Time To Lay Her Up For The Season

It is time to put away the Cat's Pajamas for the season. It was a good season and I'm glad that I got it out on Lake Huron many times this year when I vacationed in Lexington, Michigan this summer for a week. I hope that next year will be even better.

Metro Beach Boat Show

I went to the Metropolitan Beach Boat Show yesterday. In a word, it was awful. It really indicates how bad the economy really is. For a few years now they have shortened the duration of the show, but this year, it was just awful. There was nothing there, nothing to see, nothing worth $9/adult to walk into this mess. I think I have gone to my last boat show for some time. I'm not really a serious customer anyhow as I would never buy a brand new boat, ever. It is nice to see the new offerings and so on and I was gratified to see the Com-Pac dealer there with one or two specimens, but by and large, nothing to see. How depressing.

Sailing With A Green Crew

Took my own midshipman and his uncle out for a nice sail, fortunately or unfortunately, I discovered that my SUV had a blown head gasket.

Sailing with a young midshipman

I took my 13 year old nephew out for a nice sail.

Suprise Sail

Took a couple of former coworkers out for sail. The air was light and the weather looked threatening. As the night went on, wind came up and clouds went away, all in all a good sail for a Friday night.

Training Exercises

Took my usual crew out for a sail, the midshipmen can only tolerate an hour or two at most before the crew becomes mutinous.

Shake Down Cruise 2009

Sailed on July 4th for a few hours, everything went very well.

New Berth Cushions

Finally after many years of putting up with less than stellar berth cushions, I bit the bullet and ordered new ones made. By a stroke of luck I ordered it from what turns out to be the supplier to the Hutchins Company for cushions! I know this is going to turn out to be a great improvement inside the cabin. My first mate couldn't stand the originals which had become ripped, musty and flattened out. These cushions are made of a much better grade and it is my hope that these cushions will last the rest of the time I own this boat (which is going on 17 years now, unbelievable!). This will make being/sleeping below a much better experience. I need to work on sleeping accommodations topside now since my midshipman is getting too big to sleep across the front of the cabin.