Current Conditions

Shivering here in MN in January is pretty typical. Though, we have been spoiled a bit the last couple of years with above "normal" temps. Currently it is 12:42PM CST with a sunny sky. Temp is a balmy -8F/-22C with a breeze of 15 mph/13 knots giving us a windchill of -26F/-32C. Here is a view of the docks at the yacht club. Those "shacky" things out in the frozen bay are ice fishing shacks. Not my idea of a good time but, to each their own right? 50 days until spring doesn't mean much up hear at 45 degrees North. Iceout is the real date we care about.... sometime in April if we are lucky. Though, who knows this year, even Superior is 53% ice covered......

Lacking Updates

I know, I know... here it is January of 2014 and the last post I made was before I launched in may of 2103. Well, this is what I did..... 

• Recored the deck under the mast as it was fully rotted. Cut it out, put in new ply, epoxied the cut out glass back over. Very solid and seems to have done the job.
• Sailed some. I didn't get out as much as I wanted to. Do we ever? I had issues with the centerboard being stuck up in the trunk. My friends Clay and Rob helped me pull her out sometime I think in July and I pried it out of there. She sailed better but still had a wee bit of lee helm. Old main sail was proven to be pretty worthless as well. Heck it was 35+ years old I think.
• Bought a new mainsail and that helped a bit, lot, more. She actually sailed in lighter winds. Moved through the water, tacked and everything.... I know, I have high expectations.
• Pulled the boat mid November and brought her over to a fix-it marina and had a new centerboard put in. Also got the trunk's who knows how long the crap has been in there dug out too. 
• Figured a few other things out, like block placement for sheets for the new to me 145% jib. Needing to get the motor completely out of the water and the swim ladder as well.
• Did some sailing with Clay & Pia on both Blue-J and Kestrel. Was nice to get back up to the Apostles and do some sailing.  
• Oh yeah, ran aground and announced it over the radio to the entire fleet my very first race.... lee helm was bad as I said. So I got that out of the way in my sailing career now.

I am looking forward to the upcoming season. Hoping to be in a slip this year but if I am back on a mooring, so be it. Hopefully there won't be any further sailing issues with Papillon, and if there are, I can get them worked out.

I have some projects to thin about doing for the boat, bottom paint being first on the list and then painting the deck as well. As you know, one always has a list of things they want to do but, getting it done is a different story.

Well, that's all I got for now. I will try to make more frequent updates this season as I know you 8 followers were really  bummed about the lack of posts last year.