht Club bar)

 

[MikeOReilly]

Right now just sick and tired of rain and mud and really want to get back on the boats, hence day dreaming in here a little and studying. We have two boats, the smaller one ( a 28) is for me to practice on and learn and this year I decided to redo its electrical system ( by myself entirely, my husband can do it fully and he is a pro at it, but this one is my challenge to figure out and I cant wait to get started on that, not that I have a clue what I am doing but the clue will be coming step by step hence the studying).

Enjoy the rest of the winter and wishing you a wonderful upcoming season!

And to you as well, hope the season goes well.

Good on you for taking on the rewiring job. My partner and I rewired a previous boat. It turned into a bigger job than I'd initially expected, but when it was done we had an electrical system that far outclassed the rest of our 1974 boat. It was a great job to have done, although the actual 'doing' part was sometimes a PITA.

 

[OntarioTheLake]

I'm still stuck here in St. Martin, waiting for my genoa to be fixed. I do home office during the day, so this is all I get to see in the evening (Sint Maarten Yacht Club bar)

Awww, that's HORRIBLE! I'd HATE to have to do that!

Mike, stop with the snow photos already. I have a window.

 

[MikeOReilly]

Mike, stop with the snow photos already. I have a window.

Just sharing my joy with others . Wait till I get back to Newfoundland. I'll have better shots then ... although you won't hear as much from me because ... I'll be off cruising remote waters .

 

[MarkofSeaLife]

World's biggest sailing boats gather to race in the St Barts Bucket

Columbia second from left

 

[OntarioTheLake]

Just sharing my joy with others . Wait till I get back to Newfoundland. I'll have better shots then ... although you won't hear as much from me because ... I'll be off cruising remote waters .

Yes, sadly, those not doing are sitting on the internet looking at photos of others that are doing.

Mike, idea for next winter: GO SOUTH. Your boat is mobile, you have no kids in school. GO SOUTH. Buy an A/C if you must. Don't give me that rubbish about being too warm, there are so many Canadians in Florida that they're changing the name to Southern Ontario.

 

[hpeer]

Today's chore.
The old pile is under the stay sail.
New pile on side deck.
chain to 8 plait spulce being worked on in cockpit.
Changed gypsy this morning.

 

[MikeOReilly]

Yes, sadly, those not doing are sitting on the internet looking at photos of others that are doing.

Mike, idea for next winter: GO SOUTH. Your boat is mobile, you have no kids in school. GO SOUTH. Buy an A/C if you must. Don't give me that rubbish about being too warm, there are so many Canadians in Florida that they're changing the name to Southern Ontario.

We'll probably head that way eventually, but there's still too much left to explore up here.

It's not the heat that scares me about south, it's the crowds. Even if we look at the photos in this thread, most of them look way too crowded for my liking.

But some people say you can always find solitude, so maybe... In the meantime, I strongly suggest anyone wanting to get away from it all, should point their bows north. There's so much to see and explore up here, and (almost) no one to get in your way.

 

[AWT2_Sail]

And to you as well, hope the season goes well.

Good on you for taking on the rewiring job. My partner and I rewired a previous boat. It turned into a bigger job than I'd initially expected, but when it was done we had an electrical system that far outclassed the rest of our 1974 boat. It was a great job to have done, although the actual 'doing' part was sometimes a PITA. View attachment 147070

Question: Why can't ponies (or are they donkeys) talk?


Answer: Because they are a little hoarse.

 

[MikeOReilly]

Question: Why can't ponies (or are they donkeys) talk?
Answer: Because they are a little hoarse.

Ha!

They are donkeys ... miniature donkeys. Here's a little horse (also in our charge):

 

[colemj]

The old pile is under the stay sail.

Maybe it is just the picture, but the old pile looks like good clean chain.

Mark

 

[colemj]

It's not the heat that scares me about south, it's the crowds. Even if we look at the photos in this thread, most of them look way too crowded for my liking.

I agree about the photos looking crowded. The Eastern Caribe is way crowded with very few places to escape from them, and most of those places are just a few less popular anchorages and not really escaping the crowds because you are right back in them as soon as you pull anchor.

However, the Bahamas have many places where you will be isolated (maybe one or possibly two other boats occassionally) for 100nm around. Jamaica gets few cruising boats and a ton to explore and do. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are isolated with pristine diving and snorkeling. Going West are the Swan Islands where only one or two boats a year ever stop, then the Bay Islands of Honduras that have a few crowded popular anchorages, but many more where few ever go. You can find a lot of isolation in Belize outside of the few popular charter places. Heading South from there are Providencia, San Andreas, Albuquerque Cays, and Corn Islands, of which Providencia and San Andreas might have a half dozen cruising boats, while the others rarely see any. The San Blas Islands of Panama can be a bit crowded on the couple of far Western end islands, but the 300 islands to the East hardly ever see cruising boats. Even the Bocas del Torro Panama archipelago has two or three anchorages that are full of cruisers, while hundreds of other anchorages remain empty.

Go South, but go West for isolation, cultural variety, and incredible nature, not East.

Oh, and you should be scared of the heat...

Mark

 

[MikeOReilly]

Mark, I was really loving your detailed post -- until that final line. Now I'm scared ... again.

 

[colemj]

Mark, I was really loving your detailed post -- until that final line. Now I'm scared ... again.

One does eventually acclimate, even you apocalypse sheiks - to a degree. I was born and raised North of Canada and don't do well in heat, but I eventually got used to it enough to survive, and now I can't handle cold well (mostly because I don't own any clothing that covers my arms, legs, or feet). As long as there is water and shade and breeze around I'm fine, but can't do much hiking in mid day, or even slow walking around.

Mark

 

[OntarioTheLake]

Mike you need to go to the Pacific. A million islands with nobody there. And one can swim without freezing.

People don’t understand the Pacific. Most older Americans have heard about Tarawa. Writers who have never been there spill rubbish about it. Tarawa is a huge atoll with hundreds of islands. The US-Japanese battle was on THREE islands. You could have sat on any number of other islands sucking a beer while safely watching history be made.

Heck, we find solitude in Thousand Islands during high season. It’s there, just have to figure out how to get where others are afraid to go.

 

[MikeOReilly]

Heck, we find solitude in Thousand Islands during high season. It’s there, just have to figure out how to get where others are afraid to go.

The remote Pacific sounds great. Maybe someday.

But to be clear, in most of the places I’ve cruised, solitude has been easy to find. It’s partly why I’ve chosen these places. It’s one of the reasons I’m in no rush to leave Newfoundland.

I spent a few seasons plying the 1000 Island waters. It’s a lovely area, but it sure doesn’t score high on the solitude scale.

 

[hpeer]

Maybe it is just the picture, but the old pile looks like good clean chain.

Mark

The half in top is.
The bottom half is only little rusty, not elongated, but WORN in the links. Enough that sections will not work on my Gypsy.
But 100’ is not enough to be useful, and if I end-for-end I can’t ever use that bit, it won’t work in the gypsy. This new chain.

Actually kind if shocking how fast it went from fine to unusable.

Know anyone in Dominica who needs 100’ 10mm G4?