Filthy Boat

The emotion is similar every spring, alternating between "I wish I could launch today! The lake is flat and I'd love to be back at Belmont Harbor" and " The boat is so filthy. It'll never clean up. It'll be in the yard until June before she's ready."

The reality is somewhere in between. I don't have any critical projects this spring. A coat of wax on the hull and bottom paint touch-up are all that's required. The more cleaning and other projects I do at Crowley's, the fewer I do at Belmont.

April and May weekends are mostly full with family commitments so I'll really need to prioritize my work.  A filthy boat at the harbor is better than a clean boat in the yard, after all!

Back In The Harbor Again

I took my bike to run some errands today.  Riding south on the Lake Front Trail the warmer spring air, mooring balls in the harbor, and nice breeze brought my thoughts to boating season.

It doesn't feel like boats will start appearing on the harbors in 2 weeks--the unofficial opening is April 15.  It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Christmas, but here it is the day before Easter and the boats to support Chicago Yacht Club's spring frostbite sailing are in the water.  They've been sailing frostbite races several weeks already.

I'm sitting at my empty slip thinking about what a comfortable and happy space it really is.  I can't think of any bad times here.  Sure, there have been a aggravations and things that have upset me at the time (mostly boat related), but nothing specific that I can remember now.  All of my memories are of happy times with good friends and family.

Conor and Emmet will be 8 and 6 this summer.  They're reaching the age where they'll be able to really appreciate how special this place and owning a boat like Donnybrook really are.  They'll develop closer friendships with the other kids on the dock, I'm sure.

For Karen and me, some of our dock mates are earning the status of old friends as we've known some of them for as long as we've been boating, almost 15 years!  We have enough experience where our time on the water is less about the act of sailing and more about the pure enjoyment of it. What required thought or was a challenge is for the most part routine.  The enjoyment now stems from being with family and friends and doing something that strengthens a common bond.

I'm starting to lose the warmth from my bike ride so reality is returning.  It's only March.  I'm not sitting on Donnybrook, but am on the dock.  The location is the same.  The buildings I'm looking at are the same.  The sounds are the same (gulls, wind, flags snapping, traffic on Lake Shore Drive, halyards slapping).  The warm air and company of friends and family are missing for the immediate moment. 

Immediate family I'll see in less than an hour after I ride home.  Extended family I'll see tomorrow at Easter dinner. The rest of my family I'll see in a few days when we visit my parents and brother during spring break.  Friends I'll see as I'm able to see them.  I'll see Donnybrook in a couple of weekend when I start spring work.

Spring at Belmont Harbor and First Post of the Season

It's been awhile since I've posted. The off season really flies when your kids are growing, work is challenging, and you lead an active lifestyle.

The sun rising higher in the sky and the sun feeling warmer on my face is what's getting me in the mood for sailing.  I decided to leave work early today to enjoy the bright sun and check out the harbor.  The picture is where Donnybrook will be in only six weeks!

I had a big smile on my face as I was thinking about leaving a few minutes early (on time, actually) when a colleague remarked that I must be thinking about sailing because of my smile.  It surprised me because he was right, and that he could really tell!

I purchased a Google Nexus 4 phone recently.  I love the features. Android is a huge step up from from the Blackberry I used to use.  Everything about it should improve my blogging enjoyment and help make this blog more enjoyable to read.

Note the mini-iceberg in the foreground.  There was a subzero wind chill and gales on Lake Michigan this morning.

Location of Donnybrook's Swimmin' Hole

Location of our mid-lake swim, in 500 feet of water. No land, not even another boat, in sight!

The Middle of Lake Michigan

01Aug@1442 Central: Storms, big seas, and adventure gets a lot of attention, but often Lake Michigan is calm and docile. We've been motor sailing for over 6 hours and it's been uneventful. In this picture you can see Donnybrook's wake extending to the horizon. We're 40 miles from Grand Haven and 50 miles from Belmont Harbor, Chicago in 520 feet of water. There's been no wildlife to speak of, except for the occasional fly. We passed one tug with barge and a handful of pleasure craft crossing the lake to Michigan.

The mood has been relaxing. We're taking turns picking music, catching up on reading, sunning, and talking. Life in the middle of the Lake is similar to that on dock, except there are no other people and generally nothing man made in sight, except for Donnybrook and the stuff we brought along. Some people might be bored, but it's really awe inspiring.

We're looking forward to the traditional mid-lake swim and lunch. We'll probably take turns napping after that so we'll be alert for the night watch.

No one has had cell coverage for hours. Even the VHF radio has been quiet. I expect the chatter to pick up as we start to get into radio range of Chicago.

B-Team Becomes A-Team

Ellie has not been on a sailboat before sailing on Donnybrook. She'll be sailing from San Juan to Massachusetts when she becomes a junior at University of Maine. Her uncle and close friend of mine, Bob, asked her sail with us to give her a feel for life on the water.

Damn! Does this girl get sailing! With 5 minutes of instruction she's keeping Donnybrook on her way to Grand Haven in challenging conditions. She's getting a great upper body workout. For those not familiar with sailing big boats in these conditions (20 knot winds, 4-6' waves), it looks easy with a good helms person (as Ellie is) but can get messy pretty quick with a few mistakes.

Thank you, Ellie, for making my trip back to Chicago a little easier!

Working on Donnybrook

Here Dan is keeping the boat moving. Donnybrook sails herself for the most part, but requires constant monitoring. Dan and I see each other only once or twice a year so we spend this time catching up.

A significant aspect of sailing is you spend so much time together with your crew. I strive to pick crew I want to be with and, I think, form a stronger friendship with the people I sail with.

You form a bond with the people you sail with. The bond is something that is hard to replicate off the water.