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October 20, 2016 Post 52

2016 Season's End

Chasing an 8 Meter (well...watching it sail by!)

After her short cruise in June, Sara B settled in for a summer of mostly weekend day sailing. July and August saw near record temperatures and dry conditions, but many a scorching day was tempered by the afternoon lake breeze. A number of our weekend excursions afloat were with these light but pleasant winds.

We had one memorable evening sunset sail when Sara B, manned by Chris and self, sailed with eight women aboard. The lake's rollers that evening gave them a good ride with occasional spray and wet decks up forward. Aloft as we returned to port distant heat lightning flickered in the thunderheads to the east.

Several first timers sailed with us including a tankerman who is mate aboard a Handimax chartered to Shell Oil in the Gulf of Mexico. He had sailed aboard larger schooners and shared stories of a grim voyage on one such vessel with an exploding holding tank on the Erie Canal and a near sinking off Hatteras with no power to run the bilge pump and no functioning hand pump. They did make it to Florida and there, last he knew, the 55 footer sits rotting away. We hope he and friends can join us again next year when he is between trips on his tanker.

End of Days! 4th of July fireworks (and Titania) from Sara B's mooring

Several of Sara B's regular “associates” were side lined this year by health issues or other life changes and we missed them. We hope they'll be able to join her next summer. We picked up one new associate early in the year, a long time boater on Fair Haven waters who has several classic wooden boats of his own. At season's end we took three other prospects out who may become 'schoonermen' next year.

Sara B sailed with little ones in the 3 to 5 year old range and with one still spry 90 year old. Retirees of various backgrounds, professors, a poet, businessmen, and a 'ladies day' party all enjoyed gentle sailing aboard the old gaffer on day trips. We had one minor mechanical hiccup when air somehow entered our fuel system possibly thru a shaky looking joint at where the return line leaves the secondary filter. The motor with no more fuel stopped. We sailed back to the mooring and after some searching figured out how to bleed the system at the injector pumps.

Great clouds on the horizon; Head-fixer Chris at the helm

Next year we'd like to get her back over to Canada on a cruise perhaps through the Bay of Quinte, maybe a little ways up the St. Lawrence. Check your calendars- we like mid to late June with its higher water for “gunkholing” potential. It's a grand time for Prince Edward County area cruising.

But now it's lay up time. We were hauled uneventfully last week. Now it's time to stow the gear, set the masts up on their racks indoors, shake the spiders out of the sails one last time and drag out the roofing rubber to cover her cabin and cockpit for the winter. A exam of the bottom upon haulout looked like no major issues-the Vaitses job looks good for a few more years.

Salacia, newly recommissioned '30s Wheeler passes by

Jonas,Megan,Nick from Seattle on board for Sara B's last sail

Elliot unshackling the triatic

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