First sail of the year

[FinallyRetired]

Got my boat out for the first sail of the year today. Good wind, but usual early season problems. Got engine grease on the nice clean deck and couldn't get it off, the main sail got fouled trying to bring it down, and worse of all spilled a bottle of wine all over myself and the deck. So the deck was this greasy wine color by the time we got back -- come to think of it, so was I. I was fine with that, but the wife had some issues with it.

 

[TargaDave]

How about a picture of the pride and joy? Where do you sail?

 

[FinallyRetired]

I sail in the Chesapeake and Potomac. Used to race my Capri 25 weekly in Annapolis but retired from that when the competiton kept getting younger every year. I now mainly cruise around in either my boat or my friend's Island Packet 38. Oh, also race on an Alerion 28 on the Bay but it's not my boat so it's a lot easier.

Here is a photo of us in an Annapolis race, taken by helicopter. Didn't even know the helicopter was there until afterwards when someone showed me the photo. That's another reason I cruise more and race less these days, I realized I was spending all day on the water and all I remembered was the sail trim and the race turning marks.

Not sure how the photo will look since I trimmed it down to the 64k limit.
Well, the photo didn't work at all, so I'll try it again later, I'm leaving for a day sail

 

[FinallyRetired]

OK, back from a great day sail on the Bay, 20 knots.
I uploaded the heli photo onto photbucket, per hints I read on another post, and here it is. I blanked out identifying marks to respect my crew's privacy, especially since we didn't do well in this particular race

 

[TargaDave]

Looks fun though I understand the desire cruise more and race less (used to race in a hobie fleet back in grad school). I take it the photo is the Capri? Do you keep it at a marina? Any cruising beyond weekend trips in the Capri or Island Packet?

I am remotely considering a 35-38' shoal draft monohull for basic coastal cruising around the Albemarle but I am at least a year or two away from acting.

 

[chinaco]

Nice boat.

 

[FinallyRetired]

I take it the photo is the Capri? Do you keep it at a marina? Any cruising beyond weekend trips in the Capri or Island Packet?

I am remotely considering a 35-38' shoal draft monohull for basic coastal cruising around the Albemarle but I am at least a year or two away from acting.

Yes, it is the Capri 25. I keep it at a marina, and this winter for the first time I kept it in year round. I used to haul it every winter, then do the bottom before putting it back in, you know, a racing bottom. But every year it got harder and harder to do, and since I don't race it much anymore, I didn't even bother.

The Capri is primarily a day sailor, but wife and I do occasional weekenders, and I've taken it on a 5-day 300 mile cruise in the Bay and Potomac. This was a guy thing with some friends, the wife doesn't like long open cockpit cruises like that. On the Island Packet the longest we've done is 500 miles around the Delmarva. We're planning a cruise this summer up to Block Island for a couple of weeks.

Besides that, wife and I have done several week long bareboat charters in the caribbean, a couple of times in the BVIs and once in the St Martin/St Barts area. We also do a lot of cruising in the SVIs.

I think a 35-38 footer is about the ideal minimum size for comfortable cruising. There are a lot of Catalinas that size on the Chesapeake, and they are also good for offshore in good conditions. The Island Packet is nice because it can take just about anything you throw at it, we had 60 knot gusts in the Delmarva and the boat had no problem. A lighter boat like a Catalina can handle it, but it's on the edge and not very comfortable. Problem is, the IP is a very expensive boat and doesn't fit a lot of FIRE plans. The Capri 25 is the best bang for the buck, you can get a used one for 8-12k, and they take very little maintenance, so the main cost is the slip fee. Once you get into above a 30 and you add an inboard, marine head, instruments, and maintenance costs it gets expensive quickly.