Halloween 2011

I'm Vincent Van Gogh.

More of the Same

More brewing, more recording. This time I harvested all the hops I had on the vine that were mature, and made my first nano-brew IPA. And the recording was awesome- a four song EP that we're all excited about (link will be posted when songs are available). Big things in small packages; that's the theme for last week.
Pics: handful o' hops. The Colorado River flowing behind the studio.

More on the Drought

Yeah, I know- it's getting old. But as I have always been kind of a weather buff, and this is exceptional, I am staying tuned in. This weekend my son went to a Boy Scout camp that had local professors and scientists teaching merit badges with an environmental theme. In Soil and Water Conservation the instructor took an apple and cut it into fourths. He took one piece, "this is the amount of land in the world". He cut that section again into fourths. "One of these pieces represents how much of the land is not mountains nor is frozen". Cutting 1/4 again gets you to the approximate amount of land on Earth that is farmable. This example, plus the fact that 1 inch of topsoil takes 500-1000 years to create, makes this even more heart-breaking.

Fall is Here

Buffalo wings and ranch dip, pumpkin pie and whipped cream... all the burnt orange and white good mojo cuisine we ate couldn't keep the Sooners from whoopin' us this year. But it didn't keep it from being an almost perfect weekend: a couple of extra days off, some cooler weather, and one of my bestest friends coming into town and helping me test the canoe rig. And to top it all off I had a day with the fam to do nothing but watch Myth Busters and take shower naps. That's right- we got over 2 inches of rain!
The wind on canoe day started off breezy, about 10-12 knots. That was enough to get us going about 4 knots dead downwind. I was happy with the paddle as a rudder, and with only one lee board (like a dagger board keel) we were able to maneuver past a broad reach (almost to beam reach. I didn't want to push it, as the wind started to gust up to 18). The main flaw was the mast step. It kept slipping to the side, angling the mast and tipping the end of the boom into the water. An easy redesign should take care of it and make the boat faster. Back to the drawing board.

The Last Water in Texas

Well that's a bit of an overstatement, but it sure feels like it. This is a waxing gibbous over pools in pink granite near Inks Lake. It's been a good weekend: UT redeemed themselves against UCLA, Dallas got .5 inches of rain (although we only got 5 minutes of rain), and we're playing this benefit for folks displaced by the Bastrop fires.

New Records

Now Texas can boast about being the mostest in another category; nope, not the most stingy for spending on education. We've had the hottest summer in US history! (I know I said I would stop complaining about the heat, but this doesn't count as complaining.) We also set drought records, and new data has weather models concurring that La Nina is going to keep Texas rain-free until 2012. Now, I AM going to keep complaining about the drought. It is getting very serious. Wildfires are the most dramatic catastrophe caused by the drought (see pic above of Batrop fire, now officially the most devastating in Texas history). But its impact on agriculture, and eventually on people, will be slow and agonizing. Check it out.
And here is animation of satellite pics of the fires:

...and all is right with the world.

Well, almost. I woke up this morning, Labor Day, no work, bottled a batch of IPA, had some left-over UT victory cupcakes for breakfast, did a little brake work on the car, and kept the back door open a crack. It was the first cool breeze in longer than I can remember. But that breeze, cool as it is, did not bring rain. It is instead helping to spread a fire East of Austin that has, at the time of this posting, destroyed about 500 houses and 1/2 a state park. Click on the picture for a better view of the smoke we could see from our place. Winds are expected to die down, fires will be contained, and there is no news of any casualties, but I don't know how much more of this drought we can take!

Last time I'll complain about the Summer-

Wednesday broke the record for number of days in a year above 100, and there is no high temp below 102 predicted for as far as they care to predict. It's getting serious, and we're making national news ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44189349/ns/weather/?gt1=43001 ). This will be the last time this year I will complain about the heat. Honest. It's just too depressing to think about.

This is getting serious.

I have actually been dreaming of rain. A summer like this is just as depressing as a winter in Alaska (although I've often thought I'd actually like a winter in Alaska). People here get cabin fever, start gaining weight, and start driving even worse than usual. What to do? Either cower from the heat (with trips to the museum or NERF modification projects, see pics) or confront it head on by standing in a line all day in the sun in close proximity to strangers. Yessir, I'm talking about Six Flags over Texas. Until last week, I hadn't been to Six Flags but once in the last 20 years. It left such an impression on me as a kid; back then we went 1 time a year, and it ranked up there with Christmas. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, but my dad worked for the electric company, which had a yearly work retreat at Six Flags. Other than the new corporate sponsored attractions, it hasn't changed too terribly much. Of course, there are new rides. Among them is the Batman roller coaster- one of those ones where you hang, legs dangling, from the carriage. It was awesome.

Charleston, SC

See previous posts for more info on the trip.
While in Charleston I was able to take a couple hour sail in the harbor on a schooner- a 3 masted ship with 2 foresails and 3 gaff rigged sails. The vessel was metal, including the masts, but the booms (and fittings, goosenecks and blocks) were all wooden. It was interesting to see that not a whole lot has changed since this 84 footer, 'Pride', was built. Sail and hull materials are newer now, which seems to necessitate less standing rigging, but the principals are the same. I would highly recommend taking this tour if you're in town. Bring a snack, and have some wine!

More on C Town

Of course, if you don't check my blog daily, this will seem more like "What the Hell is C Town?". Charleston South Carolina, ya noob. Here's some video of a tall ship cruise I took while I was there. A "tall ship" means an old style of sail boat with a few masts and lots of sails- awesome! Turn your sound way down for these vids:

Charleston, SC

Even though it was for business, I was fortunate to have been invited to spend a few days in Charleston, South Carolina last week. I had never been, and thought (the part I saw) was great. It reminded me a lot of New Orleans, with beaches but without jazz. Envision: muggy, marshy, history out the wazoo, tourist shops, carriage rides and ghost tours. And the streets also smell like boggy water and horse piss.
I have been a bad blogger, and will try to make up for it with a few posts about this trip. First: the historic peninsula. This includes old churches, houses, where the Civil War started, and government buildings that date back to before the revolution. Here are some pics in no particular order:

Air that is warmer than you...

is uncomfortable to breathe. I think that is the threshold between bearable and calling it quits: 98 Fahrenheit. That has been the territory we've been in for too long now. We've had over 30 days of 100 plus degree heat and there is no end in the forecastable future. Tomorrow, however, is a hurdle. Noon tomorrow marks the middle of my Summer. Being a 'glass half full' kind of guy, I feel it's all downhill from here. The days continue to grind on, and life won't seem to move faster than a crawl until mid August, but still I am happy. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not a blinding, searing light either. The days are getting shorter- I can feel it.
Things I have been doing (before 11:00 am): changing brake pads, a short paddle in Town Lake, and a 15 mile bike ride with my son (who is going for the cycling merit badge).

The New Style

Because I live in such a small place, my wife has put the cabash on any big time brewing. She's right for doing so, but I've missed it recently. Then the idea struck: I can brew in small batches with all the kitchen stuff we already have, and ferment in 1 gallon juice jugs that take up no room at all. Voila- the craft beers of all craft beers, brewed with love, in super small batches. For the first batch I've gone completely without a recipe. It'll be dark, creamy, and sweet, with a yeast strain called "Super High Gravity", which for you non-brewers, also means "super high alcohol"- up to 13%. Here's the batch bubbling away in a cardboard box meant to prevent collateral damage if the jug explodes. Can't wait!

Typical Summer Weekend

Oh, man- is it Summer. It's only June and I'm already done. Some highlights: bubble tea, Austin Museum of Art, some sailing on (ever diminishing) Lake Travis, and the coolest barbecue pit ever in our parking lot. Smelling smoked meats makes me think of Fall. And so begins the countdown until September 1st...

New Old Camp Stove Technology

Here is a crude alcohol stove I made from a mint tin and a coffee can. It uses denatured alcohol (which is available at any hardware store), burns clean, won't explode, and is very light and portable. This one burns very hot and burns out very quickly; my next one will have a larger resevoir (made out of a bigger mint tin) and smaller holes to make it last longer. This little thing will come in handy when there is a burn ban (which is about half the time, here in central Texas).

Urban Gladiators, New for Summer 2011!

Whether you're wielding a net and trident against a hungry lion or just fighting the crowds on mass transit for an afternoon at your favorite bodega, these DIY cut-up Reebok demi-sandals are your best bet for keeping your tootsies cool and protected. Equally fitted for training cross-country or training to slaughter Christians, their vaguely Romanesque lines and 21st century materials make them your next favorite footwear!

Pioneer Farms, Austin

I spent some time this weekend volunteering at Pioneer Farms here in Austin. It is a collection of very old buildings, period farm tools (and a working blacksmith shop), and some animals for the kids to visit. Great place, and neat history.
I could definitely see myself living on a small piece of land in a house this size. With my wife and no kids, that is. This farmhouse belonged to German immigrants in the 1850's. Herr and Frau Kruger lived here with their 13 kids. The daughters slept in the loft, and sons slept outside on the porch!

Texas Drought Continues

Man, oh man. We need the rain! That picture is a front that blew in that should have brought us rain, but didn't. And the winds were so high this weekend that one of the sailboats in the weekly regatta capsized. I don't think anyone was hurt or anything damaged too bad. I can't say the same for some of the houses of Oak Hill. On my way home from the lake I spent 45 minutes in traffic because of this. The other pic is of one of two helicopters that were carrying water to the fire. Start yer rain dances, people, it's only APRIL!

Sailor, 85, crosses Atlantic on raft with friends

'What else do you do when you get on in years?' he says

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten — An 85-year-old British sailor who dreamed of crossing the Atlantic on a raft as a young boy has completed the journey in 66 days with three friends.

The 2,800-mile crossing to this Caribbean island, led by Anthony Smith of London, took about two months and was generally smooth except for damage to two rudders on the large, sail-powered raft.

"Some people say it was mad," he told The Associated Press when he arrived in St. Maarten Wednesday. "But it wasn't mad. What else do you do when you get on in years?"

The jovial crew said they wanted to raise awareness about the environment and to prove the elderly are capable of embarking on adventures that are mistakenly considered dangerous.

They also aimed to raise money for the British nonprofit group WaterAid, which provides potable water to impoverished communities.

The crew of the An-Tiki included John Russell, David Hildred, captain Anthony Smith and Andrew Bainbridge.

A stroke of bad luck paid for the trip, courtesy of Smith, who was hit by a van and broke his hip.

"I got some compensation money," he said. "So what do you blow the compensation money on? You blow it on a raft."

The crew departed from the Canary Islands after bad weather delayed their trip for about a month.

Fresh bread
Smith delivered a farewell speech — in nearly impeccable Spanish — to a crowd gathered on the dock and then waved goodbye.

The raft, named "An-Tiki" after Thor Heyerdahl's famous Kon-Tiki raft, was loaded with food including oranges, avocados, potatoes, cabbages and a pumpkin. Once the store-bought bread was consumed, sailing master David Hildred began making it from scratch in a small oven.

Hildred, a civil engineer who lives in the British Virgin Islands, also was summoned to help fix the rudders that broke three days into the trip.

The raft was built with four water supply pipes nearly 40 feet long, and 14 cross pipes.

Seven pipes held the crew's fresh water supply.

"Water strikes at the very heart of need," Smith told the U.K.'s Press Association news agency. "To voyage almost 3,000 miles upon the salty kind makes us intensely aware of places in the world that are without adequate supplies."

The raft also had a nearly 40-foot long mast and a 400-square-foot sail. Twin rudders provided the steering, along with centerboards and two oars.

The raft traveled at an average speed of 4 knots, with the crew taking turns to keep watch when they were not reading or playing cards.

"I think all of us enjoyed our night watches when it was just oneself for company," Smith said. "Not an awful lot to see, but it was great."

'Mutiny'
A whale played alongside the raft one day, and a school of mahi-mahi followed the raft almost the entire journey, said crew member John Russell, 61, of Britain.

"The wildlife was just fantastic," he said. "There is nothing to be scared of. We were all old men."

Halfway across the Atlantic, Smith celebrated his 85th birthday with a chocolate cake that his doctor, Andrew Bainbridge, cooked on board.

The crew intended to end their trip in the Bahamas, but strong winds and currents forced them to the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten.

"Yes, of course it's a success," Smith said with a smile. "How many people do you know who have rafted across the Atlantic? ... The word mutiny was only spoken about two or three times a day."

Submarine For Sale (Austin Texas)

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Date: 2011-03-30, 7:54AM CDT Reply to: sale-za47v-2294809614@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

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Two man wet submarine for sale with trailer, serious offers only. Austin Texas Call to schedule appointment to see this craft. 512-XXX-XXXX

• Location: Austin Texas
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

That's a craigslist post I saw today. I love this town! One question: by "wet submarine" do they mean inside and out? Isn't the point of a submarine so you can go underwater and not get wet? Ok, two questions. How much does one of these go for?

More on Hops...

Well, not much to report sailing-wise. Another J-24 race yesterday, and a beautiful day it was too, but no recent canoe work. I have to get on that!
So, in the meantime here's a rickety time lapse video of a few hours of hops growth. You can see the taller vine on the left really going at it, completing two full twists around the twine. The larger part of the rhizome I dug up and planted at my friend's is over almost 3 meters tall now (yeah, I'm trying to go metric. It's my new thing).

Hops in Texas

In everything I've read about growing hops they say you need to start in April or May. There should be a Texas amendment to that rule. Most suppliers don't even start shipping them until then. My vine started sprouting in mid-February. Now, I was partly lucky because a near freeze would have sabotaged it were it not for the fact that Austin is always a few degrees warmer than the surrounding areas. But in general we start a lot earlier than the rest of the country, and need this extra time to establish before the heat withers everything.
This year our condo is redoing faulty cantilever balconies, and this means at any time they might have us remove everything that's on them. This would include my hops. So, soon after this picture was taken, I regretfully uprooted the thing to plant at a friend's house. The bits that were left behind continued to grow, so I put them in a smaller, more transportable pot to see what they'll do. So far, so good.

Canoe Rig by Todd Bradshaw

This book is changing my life! Maybe overstated, but this book has the answers to so many of my questions about my rig: What's a good sail area to shoot for? What's the best sail plan for upwind performance? How much leeboard surface should I have in the water? etc. Of course he champions experimentation, but for a guy like me whose time to work on this stuff is limited, it gives very good starting points. I wish I had been able to get a hold of this book before making my first rig, but it seems my current plan is on the money as far as being generally well performing (or, should be, anyways). It's been informative and affirming. I do think the author and I differ on aesthetic principles and on how much of a role they should play in my boat, but there's no denying his designs are beautiful.

It is available on amazon.com, of course: http://www.amazon.com/Canoe-Rig-Essence-Sailpower-Traditional/dp/0937822574/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1298905135&sr=8-10 . Or if your local library is registered with the Inter-Library Loan system, you can sign up to get it after I'm done with it.

Next boat piece to design: mast thwart for my "backwards" rig for solo sailing and a foot controlled rudder. The weather here is getting nice quick!

A Nice Time to Unbend

Well, using the car jack to unbend the canoe was a success. That's not to say it's back to new, but it is a LOT better, and I'm convinced that with a little shifting of the braces and monkeying around I can get her shipshape. I'm already feeling better about it, and it proves the method works.
Here is the nasty kink:

Two 2x4's were placed on either side of the bent gunwale with 2 long 18in pieces of threaded rod, washers, and nuts holding them together.
The car jack was placed between the outward side of the bend and the outer 2x4. I should have put a scrap of wood between the business end of the jack and the gunwale to prevent any marring. I will next time, but no big deal.

I started cranking, and viola! Here is a pic of the canoe in it's usual "dry docked" storage position. From the bottom you can still see that top left part of the canoe (the part I just bent back) is still a little off, but I should be able to do some more jack bending and get it right.

Now the question is: will the gunwale fail easier now that it has been bent? With chromoly steel tubing used in backyard aircraft, if it's bent not too bad and then bent back into place it is actually work-hardened. After that, though, and bend will make it too brittle.
Let's hope I don't bend it again in any event.

A fresh rain smell was in the air this morning, the unmistakable fragrance of spring. I'm looking forward more than usual to mild temps- to a day when I can really test the canoe rig. I've been using this time to do more research on different rigs and different ways to effectively use outriggers ("amas", as they are called in the islands where they were first used). The lessons I've learned from the first trial are these: 1) I need to use lighter material for sail cloth, maybe a rip-stop nylon, to be really suited for a small boat in light wind. Also a thinner and lighter boom, although I'm sticking with the current one until I've sailed in gustier conditions and I'm convinced it is more than I need. 2) Zip-ties DO NOT work as mast hoops to connect the sail to the mast (think shower curtain rings). They simply don't slide up the mast when tugging on the main halyard. 3) I will eventually (and probably soon) need to turn the entire boat around in order to be more balanced. Typically canoes are not completely symmetric- they don't look the same going forward and backward. The rear seat is closer to the stern than the front seat is to the bow (the front seat is set a little further back, closer to the middle). This is, of course, so there is room for the legs of the paddler in the front. But when you're alone, it would make for better balance to sit more towards the middle (sit in the front seat, but backwards). This would put me further away from the back and would necessitate a tiller (a handle attached to the paddle that's tied to the stern as a rudder- basically an extension for the rudder). I will post what I've learned in my reading later this week. This is enough technical stuff for one post. Here's a pic of a dude way more serious than I am... so far.

Last Day of Georgetown

It was a gray and windless Sunday morning with a light sprinkle. Unfortunately I wasn't able to sail, but I was able to find the springs (see video) and paddle back to the car easily. Here are the thorns and roses: general prep was very good- I had all that I needed. The sail rig worked even though I wasn't able to test it very much. And of course I will ALWAYS make sure that damn tie-down stays put. My next project is to straighten the canoe.
Sleeping on the canoe: critters don't get in your food, it's easy to set up shelter, and it's very clean. The only problem is that it's cramped. Camping in cold weather: no bugs, don't use as much water, food preservation is a non issue. The down side is that it's cold.

Georgetown Trip Day 2

Even subtracting 5 minutes for every time I woke up and turned over, I still slept for a cumulative 12 hours. Hibernated, really. It was 26 F according to my thermometer. The pic above is of the aft end of the boom, covered in little fuzzy ice crystals. I had rigged two old fiberglass tent poles to the canoe, and had thrown a tarp over them as a make-shift shelter to keep the frost off of me for the night.
I decided to paddle up stream (and against a light breeze) to lunch in the mouth of the San Gabriel. My plan was to then hoist the sail and cruise back to a camp site on the south shore. The water was calm, it was sunny, and I was pretty much alone on the river. Lunch was on shore, and I was feeling good. But then- well, sometimes you get the wind. Sometimes the wind gets you.
It kicked up to 10 knots, gusting to 20, and shifted to make my trip back to the lake quite an exercise. I could no longer ride the wind out of the river, as it was blowing straight in my face. Also, when alone in a canoe, sitting in the back forces the front end of the canoe up (even with my gear stored forward to balance, it wasn't enough to make it flat in the water), and every gust of wind pushes the bow to the left or right, making staying on track impossible. To counter I had to throw myself into the middle of the canoe each time the wind kicked up, and paddle hard to keep myself from regressing back up the river. All this (and a Dale's Pale) meant when I finally got to a camp, I crashed again for 11 hours. I only woke up when the coyotes started howling- but rolled over and slept some more after I was sure they didn't sound like they were coming closer. Pic below is lunch at Box Crossing.

Georgetown Trip Day 1.5

Ok- last we left off our trusty canoe had had a run in with a nasty harbinger of death. But, she was now floating gently (and without leaking) on the calm (but breezy) winter afternoon waters of Lake Georgetown. The sail rig was fitting well enough to try out. I paddled to a small cove and began running the lines, tying on the paddle/rudder to the stern, and zip-tying the sail to the mast and boom. I didn't feel safe in that temperature water (and with %50 of all the camping gear I own on board) going anywhere but downwind. And I did go. I raised the sail cautiously 1/3 up the mast, then 2/3 up, and caught a nice breeze that took me effortlessly about a mile upstream. The steering worked well, and tracking didn't seem to be a problem. The sun was going down quickly, though, and i figured I had a whole day ahead of me to test it more. So I stopped at a tree in the water, about 10 feet from the shore, and moored my keel to it. I used my coffee-can charcoal stove to cook some tortillas and sausages on the boat, and it worked well. The small plywood bottom also proved to be fairly comfortable as I rolled out my sleeping bag. My quarters were pretty cramped, though. A Dale's Pale Ale later and I was fast asleep.

Goergetown Trip, Day 1

Sandwiched between our CD release party on Thursday Jan 20th and a live radio performance (KVRX Local Live) Sunday, Jan 23rd, was my solo trip to Lake Georgetown. I had been working a lot on the sailing rig,
and accumulating some very good luck points for several days (making green lights I never make, "check engine" light on my dash turned off by itself, etc.). I was feeling good about the trip, even though I got
to the park a little late after finishing the hem and grommet installation on the sail. The gentleman at the park gate was friendly, and said i could have the run of the place, since I was the only overnight guest scheduled to be there. He gave me a map and pointed out a few good camping spots around the lake- he couldn't believe he had bought a canoe recently that was EXACTLY like mine (I thought I had seen one at an RV just
before the gate area. He confirmed it was his, and remarked he had never seen another like it until now). I was set with a map, a GPS, and a plan. I drove immediately to the boat launch. That's when it
happened.
The lazy end of the tie-down strap had worked itself loose during the drive to the park, but hadn't caused any problems until I started driving down the ramp. "CRUNCH". I had no idea what just happened. I got out to look, and realized I had driven over that loose end of the tie down, cinching down the canoe with such force that it bent the frame (and dented the roof of my car). I felt sick to my stomach. "All of this work and planning and dreaming, and now this freak accident!".
I went ahead and got it off the car and into the water to inspect it. The hull was in tact, the bottom was straight, but one of the gunwales was bent significantly. It was ugly, but it didn't look like it'd affect the performance. It did, however, affect how my rig fit. Then I had one of those moments like in the movies where the protagonist
looks up from what he's doing and into the distance, the camera zooms in fast on his epiphanous expression, and a film collage of previous bits of the movie starts to tell the story of what has just occurred
to him. You see, I hadn't been collecting good luck signs all week, I had been hemorrhaging good luck, spilling it onto trivial things. There was none left for my trip. Then I shuddered, mind reeling from the realization that just 5 minutes prior my canoe had glimpsed her own doppelganger. This was no freak accident. This is how the doppelganger works.
Stay tuned for pics, video, and the next installment of the Georgetown trip.

One last post before I go:

This will be the last entry before the trip- too busy to blog again. Sail cloth came in last night, and the sail is taking shape. Forecast is for light winds (about 8 knots) from the North on Friday, which should be perfect (just enough to move me, but hopefully not enough to tip me over into a frigid lake!). It will be cold (overnight freeze), but should be sunny during the day. Estimated weight for all water, rations and gear is 60 lbs. A little more weight forward would be good to help counter all my weight aft, but I honestly don't know what else to bring. I'm sure I'll think of it when I'm there and it's too late. Maybe I should get a bigger anchor.

Inspiration Through Libation

I was feeling the stress of the time crunch with this sailing canoe project, wandering our local grocery store for dinner with my head somewhere else, when I found myself in the familiar territory of the beer aisle. It's like my subconscious was trying to tell me to relax. Not being one that dares neglect his psyche, I went ahead and perused. For the first time ever I found inspiration on a bottle, rather than in it. The picture above is from a Full Sail Amber label: early pioneers in Virginia sailing what look like canoes. It's hard to tell, but I'm going to go ahead and say they're canoes.

Countdown to Launch

I've decided on Lake Georgetown; it is much smaller, more trees (according to satellite detail from Google Earth), %50 of the shoreline is public park, and I've never been there. There looks like only 1 park that is not closed to overnight camping (due to renovations) and that has a boat ramp. Of course the boat ramp isn't required, but it sure makes things easier when I don't know what the terrain might be. "Is it so small you'll get bored?", my wife asked. Good question, but I think there is enough to do, and i can always paddle up the San Gabriel to see what I can see.
Sailcloth isn't here yet (it's held up by the winter storm that hit East coast), and there isn't one piece that's completely finished, but I've got one more weekend to get it all together. Take a look at the pictures from Google Earth taken at Russel Park (zoom in on Lake Georgetown, click on the little photo icons on the North bank towards the middle of the lake). I hope to add some of my own soon!

The plan is, even though it's January, to spend a few days on a solo canoe trip either to Lake Travis or to Lake Georgetown. The problem is that I want this thing to sail, and the trip is less than 2 weeks away. This weekend and last I've worked on all the components: the yoke, the mast step, and the mast and boom. Sail cloth is being shipped from South Carolina (5 bucks a yard, 5.5 oz dacron sail cloth, ebay!). The paradigm has shifted: do not spend months trying to make a perfect rig- this will mean it never gets done. Instead just make the pieces, often out of scrap, and see how they work together. Then redesign and remake the beta pieces. If I think of it that way then everything moves much faster. But will it move fast enough for Jan. 21st trip? Pictured is the yoke, almost complete, standing on end without the keels attached.

BELLS!!!

My first write up. Who knew when I was 2 years old, banging away on that rainbow-colored Fisher Price xylophone, that it'd ever amount to anything?