First Year of the Blog

1/10/99-Notes from the Poop Deck-Introduction

Greetings from the Webcaptain. Using this web site as a forum for personal expression was the farthest thing from mind when the idea hit me for creating this web site. It seemed like there weren’t any organized, regionalized, yahooized if you will, sailing link sites around (of course I found quite a few in my delvings around the web but by then it was too late) and by Neptune, I was going to make one.

Well, here it is in its infancy, and now the question that presents itself is, why? Because it wasn’t there goes only so far-especially since there turned out to be some pretty darn good sites- and, a better or at least another reason for this thing's existence needed to be found.

1/17/99- A little about the webcaptain

Well, another week has gone by and the site seems to be starting to catch on a little bit-236 visitors since it started!  I think that's pretty good since as far as I can tell it's only indexed on Alta Vista and only under one keyword- Sailing Directories, which is a great one if there's only going to be one! Plus we're ranked #6, which doesn't hurt my feelings either.

Anyway, a bit about me.  I'm a 46 year old armchair cruiser wannabe who manages to get out in one of my two dingies quite often, but not often enough, and not over any horizons lately. I'm an ASA certified sailing instructor, and on my way to a Captain's license, with the long term goal of being a charter captain somewhere tropical.  Meanwhile, I thought I'd do my best to help promote this great sport by making it easy for people to find the amazing wealth of information and opportunities out there on the information ocean, as I call it.

Just a quick factoid for you, I'm the son of a grandson of a sailor- my great grandfather was a captain of a square rigger that brought gold miners around the Horn in 1849.  He retired in Ferndale in Humbolt County, CA.  His son, my grandfather, didn't sail, but my dad won the Transpac (Trans Pacific Race) in 1953 and 1955 with an Alden ketch named Staghound.  He also took first in Class A in 1959 with an Alden yawl named Criterion.  If anyone happens to know if either of those fine craft are still afloat, I'd sure like to hear about it!  My father, Ira P. Fulmor, was a great sailor, and this website is dedicated to his memory. 

1/25/99-Learning to sail

What a truly amazing week this has been!  After having the inspiration to announce the site on a few newsgroups, visitorship went through the roof relatively speaking- from 246 to 790 visitors in one week! For a couple of days there were 100 a day, then down to 50 or so but still more than the 10 or so I had been getting.  Anyway, I hope a few of you come back once in awhile, because the site will continue to grow and change as time goes by. One visitor commented that the music drove him crazy and limited the time he could stand to be on the site- I had wondered about that because sometimes the music drove me crazy too when I stayed on a page for awhile- so I decided to kill the music.  If you have an opinion on the subject let me know, please. I may be able to figure out a way to make the music a voluntary matter- to play or not to play being up to the visitor.

On to the topic for this week-learning to sail.  I don't know how most people learn to sail- certainly these days there are lots of sailing schools and learn to sail programs around- but I learned in a most basic way.  My memory is of my Dad rigging up the sail on the tender- an 8' or so dingy called a Guppy, and putting me in with the words "write if you get work" as he shoved me off.   This was not a scary thing at the time, rather a feeling of a rite of passage happening that made me feel like I was grown up enough to "go it on my own" finally, with nobody looking over my shoulder.  And I had fun!  Not knowing anything about how I was supposed to be doing it, I figured out for myself that the boat went better downwind with the sails let out, and there was a certain limit to how close to the wind it could go, no matter how tight the sails were pulled in.

Anyway, if there is a moral to this story I'll leave it to the reader to identify it.  All I know is that sailing has always been kind of an instinctive thing for me, like swimming, and to not know how to do it seems like not knowing how to breathe. I do understand that not everyone shares this natural affinity for water, wind and waves, but it may be just because they weren't exposed to it at a young enough age.  When you're young there's nothing you can't do, you know,and the young approach new things without fear.

Welcome to February-a little closer to that warm part of the year when most of us in this part of the world start to feel like going sailing again...

Excuse me for being a bit short-winded this week,so to speak, but my keyboard has developed a problem with the space-bar that requires me to push HARD on a certain spot to get it to make a space!

Just suffice it to say- don't not sail just because you live nowhere near an ocean!  If you look around, there is always a place to sail somewhere near to where you are-you just need to find it. One of my favorite places to sail when I lived on the central coast of Oregon was inland about an hour's drive, a reservoir near Eugene called Fern Ridge.  It was located in the middle of farmland, in a spot you would never expect a big nice lake with great steady breezes, but there it sits.

So I want to send out a big Howdy to all of the landlocked sailors out there, and want to hear if I've listed your club or still need to get it in.  And to tell those of you who don't yet know the fun and relaxing/exciting sport of sailing yet, look for a club near you and go hang out!  Learn to sail, crew in some races, meet some of the nicest people you could imagine, and get hooked!!

2/7/99- Size doesn't matter?

This has been the most wintery week I've seen here in Santa Barbara- it got cold, grey, and wet!  Except last Wednesday, when it was clear warm and beautiful.  My first mate and I got to go on a fun little whale watching boat ride complements of Captain Don here in town.  What a beautiful day but no whales yet, they're hanging out in Margaritaville waiting for the water to warm up a bit, I'll wager.

This week we will explore the topic of size.  Of your boat, I mean.  Some people probably think bigger is better, and little boats are for kids, right?  Well to some extent that could be true, but I've owned a Coronado 25, and I've (always) owned sailing dinghys, and to tell you the truth, for my needs the little boats are better!  Unless you're talking bluewater cruising, of course.  The bigger the boat, the more commitment, and the more expense, and the more limited you are, in many ways.  The big boat requires a slip (monthly $) and lots of TLC and $ for everything.  Have you ever noticed how many well maintained and beautiful sailboats sit languishing in their slips on the most beautiful weekend days?  It's like somebody paid for the date but didn't take the girl out! Plus, before you can sail away, you almost always have to spend some time washing the crud off the decks and then everythings all wet...the little sailboat is a lot easier.

I'll never forget the time my lady and I hitched up my 12.5' AMF Alcort Puffer up to my Rambler station wagon and headed up to B.C.from Portland, OR, for a week of some car camping and sailing.  The boat was a great way to transport the camp chairs and firewood that just couldn't quite fit into the car. We got to sail (on sucessive days) around Stanley Park, out to Newcastle Island Provincial Park off Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, on a remote lake that we had to wheel the trailer down to by hand, and out to the little islands off Victoria.  How could you do that with a big boat?  Plus that boat has sailed on Lost Lake by Mount Hood, Spirit Lake before Mount St. Helens blew up, Lake Billy Chinook, Fern Ridge, and lots of other great spots.   That boat has even been crabbing on Newport bay in Oregon, and came home with her limit!

2/15/99  Women in Sailing-it's not just a man's sport anymore

I was just thinking that any of you avid sailors who read the topic for this week’s notes must have been saying "big duh" to yourselves, but this was intended more for the novice and non-sailors who may not be aware of the extent the Sexual Revolution has impacted the sport of sailing, and to give women who thought sailing was a bastion of testosterone another idea.

When I was a young salt it was a different matter. There was still a bit of that old superstition lingering about women being bad luck on a boat, and it just wasn’t a common thing to find women crewmembers on bluewater races at all. My friend Willie Bell’s mom used to go on the Transpac on Westward (as primarily cook) but she was a bit of an exception. The one real exception I knew of was a redhead named Peggy Slater who used to single-handedly (and expertly) sail her Kettenberg 43 around LA and Newport harbors (and even to Hawaii) like it was a sailing dinghy. Mind you, this was the 50’s I’m talking about. I’ll never forget being aboard Valentine (a more beautiful red wooden hulled boat there never was) and listening to Peggy tell stories about sailing. She won some races with that boat too.

2/21/99- Commercialization-good or bad?

I don't really want to write about this topic after all- Races like the Whitbread and Around Alone, and lots of others, now feature the cutting edge of design and gear because they have sponsor's names plastered all over their hull, sails, and often clothing of the crew.  If this is good or bad for the sport, I don't know, and right now I don't care!

I just got back from a little trip up the coast from my hilltop overlooking Santa Barbara to Morro Bay.  What a great spot that is.   This is the first time I've explored the area in detail, and all I can say is, when do I get to move there.  Sure it's a little windier and colder than here in Mediterranean weather S.B., but after living 5 years on the central Oregon coast, I'm sure I could handle it!

When I first got to the area I discovered Los Osos and Bayview where they have the "back bay" to sail on.  The local yacht club (really an espresso stand) has the motto "we don't sail in water to deep to stand in" and I guess they watch the tide tables pretty closely.

Downtown Morro Bay has a real yacht club with a picture of Morro Rock on the burgee, and I saw a fast race this A.M. that featured  O'Day Day Sailors and Lido 14's.  A bit overpowered they were, but handled with skill and no capsizes in evidence!

3/1/99 Greetings and salutations,

With no topic in particular on my mind to cover this week, I'm just going to write whatever crosses my mind.  Here goes:

Just spent 3 hours reading posts on sailing newsgroups, and was not impressed. It seems there are a lot of people out there who have nothing better to do than flame each other and make fun of innocent poster's questions.  In particular I'm speaking of alt.sailing.asa which I was hoping would be a good representation of the ASA spirit.  It doesn't seem to be.  There seems to be some person named Capt.Neal and some other person impersonating him that have turned the group into some kind of vitriolic hate-fest.  Too bad, and an unfortunate situation for ASA to have their initials on the thing.

On a happier note, this web site had it's 2500th visitor last week, which doesn't seem half bad for a two month old endeavor, eh?  Now if I could just interest some sponsors...  Meanwhile, in desperation I have added the adcast banner which pays $0.01 per visitor.  I'm hoping the intrusion of an immobile banner doesn't make people hate the site, but I had to get some revenue coming in... (by the way, when you link to something from my site, you can enlarge the window to cover the distracting animations)

Went sailing yesterday and had a great time-warm (70 degrees) and nice light breeze to ease back into the sailing mode.  Going again today when I'm done here, boat's all rigged and waiting for me down at the harbor. Hope you will be on the water soon if you live somewhere wintry, and hope your boat's not as filthy as mine was when you pull off the covers!

3/7/99

Hello Again,

I don't know if anyone reads this stuff, but it's good therapy for me to write, I think, so it's as much for me as it is for you!

Good news on the personal front- the webcaptain has finally gotten a job in the marine sector!  Starting tomorrow you can find him on and around the docks of the Santa Barbara Sailing Center working initially refitting some of the Victory 21's for the upcoming season.  I'm looking forward to finally doing something I enjoy for a living!

Good news on the web site front, we're just over 3100 visitors as I write, and that means people are really starting to find this little project of mine in decent numbers, nine weeks into it's life.  It's a rewarding project, and I'm glad I committed to it, though my mate thinks I should be committed, period!

Anybody think it would be a good idea for me to turn the so-far unused scuttlebutt page into a bulletin board type thing?  Don't all shout your answers at once!  I think that's what's going to happen, so get ready for the big experiment as I try to make a scrolling text box type form that posts itself to that page.

Had a great, if slow, couple of days sailing last weekend- too cold and crummy this week, but today was opening day at Santa Barbara Yacht Club, so Summer must be coming soon!

3/14/99

Greetings to you,

It seems as though Winter is not going to go quietly this year, judging by the weather lately.  The other morning there was snow falling on my deck here on the mountain overlooking Santa Barbara!  Most unusual for this close to the Ides of March, I tell you.  Almost went for a sail yesterday, as the sun was out and the temp not too chilly, but postponed till today, and you guessed it, it's less than nice right now.

Anyway, probably need the rest after my first week at the new job at the Santa Barbara Sailing Center which doesn't mean that it's a hard job, only that your Webcaptain is a bit out of shape.   It's amazing how much vitality one feels when one is doing something one enjoys, though.  I wouldn't know I was tired until the end of the day when I'd sit down for a minute, and have trouble getting up again!  They call that "good tired" and I sure understand the difference now.

The projects for the week included fixing a wobbly, loose rudder/tiller on a Victory and helping to commission a new Catalina 42 being added to the charter fleet.   That is one impressive boat, in many ways.  She has a very spacious and open-feeling main salon, with a large galley against the starboard side (complete with microvave) and a large comfortable settee/convertable to double bunk on the port side.   Two aft cabins with good light and large bunks sit on either side of the companionway, with a shower-equipped head right there by them, and a large, deluxe stateroom is forward (where we used to call it the forepeak) that has the biggest, most comfortable shower in the head that I've ever seen on a boat.  I guess you can store sails in there when you're not showering, since that was always the main function of the old forepeak, but they may have in mind that you use the two huge lazarettes aft of the cockpit for that purpose.  All I know is that the finish work is well done, the boat is beautiful, and I can't wait to go on a test sail! 

3/21/99   "To charter is smarter"

Howdy All,

Another landmark was reached- the 4000th visitor came cruising in to the site last week.  I remember when I was so happy to have 100 visitors!  The daily pace has slowed down, but that's OK.  I've quit taking it personally, you know?

This week my new job at the Santa Barbara Sailing Center involved finishing the commissioning on the new Catalina 42, doing little odd jobs like putting on the mainsail, completing the windlass and electronics installations, checking and filling water tanks, and more little stuff I can't remember.  All I know is that I love working on boats, and getting paid to do it seems like a dream to me.

When the boat is ready (next weekend) the cost to take it to the islands for the weekend is going to be about $1000, but compared to buying and paying to keep it somewhere for the 90% of the time the average owner wouldn't be using it, that's a bargain indeed.  I'm starting to really appreciate the benefits of chartering boats instead of owning them.  As you may know, I do own 2 boats, but they're both dinghies sitting on trailers and don't cost me anything much beyond the $4.00/day trailer fee at the boat ramp when I use them.  The only problem is, how do I take some friends to the island in them?  It'd be one heck of a long, wet, and dangerous 26 mile ride to have to camp on the beach when we got there!  (Hmmm, almost sounds like fun...)

Hi Y'all,

What a week just went by.  It was a 9 day week for me, going the Beatles one better on their "8 days a week" concept.  It just happened that the Sailing Center became a bit short staffed with spring break and various employees being out of service, so they asked me to keep working through the weekend, and of course I was delighted to.

Little did I know how much fun was in store for me, when I got temporarily drafted into the crew of the 50' sailing catamaran Double Dolphin for a few days.   The Double Dolphin goes out three times a day, at 9:00 am, 12:00 noon, and 3:00 pm for whale watching trips this time of the year here in Santa Barbara.  The grey whales are migrating north from their winter calving grounds in Baja California back to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea, and they like to put on a little show for us as they cruise by at 3 to 4 knots.  What fine sightings we had!  The first day I went out we saw whales just outside the breakwater, and continued to see them for almost the whole 2 1/2 hours.  At one point we spotted a breeding threesome (!) surrounded by circling common dolphins jumping and cavorting as only dolphins do.   Another trip we saw a mother/calf combo cruising just outside of the surf line, with the mother protecting her new baby from the likes of sharks, orcas, and other dangers, but not too concerned about the curious humans watching from the boat.

The big fun happened on the last day when we had a full complement of visiting Sheriffs from all over California, along with their families (the boat holds 49 passengers).  We had gone almost 2 hours without a sighting, and getting used to the possibility that we wouldn't have one, when all of a sudden a huge shape exploded out of the water nearby.  Then again, this time leaping almost completely out of the water, was a breaching whale!  It was awesome, I have to say, and something I'd never seen before.  The exuberance of this huge creature!  Sure dolphins and sea lions (and fish) jump all the time, but a whale?  I tell you, I'll never forget it.

The new Catalina 42 has had it's maiden voyage, and even raced in it's first corporate regatta, so now if someone would just think of a name for her...

4/12/99  Hi Sailors and Sailorettes,

The ole Webcapt. is having a few Margaritas and trying to solve a dilemma.   Sometimes dilemmas require mass quantities of ethanol to resolve, what can I say.

First I'd like to apologize to anyone who has been waiting for this stupid column to renew itself- The ole Webcapt. has had another of those 9 day weeks at work- he's not complaining, only trying to 'splain why on his one day 'o rest (Sunday) which owed itself to a tremendous rainstorm pelting Santa Babbs with 1+ inches of rain (the webcapt. can't work in such conditions, don't ya know) he didn't get with his 'puter and write something.

So back to the dilemma maxima, if you'll pardon my Latin.  Here it is, websailors:

When the Webcapt. applied to the Santa Barbara Sailing Center, were he works, he had given up on this previous opportunity he had been pursuing at Marina Sailing Club, in Oxnard, CA, who had actively headhunted him last January.  When they didn't get back to him, it gave the 'ole W.C. the idea to apply at a place that had "shined him on" last year, namely the good 'ole SBSC.

Can you guess what happened?   Yes!!!  The Marina Sailing Club got back to him!!!!  How freaking cosmick!!!   But, whoops, There's this job that's really great fun repairing boats and learning gobs of useful knowledge, working with great folks, but less than great pay, with no bennies, and there's this proposed office kinda position with no "out in the sun fixing boats", but great salary and bennies, and no three levels of bosses, and being kinda like a manager instead of a grunt.  But it snot in Santa Babbs, but a rather poor relation to the south (Oxnard) that's only real selling point is that it's not in L.A.  What would you do??????  Have another Margarita and think some more?  You bettcha!!!  I love you guys......and gals.......

4/23/99

Salutations All,

Once again a bit tardy with the Notes, I am, and I apologize profusely, really I do.  The Dilemma Maxima has resolved itself- I opted to persue the offer from Marina Sailing Club, and bid my tearful goodbyes to the great people at Santa Barbara Sailing Center last week.  Found a great apartment down in Oxnard (motto: more than just a pretty name) that overlooks the Channel Islands Harbor where I'll be spending my time come next week.

The new job at Marina Sailing Club  promises to be a challenge, but at least it won't be boring, I'm sure.   If you have a newer sailboat, or are considering buying one soon, and want to make some $ while being assured that whenever you want to use it, it will be all checked out, topped off, and ready to rock 'n roll, then please contact me here or there!

Likewise, if you want to learn how to operate one of these fun and exciting adventure makers (sailboats) then look us up at Marina Sailing and we'll "show you the ropes" so to speak.

Gotta go now, on my way to Portland to see my kids and celebrate my birthday.   Back Monday to start work at the new place.  Watch this space for more updates!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo,

The warm breezes of Summer are getting closer all the time, and the Ensenada race has just given the Southern California sailing community it's annual shot in the arm.   It's great fun to hear the Ensenada Tales, and the memories they bring of past races....

The new position the Webcaptain has taken as location manager at Marina Sailing Channel Islands is indeed a challenging one, but it sure beats working anywhere else I can imagine.  Maybe I'll even have time to go sailing sometime...

Please pardon my extreme brevity this week, but it's tired and I'm getting late, so will write more next week after recovering from the just-moved-just-started-a-new-job jetlag.

Ahoy There Mateys,

It appears this offering is becoming a bi-weekly phenomenon, but if Latitudes and Attitudes can get away with publishing bi-monthly, then the precedent is set, right?

The thing I never knew, and many people still don't know, is just how beautiful and peaceful this great little corner of Oxnard known as Channel Islands Harbor really is.  From my exceedingly affordable apartment I can see the marina out front, boats going by, the ocean in the distance, and a really fine parking lot!  The only thing about the parking lot I would change is the excessively bright lighting at night- so bright it comes right through the curtains, and confuses the wild birds so they sing mating songs all night long.  Poor little insomniac birds.   Make me want to buy a pellet gun...  Just kidding;0)

My new position as location manager with Marina Sailing Club is becoming a little less overwhelming.  With every successful charter and new member I gain a little more confidence, and am starting to think I can make this location really shine.  With Anacapa Island so close (11 miles) people can easily sail out there for lunch and a little exploring and make it back by early evening!  Plus Santa Cruz is right there also, and from this angle it's easy to get around to the back side of the island for some really unique cruising.  (Great surfing spots I'm told, as well)

We have a fine fleet of yachts here for charter, but if anyone reading this has a Catalina 320 or 360 they'd like to make a bit of money from, call me up and let's talk!  For that matter anything in that size range would be a great addition to our fleet.  I guarantee it would be a popular boat, and really help defray your ownership costs, plus be available for your use any time you wanted!

RE: Chartering VS Selling your Boat

Hi There Hey There Ho There,

There comes the time in most boatowner's lives that for some reason or other they find themselves underutilizing their beloved sailboat (or that other kind) and wonder if they should sell their boat.  They watch that monthly slip bill come in, and that bottom cleaning bill, and that maintenance expense they really can't escape, and... ask, well, how bad do we really want this thing?

Here's when the option of chartering the boat comes into the picture.  If the boat is sound, reasonably well equipped, and not too old this can be a great way to "have your cake and eat it too" if an owner doesn't really have to have that dough that's tied up right away.  You can put a boat on the market for the price you really need to get, and have it stop costing you a penny to keep it up, store it in a slip, or  even upgrade it, by collecting revenue from charter.  In other words, be able to afford to take your time to find the right buyer, maybe someone who has sailed your boat as a charterer. Of course the best and easiest way to do this is to contact a long established, successful charter company like Marina Sailing Club, especially the Channel Islands Harbor location, and have the friendly people there guide you through the process.  They have the customer base of members in their club who are qualified to operate your boat in a safe manner, and the skilled staff to take as good or better care of your boat than even you yourself could!

Just kidding there, but it's true that they are thinking of your boat every minute, and will keep it as pristine as humanly possible.

Many brokers will tell a boatowner a different story, because if a boat is in charter, the owner won't want to sell it anymore!  They will still be able to use it up to 14 days a year without losing a bit of the tax advantage chartering affords, and those vacations are essentially free now!

Just a thought from the webcaptain, but one worthy of consideration, you think?

Ahoy Mateys,

If you couldn't tell I was a busy guy before, I bet you can now.  My weekly submissions have become monthly at best!

Summer in the charter business has nary a dull moment.   New members signing up almost daily, boats going out, coming in, new boats adding to our fleet, things are hoppin' I tell ya.

The high point of the recent weeks was the latest addition to our fleet- a beautiful sleek CF 37 racing machine named La Rosa.  She sails to windward like a dream, has all the toys anyone could ask for, including rod rigging, a baby stay, built-in preventor-vangs, 14 bags of sails, a folding prop, etc.etc.

Needless to say, the Wet Wednesday fleet hates it when they see us coming (and going  by them).

Sorry this is going to be short, gotta get out there and go sailing.  It's a beautiful warm day and blowing a nice steady 12-15 kts.   Just thought I should check in and let you know I'm not dead!

I'll be the one out there with the big smile plastered all over my face!

8/31/99

Hi Again Sailors and Sailorettes-

Please don't take offense, gentle lady sailors, just couldn't help myself.

August is almost gone, and I almost didn't get an entry in... oops.  Hope all is well with you and the Summer has been a wet and wild one for you.  Or at least you got to go sailing some.

The charter and sailing instruction business has been going strong, big news being the big move from one side of the harbor to the other that Marina Sailing just made.  We're happy to get our boats away from the bait dock and fishing fleet with the avian side effects, and also happy to be residing in a well run Almar facility.  It's clean, organized, and beautiful, with many amenities like a pool, jacuzzi, kitchen, club house, and even tennis courts!

The fleet keeps growing, with the addition of a Columbia 11.8 and a Morgan 38, and we're still looking for that Catalina 32, 34 or 36 that would charter so well!

My twin 14 year old sons just returned to Portland, OR after spending the month with me, and they will take home some great memories from the 2 weeks at Pacific Corinthian Youth Foundation's summer camp.  They got to sails lasers, learn some cool racing tactics, roll tacking, etc. and generally have a blast.   It's a fine, well run program, and I would recommend it to anyone with young (8-18) kids.

Sorry for another short entry, but the weather is too nice, and I must get out into it!

Hey Y'all,

Well, now that Summer's almost over, it finally got hot here in Channel Islands Harbor where I reside. And I mean HOT.  Barely any breeze and the Sun beats down like a hammer!

A few weeks ago, we were so tired of the relentless cool breezy overcast that we pulled the boat onto it's trailer and packed it with camping gear to head to a lake we knew would be above the clouds for a couple of days.  And it was just as beautiful as always there at Lake Cachuma.  Hardly any other campers could get there on a Monday, so the choicest spot on the end of a little peninsula was vacant and waiting.  Perfect spot to beach the boat right below the campsite, and stylin' we were.

The only thing less than perfect was the silly rule they enforce there prohibiting "any bodily contact with the water".  Believe it or not, they expect you to don waders while launching your boat if there is any chance you might accidentally step in the lake!!!!  Yet they allow motors to spew their deadly toxins freely into the water!!!!!  Go figure that one out if you can.

It's been awhile since I've been driven to rant about anything, but dumb rules really offend me.  I can understand preserving the tranquility of the spot by prohibiting waterskiing, and as a sailor I'm glad they don't allow that particular form of recreation on the lake, (as well as those damn obnoxious jetskis), but please, no bodily contact???

The other wierd rule that has me going is the one prohibiting beaching boats in this harbor.  I had a fun little routine going which involved sailing outside the harbor proper and landing on the beach out front inside the shelter of the breakwater that parallels the beach and keeps the entrance from shoaling up. It's a perfect spot to careen the boat and clean the bottom or apply more bottom paint, plus it's just such a cool way to "go to the beach" without driving.   Well, last time I went there guess who came roaring up to warn me it was an illegal act?  You get the prize if you guessed Coast Guard and Harbor patrol  both.   Like I was causing such a danger to other boats or people there on that deserted beach.  Will someone tell me who was thinking what when they passed that wonderful law????

Thanks for letting me vent some, I feel better now...

11/13/99

G'Day All,

With the Louie Vuitton (sp?) Cup action starting to heat up, attention is stating to turn "Down Under" a bit, isn't it?  Anybody got any bets down on which boat's going to challenge this time around?  Sure would be something if we didn't make the cut with an American boat, wouldn't it?  Those Italian guys are starting to worry me some...

Closer to home, the short days are starting to curtail sailing a bit, but with the special deals Marina Sailing is offering (25% off charters, 3 days for the price of two) there are still some boats going out, you bettcha.  You just have to get up early and sail fast!

I am constantly amazed at the number of link requests that come in, and the truly global audience this little site entertains.  Just last week, we had yacht clubs from Great Britain and Malasia come aboard, along with one in New Haven, CT.  Also the Seattle Singles Sailing Society!  (That's not really their name, but I couldn't resist renaming them slightly.)  ;0)

Now if I could just attract a few more paying Sponsors...

1/24/00

Hello, loyal Reader,

The lapses between fresh offerings on this page keep getting longer!  It's not that I'm lazy, it's just, uh, um, well, I've been busy?   Yeah, that's the ticket!  I've been busy!  Hope you all had a wonerful holiday season by the way, and your computer knows what year it is.

Anyway, the finals of the America's cup challenger regatta are about to start today/tomorrow whichever side of the globe you're on, and am I ever excited.  As sorry as I was to see old D.C. get knocked out by that goofy rule about where you have to have your whatchamacallit, protrusions? built, I do hope that Cayard will be our new hero and bring the auld Cup back to the good old US of A.  Be rather a fine addition to the San Francisco mystique too, wouldn't it?  Imagine the next races taking place on that beautiful Bay.

On a personal note, I just returned from a short sojurn to my old stomping grounds up North in the beautiful state of Oregon, and was that ever a fun little Winter experience.  Went up wishing for some snow, and ended up snowed in for three days at the Secret House Winery where my good buddy is winemaker.  What a perfect place to be snowed in!  Tell you what, though, it sure was nice to get back to where winter means it might not get above 70 degrees every day, and sailing is a winter sport.  For all I hate about sunny southern California, it does have that climate thing going for it.

By the way, I'd like to invite all you winter suffering inhabitants of the rest of the country and planet to come on by and charter a fine sailboat from Marina Sailing of Channel Islands to enjoy the uncrowded conditions at our beautiful nearby islands of Santa Cruz, Anacapa, etc.  We'll leave the light on for you, as the old motel 6 commercial used to say.

2/15/00

Ahoy and Howdy,

Just returned from a delightful little sail on the Capri 25 we use for a training vessel here at Marina Sailing of Channel Islands, and I must say it's good to live in a temperate clime like Oxnard, CA and be able to sail in all seasons.  I just added a translation program to the site, so I must be careful of word choice to ensure correct translation!

So the America's Cup starts this Friday.  It's hard to get excited now that America isn't in the race...I'm not sure who to root for!

This last week has been a spectacular one for the site, we had an average of 100 visits a day recorded on my homepage counter, and the stats program provided by my host recorded 361 user sessions/day, and 4000 hits/day!  Not sure why the discrepancy, but anyway, the numbers are getting very, very good for a site only a little over a year old.

Last week I added a Russian sailmaker, a couple of New Zealand sites, one about their boat plans and one about ferro-cement boats in general, and some yacht club and owners groups.  On the average, I'm adding 3-5 links per week.   Lots and lots of sailing sites are out there!  This is turning out to be more fun than I ever expected it to be, having this site.