Been a While
A combination of busyness and frustration have prevented more timely posts vis-a-vis spring commissioning, launching, and summer sailing trips. As always the weeks surrounding the conclusion of the school year were a flurry of grading, end-of-year proceedings, and last-minute outfitting of the boat before finally getting her in the water. And, like so many summers before, once Ariel was in the water, my studies interfered with cruising. The silver lining is that my two master's degrees will be wrapped up by May, which means next summer is wide open. Finally!
Ariel splashed some time in June (I've forgotten the actual date) after minimal commissioning - hull waxing, bottom paint, etc. There's really not much to report on that, except for the fact that this was the first season that there weren't any major projects preventing us from launch.
Although I wasn't available to do any cruising, Dad and Jonathan were going to go together. Jono soon got a job at a local commercial photography studio, however, and he and dad (and Aster, Jonathan's 10-month-old chocolate lab) spent most of the summer living aboard in St. Joseph - not the cruising dad had in mind. The most cruising they managed was an overnight to South Haven, a port about 20nm north of St. Joseph.
As long as Ariel was stuck at the dock, dad decided he wanted to get some work done. So, we set to stripping Cetol off of the teak, building our new dodger, and otherwise just simply messing about with the boat. We snuck in the occasional daysail, which was fun, but longed for distant ports and quiet anchorages.
As of October 23, Ariel is on the hard. Her mast was unstepped on the 25th and she's now parked in her usual spot, awaiting winterizing details and her winter cover.
The following pictures were taken during a sunset/evening sail just off of St. Joseph. We enjoyed a spectacular sunrise as we headed offshore, then witnessed an equally beautiful, but slightly more impressive, moonrise as we headed back to port.
Jakob and I managed to squeeze in one last sail a couple days before haulout. I was too busy tending to the boat and the boy to get any pictures, but we had a perfect day: sunshine, a brisk breeze, smooth water - and Ariel proved that she's no slouch, outperforming a Tartan 34, a Junneau/Beneteau of some sort (they all look the same), and some other fellow out that day. Twenty-year-old sails and the old girl still moves well.
Ariel splashed some time in June (I've forgotten the actual date) after minimal commissioning - hull waxing, bottom paint, etc. There's really not much to report on that, except for the fact that this was the first season that there weren't any major projects preventing us from launch.
Although I wasn't available to do any cruising, Dad and Jonathan were going to go together. Jono soon got a job at a local commercial photography studio, however, and he and dad (and Aster, Jonathan's 10-month-old chocolate lab) spent most of the summer living aboard in St. Joseph - not the cruising dad had in mind. The most cruising they managed was an overnight to South Haven, a port about 20nm north of St. Joseph.
As long as Ariel was stuck at the dock, dad decided he wanted to get some work done. So, we set to stripping Cetol off of the teak, building our new dodger, and otherwise just simply messing about with the boat. We snuck in the occasional daysail, which was fun, but longed for distant ports and quiet anchorages.
As of October 23, Ariel is on the hard. Her mast was unstepped on the 25th and she's now parked in her usual spot, awaiting winterizing details and her winter cover.
The following pictures were taken during a sunset/evening sail just off of St. Joseph. We enjoyed a spectacular sunrise as we headed offshore, then witnessed an equally beautiful, but slightly more impressive, moonrise as we headed back to port.
Jakob and I managed to squeeze in one last sail a couple days before haulout. I was too busy tending to the boat and the boy to get any pictures, but we had a perfect day: sunshine, a brisk breeze, smooth water - and Ariel proved that she's no slouch, outperforming a Tartan 34, a Junneau/Beneteau of some sort (they all look the same), and some other fellow out that day. Twenty-year-old sails and the old girl still moves well.
posted by Ariel | CD 36 at 10/27/2007 04:28:00 PM
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