Friday, January 25, 2008

Eagle Man

Before turning 18 years old, Gerald managed to complete his Eagle Scout rank. Gerald, on the far right, and Jackson, on the far left, take the Eagle Scout oath as new Eagle Scouts while they are joined by fellow Eagles.
The new Eagles wear merit badge sashes from their belts along with Order of the Arrow sashes from their shoulders.


Parents are part of the ceremony.





Four Eagles stand behind a plaque showing the Eagle badge.




Gerald and Jackson enjoy a filled chocolate cake with a cream cheese icing.




Happy Eagles enjoy the end of the Eagle trail.






Project Boat?

Recently I've been looking at the idea of buying an inexpensive "project boat" to work on and restore so it could be used for tooling around the lake, setting race marks, and towing boats to or from the race course. So, how does this prospect look to you?



The engine probably works to some degree -- it was disassembled and cleaned up, but has been idle for a long time.





The plywood floorboard and the cushions need to be replaced.







This is another engine that's available... for my purposes, 25 hp would likely be plenty.





Wednesday, January 16, 2008

New Mexico Sailing Clubs, Yacht Clubs, and Boat Clubs

The list of New Mexico yacht clubs, sailing clubs, and boat clubs is taken from the upcoming edition of the Cruising Guide to the Southwest

USSAIL, column 1 -- membership in US Sailing by Area, membership in regional sailing assn.
Reciprocity, column 2 – Club offers reciprocity to visitors from other clubs (Yes),
nights of free/discounted slips or moorings, listing in yacht club reciprocity directory
Name, Contact, col. 3 -- contact info for the club
Facilities, column 4 -- description of facilities owned


US SAIL

Rec

Name, Contact

Facilities

Area F, SAIL

Y 2/5

New Mexico Sailing Club
PO Box 1795,
Bernalillo, NM 87004

www.nmsail.org

Contacts:
Rich Koch, commodore
Ernie Newman, v. comm.
Lisa Carlson, secy.
George Soto, treas.

110-slip Heron Lake Marina May-Oct., pavilion, grills, tables, pumpout, addl facilities in state park incl. mast-up storage & pole; offers races, social events

Area F, SAIL

Rio Grande Sailing Club
PO Box 13953,
Albuquerque, NM 87192
www.rgsc.org
toll-free 866 834 3697
Contacts:

Buzz Biernacki, commodore
Pat Byrnes, vice comm.
Carol Anne Byrnes, secy.
Charles Arasim, treas.

Operates mast-up storage at Elephant Butte State Park, sponsors races & activities

--

--

Boat Owners of Cochiti,
600 Willow Ct. SE, Albuquerque NM 87123
www.boatownersofcochiti.com
http://community.webshots.com/user/bocpics
Contacts: Dusty Arrington
Ed Vernon (president)
Howard Kercheval (secretary)
Sandy Harrington (treasurer)

Owns 52’ houseboat used as clubhouse, negotiating for marina concession

New Mexico Tech Sailing Club
NM Tech, Socorro, NM 87901
Contact: Brent Meins
www.nmtech.edu

Owns J24

Dawg House Boaters
(Marina del Sur,

Elephant Butte Lake, NM)

El Butte Sailors Club /
Windrider Sailors

PO Box 1097,
Elephant
Butte, NM 87935
Contact B Jones, Treas.

www.freewebs.com/ebsc/ Freddyfrog at zianet . com Hansinnm at myway . com







Rio Grande Sailing Club burgee


New Mexico Sailing Club burgee





New Mexico Sailing Organizations

New Mexico Sailing Associations,
Youth & Community Sailing, and
One-Design Fleets

USSAIL

Name, Contact

Facilities

Area F

West Mesa HS NJROTC,
6701 Fortuna Rd NW Albuquerque, NM 87121-1399 Contact: Mark Hendricks

Owns fleet of J24s, Lasers, other boats

Los Alamos High School NJROTC, Pueblo Complex,
1900 Diamond Dr.
Los Alamos, NM 87544
Contact: Wes Shumaker

www.lahsnjrotc.com

Lakeside Sports, 2702-540 Loop, Logan, NM 88426

formerly affiliated w US Sailing
defunct?

New Mexico Boardsailing Assoc., PO Box 36826,
Albuquerque, NM 87176

formerly affiliated
w US Sailing
defunct?

Santa Fe Sailboard Fleet,
PO Box 15931,
Santa Fe, NM 87506

formerly affiliated
w US Sailing
defunct?

Paseo del Norte J24 Fleet 141

546 Hwy 165 Placitas NM 87043 505-867-0026

Etchells Fleet 31
1829 Illinois St NE,
Albuquerque
, NM 87110

505 265-6741

Affiliated with

International Etchells
Class Association

Hobie ™ Fleet 48
Mike Grimes, Commodore
Albuquerque, NM
505 299-2796 www.hobiefleet48.org

MC Scow Fleet
Contact: Rick Keffer,
Las Cruces, NM 88011

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Other New Mexico Boating-Related Organizations

Boating-related organizations in New Mexico


US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 25,
700 Hwy 195/POB 706,
E. Butte, NM 87935,
flotilla25 at gmail.com

FC Len Schlesinger

El Vado and Heron Lake State Park
PO Box 159, Los Ojos, NM 87551
505 588-7470

www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/elvado.htm
www.emnrd.state.nm.us/prd/heron.htm
Contact:: Anthony Marquez

250 sites, marina at Heron, visitor center & museum

Elephant Butte Lake State Park,
PO Box 13, Elephant Butte, NM 87935
505 744-5923 , 744-5421

3 marinas, 4 boat ramps, 2 mast poles, 1 mast-up boat storage lot, B&B, cabins, camping, restaurant, boat fuel, visitor center

Friends of El Vado &
Heron
Lake State Park
www.friendsofheronandelvadolakes.com/

Friends of Elephant Butte State Park,
PO Box 1621,
Elephant Butte, NM 87544
575 744-5923 park

New Mexico Boating Safety Training Ctr.
Elephant Butte State Park,
PO Box 13, Elephant Butte, NM 87935, 575 744-5998

NM Boating Safety Training, required for all operators born after 1/1/1989.

Elephant Butte Bass Anglers, 744-4646

New Mexico Commercial Boating Services

Marine directory for New Mexico, from
Cruising Guide to the Southwest


Company

Notes

Albuquerque Sailing Supplies
7112 Arroyo del Oso Ave NE,
Albuquerque NM 87109
, 505 889-9595

No longer in business?

Anton’s Marine, 200 W Anton Dr, PO Box AA/1063, Elephant Butte, NM 87935,
575 744-5411, www.antonsmarine.com



Bluewater Lake Marina
Bluewater Lake State Park

Boat Traders of NM,
2020 Atrisco Dr NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120, 505 352-2126

Casa Taco Restaurant, Boat & RV Storage, JR’s Desert Bass, 704 Hwy 195, POB 464, Elephant Butte, NM 87935, 575 744-4859, www.jrdesertbass.com

Cobalt of NM, 404 Hwy 195,
POB 319, Elephant Butte, NM 87935,
575 744-0067, www.cobaltofnewmexico.com

Dam Site Resort, 77B Engle Star Route,
POB 1070, Elephant Butte, NM 87935,
575 894-2073, www.thedamsite.com

Marina with covered & open slips, ramp, store, restaurant, B&B, cabins

High Country Marine,
27736 I-25 Frontage Rd W, Santa Fe, NM 87501, 505 471 4077

High Desert Marine,
8212 Pan Amer
Fwy NE Albuquerque, NM 87113, 505 828-2969

Hodges Corner Rest., 915 Hwy 195,
POB 1089, Elephant Butte, NM 87935,
575 744-5626, 744-4885, 740-0016c hodges@zianet.com

J&L Boat and RV Storage,
402 Warm Springs Blvd, Elephant Butte, NM 87935 Contact: CD Crouch, Jr.

Marina del Sur, 101 S Hwy 195, POB 1070, Elephant Butte, NM 87935, 575 744-5567,

www.marindadelsuri.info
nadine at lagorico.com

Covered & open slips, kayak & houseboat rentals, store, ramp

Morgan Marine, Inc., 575 894-3110,
1301 N Highway 51,
Truth or Consequences, NM, 87901
www.morganmarineinc.com
mmarine at zianet.com
Contact: Butch & Karon Morgan

Boat supplies, repair, sales, storage

Navajo Lake Marina, 800.582.5687
PO Box 1900, Farmington, NM 87499
575 632-3245 marina at navajomarina.com
www.navajomarina.com

189 covered slips, 76 open slips, pontoon boats, grill, marina store, gas dock

New Mexico Sailboats
1504 Erwin Pl NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107, 505 220-6951

Still in existence?

Rock Canyon Marina (Dam Site Marina, Marina del Sur – Lago Rico, Inc.,)
PO Box 1070, Elephant Butte, NM 87935
www.rockcanyonmarina.com
Contact: Ron Crom, 575 744-5462

Open slips w & w/o elec. & water, store, ramp

Rocky Mountain RV and Marine,
12700 Central SE,
Albuquerque, NM 87123
505 292-7800

Sports Adventure, 100 Long Point Rd,
POB 1107, Elephant Butte, NM 87935,
575 744-5557, 740-0262c
lonetreenm at aol.com
www.h20sportsadventure.com

PWC rentals, gas dock

Taylor Marine, 4908 Hawkins NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, 505 344-3586

Supplies, repairs

Western Boat & Prop Shop, 6650 2nd St NW Albuquerque, NM 87107 505 245-6920

Boat repair

Wind and Waves, Inc.,
546 Hwy 165 Placitas NM 87043,
505-867-0026 j24kachina at comcast.net

J24 dealer, repairs

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Quick New Mexico Lake and Sailing Update

Sadly, our camera blanked out and lost a couple of weeks' worth of pictures. So, no New Year's day pictures of the Heron Lake Marina are available to be posted.

On the first Saturday of the year, January 5th, Carol Anne and I drove south to Elephant Butte Lake. The wind was a bit stiff, but temperatures were rather pleasant, breaking into the 60s. With a few whitecaps on the lake, we and Zorro weren't at first sure, but decided to go out on Constellation and join the one other sailboat that was the only boat on the lake.

We were rewarded with a few hours of very nice sailing. The wind varied quite a bit in strength, from about 5 to 25 mph steady with a few stronger puffs, but overall wasn't bad. Now and then the wind built up long enough to send whitecaps our way, and sometimes we'd crash through a "rogue wave", but at other times the lake was more settled. The wind began south-southwesterly and gradually clocked more westerly. We kept the boat depowered to make life a bit easier, since we'd not been sailing for several weeks, and romped up and down the middle section of the lake several times. Finally, as the sun lowered, it was time to put the boat away before dark.

It was a great start to the year, with some precious pure sailing. No spoiled bad-sport America's Cup billionaires, no five-million-dollar hired hands or flotillas of attorneys, no glitz, no hospitality suites, nothing but wind and water and a fast hull slicing through the waves and big grins on the crew.

Upcoming events
Rio Grande Sailing Club
Frostbite Regatta, Saturday, January 26, 2008
10:00 a.m. skipper/crew meeting at Hodge's Corner Restaurant in Elephant Butte
1:00 p.m. start time
FREE! NO ENTRY FEE FOR THIS RACE!

New Mexico Sailing Club
Board and club budget and general meeting
Friday, January 11, 2008, 6:30 p.m. (gather at 6:00)
Potluck dinner
El Dorado Community Center (I25 from Santa Fe to exit 290, south to Amistad, then wind about 1 mile west to the white fence with the community center and old rail station building)

Gerald
Eagle Scout ceremony
Saturday, January 19, 2008, 6:30
Piru community center, Albuquerque off Juan Tabo south of Central


Lake Conditions

Elephant Butte Lake continues to rise and has come up almost 9 feet since the low point in October, but is seven feet lower than this time in January of 2007.

4,333.14 feet elevation above benchmark, 419,524 acre feet

up 1.2 inches and 1,184 acre feet in 24 hours,
up 4.3 inches and 4,220 a.f. in 71 hours,
up 8.76 feet and 96,219 a.f. since October 25, 2007.
inflow of 258 cubic feet per second in the San Marcial floodway


Heron Lake is lowering as contractors remove their water, but recent snows have slowed the withdrawals and put a little water back in the lake. The New Mexico Sailing Club marina in the Willow Creek cove was frozen in about 3 inches of ice as of New Year's day. About a foot of snow has fallen on top of the piers, as well.

7,144.35 feet above sea level, 196,733 acre feet

down 1/8 inch and 38 acre feet in 24 hours,
up 3/5 inch and 157 a.f. in 71 hours.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Beneteau 235 looking for a home

Guy, a long-time member of the New Mexico Sailing Club, is taking a job as a harbormaster in Kwajalein, in the Marshall Islands. However, he won't be sailing his Beneteau First 235 there; instead he's looking for someone to give his boat a new home.