Rainbows

Vero Beach
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The other night, we were chatting with Peter on Georgie II, when we noticed a brilliant stub of a rainbow off shore to the east. We could see the right foot, about 10 degrees of the arc. However as time passed, the left foot appeared, then it became a double rainbow, then the entire 180 degree arc appeared. I shot it with the panorama feature of my camera and used software to stitch the panoramic shots together. It makes the tree line and the housed look wavy and weird but it did let me shoot the entire rainbow.

If you look carefully, you can see the faint second rainbow with a larger diameter. Once, in Sweden, Libby and I saw a triple rainbow. That is probably a once in a lifetime event.


Contrast the shape of the above rainbow with the one below. We took this shot on the Neuse River near New Bern, NC. The key difference is that this rainbow was sighted when the sun was high in the sky rather than just before sunset. The high sun makes the rainbow look squashed flat. I is unusual because rainbows are not usually sighted at that time of day.

Furler Day

Vero Beach Public Library
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Today was the day we've been waiting for a long time. Two riggers drove up from West Palm to deliver our new jib furler and to install it.

Carl and Harley were the two guys. They really knew their business, especially Carl. They did the whole job in three hours including Carl climbing up the mast twice.

The new furler is made by Seldén AB (as Swedish company) and the brand is Furlex. The Swedes are especially good at designing and making metal things, and this furler is an example of that. It's not cheap. The furler cost more than $2,000 and installation by the riggers was another $500. I'm glad though to have the best furler made, and very glad that I didn't try to install it myself. The procedure is very complicated. Here are the steps.



I was most impressed when Carl went up the mast. He didn't sit and let us crank him up with the winch. He pulled himself up by muscle while Harley stood on deck and pulled in the slack line. I used to climb like that when I was 25, but that was a long time ago.

We did encounter one problem. My bow pulpit is too narrow. It doesn't leave enough room for the furler drum. I'll have to move the pulpit, or find a welder to modify it, or get a new pulpit. That's a new project for my list to accomplish before leaving Vero.

By the way, as we were in the middle of the installation, the gentleman below came along. He was interested in Tarwathie. He said that he worked in the Westsail factory in Costa Mesa California building Westsail 32s. What a small world.

World's Strangest Sail Boat

Vero Beach Public Library
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I took the following pictures in Burlington harbor last summer. The yellow boat on the mooring behind us must be the most unique and unusual sail boat I ever saw. Everything about it, down to the small details, is very un-nautical. The builder was apparently very skilled and who does great workmanship, but one wonders if he ever saw a boat before.

The shocking thing about this boat is it's departure from tradition. Sailing is at least 12,000 years old. Today's boats are the the result of many millennia of refinement and perfection in design. Therefore, when one sees something truly different it really stands out. Look, for example at the completely vertical slabs forming the top sides of the hull. Those sides will not deflect waves as would a conventional rounded hull.

How does it sail? I wish I knew. I never did get to meet the owner.

Do any of you know about this boat? If so, please let me know.

Favorite Pictures 2007

Vero Beach
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• I think the picture below is technical favorite for 2007. From front to rear, it shows a camp fire on Valcour Island, the moon, Burlington, and Camel's Hump.

• Below you can see the trail we made as we sailed through the mill weed on the Great Dismal Swamp Canal.

• Below, you see a huge great lakes ore carrying ship aground on the shelf at the entrance to one of the Saint Lawrence Seaway locks. I like this picture because it reminds me that we aren't the only ones who run aground.

• Last, but most favorite, is this shot of Libby relaxing on the Vanderbilt's front lawn at Shelburne Farms with Tarwathie in the background.
  

Peter

Vero Beach Public Library
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We're sharing the mooring with Peter on his boat Georgie II. Peter is a Brit, living in Vancouver. Peter has an interesting way to manage his cruising.

Peter buys used boats on EBAY. Then he fixes them up some, hauls them on his trailer down to Florida, sails them to the Bahamas for the winter season, then hauls them back to Vancouver to sell for a profit. Peter says that his profits generally pay for his cruising expenses for the whole season.

Peter's latest boat, Georgie II is an Ericson 27 with a 25 HP diesel engine that he bought on EBAY for $3,000. It was a charity auction. The owner donated the boat to charity and the charity sells it on EBAY. Peter says that the boat ought to be worth $20,000 in Vancouver.

Wow! What a great plan. The more I learn about real life cruisers, the more convinced I become that anyone who really wants to can do it. Money and career are no obstacle. (Although kids or pets may be an obstacle.) The only thing holding you back may be the will to do it.