On Mon, 23 Sep 2002 02:46:08 -0700 "Bob Campbell" <racsrv@attbi.com> writes:
> John,
>
> It's definitely a trend. I can't recall the last time I was at a
> ramp
> and didn't have someone come up and admire my 17. In fact, I'm
> always
> suspicious of the person who says he/she can set up and launch their
> M17
> in 45 minutes. They are obviously adjusting for "show and tell"
> time.
> I generally allow 30 minutes for that alone!
>
> Last month at the SCA Cruiser Challenge in Monterey, I was setting
> up
> Alina while a good friend was setting up his Catalina 16. He is
> very
> organized and I was trying to see if I could keep up with him so we
> could launch at the same time. Alas, a gentleman comes up and
> begins to
> inspect Alina. He was absolutely smitten by her and the questions
> and
> complements began to flow. As he walked away, having never even
> acknowledged the presence of the Catalina, my friend quips, "My
> boat's
> cute too!" Of course, now my friend has taken a commanding lead and
> is
> able to take a break while I finish setting up. Oh the
> disadvantages of
> owning a Montgomery!
>
> I agree with your theory on wistful big boat owners who upon seeing
> a
> Montgomery realize that they are spending gobs of money and missing
> out
> on the real joy of sailing. At the Chevy's restaurant guest dock
> in
> Alameda, I had a retired gentleman who owns a Nonsuch 30 give me
> his
> email address, instructing me to contact him if I ever had thoughts
> of
> parting with my beloved Alina. I empathize with big boat owners
> and
> can't say that I'm immune to the seduction of big boats either.
> This
> past spring I was bitten by the big boat bug, but came to my senses
> just
> in the nick of time.
>
> Lyle Hess has left us with a very special boat indeed. My respect,
> admiration, and appreciation for him and his boat grow deeper with
> every
> sail.
>
> Fair winds,
>
> Bob Campbell
> Montgomery 17 #615 "Alina"
> di, CA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: montgomery_boats-admin@mailman.xmission.com
> [mailto:montgomery_boats-admin@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of
> John
> Fleming
> Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 12:46 AM
> To: montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com
> Subject: M_Boats: Mongomery sailboats: the irresistable
> conversation
> piece
>
> Well, it's happened twice now, so it's not a real trend yet, but it
>
> definitely is something. I've recently started sailing out of
> Marina
> del Ray in Los Angeles. At the end of the day, when the boat is
> back on
>
> the trailer and I run it over to the fresh water for a washdown,
> people
> come running over to ask what kind of boat it is, it looks very
> salty,
> it looks very nice, it looks very big and roomy for a 17-footer,
> I've
> never seen one like it before, etc etc etc. The kids are running
> wild,
> I'm racing the sunset to get everything buttoned up and put away,
> and
> they all want to stand around and talk about the Montgomerys and ply
> me
> with compliments and sort of get that puppy-dog look in their eyes,
>
> wishing they could be invited aboard and take a look around. They
> walk
> right by all the big cool racing trimarans and other trailer sailers
>
> without a word or glance and stop at my boat. There must be
> something
> friendly and inviting about a Montgomery. One guy today asked "Is
> that
> a Nor'Sea?" as an introduction! I had to explain the whole heritage
>
> thing, Lyle Hess and his English workboats, the Nor'Sea was designed
>
> first, and then came the Montgomery's.
>
> The pleasant hazards of owning a Montgomery. Hopefully, once I go
> there
>
> enough, I'll have exhausted the supply of closet Montgomery lovers.
>
> Maybe it's just Marina del Ray, so jaded by big-money boats that a
> view
> of a Montgomery with young kids running around and having fun takes
> them
>
> back to what sailing's all about. Shackled to their big money pits,
>
> they realize you can have just as much fun, maybe more, without
> exhausting your bank account. "God boys, we wish we were you".
>
> Other than that ...
>
> It was a good day for sailing. Yesterday was thick and chilly fog
> all
> along the coast. About 9PM last night, a warm wind blew in, chased
> all
> the fog away, and today was pleasant, sunny, and cloudless. The
> Admiral's away, but the kids want to do something, so let's go
> sailing.
> My 12-yr old son did a good job of helming in and out of the
> Marina,
> and out on the ocean when he felt like it. The ocean was relatively
>
> calm today, not like some other days, no short-period chop and waves
>
> from two directions to make every point of sail a roller-coaster.
>
> Even with my blown (I think) mainsail, Star Cross'd can point.
> Today
> was a good example of what a Montgomery can do. The higher I
> pointed,
> the faster I went. She'd heel over and just rocket away, faster (by
> my
> uncalibrated knotmeter) than the 4HP engine can push in calm water.
>
> When the kids got tired of too much time spent pinned against the
> lee
> cabin sides, I'd just de-power to a broad or beam reach and we'd
> drop
> about a knot and just keep on cruising. One close-hauled point of
> sail
> was directly into the waves, so we did a little up and down pounding
> but
>
> just cut through. The other was cross to the waves, so we'd just
> roll
> with it, and occasionally the wind and waves would gang up and push
> us
> over further than I cared. But I never felt out of control. It
> wasn't
> anything more than the normal 10 knot afternoon breeze we get here
> every
>
> day.
>
> Star Cross'd must still be out of rig, though. I would only get
> good
> weather helm once we started pointing high. On a beam reach, it'd
> be
> lee helm. I guess I need more mast rake.
>
> Not many more weekend like this before El Nino hits bringing
> sub-tropical deluges, the jet stream shifts south connecting us with
> the
>
> North Pacific gales that bring the big northwest waves and too-cool
>
> weather to Santa Monica Bay. I very much doubt I can get the whole
>
> family out on days like that. They say that December and January
> are
> the only bad months here for sailing. We'll see.
>
> Happy sailing,
> John Fleming
> M-17: "Star Cross'd"
>
>
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