How lucky can a man get...................?????

This last Sunday was another sorta gnarly day on Galveston Bay, kinda,...........no sun, confused chop.........chilling wind at 10-15 coming from the direction that we want to go......onna boat that specializes in "aft of the beam sailing"...but it was really a great day........why?......three generations of my family are here....sailing together......me.......my lovely pregnant daughter.....her totally devoted , great guy husband, AND my 2 year old grand daughter sitting in my lap and holding the tiller in her tiny hand for the first time in her little  life....single reef in the main to keep the heeling down....the big genny out to only about 110....a little weather helm.....her little hand holding the tilller...no help from me here -it was hers...a sudden little gust...the tiller jumped...and you know what???? she instinctly knew what to do.....no fabrication here, my friends...we couldn't believe it!!...there she is ...a two year old little soul playing the gusts....OK two puffs but she is only two.....You've got a happy man right here....
                    "Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music"
                                                 -Ronald Reagan
Take care my friends, be well, be happy, be safe....................

Sittin" on the dock.........a hopin' and a prayin'...........

Well, its Jan 18, 2011 and no bites on my beautiful, swanki-enda townhouse - probably need to go by the Board of Realtors again and get another St. Christopher to bury in my yard,....have to stop burying these things.....any day now, the Vatican will probably call and want to know ..."hey man, whatcha doing....we've heard that you have multiple St. Christophers, The Patron Saint of Realtors, buried in your yard....we have a surcharge, you know......after so many...you've created a Shrine using one of our saints and we have to charge you for this .." "..Your kidding !!"... "Nope"...." We'll have an invoice out to you in a couple of days..." "Oh-OK....but, what if one is temporarily sparse of purse?..."  " well unfortunately we cannot make any exceptions..... expect our invoice within 7 days.."  "OK-Bye"  This isn't good!!  Oh well.........this invoice goes on the pile with the rest........My promise to you all is that one day there WILL be tales of adventure, romance, sailing-derring-do, love, life, pathos, humor, and consummate compassion for life on these pages......but until then always remember-------
"the shoe that fits one person pinches another"
                          -Carl Jung
Take care my friends---go hug your family......call your brothers and sisters and tell them that you love them.......seeya

Where am I.................?

ManoManoMan- its cold today! Its got to be 40 degrees-for me thats way too cold!! Not too many years ago my BIL from Alaska came to visit. It was February in Houston and weather was like now 40ish, cloudy, damp, chilling wind, wet dripping from everything, withering life forms all around, gray, dismal. Its 9am or so on Saturday and its time to make coffee for my still cuddled and warm sleeping family. There is a commotion in the backyard...whats this? Looking through the sliding glass doors....there in the pool is my BIL having a wonderful frolic in the, whatsgottobe, freezin' water. He sees me lurking through the sliding glass doors clad in parka, scarf, cap, and muk-luks and yells "hey man cmon in" its great. GREAT!! "are you nutz? "  Naw man, its great! ...just like the Caribbean!.................this memory has never escaped me....we are as others see us, we are as we see ourselves, and we are as we really are...............

"To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven"
                                            -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Take care my friends and peace to you all in this new year.....................

Whats in a name..............?

We're all nutz-you know that dont'cha boaters!! Look at us! A disparate bunch of opinionated sailing advocates who are set in our own peculiar salty ways and who quite often find  an unrational fulfillment in disparaging  the inclinations of our seafaring brothers. Take a gander at what we name the objects of our time, money, and affection: the racing guys like the catchy names: "Blew By You", "Blade Runner", "Marrakech Express", "Stealth Chicken"- cool names all; cruising boats have more sublime, peaceful, and thought provoking names: "Siempre Sabado", "Lobo Del Mar", "Simpatico", "Spirit Of Erin", "Zosha"; the gunkholer's like whimsical names: "Sunflower", "Toot-sea", "Sweetpea", "Cuddles", "Puddlejumper";  the motorsailor crowd goes for huge, powerful names: "Prometheus", "Diablo", "Lionheart", "Mandarin"; lastly, we can't forget the multihull types who go for exotic names:  l'Hydroptere, "Oracle", "Alingi". "Orient Express". These are great names all. Dontcha love 'em?
Even though we might differ in our perspective of what sailing is or should be, there is one thing that we cannot forget- we all heed the call of Mother Ocean and in that we are all related. We are family.

"Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air"
                           -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Take care my friends..............

Right is to the left and left is to the right........got it?

Did you ever see that video on National Geographic where the monkey gets his hand caught in a coconut and he goes all spazzy throwing his arm up and down and all around every which way trying to get the hand free...? Well, those monkey moves kinda remind me of the gyrations that often occur when you try to teach someone to steer a boat with a tiller. Wheels are comforting to people. There is nothing foreign about a steering wheel-we use em' every day. A new sailor's confidence is bolstered by the sight and feel of the wheel. Familiarity!  A TILLER though is another story. What is this archaic piece of medieval contraptionry? You can see it in their eyes. They don't want to touch it! And when they do, many times its the monkey moves revisited........thats OK too......this is just an observation not a criticism. Its just funny to me. You know who are the easiest to teach the tiller to? No, you say.   KIDS!! In my experiences teaching kids sailing they get the dynamics of the tiller quickly and become proficient in no time at all. Much better than adults. You psychologists out there probably know why this is so. This last weekend my 13 year old grandson took ZOSHA's tiller for the first time. It was a beautiful day on Galveston Bay 10-12 knots of wind, smooth water, sunny, coolish temp,  perfect!!    In about 20 minutes he had it down! The boat was his. Gimme a beer. Can't wait to go out with him again..........he is a natural... but you know what....? so was his mom!
Take care my friends and ............."may you live every day of your life"
                                                                          -Jonathan Swift

Money honey.....................

Whats that old salt addage about boats being holes in the water into which one throws money ?  We all know that its true. West Marine prices give me heart arrhythmias and Defender is not much better  ..........holy-moley$$  My breathing is raspy now just writing about this... Zosha is not geared up yet...........why you ask?...........well it seems that her captain is how do you say it?...."sparse of purse".........don't you just love the way these words roll out of your mouth?........what a phrase......"sparse of purse"........who coined that one? Next time one of your buddies asks for $$- "sorry  I find myself temporarily sparse of purse".........that aside, why gear up my boat now just to sail around in circles on Galveston Bay ? Makes no sense---------my house has got to sell.........so when the time comes-Zosha will get fitted out to the wherewithal limits of her captain, me............that said..........hmm wherewithal....another good word......!Don't worry friends...........
"I've got all the money I'll ever need,
If I die by four o'clock"
- Henny Youngman
Good wishes to you all...........

Messin' about in boats........................

This is supposed to be a blog about sailing and adventuring around in a tiny sailboat...........well, its gonna get there but for now .........
ZOSHA  is named in honor of my mother who took care of me thru all. She is a factory finished 1978 Westsail 28. This boat  is often overlooked by many cruiser sailors because of the cult status of her more famous sister the Westsail 32. There were over 800 Westsail 32's manufactured but only 60 Westsail 28's. In this world of mass manufacturing and million unit knock off productions, to me its gratifying to own something this rare.   She is a heavy boat 13,500 lbs displacement, 4200lb ballast 4.3' draft and was designed by Herb David not William Crealock as is often published. Some internet sailing pundit posted that the Westsail 28 is the slowest boat that he ever sailed -don't know about that but Zosha can cruise along nicely at 6 knots in 10-12 knots of wind at a 15-20 degree heel . In zephyrs she ghosts along -never loses way-on. When its nasty- she handles that too.........whattaya want Mr. Pundit??? According to the local yacht brokers,  she has had 3 or 4 owners before my tenure and has never been anywhere or really done what she was designed to do and that is to voyage............this will change.....
Take care my friends.........
"It is sometimes better to abandon oneself to destiny"-Napoleon Bonaparte

Conventional wisdom revisited.........................

It was probably in high school when we first heard this business about goals.-  "What are your goals after graduation?" Our parents, our teachers and/or our counselors asked of us. "What are you going to be?" "What are you going to do with you life?"  "You know to be a success in life -you need a 1 year plan, a 3 year plan, a 5 year plan." You need a life plan and  set your personal goals and stay the course"  "If you do this, you will be successful, fulfilled, and happy" Do you remember these conversations? ................Have you ever thought that when you set goals and become unquestionably committed to them that you often shut out the  one thing that makes life an adventure instead of a routine?......you exclude the unexpected consequences for spontaneous action.....! From this moment on I commit myself to not setting any goals............oh oh, wait a minute.....is this a goal?
SHUCKS!!!!!!!!!!
"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams"- John Barrymore
Take care my friends and peace to you all........