En Famiglia – Page 4 – Hove to off Swan Point

Recent pics:

Here’s a mix of newish stuff; a visit from Bob and Jett, a triumphant Margo and Sarah ( a story I will get to next week), Saturday morning on Sjogin and the 1938 Beaton Sneakbox progress.

Bob and Jett, our six legged house guest.

Bob down below.

Margo and Sarah
Our friend Margo on her recently launched Concordia Yawl Sarah. An epic effort to bring a classic back to life.

Hot tea
Time for toast and tea. Blowing 20 to 30 kts today as Noel goes by; chilly and damp but warm enough below.

Tom Beaton and the 1938 Sneakbox
Tom Beaton and the restored 1938 Sneakbox built by his grandfather David Beaton; founder of Beatons. Getting ready to steam-bend the coaming.

Fair deck
The deck is to be finished bright as she was when first built.

Odds and ends

from the last week or so.

David on BL
David on Boss Lady this week. Bob’s on his way south, stopping in St. Michaels for a couple of days. We hope to see David in a few weeks before he also heads south.

Spartina
Home waters; out for a paddle last Sunday. The tower is at the old Coast Guard Station on Squan Beach.

Sizzle
Saturday morning sizzle.

Winter mode. Before the seasonal Northeasters set in I turn Sjogin to face North east and have the low winter sun shine in the cabin and cockpit. She’s facing the first Northeaster of the season now; it’s been blowing thusly for two days.

Even when the wind blows from the northwest you can sit low in the cockpit with the sun on your face. You can also leave the drop slide out and have the morning sun in the cabin. (Usually showing just how much smoke is going out the stack and how much goes out the hatch!)

Fire
A quick soft-wood fire Wednesday evening. No tea, just a visit to close her up for the pending front.

Finally, a first for me and you all as well, the inevitable YouTube video:

Toward Atlantic City

on Boss Lady today. It’s an old custom among prudent mariners that when asked about a pending voyage, one stated he was going toward the destination rather than risk the wrath of the gods and say he was going to it; implying that success was already achieved.

Brother starts the middle leg of his journey South with a run to Atlantic City with your host along for the ride. As he is now connected I hope to post while under way. To be continued…..

Our ride: Boss Lady

Empty Bay
09:10 Just past Toms River; Jett napping already. Beautiful morning, light breeze from the south, light haze.

Skipper and Jett
The Starboard watch has a nap.

11:12 Out in the Atlantic, just left Barnegat Inlet.

Bob and Russ
What sedge is that?

Confirmation of Position
Confirmation of our position.

Times
One eye for the ship, one eye for the Times.

Chart
Yes Master, two degrees to Starboard.

03:45 Arrived in AC; second time here by water. Probably heading up to the Boardwalk later for a walk and dinner.

Arriving in Atlantic City; left just before the Sands Implosion.

We had a fine dinner at Bobby Flay Steak at the Borgata. Felt quite the fish out of water but great fun. Looking forward to more BL duty.

More pics here.

We just had the first true weekend of Fall

Sun with brisk westerlies, Simpson’s clouds and temps in the low 50’s made for ideal conditions for the first true fire of the new season on Saturday. Had the obligatory Joe Leone’s sausage bread sizzling on the stove as I left Beatons. Ran downwind till just past the last moored boat and brought her up to heave to on the port tack. Went below for tea and toast with a view of Swan Point to leeward. Finest kind.

Today’s weather was even brighter and windier. Went out for a paddle this morning. (First in far too long.) Rigged a couple of staging planks to keep semi-dry in managing Spartina. There, I’ve named the 15′ double paddle canoe I built a few years ago.

This afternoon Julia and I went down to Sjogin for a quick fire and tea then off to the VFW to say happy birthday to Howard Rogers, one tough 80 year old Bayman (Capitalized to show respect.) Somewhere in my archives is a photo of one of Howard’s fyke nets off Swan Point. A vanishing tradition.

Birthday paddle
This morning’s paddle; out to the Glimmerglass and back, harvesting trash in Spartina. Also rescued a hat from a gentleman on a fishing boat twice as long as the slip provided. There’s a metaphor there somewhere.

Sardine
Yesterday’s first fire. Just cool enough to feel good below.

Ready to go yesterday morning.

Barges
Derelict barges with who knows what ready to be washed into the Bay. Nice.

Found a photo of Howard Rodger’s fyke net set out in Fall 2005. You can just make out the line of stakes tending SE from Swan Point.

Sjogin’s first sail of the off-Season

and watching the A-Cat Worlds were last weekend’s highlights. Julia and I went out Sunday morning with virtual friends Joe (CSoH) and Tabitha. Had a nice breeze from the ENE about 4 to 8. Just cool enough for a token fire with requisite puffs of cedar smoke. We had a successful down-wind landing that impressed sailor Joe.

On Saturday we went out on brother’s boat Boss Lady to watch the A-Cat Worlds on Toms River. Joining us were Joe and Tabitha and Zsa and Robert. Another sparkling day with a NNW breeze that was great for sailing but drove enough water out of the Bay to make for a bumpy ride at times. Brother’s boat draws four and a half feet.

Pics follow:

Russ and Julia relaxing while Joe drives.

Joe and Ed
Joe holding off a 94 year old sailor. An old Beaton hand, Ed tries to sail through our lee.

Joe
One of the joys of heaving to.

First beat.

Julia and Lotus
Tabitha and Julia with Lotus leading the first race.

Tamwock, Wasp and Witch mixing it up.

Robert
Robert driving (and drinking a tiny Bloody Mary.)

On our beach
We all returned to our house for a simple supper and an evening of laughs. Thanks Joe.
On the bench are Joe, Julia, Robert, Zsa and Tabitha.

We had a terrific day on the water enjoying all that Boss Lady and the A-Cat fleet had to offer.

Back from Maine

and the Small Reach Regatta at WoodenBoat. We spent 5 days at Brothers place on Eggomogin Reach, spending time on all the boats in his fleet. Apart from having our flight canceled last Tuesday and having to drive up it was a great trip.

The Small Reach Regatta was a blast with 40 sail and oar boats participating. It started with a lobster dinner last Thursday night on the WoodenBoat grounds and continued with chase boat duties Friday and Saturday. We spent Friday shadowing the fleet in the fog with Bob on Boss Lady and Julia and I were alone on Katy D Saturday.

Needless to say we took tons of pics, mostly of the small boat type that’s difficult to capture on film. Here’s a few anyway with more on Flickr.

Boss Lady at rest
Boss Lady tied up at the Landing.

Elf through the window
Finding our charges in the fog by Conary Island. The boat ahead was built by Gavin Bauer, son of our friend Steven Bauer. She’s an Oughtred Elf sailed by Gavin and his Dad.

Brother driving. The large color chart plotter made circumnavigating Smutty Nose a piece of cake.

Fleeing the fog; on the right are Steven and Gavin.

Grizzled skipper keeps watch.

Boss Lady and Tendress on Saturday morning.

Julia in Katy D
Julia driving Katy D on Saturday.

All sorts
An Ian Oughtred yawl on the left, standing lug skiffs next, catboats et al…and all delightful. So much passion gathered together.

Coquina
Coquina, a Nathaniel Herreshoff cat yawl. Damn near perfect.

Julia driving Tendress. Look at that straight wake!

Jett
Jett, brothers seven month old Lab. A terrific dog, soon to be a sea dog.

Cocktails in Camden harbor. Bob motored Julia over to Camden in Boss Lady while I drove. A fine dinner ashore and then home on Monday.

Sjogin work resumes tomorrow.

Gracie celebrated her 90th Birthday

with a surprise party at our house on Saturday, June 23rd. A gathering of 50 family and friends joined in the celebration. More pics here.

Gracie arrives

Raymond and Gracie
Gracie recovers from the surprise and gives her son, Raymond, a piece of her mind.

Annie and her kids
Aunt Annie and her offspring came from far and wide to help with the celebration.

Original Grands
Gracie sits back while her grandchildren and their spouses have a chat.

The
The “Chips” also came a distance to join us.

Gracie and Julia
Gracie spends a moment with Julia.

Gracie and Annie enjoying.

Everybody
Annie, Russ, Gracie, Julia and ALL the great grandchildren.

Serena had her first sail today

with her sister-ship Charlotte. Less than ideal conditions; a sloppy southwesterly. Up and down and showing the classic instability before a seabreeze sets in. Didn’t happen. Tom Beaton and his son Tom sailed with the Bauer family. Julia and I had Charlotte to ourselves

Beat down bay for a bit, reached along the marsh and eventually back to Beaton’s. Here’s a few pics. Greg Bauer took a few of us. When received I’ll post here.

Serena
Greg driving for the first time.

Serena marsh
Reaching along the marsh showing a nice quarter wave. What would L. Francis say about those nails?

Julia Serena
A nice sunny day. Julia worked the backstays; old skills for this A-Cat girl.

Update: Here are a few of the pics taken by Greg last Sunday:

Sailing in style
So graceful and stylish.

Reaching
Sailing off Swan Point.

Tom and Tom Beaton

Nelson joined me for a quick sail last Sunday.

He’s a friend of ours through Dave and Cheryl, down for the weekend with his wife and the rest of the international crew.

Even though the wind was light from the east and the summer boat traffic wakes almost put us ashore on Swan Point, he enjoyed it as it was his first sail in a year and a half. He’s even offered to come down for some scraping and sanding later this Summer.

Needless to say it was too hot for a fire.

Charlotte, my brothers Flatfish, was launched Monday to be there for the launching of Serena, the new Beaton built Flatfish to be launched in June.

Garden continues to fill in; little bare ground left. In some places too full. We have a few to many Siberian Iris’ and need to give some away this Fall. Zsa, you interested?

Pics follow:

Nelson
Nelson at the helm. (No, not that Nelson.) Poor old Sjogin was not at her best. When going to weather in a light chop she tends to bob up and down and slide off to leeward.

Mary Ann and Charlotte
Mary Ann and the soon to be launched Charlotte

Irene Tansy
Quiet Memorial Day morning with one of my favorite catboats.

Our backyard. Wiegelia, Hostas and lots of moss. The white flecks on the ground are Honey Locust flowers. In a gust of wind they look like a snow shower.

Iris
Iris, Barberry and Peonies. The structure in the background is our Tomato frame. (Not soon enough>)

Roses
Rosa Rugosa walk. They’re in their full glory now. I make a point of literally stopping to smell the roses most mornings.

Serena launching pics next week. Hopefully shots of her and Charlotte under sail.

Also note that the Louis Vuitton Finals start tomorrow at 9:00am EDT. The best of 9 series determines who faces Alinghi for the America’s Cup. Go Luna Russo!

I just found the IACC Rule.

Back from a quick trip to Maine

to see my brother and his new home. It’s not only on the water, it’s over the water. A perfect spot for his growing fleet. We had remarkable weather, as did the entire NE.

Still no sailing this month, mostly due to low water and nasty Nor’easters.

Sure signs of spring upon our return. Here are some pics from our Maine trip (Flickr Album) and other odd ones from the last few weeks.

landing
The Landing, site of the old Sedgwick to Little Deer Isle Ferry. It was made redundant in the 1920’s with the completion of the Deer Isle Bridge.

Landing
Julia on the dock at the Landing. Deer Isle Bridge in the background

Julia
Julia on top of the world. Brother’s friend Matthew showed us this local site above Eggomogin Reach. The spot’s reached after a short climb through a Spruce forest.

Matt and Jane
Matthew and Jane, friends of my brother, with Casco, a three month old Lab.

Lean
Leaning Brother

Labs
Speaking of Labs here’s a brace of them. Casco’s on the left and Bobs Jett is on the right.

Julia and Aphrodite, totally re-built by Brooklin Boatyard.

S&S
Here’s one of the current projects at Brooklin Boatyard. She’s an S&S design based on Olin Stephens classic Stormy Weather.

Lotus
The new /old lighter Lotus. She was built in 1926, re-built by Beaton’s in 1984 and lightened by them in 2006. With her racing, the A-Cat Fleet could put 13 boats on the line this summer.

Shop
Finally, here’s a new Sneakbox Centerboard case being finished.

Hope to have some sailing pics next time.