Resonance
by Rick - December 23, 2009 03:59 PM
Now that we are far from the end of the last sailing season, it's time to get nostalgic about the good times we had this summer. At the moment, one of those times that is resonating with me is the time I decided to unplug by myself for a couple of days, alone. The weather was cool with overcast skies. Winds were almost straight from the North. It was a little drizzly too. I arrived at the boat on a Friday evening. Saturday I woke to temps in the low 50s and again overcast. Breeze was still out of the North flirting with 15kts. I was really looking forward some single-handed sailing. That's an understatement. I was giddy like a kid. I've soloed on Soñadora before, but for some reason this day seemed like it was going to be different.
Around 10 a.m. I pulled out onto Lake Pepin and was surprised at the lack of boats on the water. Sure, it was a cold, cloudy, drizzly day in August, but the winds were perfect. Usually with a North wind, I'll sail 'up' the lake. As Lake Pepin runs roughly North-South, that means tacking. About 3 miles north of the marina, the lake takes a turn to the west, towards the Mississippi River proper where the lake narrows and shallows. It's not often we get to sail this part of the lake as it can take a while to tack and by then most of the crew is ready to turn downwind.
This time It was just me and Jerry, the bottle of Rum. The real bonus was being able to listen to any music I want and at volume levels that enhance the experience. The music turned out to be a major part of this experience. I'm sure I'm not alone at being impressonable when it comes to music inducing a certain mood. And for the occassion, I queued up the latest Secret Machines album. One song in particular managed to move me into a state of etherium. Along with the deep discussions Jerry and I had, it wasn't long before I was captivated by the moment.
The wind eased to about 12kts. We sailed along the shore, maybe 50 yards away where the river bluffs towered up 300 feet. Gliding through the water on a beam reach with the music echoing off the bluffs really made for a dreamy occasion. I set 'The Fire is Waiting' on infinite repeat and imagined sailing this way for the rest of my life.
Unfortunately, it was more like 3 or 4 hours. As I approached the 'entrance' to the Mississippi River, it was time to turn back. Still a bit euphoric, I tacked around and broad reached East then downwind South back to the marina. Back in the marina, I spent the rest of the day in repose. Jerry had finished saying all he was going to say. That evening, fully refreshed and recovered, I headed home.
Four months later I sit here with headphones on, listening to 'The Fire is Waiting' and I'm instantly taken back to that day. Soon I'll be in traffic, driving home in a snowstorm. No worries. That day will resonate through the rest of my life.
Fair Winds, Happy Memories, and A Merry Christmas!
Comments (0) | Trackback (0)
Job Opening
by Rick - December 17, 2009 11:05 AM
My company (Merrill Corporation : merrillcorp.com) is currently in an aggressive search for CPA staff. If you are interested, please drop me e-mail me: rbeddoe@sail2live.com
Comments (0) | Trackback (0)
Refit
by Rick - October 28, 2009 02:01 PM
My forray into speculating didn't really go very far. I guess if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
Anyway, back on to sailing. We're in the home stretch to refitting our tired old girl. The list of needs is quite extensive. The biggest challenge however will be one of logistics. Originally, I had hoped to secure some indoor space to do the work, but I don't think that's going to be financially attainable. I was also hoping to have a cradle to use which would allow her to be trucked to a closer location. Most likely that won't be possible either.
That means we will probably have a little adventure in store for us. Not far from home there is a marina which is situated on The Minnesota River. It is used primarily by powerboats, but I think we could manage to get our boat in. The entrance is a bit shallow if the river is down. Close to our 5'5" draft. If we can swing it, we would drop the mast in Lake City and motor the 70 miles or so up to this marina.
The downside is that Soñadora will be stored outdoors. As we are hoping to reseal the caulking in our teak deak as well as eradicating all leaks, we will need a week of no rain. Lately here in MN that hasn't been a problem, but most certainly when we need dry it won't be.
But, these are challenges others have faced so I'm sure we can figure it out.
Comments (0) | Trackback (0)
The Stock Market
by Rick - September 24, 2009 01:45 PM
I will do my best to come up with a sailing metaphor for the day I'm having. Maybe something along the lines of 'The boat left the dock and you weren't on it'.
A123 Systems had their IPO (Initial Public Offering) today. I have been following the hype for this for weeks. I have a little 'play money' (with actual, real money) account at eTrade and I was really hoping to drop some coin on this deal.
Well, because I'm sort of an idiot when it comes to stock, I ended up with a 90 day restriction on my account. That means that in order to sell a security and use the funds from the sale, I have to wait 3 days after the sale until those funds are available. It's a long, stupid story, but I sort of already knew this.
So, today, I sold all my holdings in the securities I had (only two: Ford and Boston Sci). I actually got some good returns and I was hoping to put this on AONE.
No dice! 
The stock has done amazingly. Starting around $13/share this a.m. it's up an addtional $7/share.
I was able to buy 10 shares. wow. I may be able to break even once the commission is paid for.
So, sitting on the pier, I can see the sails flying of the boat I should have been on. Sure, I have a lot to be thankful for and it wasn't like it was $10s of thousands at stake. But, I still need to vent. And next time, I'll be ready. General Motors anyone??? 
Comments (0) | Trackback (0)
A Cabin on the water
by Rick - June 29, 2009 07:55 AM
And this weekend, like most cabins in Minnesota, it didn't move. This is the first weekend in 3 weekends that we've had a chance to spend some time with the ol' Girl. Thursday and Friday leading up to the weekend saw 15kts, WSW winds. Too good to be true, of course, as by Saturday the winds were gusting over 35mph. Suckage. Yes, we could have sailed. Yes, Soñadora is stout enough to handle a strong breeze on a little lake. But, the crew wasn't interested in working that hard. No surprise there.
The temps were great (70s) so it was enjoyable to just hang around the 'cabin' all day Saturday and Sunday and relax in the slip. Of course, that also means that I was going to start messin' with stuff on the boat. I discovered the source of the dryrot in the companionway sliding hatch and proceeded to dig out what was left of the plywood underlayment. I made a temporary fix with some silicone and brown duct tape. You can hardly tell.
This just adds to the (very long) list of Things That Will Get Fixed 2 Years From Now. The Big Plan is to haul out after next season and bring her indoors for a major refit. Stay tuned!
Comments (0) | Trackback (0)
Portfolio
by Rick - April 30, 2009 09:49 AM
While there are a lot of websites out there offering free hosting for portfolios, I've always wanted to have my own.
http://sail2live.com/filmstrip/
This is using a very nice php filmstrip application I found on teh interwebs. Can't recall the name now. Getting old.
Comments (0) | Trackback (0)
What is up with Boat Lettering???
by Rick - April 2, 2009 10:20 AM
Seems this whole interweb e-commerce thing only works if you actually have something to sell when you advertise. Well, guess what? I DO have something to sell 
. I have been procrastinating for a long time on this and it's now getting to the point where I need to put up or shut up. I'm going to put up.
For anyone interested in getting some vinyl lettering done for your boat (or otherwise) let me know. It takes more than having a cutter to do this right and you can be assured that my 15+ years experience in graphic design will help you get the quality you need. I will be working to get my e-commerce stuff set up, but in the mean time please contact me at rbeddoe@sail2live.com or you can comment on this Blog and I will work with you directly. You can use the Font Previewer on the home page of my site (click on the 'Order Boat Lettering Today' banner) to preview what your graphics would look like. My prices will be extremely competitive with any other site out there, especially WM.
Comments (0) | Trackback (0)