Our New Storm Trysail - Lucky Find

We took advantage of being in Southern CA to visit Minny's Yacht Surplus in Costa Mesa. Dave especially wanted to look at a "NEW" Storm Trysail listed on their website. We made a harrowing two hour round trip ride on the 405. Minny's Yacht Surplus was easy to find and the place was amazing! We could have spent days wandering through the cluttered isles just looking at all the fabulous gear, much of it vintage!

http://www.minneysyachtsurplus.com/

The shop stores sails in great bins that run from the ceiling to the floor, left to right along two walls. Our sail was in bin number 56 which just happened to be in a top bin some 15 feet up. Once we got it down, we were able to unroll it in the back lot to take a good look. It was perfect! Brand new and just the right size. Dave will have to replace the sail slugs to match the track he purchased but boy did we get a good deal paying $240.00 for a sail that retails for $500 - $1000! We wandered around the store for an hour, just taking everything in, trying to remember all the little things on our list. We picked up two new safety harness lines, at $5.99 each, to add to the extra safety harnesses we inherited from a friend. Dave also bought a head shackle for the new trysail. Like any thrift shopper, we were thrilled with our lucky find. We were in the right place at the right time!

Storm Trysail all wrapped up and easy to store.

Getting Things Done

The longest day of the year is right around the corner. The weather has been summerlike in Stillwater and cooler in Knife River. We made our way up north on Friday, June 10th in 90 degree temps. By the time we got to Knife River it was 49 F. Our Alberg 35, Mystic, is on the hard at the edge of the Marina alongside a dirt road. Each evening, we watched deer sneak behind our row of boats, cross the street then make their way through the woods, popping out further up the road. They crossed again to access a big field and the lake. We were lucky to see and photograph a mama with her newborn. Amazing moment in time!

We are feverishly working on projects for the boat. This weekend we were able to knock off several items. I spent the week making covers for our mattress toppers. Moisture on a sailboat is always a problem so I decided I would cover the toppers with removable fabric which can be washed. They fit like a glove.

Dave made hatch doors to cover the forward anchor chain locker months ago. He finally installed them. They make the v-birth look neatly finished.

Anchor Chain Locker

  

V-Birth New Doors

Dave installing doors

Mattress Topper

We purchased the new mainsail halyard winch to replace the original which was unpredictable and had been slipping at inopportune times. The bolt pattern on the new winch was not the same as the old. Dave re-drilled holes to fit the new winch. The wire halyard will be changed out.

I took inventory on the bright work. It is overwhelming to realize how much work goes into keeping the teak looking nice. I've sanded and varnished much of the teak with the exception of the cockpit combings. I made a very small dent in this task. It sure is going to look nice when it's done!

So much teak, so little time...

The biggest accomplishment of the weekend is painting the bottom of the boat. Since we'd put a coat on 2 years ago, there wasn't a lot of work involved, but the difference is dramatic. We washed the hull with buckets of water gathered from the lake, then taped off the water line. It took about an hour to cover the bottom with a fresh coat.

Each task that we are able to cross off the list brings us joy and excitement. There is still work to be done. We'll get there, one step at a time!

Everybody Needs Goals

It is May, the month of rejuvenation; the world is filled with blooming rebirth and promise. We are diligently working on our goals to begin our year of cruising aboard our Alberg 35, Mystic. Dave scours the internet for information, cruising guides, and safety features to add to our lard. In the midst of all the planning he is trying to finish the garage remodel he started 3 years ago. (I won't even get into THAT.)

Spring in Minnesota

Dave is the keeper of all the planning, purchasing and organizing. I try to help but I'm wrapped up in my own to do list. While Dave is immersed in all things sailing, I am working on the task of zapping bad cells and making my way toward normal. I thought I'd be able to do more while undergoing radiation treatments, including small tasks in the garage that Dave plans for me, but each day brings a new level of exhaustion. Some days I get so much done that I extend my goals for the next day. Some days I accomplish only the trip to St. Paul Regions Hospital and a little knitting.

Navigation Library

Dory helping me knit

Regardless of my energy levels, it's important to set goals. Our major goal is to be ready to leave Knife River for the Bahamas this summer. It's been our dream since we met in 1982. Over the years it sat on a back shelf, a keepsake reminder of the prize at the end of the current priorities of raising kids, paying off our home mortgage and finding a cruising sailboat. We'd bring it out often, dust it off and dream.

Warm cruising grounds

We've learned that the major goals are best met by breaking them into minor goals or baby steps. We've taken a lifetime of baby steps to get where we are! As we move closer to our departure, our goals are more specific. They can be crossed off our list as they are completed. It's funny, though, how that list continues to grow instead of shrink. Dave says we have to be careful not to plan too much so we don't plan ourselves out of the adventure! At some point, it's just going to be time to leave!

Our current list looks a bit like this:

Once we depart on our journey, we will switch to a whole different set of goals. We will forge forward with open minds and adventurous spirits without the baggage of our life on land. Some days, our goal will be to traverse a specific number of miles to get to an anchorage or a marina. Other days, we will focus on exploring a local treasure. We have the luxury of making much of this up as we go! How lucky we are!

Blogging Trials and Tribulations - Leaving Comments & Replying

Wild flowers, coffee and blogging aboard Mystic, our Alberg 35

I've been blogging since January, 2012. Things have gone smoothly for me. Recently I ran into trouble when I attempted to reply to a comment made on one of my blog posts When I hit "publish" it appeared that my message was being posted but it just disappeared.

I didn't think much of it until I tried to reply to another comment on my blog. I realized that something had changed and this problem was not going to go away on it's own. After a whole lot of research I figured out that by changing my comment location from "embedded" to "full page" my ability to post comments returned. Unfortunately, this took away my ability to "reply" to comments.

Next, I researched ways to get "reply" back and found a nifty 3 step method that included modifying html code. I followed the directions to a T but it didn't work. It is possible that I did something wrong during this process. Several bloggers commented that it didn't work for them either but more bloggers were thrilled with the results. In the end, I decided not to add this option to the blog. It turned out that adding reply with this method was not ideal. The reply appears under the very last comment made. Instead of having the option of commenting, I would have the option of commenting OR replying. This means that I'd be replying out of order, not attached to a specific comment. In essence, I'd be commenting under a Reply label. What I really want to do is reply to a specific comment.

If anyone out there knows how I can fix this, please feel free to comment. I'll reply to your comment, however you may have to scroll to find my response.

Girl Interrupted...

My friend Sonya referred to me as Girl Interrupted when she heard I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It fit me perfectly since I am known as a healthy, vibrant, middle-aged, middle of the road, good living kind of gal. I took the news like anyone who has just been kicked in the gut with steel toed shoes! I fell to my knees and quivered while my world shook. Dave reacted pretty much the same, the news shook him to the point of teeth chattering. Everything had changed.

With Sonya at Ragnar Great River 2014

One good thing about having breast cancer is that you get answers FAST! Within a week of diagnosis, we learned that I had non-invasive DCIS, which means that the cancer is contained and can be removed. It's treatable AND beatable! My particular cancer was small and detected early. I will get through this, not unscathed, but with a favorable outcome.

Sonya went through this journey herself about 5 years ago. I am lucky to have a friend to help me navigate this foreign and frightening maze. Even though my situation was better than many cancer diagnoses, it's still a daunting challenge! We worried about so many things including expense, outcome and OMG will we be able to go sailing in July!

From my friend Kathy Battista Izbicki
This will go with us aboard Mystic!

The good news is, I will survive. I'll have to drag myself through a bit of yuk, then we'll put this in perspective and move on. We'll leave in July (or maybe August) and live life on the water, exploring new places aboard our Alberg 35, Mystic. Our appreciation of all things wild and wonderful, all things bright and beautiful will be greater than ever! We are grateful for the slap upside the head reminder; live life fully every day and be the best person you can be! This breast cancer thing is just another detour in the journey called life!

Blankee From Jaymi Mikla

Treatable, Beatable, B~Strong

BC My Comfort Puppy

A Storm Trysail for Mystic Our Alberg 35

Dave has been thinking overtime about ways to make our journey a safe and more comfortable trip. He is especially focused on what has happened to us in the past aboard Mystic that was awkward or dangerous. As a subscriber of Good Old Boat Magazine, he came across an article about the Storm Trysail and immediately saw how useful this alternative to a 3rd reef in the mainsail could be. The article was good. It clearly explained the benefits of having this sail, not only during heavy wind but during everyday sailing conditions.

The Storm Trysail ~ Ed Zacko Good Old Boat

Issue 106 January/February 2016

Every sailor has had an experience where they were running downwind with a full mainsail that needed a reef or three to gain control back. Any boat in these conditions is guaranteed to be rolling and picking up speed, surfing down the waves. Mystic has only two reefs in the main. At 16 feet, the boom is very long for a 35 foot boat. In fact, it is almost half the length of our boat reaching to the back of the cockpit. This gives us leverage and more control of the boom, but can be awkward in extreme conditions. We experienced just how awkward this could be while running down wind in heavy wind conditions on the trip to deliver Mystic to Knife River back in 2013. We were cruising down the Michigan channel between the beautiful Picture Rocks and Grand Isle.

Picture Rocks, Michigan

As we made our way, the wind began to increase and we found ourselves in rolling 5-6 foot seas. To make matters worse, the channel was narrowing and we had to make our way around a sand bar. To say things were intense would be an understatement. Suddenly, the boom snapped to center line, causing the main sheet to catch us off guard. We didn’t have the boom preventer on yet, (our mistake). I was slammed to the deck, pinned underneath the extremely taught sheet line and halfway on top of Dave, pinning him in place as well. Dave couldn't do much to help because he was manning the helm and in his own battle with the tiller. I didn't have the strength to release myself from under the boom sheet. We were in a whole lot of trouble for a few seconds but the boom whipped back to the port side and we were able to extricate ourselves from the predicament. Dave immediately added the boom preventer and pulled the second reef into the main. It happened so quickly and scared the crap out of us but we learned where NOT to be while Mystic is running down wind; and, we renewed our respect for the power of wind and sail. Since then we have talked at length about ways to avoid this type of predicament ever again.

Jumbled, rolling seas - Picture Rocks, Michigan

The Good Old Boat article applies directly to this incident and adding it to our sail inventory made sense to Dave, especially since our Alberg 35 is not set up for a third reef. Dave was going to add a third reef after our mishap but it is expensive. In addition, the reefing lines run inside the boom and the boom is set up for only two reef lines. It would not be an easy addition. Using the Storm trysail as an alternative would actually be cheaper and easier to use. Mystic already has an additional track running up the mast. The storm trysail will be permanently rigged on that track so it can be raised quickly. By wrapping up and storing the main and locking the boom down during high wind situations we would take the danger of using the boom out of the equation. Since the Storm Trysail is permanently attached, we can use it instead of the main in any conditions where we need a little less sail.

Each time we solve an issue or make an improvement our excitement for our journey grows. The next thing to tackle is a new main halyard winch. It is original from 1966 and aging on the same timeline as we are!

We flew past this beauty on a down wind run! East Channel Light, Grand Isle, MI

Things We Will Not Miss...Or Will We

We are a marathon couple. Running, like sailing, is a big part of who we are. It's always been hard to run outside in Minnesota during the time of year I call the LONG season. It's not so much the snow, but the cold. OMG! The cold creates all kinds of problems.

Last week I took a tumble down our deck stairs. It was really more like a bounce. One moment I was shoveling treads; the next, I was bouncing my way down the slick stairs at a rapidly increasing pace. I hit my lower back and my tailbone on six out of 12 treads before coming to a breathless stop. I have to say, injuring your tailbone has to be one of the most painful injuries of all time. I carted my battered bottom to the clinic for evaluation. My Doc put me through the rigors, bend this way, walk that way, push, prod. He was thorough. He told me that I was bruised and swollen. He said I would heal in time, but mentioned the words, "It could take months due to your age". He suggested that I take a break from running until I heal. He told me it would hurt to run; he was right. I've been running with the hope that the movement will help me heal faster. Instead, all I'm getting out of it is a pain in the ass! Every step feels like a hot poker is being shoved into my tailbone. After a mile or so, the burning goes away and it's just a poker doing the jab jab, jab jab, jab jab, to the cadence of my Hoka's hitting the pavement. I can't run my usual pace and I can't run far. Why do I do this to myself? I don't know how to answer this. I'd like to believe that it's fortitude even though I know it sounds like stupidity.

Our back deck

When we head off to live aboard Mystic, our 35 foot Alberg, we plan to head to warm water and tropical temps. We won't have the snow and ice and the extreme cold to create misery that bring us to our knees (or tailbones in my case). As I sit upon a heating pad each evening, nursing my wounds, I contemplate the thought of spending a winter away from the Midwest. There will be no shoveling, No layered clothing or spikes on our shoes when we run. We won't have to warm our cars for 20 minutes while we scrape our windows. There will be no frozen pipes, no need to spread salt, no potholes or black ice.

Yet, as I think about how different it will be, I realize that everything has it's benefits as well as it's drawbacks. For example, our runs will have to be planned around anchorages and our ability to go ashore. There will be no snowboarding, no gatherings with friends at Mad Jaxx pub. We won't spend frigid evenings curled up in front of our fireplace with steaming Irish coffee. We will not smell the cleanest, purest crisp air that comes with those extreme negative temperatures. We won't hear the special squeaky sound that snow makes when you walk on it at twenty below. We will not meander through empty streets with snowflakes the size of silver dollars blanketing us in a beautiful white silence; making everything fresh and clean. Odds are, we will not see the Northern Lights. The truth is, there are a lot of great things that we have the opportunity to experience during the Great White North winters. We will definitely miss many of them. It's a good thing I like the feeling of nostalgia as much as I like the excitement of new adventures.

MN Winter Landscape

The Ice Project

Hudson, WI Hot Air Affair

Snowboarding at Welch Village, MN

Taking a break at Mad Jaxx, Welch Village, MN