All posts by virtualdavis

A writer, storyteller and unabashed flâneur, George Davis (aka virtualDavis or G.G. Davis, Jr.) is the author of Rosslyn Redux: Reawakening a home, a dream and ourselves, a transmedia chronicle about rehabilitating an historic property in the Adirondacks with his bride. He blogs about storytelling, poetry, doodling, marginalia, flânerie, publishing, and other creativity-inspired esoterica at virtualDavis.com; posts sometimes exhilarating, often unnerving, occasionally euphoric, and always pollyanna "midlife mashups" at 40x41.com; chronicles his sailing adventures (and misadventures) at Sailing Errant; and delves into matters of parenting, babylandia, and childfreedom at Why No Kids? George formerly taught and coached at Santa Fe Preparatory School and The American School of Paris, and he co-founded and launched Maison Margaux: "Paris à la parisienne" in Faubourg Saint-Germain. He currently owns and operates Adobe Oasis in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his bride. George meanders on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube and Flickr.
Ship's Log

Morning Mirror

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Lake Champlain offered up this morning mirror today. Errant reflected…

Commissioning, Maintenance

Spring Shakedown 2018

With May winding down and weather shifting from soggy to sunny, I finally began readying Errant for another summer on Lake Champlain. Winter cover off, pressure washing and compounding, bottom painting, canvas back on including the brand new genoa,…

There’s so much to do each spring, but I’m fueled with anticipation and enthusiasm during the pre-season commissioning so the chores are actually [almost] 100% enjoyable. Of course, there’s always that one rainy day when planning to bottom paint or an electrical mystery (like connecting to shore power and discover that the onboard battery charger is not working, not working, not working, until, “Oh, the power tower has a tripped breaker! It’s not the boat at all…”)

But the spring checklist is finite, and soon enough it is launch day followed but the much-anticipated shakedown sail south from the Willsboro Bay Marina to our home in Essex.

Spring Shakedown 2018 (Source: Geo Davis)
Spring Shakedown 2018 (Source: Geo Davis)

That first sail of the season always a joy, but this year was perfect. Winds out of the north variable from the high single digits to the mid teens and calm seas. We were wing-and-wing much of the morning, and I even managed to squeeze in a brief snooze at the helm while autopilot was employed on the broad lake. Even my occasionally-nonplussed-about-sailing-bride enjoyed herself. All told, it was the perfect start to a new season.

Maintenance, Sailing

It’s a Wrap

Yes, it’s that inevitable, poignant end of season post. Summer 2017 has come and gone.

“Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan.”

— Anonymous

And in English, “Where there was fire, ashes remain.” What a sailing season. Sorry to have so poorly documented my adventures. Too many competing time pirates looting my clock? Something.

Here’s a quick glimpse of the final lap, sunny side up:

The next morning even the skies were pouting!

Thanks, Errant, and thanks, weather gods, for providing a treasure trove of sailing memories to relive this winter. Now time to start winterization…

Sailing

Hypnotic Helming

Sailing the Fastnet (Source: "My Life on the Ocean Wave", The New York Times)
Sailing the Fastnet (Source: “My Life on the Ocean Wave”, The New York Times)

Hat tip to my father for sending me a link to “Fastnet sailing adventure“, Michael Hutchinson’s delightfully recounted Fastnet sailing adventure.

I found that I could stand behind the wheel carving a fast passage through the rolling sea for hours on end, barely having to think. It was hypnotic. (Source: The New York Times)

I totally understand what Hutchinson is referring to, and I’ve never blue water sailed. Not yet. (But I will!)

There is something hypnotic—even when sailing within sight (or almost within sight) of land—about slicing through the sea at the helm of a solid sailboat. I find this to be especially true when I’m shorthanded. So totally, 100% in the zone. So alive. And yet so removed from everything else, all distractions and deadlines and fuzzy thinking.

Hutchinson writes well, and he communicates the subtlety of sailing well, but there’s something even more tantalizing in this piece. Perhaps it’s how familiar his thoughts felt. This, too, hit home for me:

It was cartoonishly metaphorical, the eight of us surfing toward the finish line surrounded by jumping dolphins. Ten year old me… would have ignored them, the better to evaluate the effects of Coriolis force on the sail trim. Happily, it turned out that I’d got a lot younger in the intervening years. (Source: The New York Times)

I think I was an old man when I was a child, far more eager (and anxious) than my peers. I did my best to camouflage both afflictions, but they were there, roiling within. And I’m certain that I’ve un-aged as I grown older. I’m still eager, but I’m less anxious. I’m more present and appreciative and joyful and—not always, but often—I’m more tranquil. Sailing is for me one of those transcendent places where I can be young again. Joyfully young without the ache of worry.

I close with a hat-tip to my father (who sent me this article, and who taught me to sail a long time ago) and to Michael Hutchinson for chronicling and sharing his adventure. Thanks!

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Commissioning, Dockside

Commissioning Complete; Sailing South Soon…

The 2017 season has begun but the best (i.e. sailing instead of cleaning and fixing and rigging and compounding and…) is still ahead!

After a late and lengthy spring (almost summer) commissioning, Errant is as ready as she’s going to be. Sitting pretty in her slip at the Willsboro Bay Marina, relearning the rhythms of Lake Champlain, and presiding over still-mostly-empty docks she cuts a fine figure agains this sunsetting scene. Aaahhh… sailing in the Adirondacks!

Cruising, Livaboard, Sailing, Upgrades & Repairs

Life on Gudgeon, a Cherubini Hunter 36

Livaboard Captain of Gudgeon, a Cherubini Hunter 36 (Source: Life on Gudgeon)
Livaboard Captain of Gudgeon, a Cherubini Hunter 36 (Source: Life on Gudgeon)

Today I introduce Matthew Parsons, another inspirational sailor/livaboard who chronicles his adventure at Life on Gudgeon (blog URL is www.gudgeonblog.ca and he also posts pics on Instagram.com/.) Unlike some of the snazzier, slicker sailing blogs, Parson doesn’t airbrush his experience. Reality unfiltered. It’s refreshingly honest and useful. Instructive.

In his own words:

I am a transplant from England… [residing] in Victoria [Canada]. The longer I stayed in Victoria, the more people I met who had made the jump to living on the water. This blog is about my attempts to join them.

I bought Gudgeon (then Wind Chime) in Dec 2013, moved on in June 2014, and have steadily been upgrading and improving her. My thoughts have started to turn to cruising around the world, but I have a lot of refitting and learning to do before then! (Source: Life on Gudgeon)

Gudgeon, Parsons’ sailboat, is a 36 foot Hunter designed in 1980 by John Cherubini. She’s a solid vessel with clean lines, a reliable hull and rig, and a steady supply of projects. Parsons documents the ups and the downs, a healthy reminder that living aboard a sailboat isn’t all tie-dye sunsets and following winds.

Except when it is…

Gudgeon at Sunset (Source: Life on Gudgeon)
Gudgeon at Sunset (Source: Life on Gudgeon)

 

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Sailing

On the Hard Again: Winterization 2016

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Winterization 2016: Errant (near right) is on the hard again at Willsboro Bay Marina until next spring.
Winterization 2016: Errant (near right) is on the hard again at Willsboro Bay Marina until next spring.

Last Thursday my bride and I sailed away from Essex for some “together time” to wrap up our boating season on Lake Champlain. Today Errant is on the hard, winterized, and covered for a long North Country fall-winter-spring. What a week!

Winterization 2016: Errant (port side, winter storage cover) is on the hard again at Willsboro Bay Marina until next spring.
Winterization 2016: Errant (port side, winter storage cover) is on the hard again at Willsboro Bay Marina until next spring.

As always, I’m super grateful to Paul, Tami, Andre, Michael, and everyone else that ensures smooth operations at Willsboro Bay Marina. What an incredible team. Always reliable, always friendly, always generous, always over-delivering. Launching and hauling has is such a positive experience each year. Thank you, Team WBM!

Winterization 2016: Errant (stern view, winter storage cover) is on the hard again at Willsboro Bay Marina until next spring.
Winterization 2016: Errant (stern view, winter storage cover) is on the hard again at Willsboro Bay Marina until next spring.

There’s a long-ish laundry list that we need to take care of during winter storage including:

  • finding and fixing a fresh water leak
  • repairing the bimini bracket that ripped its screws out of the deck
  • troubleshoot ceiling light in head (one works; one doesn’t)
  • repair broken ceiling light in salon near clock/barometer
  • fix v-berth latch
  • refinish companionway boards
  • repair main and genoa
  • install smart latch brackets for helm seat
  • source new cockpit cushions and porthole blinds
  • repair/reseal wiring in bilge (especially wind instrument connections)
  • replace all running rigging, dock lines, etc.
  • replace halyard/sheet/line pockets
  • and various other projects…

But for now, it’s time to celebrate a memorable sailing season on Lake Champlain, and to breathe a sigh of relief that hauling and winterization are complete. And — it’s worth noting — de-rigging, winter storage cover, etc. took half the time of last year. Progress!

Cruising, Sailing

Last Waltz 2016: Big Wind and Big Seas

The best-laid plans… According to our scheme, we’d follow our leisurely two-night stay in Burlington with an early morning rise on Saturday in order to sail west to Willsboro Bay Marina before the wind and waves had a chance to build.

By 5:00am I was up and showering, fretting over the increasingly rough water and the ever-mounting wind. Meteorologists failed. Again.

Looks calm enough in the photo, right? Well, it wasn’t. With stern into the wind and waves, Errant was see-sawing bow, stern, bow, stern. The docks were moaning and groaning. And I nearly wore out my weather apps trying to get a handle on what to expect.

For context, I take you back a couple of days:

So, one side of me is aching to wrap up the season with a final day of big wind and big seas. But I know for certain that this is not the best way to nurture my bride’s extremely restrained interest in spending more time sailing Errant. (Source: Last Waltz 2016: Preparations | Sailing Errant)

Plan vs. Reality

By 8:00am we’d set sail in gusty winds fluctuating between hight teens and low twenties. Directly out of the south, so looong fetch. Huge rolling seas.

My bride was not pleased.

But with worsening weather and a Monday haul-out date (driven by travel booked shortly thereafter), we knew what we needed to do. Double reefed main and genoa, nose into the surf, and off we went. We soon discovered that we’d be unable to sail directly west to Willsboro Point. This put us broadside to the building waves, and we were taking tons of water over the deck and into the cockpit. Not fun with many miles ahead.

So he headed further north, enduring a rodeo ride between Burlington and Port Kent, New York. Wind quickly starting pushing into the low 30s. Hull speed never dropped below 7.5 knots. Waves were as large as I ever experienced on Lake Champlain. I was wavering between concern for my bride who turned out to be an incredible trooper, helping solve crises as they arose, and keeping us focused on the goal of our crossing.

At one point the port side bimini blew free, the stainless steel tubing having pulled the screws free from the deck. No time to round-up, we kept barreling through the waves while lashing the support to the stanchions, a solution that held despite the odds.

When we finally reached the New York shore we began tacking our way south toward Willsboro Point. I’d hoped for a wave and wind shadow behind Schuyler Island. Moderate reduction in wave action, but the winds continued to howl. Endless tacking, but gaining little ground. A dozen tacks. Two dozen. A fouled jib sheet. Bride at the help while I fought my way up to free the sheet. More tacks.

We were drenched, but finally we reached the mouth of Willsboro Bay. I’d resisted shifting over to engine power since Errant handles so much better (stronger, steadier, and more predictable) under sail power, but by the time we entered the bay we decided to switch over to diesel. It took the ages to fight south despite having the throttle wide open. We continue to take waves over the bow, continued to get slammed with water. But slowly we inched toward Willsboro Bay Marina where our slip awaited us.

No sooner had we tied up than the sun came out and the wind began to fall. We changed into dry cloths, and enjoyed the lunch we hadn’t been able to eat during our 5+ hour adventure. It tasted sublime!

What an end to the season. I’m incredibly proud of my bride for rising to the occasion. I’d marry her all over again! And I’m proud of Errant. What a wonderful ship. I’m never once questioned my good fortune in finding and purchasing this reliable vessel, and it’s been three years.

Cruising, Sailing

Last Waltz 2016: Burlington, Vermont

Welcome to the second installment of our Last Waltz 2016. We’re off to a splendid start (despite setting sail four hours late…), crossing Lake Champlain from Essex, New York to Burlington, Vermont.

Sailing Errant to Burlington, Vermont (Source: Geo Davis)
Sailing Errant to Burlington, Vermont (Source: Geo Davis)

Lovely, lovely conditions. Winds in the low to mid teens, cool but sunny weather, a tasty lunch, and hours alone with my bride for the first time in far too long.

My bride genuinely enjoyed the passage, and we both agreed that it was the most relaxing days we’ve enjoyed together in weeks. Months?

We settled into an outer slip on the southern end of Burlington Boathouse’s marina—lots of air and unobstructed view—and then met up with friends for drinks at Juniper followed by dinner at Bleu. The perfect start to a mini-vacation!

We continued to follow the weather, and by Friday morning we had decided that heading north to Valcour would set us up for a risky sail south on Saturday. Thunderstorm threats had been pushed back, but major wind (out of the south) promised a wetter, colder, and generally less optimal sail than I wanted for my bride. (Remember, the goal was to make her feel more comfortable sailing, not less comfortably cruising!)

Instead we opted to spend the day and a second night in Burlington. Fortunately the friends with whom we’d planned to rendezvous at Valcour agreed to meet us in Burlington for cocktails on the boat and dinner at Splash. Perfect. But first a lazy day playing “tourist” in a town where we’re normally hustling to cross items off our punch lists. I’ll chronicle the rest of our Burlington stay in Twitter posts…

And no sooner did the sun set but we were graced with a spectacular  Harvest Moon. Truly spectacular.

Let’s wrap up with a snapshot of my bride with our guests backlit with sunsetting into the Adirondacks. Good night, Burlington.

Bride with Team Gieblielmo at Splash
Bride with Team Gieblielmo at Splash
Cruising, Sailing

Last Waltz 2016: Preparations

All season I have been anticipating a multi-day sailing excursion on Lake Champlain with my bride. Tomorrow, at last, we set sail.

Errant waiting patiently
Errant waiting patiently

Our first leg, Essex to Burlington, promises a “perfect” weather forecast: bluebird skies, warm-but-not-hot temperatures, and moderately light winds. The moderate winds are especially important because my bride—who’ll happily, eagerly hurl herself into the roughest conditions on the windsurfer—remains uncomfortable on a larger sailboat when it heels in heavy wind.

Errant, eager to wander
Errant, eager to wander

Friday’s forecast looks similarly perfect. We have planned to sail from Burlington to Valcour where we will meet up with friends and sleep on the hook. So far so good.

Saturday’s weather forecast has been a bit less ideal. Initially it looked like day three of the same perfect conditions. Then meteorologists switched things up. Rain. Thunderstorms. High wind. Not exactly what we’re hoping for. So I waited, refreshed the weather forecast way too often, and waited some more…

The good news is that rain has been pushed back. Maybe Saturday evening, but probably not before. But the wind speed is increasing daily. Yesterday the forecast lifted from low teens to high teens. By this morning it is 20+. Keep in mind that these are land forecasts, and in my experience actual wind velocity is usually about 50% higher than the land forecast.

So, one side of me is aching to wrap up the season with a final day of big wind and big seas. But I know for certain that this is not the best way to nurture my bride’s extremely restrained interest in spending more time sailing Errant. I know that a wet sail south from Valcour to Willsboro Bay Marina will most likely backfire. So, I’m simultaneously willing a shift in the weather and weighing the possibility of abridging our plans: Friday lunch at Valcour and then sail south to Willsboro by day’s end.