Thanks for the response, Connie. Too bad- it's a neat function and you'd have a great time. We'll be thinking of you (don't let your ears burn)! jerry ----- Original Message ----- From: "Conbert Benneck" <chbenneck@sbcglobal.net> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2012 10:07 AM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Howzit Somemore?
On 04-Feb-12 4:20 PM, jerry montgomery wrote:
Hi Jerry,
If you had asked me 20 years ago, I'd have been there in an instant.
What you need for the races at Lake Havasu is an agile foredeck hand. I'm still a hand, or at least I think I am, but the agile part is no longer part of my vocabulary. I can't even chase pretty girls any more. They all can run faster than I can.
Thanks for your kind invitation. I feel honored by your offer, but I'm afraid that as much as my mind says, "Go", my body says, be reasonable.
Sorry, Jerry but at my age, I'm not up to it anymore.
I'll hoist a FOSTER while you're all out having fun.
Connie
Connie- If you're up to it, make it out to Havasu; if you want, you can sail with me in the races. i'd be happy to have you.
jerry ----- Original Message ----- From: "Conbert Benneck" <chbenneck@sbcglobal.net> To: "For and about Montgomery Sailboats" <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2012 12:19 PM Subject: Re: M_Boats: Howzit Somemore?
On 04-Feb-12 12:31 AM, bownez@juno.com wrote:
Hi Bones,
Yes, I'm still here on the M-List.
Even though I have reached the age where I no longer can go sailing, at least I can take part in all the M-members adventures, problems, and enjoy their videos from afar.
Katrina, the Admirable, used to give me a hard time when I occasionally ran aground with our *T-L 29*, but over the years when I showed her that the "Big Boys" regularly did it too, she had to admit that our adventures never involve anything life-threatening. Of course running aground with our M15 was almost an impossibility.
When I look at *SAIL* these days and find that according to them, anything under about 40 feet in length and costing less than $250,000 without extras and needed equipment is not the new cruising boat standard, I have to laugh.
Overfilled New England harbors; long waiting lists for obtaining a mooring; too many power boats, and I should pay $250,000 + for a new boat to get into that rat-race? Remember, all Marinas and boat yards charge you by the foot of boat length: bigger boats =s higher ownership and maintenance costs.
Back in 1985 I grabbed a chance to fulfill the usual sailor's "bigger-is-better" dream, when a German Yacht Club wanted to get rid of their *Northeast 38*, a classic CCA Bill Tripp design and the big brother of our *T-L 29* that I had drooled over for years. I made them a ridiculous offer, which was promptly accepted. What I got was a boat with 8 bags of almost new sails; a newly overhauled Volvo diesel engine; complete electronics; galley with three burner stove and oven; pots and pans; spare parts for everything: it even had a diesel cabin heater for the cooler / cold Northern European sailing waters; a self-inflating life raft; and an inflatable dinghy.
The following spring we flew to Hamburg; took over our new; in the water and rigged; 38 foot toy, and went cruising amongst the Danish islands for 5 weeks to see what kinds of problems I had bought and planned to have them fixed, if I couldn't do it myself.
What I found was the NE38 severely lacked a bit of TLC. Re-bed hatches; stanchions; make a new mast collar; oil hinges; grease blocks and winches; etc. were all items on my "To Do" list.
Our plan was to fly back to Hamburg the following year and then sail our NE38 back to the States, after cruising in the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Aegean.
However, when we were back home in Glastonbury after our Danish cruise, and could do some serious navel contemplation during the fall and winter, our thoughts were:
- Our crew is no longer at home. Just the two of us have to operate the larger ship. If I drop the main, and the boom doesn't fall into the boom crutch, there is no way that Katrina, sitting behind the steering wheel at the aft end of the cockpit could lift up the solid spruce 17 foot long roller reefing boom and drop it in place.
- Bigger meant more interior volume, but did we really need it, and does it make sense for us? The answer became, No.
- All equipment, lines, anchors, anchor rodes, are bigger and heavier. Are we getting younger and more powerful? The answer was, No.
- So our conclusion was, let's sell the NE38 and keep the T-L29, which I could still single-hand if need be.
What finally turned us off big boat sailing was the massive proliferation of motorboats, and PWCs, plus the ever escalating costs of maintaining a sailboat. My calculations said that every sailing day during our sailing season from mid-May to mid-October cost us $50 (1992 figures).
Our sailing solitude, that we so enjoyed, was gone; power boats now used you as slalom poles in their races; there was no peace and quiet in harbors any more that now had launch service running till 1 AM that rolled of your berth with their wakes, every time they came past.
Now what?
That's when I started studying the possibilities of trailer sailing.
What I found was that small is beautiful; small is low cost; and you can have all the sailing enjoyment that big boats offer, and, .... you can go where peace and quiet can be found again, because the big boys can't get there, or wouldn't dare to go there because there is no fuel dock. If noisy intruders arrive; you can pick up and go elsewhere... Trailer-sailing also vastly expanded the geographic range of your sailing activities.
Summer sailing amongst the islands on the North Channel of Lake Huron; or winter sailing somewhere in Florida. Try doing that with a keel boat.
What other type of sailboat can do 70 MPH to windward on an Interstate behind a VW-GTI?
Vive le M15 / M17 approach to life. That's the solution to expanded sailing enjoyment and fun. Excellently designed vessels, with good accommodations for their size.
The M15 double bed brings back many fond memories of lazy afternoons at anchor in a secluded cove. What more could you want? (Just remember to tie off the halyards)
May you all have a great sailing season: fair winds on all your courses and always a hands breadth of water under your keel.
Connie & Katrina
Connie, I'm so glad you are still on the M-Boat list. Your stories and wisdom are priceless. When you are a trailer-sailor, new cruising grounds and new adventures are easily obtained. Thank you. Bones Great story Connie. I always enjoy your experiences. sal ____________________________________________________________ "African Fruit Burns Fat" Learn How This Strange 62-Cent Exotic Fruit Is Making Americans Skinny http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4f2cc2d5874c476058cst04vuc
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