Blue Marsh Sailing Association

This should be a good week for sailing on Blue Marsh weather-wise.  Armando Antonini called to say that since he can’t sail Wed he and Russ Witzke will be going to the lake on Monday (tomorrow).  They plan to go up around 1:00.  The temp is to be around 92 and winds about 10 MPH.  Why not join them if Monday works for you.  I can’t make tomorrow but will be trying for Wednesday.  Wednesday is to be around 87 and winds at 10 MPH- a good night as well.  Last week we had 4 boats on the lake!  See you on the water!  Tom

Please be advised that our race scheduled for this Saturday, July 30 has been canceled.  Visit our web site again for updates on our activities.

Paloma’s “Three Hour Tour”
OR
Forget Gilligan & Popeye the Sailor.  Meet Pooped Pants the Sailors!
By Phil Correll 11/April/2010

Florida’s beautiful spring weather enticed us to cruise
Instead of watch TV or perhaps take a snooze.
Saturday was beautiful, and the wind pushed us true.
We anchored in Pelican Bay to decide what to do.
After a snack for a late lunch and a short dinghy ride
We paid our park fee and rode to the other side.
We chatted with the volunteer who drove the golf cart.
Our weekend was off to an extremely fine, happy start!
Walking on the sand, talking, and picking shells
We soaked in the sights and breathed in the smells.

Later, we had dinner aboard and each read a book.
There were thirty boats anchored if anyone cared to look.
Finally, my hopes were realized though they weren’t too grand.
We each went walking on the entrance spit of sand.
Back to Paloma for a shower on the boat.
The wind blew the whole night, but we were safely afloat.

At nine Sunday morning we hauled anchor for the day.
We heard rumors of showers, but we were early on our way.
Out over Boca Grande the sky looked quite black,
But with the time that was forecast we were sure to be back.
Eileen said, “I don’t like the color of those clouds.”
They were the shade of sad, purple, funeral shrouds!

Pressing on seemed quite logical and a safe thing to do.
Most clouds pass on by, and then the sun shines anew.
This time events were different, and what do you know?
A severe weather warning blared out of Paloma’s radio!
A water spout was reported off Gasparilla Island the voice said,
And direct to a safe harbor is where boaters should head!

We glanced over the stern and then past the bow.
Turning back to the anchorage seemed a bit futile now.
The wind hit us hard, and the rain came in a gush.
We had each donned our wet gear and PFDs in a rush.
Keep making progress and stay off Jug Creek Sand Bar.
The motor kept on churning, but we didn’t get very far.
As the waves built to five feet and then on beyond
We felt like a toy boat in a bathtub or in a fish pond!
‘The wind was just howling’ is easy to say.
Its speed went past fifty and kept blowing away!
The peak speed recorded was sixty plus two.
Faith in God and our sailboat was the best we could do.

At just that very minute a bad smell hit my nose.
I checked in my pants, but it wasn’t in my clothes!
Paloma was heeled to the side by the wave’s push and pull.
Her good cooling system was no longer being kept full.

We think that the impeller had begun to run dry,
And that little rubber spinner had started to fry!
Throttle pushed to max helped bring her bow through the wind.
The smell soon subsided, and we each carefully grinned.
The Garmin still showed us to be near the dread shoal,
And the wind stayed above forty as it made the waves roll!
With no land for reference and rain pelting our eyes
We heard radio calls for Boat US and the Coast Guard Rescue Guys!

To get turned about in a storm that is raging
Is a thought that certainly isn’t very engaging.
Off to our port side we saw Boca Grande Pass loom.
At least we had deep water and plenty of room.
As the wind settled back to thirty and just a bit more
We headed our boat toward far off Burnt Store.
At some point in the passage we thought of the dinghy towed on the cleat
It had been twisted twenty times!  Now, that is some feat!
While being pulled with its bottom facing up to the rain
It could not fill with water which would have been a great pain.
Progress was slow, and we bobbed up and down.
The looks on our faces were a serious, long frown.
We each fought off the feeling of becoming quite sick
Because “tossing our cookies” wouldn’t help us a lick!

Finally, passing marker “99” was a great milestone.
We began to see other boats, but the sun had not yet shown.
When our course put us inside the sand bar at Jug Creek
We felt we were safe, but we also felt a little bit meek.
Through wind driven rain with lightning crashing about
We relied on Paloma, in that there’s no doubt.

We realized that Seamanship depends very much on one’s ship.
If anyone “disses” Paloma we’ll give them a fat lip!
Our O’Day has passed thirty; some say, “Long in the tooth.”
We say she is a trusty girl, and that is the truth!

Accuweather is calling for mid 80 temps, sunny, and 8MPH wind on Wednesday.  This looks like a good opportunity to sail for a couple hours.  Hope to see you there.  Bring your boat- it makes for more fun for all.  I can use crew or anyone who wants to learn to sail.  Ganly’s after.  Tom 610-223-3593

Due to the hot weather and little or no wind, no one has come forward to say they planned to bring their boat to the lake this week for the usual mid week sail.   Stay tuned for the latest breaking news.

On Friday, July 15 eleven members of the BMSA Marsh Rats swarmed the beach at the Church Road launch at Blue Marsh Lake.  A wonderful picnic dinner of brats, burgers, corn on the cob, salad, watermelon, snacks, and a delicious dessert were followed by a lovely paddle up the lake into the beautiful sunset.  On the way back a bright yellow, full moon lit the way home. 

Here are some memories of time spent together eating and talking our favorite subject.  Click on each picture to see a larger size photo.   Clicking on the same photo a second time will give you the full size version.

Due to having our July picnic at Blue Marsh Lake this Wednesday, our weekly sail will be on Thursday.   At least two boats from our club will be there.   Find us at the State Hill Boat Ramp around 3-4 PM.

On Saturday, July 9, four sailboats and two kayaks from our club made their way to Lake Nockamixon in Bucks County, near Quakertown.  Most of us arrived at the lake about 10:00 AM, rigged and got on the water by 11:00.  It was a beautiful sunny day……hot, but the perfect 10-13 knot wind made it very bearable.  We sailed up the lake, trying to see if we could make it all the way to the end.   It was a good four mile trip and as we neared the end, the lake narrowed.   We were on an easy broad reach most of the way up, but as soon as we came about we began to realize the tight quarters were about to make for some repetitious tacking.  It took about 20 minutes to clear the narrow end of the lake, but once we were in more open water the close reach on the way back was awesome!   In our little 17 foot O’Day Daysailer Michele and I felt like we were flying over the water.  A huge wake followed us all the way back to the marina.   The ride was exhilarating!  

The other boats consisted of Babe, a Mariner 19 skippered by Tom Stoner who was accompanied by his wife Jan and two of our new members, Justin and Pauline March.   Tony and Mary Stajkowski sailed their Precision 18, Coventina, and Marty Katzen sailed his Hunter 23, Maggie B, with Isabel.   Mike and Kristel Adair brought their kayaks, but we missed them by minutes.   We started to head for the marina around 2:30 or 3 PM and were all de-rigged by about 4:00 o’clock.   Some friendly sailors told us that a good place to eat was Becker’s, just a few miles down the road from the lake.   It turned out to be the perfect spot for a few beers and a relaxing dinner for some scruffy sailors who desperately needed to get refreshed from the heat and excitement of the day.   While de-rigging Michele and I discovered that one of our spreaders broke while we were putting the mast on its supports.   Had it broken while sailing we might have de-masted.   You can never check your rigging too often.  

We made it back home by about 8 PM, greeted by our Border Collie who was very happy to see us.   After parking the boat and unloading our gear we recounted the events of the day, and both agreed…..it was a perfect day of sailing.

Joe Rutolo

For most of the past several Wednesdays since the beginning of June there has been at least one boat from our club out sailing on Blue Marsh Lake.  If you’d like to join us just come on out around 4 PM, and if you see a sailboat being rigged on the hard, talk to the owner to see if he has room for passengers.   If you’re a member of the club you’ll probably get an e-mail from Tom Stoner announcing who is planning to be there.   If you’re not a member of the club and you’d like to get involved just show up at the lake, post a reply by clicking on “No Comments” or “Comments”, or send an e-mail to me at webeditor@bluemarshsailing.org. 

Joe Rutolo