BoatBanter.com - Skip heading north?

On Feb 25, 11:04 pm, "Bob" wrote:
Sorry to hit and run, but I have to go fuel and get gone...
L8R
Skip

Hey SKip,

When you heading north and who is driving?

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tafb-atl.shtml
Snoopy Bob

I just sent this to the Morgan list - thought it might be of interest
to
those here, too...

Hi Marv,

I believe that Skip and Lydia are in the process of moving Flying Pig to a
less expensive place for repairs and that it will be a couple of weeks
before he is set up and writing again.

Rich

Hi, Rich, and group(s-crossed to yahoo),

We've made it to Venice, where we've pulled in for the night,
providing
power (Inverter a victim) and internet (none without power), and will
be
leaving for St. Pete tomorrow morning.

We have two functional sails - the staysail and a MPS. The first
three days
were MPS - except for the major doldrums all yesterday, which we
enjoyed
sitting in, doing some plumbing, swimming, and otherwise just
relaxing.
About 8PM the wind came up so we hoisted the chute again, and off we
went,
doing an overnight as it was so perfect. Went further overnight than
we did
the first couple days. We were pinched to 65-75* in the real light
air, and
as it built, we went first to beam, then to eventually 120*, but
really had
a great ride.

However, another victim seems to be our driveline as the pillowblock
between
the engine and stuffing box is hotter than I like, so we're using the
engine
only for maneuvering, not travel. So, when the wind was picking up to
consistently more than 13-16, we elected to strike the chute. I
obviously
don't know how to do that efficiently, as it was a real wrestling
match to
pull the sock, but we got it down without any real excitement, and
went the
rest of the way today on the staysail, which doesn't provide much
downwind
drive!

We'll see what tomorrow's weather holds, but I can say categorically
that
one should not rely on NOAA as given on the VHF channels, as had it
been as
forecast, we'd have been home by now. Much lighter winds than even
the same
day/same location forecasts. It's only this afternoon that it lived
up to
its billing.

Meanwhile, the boat is doing marvelously, and even my hard plumbing
held up
under the assault on the rocks. There's lots to do when we land,
needless
to say, but in general we are certain we can make her wonderful
again. Lots
of equipment died/broke, lots of structural stuff will need doing, but
we're
confident we can maker her as good as new.

The return trip photos are up, as many as there are so far, in the
"Restoration" gallery inside the first thumbnail on our gallery link
below,
for those interested...

Once again, we want to issue heartfelt, and entirely inadequate to
words,
thanks for all this and the other communities to which I'm connected
have
done to help us out. We'll certainly return the favor down the road,
but for
right now, you can't imagine how much it's meant to us. Thanks to all
our
anonymous benefactors, and, of course, to those who we DID know -
we're well
watched after and looked over and protected.

Please feel free to visit with us in Salt Creek Marina - we'll be
there by
next week and perhaps by the weekend, depending on how the wind
behaves...

L8R

Skip and Lydia

Morgan 461 #2 Disaster link: http://ipphotos.com/FlyingPig.asp
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery !
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you
didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail
away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore.
Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain