I'm in Ventura

I am in Ventura (good fortune).  After my second daysail aboard Ventura I believe I was lucky in finding her, and more so for such getting her at such a reasonable price.  As a friend said to me, "you bought a trailer and got a sailboat in the deal."  That was actually a good part of my own thinking when I made the deal.

One of my favorite cruising sailor friends stopped by here on his annual migration south, for a visit and a sail.  He travelled south from his Vermont home in the woods, to Florida, via kayak!  (The kayak, is strapped to the top of his Audi station wagon).  In Florida his cruising sailboat is waiting for him and he will transfer the kayak from the station wagon roof top, to the boat's side deck, and make his way thru the Bahamas, maybe even down to Bonaire over the next 5 or 6 months.

He was a former Venture 21 owner and it was fun to see him experiencing "De Ja Vu, all over again", as he puts it.  We had a very nice sail and it being my second time out on the boat, it was another step in the learning process of this particular boat.  A forecast for light air couldn't keep the wind from blowing a good force 3 or 4 out on the river.  We had a very nice time.  We put the stanchions on in the water when we failed to release the main sheet soon enough in a gust, but other than that it was beam reaches and catching up while just messing about on boats.

We marveled at how much plastic and finance was tied up in the marina, while we were out enjoying a beautiful fall day sail in a boat that cost less than some of the annual maintenance costs on the boats who's owners were, at that moment, in at a job trying to pay for them.  Ventura is rough looking right now, with green moss still on the decks from a year of sitting.  The paint and gel coat are faded and chipped.  The bottom is almost barren of anti fouling paint. The wood, all 4 pieces of it, is grey.  But she doesn't leak, and the rig is standing and she is a great little magic carpet for me.  There is room below for me to sleep, and eat and read, and even room for company.

After the second sail, I like her twice as much.  That is a good trend and even if the trend goes no further it is enough for me to know that finding this boat was fortunate (Ventura) for me.

My friend helped me to realize that the main sail the boat came with is actually from a Buccaneer.  It is old and without reef points and a bit under sized so a new sail my be in our future, should one come our way!  We set the smallest foresail which was the jib that was supposed to be set on the inner stay, on the forestay, as I don't have an inner stay rigged.  It turned out to be just about right for the weather conditions and our attitude for the day.

It is lovely and unusual to have a hand on board.  It does make the whole experience that much better, especially when it is a good friend, and especially when it is a good friend who knows the ropes!

Thanks for the visit Dean and fair winds to you.

Veggie Freighter

Veggie Freighter, Ceres

I just learned of a boating venture going on on the Hudson River.  It is a purpose built freighter of Vermont Vegetables and produce that is making it's way down river toward NYC, stopping and selling along the way.  It is actually an idea I had, in a way, a while back.  My idea was more of a waterborne farm produce stand.

I found this very interesting:
Vermont Sail Freight Project: Maiden Voyage on Vimeo
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The one thing about this I don't really agree with is that I think food should be produced and consumed as locally as possible, thus giving all people "food security" by having each local of sustaining itself.  An idea like the food freight one is really just a stunt, self admitted from what I have read, but it does get people looking in the right direction and thinking about proper things.  On the negative side, Transporting food from Vermont to New York by sailboat is kind of at the beginning of the current problem, isn't it?  I like the idea of delivering fresh(?) food by sailing freighter, but it seems a bit contrived and that it could lead to us all getting most of our goods and food from overseas, thousands of miles away, instead of just growing it locally and thus making each locale more secure and independent.

Ventura

Today I launched Ventura, my Macgregor Venture 21 trailer sailer.  It is the first day of winter storage at the local marina so, as is my nature, I am launching as everyone else is pulling their boats out for the season or thinking about doing so.

October 15 and the season begins.  First time in getting
this boat floating for me.  I bought it Oct. 9, one year ago!

After checking that the hull was sound, no leaks, we got the boat rigged and motored out into the river.  As always, the worries and stress seemed to go away a bit as I killed the outboard and raised sail.  The wind was light and that was just fine as I had no idea what she would sail like, how tender she was, nor do I feel so sure about the state of the rigging, but even in light winds she had steerage and moved along quite fine.

A lovely Fall day.

In getting her up the river to her winter slip/in the water storage I got to take her for about a 2 1/2 hour sail.  The wind came up nicely, about 12 knots, and I could just take long tacks across the river and back.  I tried "heaving to" just to make sure she would and that worked just fine.  I took the time hove to to eat a snack and watch another boat tacking down river.

Not really the prettiest boat, but,
it floats and sails and is
in the water!  My current magic carpet.

I decided to see just how well we were getting along and sailed her into the marina basin, tacked and sailed past all those big plastic motor yachts.  It felt pretty good go be the only boat sailing while amongst so many boats whose purchase price was so much more than the price of my boat.  In fact, most of there slip fees are many times over the purchase price and the winter slip fee for my boat!!!

I don't think she is the prettiest boat going, but she does seemed to sail well.  She feels comfortable and as though she would take care of me, up to a point.  While sailing along and looking down into the cramped cabin I suddenly found it spacious and was ready to toss in a sleeping bag and camp stove.  If I'd had them with me I might still be out there tonight.  That reminds me, I gotta get better ground tackle for her.  The anchor she came with is to light for my tastes.  I don't plan to do much in the way of improvements to this boat until next spring or summer.  For now I'd just like to sail it.
Hurray, I've got a boat back in the water again!!!!!

Brailed up

sailing QTx skiff

Sprit rig skiff
no rudder
no daggerboard
steering by the mainsheet and bodyweight!
dead simple

summer sailing

skiff on the lake on a perfect summer day.

Gettin' wet

We piled the pram and the new boat into the back of the truck and headed for the lake.

like pancakes.

 Perfect weather for a first time out in a new boat.

Liz and her new boat.

The boat is small and with that size comes some definite limitations.  Liz seems to like it.  It seemed very tender.  She didn't complain.  It also seemed squirrelly.  I think that I will add a skeg to the underbody to help it track better.

First time out

The boat doesn't seem as small when she is in it.  With her in it the boat draws about 2 inches, maybe 3.  She has to be very aware of where she sits to trim the boat a tiny bit down in the stern seems to make it track better.

The micro canoe.

I got in and tried her out.  Very tender, not a trait I appreciate in any boat.  Otherwise it seems to be about what I expected.  I think I could have increased the beam a bit and decreased the freeboard to get that extra bottom width.  I think that the pram has much more stability because of this added 6 inches on the beam, and carrying the width farther out to the ends.
The boat will do what it was made to do just fine.  It will be an easy way to get on the pond.  Liz portaged the boat just fine.

Happy girl in a boat built for her.