Last Sail of 2011

This is the Sunset over Chicago from Lake Michigan tonight.  The lights of Wrigley Field, to the left, are out as they typically are in October.

This was a fantastic boating weekend!  I had a "boys night" Saturday night with Conor and Emmet.  Today our friends Mike, Kelly, Rob, and Zoe joined us for one last lazy sail.  We covered almost 15 miles and spent about 4+ hours on the water followed by dinner at dock.

Chicago from Lake Michigan

I don't live near mountains, but I live near one of the world's most beautiful skylines. There are only one or two other boats on the lake so it is safe to say Karen and I are only two of a handful to be seeing this sight right now.

October Sail, or Four Hours of Peace

It's over 80 degrees in Chicago today! It's perfect on Lake Michigan with the temperature in the low seventies on the water. This is the skyline from Donnybrook reaching on southerly winds on the lake.

Today is a great example of how kids change your life. Before kids, Karen and I would have taken today off then gone somewhere together. Maybe we would have sailed to Michigan City or New Buffalo. Maybe we would have driven to a bed and breakfast somewhere gone to my parents for a long weekend.

Today, we dropped the kids off at school, had breakfast (M Henry on Clark near Ashland, very good!), ran a few errands, and will be on the boat for four hours before we have to pick the boys up again. Karen is reading. I read a little, am writing this entry, and otherwise am doing what I like to do.

We'll be back on land by 2:30, will be with the kids again by 3:10, and our peace will be over.

Sarurday I'll have a boys night on the boat with Conor and Emmet, watch the Marathon Sunday morning, then go on a family sail. Next Saturday Donnybrook will return to her winter home at Crowley's.

Rainbow At Belmont Harbor!

This morning's rain turned into something special, a rainbow! I was hoping I'd see one after sitting in the rain with blue skies directly overhead, and I got my wish.

It's been a long time since my last post. School has started so I'm up early taking boys to school (which makes going to the boat after work harder). The days are shorter--it's dark at 6:30 now. It is easy to let other activities compete for my time, plus it's been cooler than normal for September.

I plan to get at least one more good sail in before Donnybrook goes to her winter home at Crowley's mid October.

Verve Distance Race Results

After a postponement due to storms, we started close to 1:30. Race Committee shortened course so it was a one leg race, 12 miles north to the first mark. It was too long for the wind.

We started in variable wind and barely made way. We deployed "Blue", our cruising spinnaker, but were making only two to three knots. We bobbed for two hours only to get decent wind, out of the northeast, for the last hour.

Several boats withdrew. We stuck with it until the race ended at 4:30. No boats finished.

Provisioning for the Verve Distance Race (Why I'm planning to be slow)

The Chicago Yacht Club's Verve Distance Race is today! As other boats are lightening their boats, we're provisioning for a race AND a day at the airshow Sunday (we have 10+ people coming over). Remember, Donnybrook is a cruiser first.

Combine with the forecast light winds I'm anticipating a slow race. With my fantastic friends and crew (Brian, Mike, Bob, Roxray, and Carlos) we'll have a great time no matter what happens.

Smokey Sunset Over Chicago

It was a better than usual sunset tonight, thanks to the fire in Cicero filling the sky with smoke.

I took co-workers Larisa, Noey, and David for an after work sail tonight. We sailed on a reach straight out about 4 miles and returned. Larisa was looking for the moon to rise, but it wasn't coming up until 8:40. We had do return to dock before then because of Noey and David's train schedule so she had her husband take her to Montrose Beach after the sail (parking is better there).

This was a fitting end to three days on Donnybrook: Pizza with the family and a sleep over with Conor Sunday before his first day of sailing lessons, a day off work Monday for boat chores (interrupted by a few work conference calls) and a solo sail, and finally a very pleasant after work sail with co-workers tonight!