Desert Sea - New Mexico and Southwestern Sailing

Individual versus collective guilt in the public mind (immigration)

2011-11-19T14:02:00.001-07:00

Here's one more "log to put on the fire", a sort of a double standard

One point that a lot of the discussion about immigration misses is the difference between individual culpability and collective presumed guilt. The former is judged by the courts. The latter is judged by the court of public opinion, and this court has a vastly far lower standard for placing blame. And, it is this court of public opinion to which all political representatives and servants must answer, at peril otherwise of losing their jobs and dignity (and cushy benefits and retirement plans... speaking of DeeDee's José Julián Martí Pérez quote about torches vs. jaws).

...To illustrate this, an immigrant who overstays her visa may in the eyes of the law be guilty of only an administrative violation. But, if fearful members of the public see that visa overstays are common, they will assume that at least some of the overstayers did so on purpose, and deliberately entered the country with unlawful intent. And, public opinion will be even more savage against those who actually entered illegally, by eluding immigration agents and inspection or use of false documents. This remains true even if none of the individual immigrants were found guilty of illegal entry, and all were simply found guilty of the administrative violation of unlawful presence. In the court of public opinion, however, many US citizens will judge them as criminal.

...Individuals in real courts usually get presumption of innocence. Groups, especially minority groups, in the court of public opinion get few if any breaks. Is the court of opinion always fair? Hell, no. It makes plenty of mistakes and can be swayed by racist fears and demagogues. But is it real? Yes -- and it doesn't need no stinking badge or law books or due process.

...Immigration/immigrant advocates have to thread a very narrow passage between, on the one side, educating Americans about what is and isn’t criminal and fighting against unfair laws and procedures; and on the other side, seeming to trivialize or be misleading about violations of laws and the concerns and fears of opponents. Overselling can cost credibility and hardening of public opinion. Underselling misses a chance to educate people and grasp opportunities for fairer treatment of all.

Illegal or undocumented?

2011-11-19T00:42:00.002-07:00

Here's what I think is a crux of the language debate between pro- and anti-immigration supporters over the use of the terms "illegal alien" versus "undocumented immigrant".
-- Those who want tighter borders are convinced that immigrants who cross illegally are committing a serious crime, endangering US national security, and harboring and supporting criminals (coyotes, mules, etc.) or perhaps even terrorists in their midst. Sensationalized reporting of events on both sides of the border adds to the fear factor. Residual prejudices, tribalism, language and cultural differences stoke resentments further. Besides, it's easier to fear an "alien" than an "immigrant". Just try to count the number of bad science-fiction movies starring aliens with bad intentions.
-- Immigration supporters see only a minor administrative violation by economic and political refugees frustrated by a complicated, expensive, and cumbersome system for legal immigration.
-- Immigration supporters see immigrants as vital to the US economy and taking jobs that others don't want, as well as risking their lives by serving in the US military.
-- Unions and anti-immigrants paint immigrants who cross illegally as taking jobs away from citizens and as a drain on the economy.
(Note there is an important distinction between illegal or fraudulent entry and visa or border card overstays -- the former is an actual crime, but the latter is only a civil infraction. Thus someone who doesn't get caught at the border isn't treated as a criminal -- unless they have been convicted of other crimes or are repeat offenders of immigration laws.)

Some people see guarding borders as one of the highest functions of a government. Some see freedom of travel and immigration as a fundamental human right. These two camps will not be reconciled easily.

Those who are anti-immigrant tend to be extremely suspicious of and likely to lash out at those who want to use "undocumented" instead of "illegal"; they think that the change is an attempt at trivializing what they fear and trying to force people into believing that immigrating without permission of the destination country is okay -- when, to them, it is very definitely not okay, but rather one of their great fears. They feel that users of the term "undocumented" are trying to trick them and force their support for illegal immigration. Obviously, whether the fear is fully valid is not the point -- people's feelings and prejudices are.

And those fears can only be addressed person by person via education, positive examples, and strong well-principled leadership, which last is lacking at the national level in both the executive and legislative branches and in both major parties.

The Xeric Transformation: An Arizona yard begins to reflect its environment

2011-10-19T13:01:00.003-06:00

Gerald is using 40 tons of fill dirt to create hills and contours to manage drainage and provide for different levels of dryness in different parts of the yard. At left, a "Museum Palo Verde" (thornless) has been planted after being removed from a 36-inch nursery box. At right, is an Arizona Mesquite.

Originally, the home in Mesa had been planted with lush green grass in the front yard. During the time the house was unoccupied, the grass became unkempt; although the most recent owner appears to have installed rock and weed barrier, the grass promptly burst through, creating a messy lawn. What we wanted was an Arizona xeric landscape, but not the barren expanses of rock and gravel that some people install with only a bare minimum of token vegetation.

Front yard just before xeriscaping commenced.

In addition to the Palo Verde and the Mesquite, we have also selected a Saguaro (tall cactus) and purchased smaller desert plants, including Ocotillo, Golden Barrel Cactus, Rosewood, Jojoba, and Leatherleaf Acacia, plus small flowering plants for ground cover. It should look quite distinctive when it's all done!

Constellation survives the storm

2011-09-11T00:06:00.003-06:00

Constellation returns after the thunderstorm that struck boats in the Jack and Jill Race at Elephant Butte Lake. The Etchells sails back with her damaged mainsail lowered after things got a bit wild during the race -- which had started with three hours of nearly no wind.

Earlier, I'd been singlehanding another Etchells, Carol Anne's "Black Magic" (Etchells USA 125) and generally struggling with minimal to no win. That change. Time fast-forwarded as a thunderstorm approached and then ripped part of the mainsail on Black Magic. Nor was she the only boat with damaged sails or rigging.

View from the patio of the Rock Canyon Marina at Elephant Butte Lake on September 10, 2011. In background, USA 38 Constellation returns from the race after a dramatic encounter with a thunderstorm.

Ten years ago

2011-09-10T22:41:00.002-06:00

Ten years ago, on the morning of the eleventh of September, just before going to work I found out that something very wrong was happening out east. Only at work did I realize that what had happened was an attack against our country. Work was cut short that day as all of us were evacuated. And that was a great disappointment as I became angry that attackers were not only killing Americans but beginning to change our way of life.

HMS Surprise on the Far Side of the World

2011-09-04T01:45:00.004-06:00

Originally built as the "Rose", this ship became the "Surprise" for the movie "Master and Commander", where she played the part of a small British frigate in Napoleonic-era adventures.

Surprise bow

Surprise midships

Surprise stern

View of bow from south

Starboard profile with canoe

View of Surprise through Star of India lumber port

starboard view

another starboard view

Surprise views

2011-09-04T01:04:00.005-06:00

View up the rigging of the Surprise

View of Star of India from the deck of the Surprise at the San Diego Maritime Museum. The Surprise, formerly Rose, is a re-creation of a frigate from the age of fighting sail that was used in the movie "Master and Commander" as well as in one of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.

Cannon pointed aft on quarterdeck of "Surprise". This ship was one of many that had been added to the San Diego Maritime Museum in the many years since we'd last visited.

Deck of the "Surprise"

Double wheel

Cannon. The main deck of the Surprise was interesting, with cannon resting on an elevated platform, with limited height overhead, but a center aisle with plenty of headroom for modern visitors.

Cannon detailing

View out gunport -- toward Anthony's restaurant

View of Star of India

Rigging

America's Cup Yachts at the San Diego Maritime Museum, in the dock

2011-09-02T18:30:00.002-06:00

Two International America's Cup Class (IACC) racing sailboats, "Abracadabra" (nearest) and "Stars and Stripes (USA 34, furthest).

What a difference a few days and seven thousand feet of altitude make. Our travels lately have included time in the scorching heat of southern Arizona, a cool waterfront respite in San Diego, and time near Heron Lake and the mountains of the New Mexico and Colorado borderland.

San Diego is home to many former America's Cup yachts, including one that was described in a recent post on this blog (a former "Stars and Stripes" that was USA 11 among the numbering of the IACC yachts and which is based out of Shelter Island in San Diego).

We hope to go out on one of the old cup boats in a future trip. We couldn't succeed in making ontact with the people who schedule the cup boats out of the San Diego Maritime Museum, but we plan to be more persistent in the future.

Русская (Советский) подводная лодка в Сан-Диего, Калифорния

2011-09-01T22:48:00.012-06:00

Погружение! Погружение!
Photographic portrait of Russian (Soviet era) B39 Project 641 "Foxtrot" submarine at the San Diego Maritime Museum (Сан - Диего, Морской музей). The Cold-War submarine has been described as unsophisticated and uncomfortable, yet quiet and lethal. The "Foxtrot" could fire six torpedoes from its forward torpedo tubes and additional torpedoes aft. The torpedoes could be conventional, or could be nuclear-armed torpedoes with a fifteen-kiloton explosive warhead.

In some of the following captions, I've attempted some translations, with the help of the Internet. I can't vouch for their accuracy, but they may be good for amusement value if nothing else. If nothing else, this post may satisfy any residual cold-war nostalgia (холодной войны ностальгия). It might also be interesting to find an expert to learn how far off some of these translation attempts went amiss.

San Diego Maritime Museum photograph of B39 "Foxtrot" submarine cruising on the surface under her own power.

Submarine viewed from the ferry Berkeley at the San Diego Maritime Museum. () This was one of many acquisitions that the maritime museum made since we had last visited there more than ten years ago. It is of course a matter of irony that a former Soviet cold-war era sub is in the heart of San Diego, major home port of the US Pacific fleet and home to many US submarines.

Forward torpedo tubes. ИП-6 = IP-6 РП-6 = FP-6

Machinery with warning labels. ОГНЕОПАСНО! FLAMMABLE!
БЕРЕЧЬ ОТ ВОДЫ PROTECT FROM WATER!
БЕРЕЧЬ ОТ ТЕПЛЯ ГϹϺ И ВОДЫ KEEP AWAY FROM HEAT (__) AND WATER!

Captain's cabin (Капитана кабины). Only a few senior officers received private quarters on the B39 Foxtrot, and even these were quite confined. Bunks for enlisted sailors were placed wherever they could fit, and "hot bunking" was likely for many. Interesting, in the interest of hygiene and conserving restricted water supplies, crew members were issued paper bed sheets and paper underclothing, which were both disposable. Thin rough wool blankets completed their comforts -- and the submariners were elite members of the vital Soviet military machine.

Soviet Navy Unit Emblems (ВМФ СССР Группа Эмблемы)

Soviet Maritime Flags (Советские флаги Морской)

Soviet Navy Officer Insignia (ВМФ СССР сотрудник Insignia/Герб ранга)

Detail of Officer Insignia. Shown here on the top row are insignia for captains; on the lower row are insignia for lieutenants.

Service Branch Insignia for Soviet Navy Officers (Направление Insignia для советских офицеров флота)

Engine telegraph, showing that the submarine is stopped. I've attempted to read and translate some of the labels; bear with any likely mistakes.
At bottom, the telegraph indicates that the boat is stopped. СТОП = STOP
At left are the forward speeds, from flank speed at top left.

ПОЛНЫЙ FULL
СРЕДНЙ MIDDLE (medium)
МАЛЫЙ SMALL (low speed/slow)

Just a couple of spaces to the right of the stop signal is ТОВСЬ ЭКОНОМ ХОД , which I can best approximate as the TOVS ECONOMY STATUS. I believe this would be using the smaller electric engine for running quietly submerged at very slow speeds for up to a few days at a time. (The larger electric engines would only last for something like overnight and would require surfacing at least to snorkel depth in order to recharge the engines.)

Further to the right are the reverse speeds. НАЗАД = BACK (reverse)
МАЛЫЙ = SMALL (low speed/slow)

The indicator position for the medium (СРЕДНЙ) and high speed (ПОЛНЫЙ) positions is overlaid with a label that reads НЕ РАБОТАЕТ = DOES NOT WORK. (And presumably, that's one reason why the submarine was a bargain!) (grin)

Same engine telegraph, shot with flash.

Star of India, iron sailing bark, oldest merchantman sailing today

2011-09-01T18:32:00.005-06:00

The Star of India, formerly Euterpe, is the flagship of the San Diego Maritime Museum and sails occasionally.

View of Star of India with San Diego city skyline -- a contrast of old and new

Stern view of the Star of India, taken from the stern of the Surprise

Large windlass. In this era, mechanical equipment was becoming more powerful and sophisticated to help small crews handle large iron ships and try to remain competitive against the increasing threat of steamers

Main hatch at the level of the 'tween decks (below the open-air main deck and above the hold)

Bo'sun's locker in the 'tween deck forecastle; nerve center for maintenance, rigging, and ropework on the ship

Sail ho! On board the Star of India

2011-09-01T18:24:00.002-06:00

From on deck: view aloft with fore lower topsail in center y main topsails in background with corner of fore staysail at right

Topsails and corner of staysail on the Star of India

Portion of fore staysail view up from the foredeck of the Star of India

Star of India descriptive plaques at the San Diego Maritime Museum

2011-09-01T18:09:00.003-06:00

Descriptive plate illustrating the decks and structure of the Star of India (originally Euterpe) at the San Diego Maritime Museum. Euterpe was built on the Isle of Man in 1863, during the same time as the US Civil War, and was initially used to take immigrants from England and Europe to areas such as Australia.

This plaque on board the Staar of India showed her sail plan. Dividing up the sail plan into a number of manageable sails helped a limited size of crew to handle them, but even so, furling sail in rough conditions was dangerous and exhausting work.

This cross-sectional view of the Star of India in another way of looking at her. After becoming less suited to the immigrant trade because of competition from steamers, the ship wound up in the Pacific northwest in the logging and salmon trades.

Rebirth of the historic ship "San Salvador" at Spanish Landing in San Diego

2011-09-01T17:12:00.007-06:00

Upper aft work platform, beyond which can be see the aft sternpost and aftmost framing for the replica of the San Salvador. The ship is being built by volunteers for the San Diego Maritime Museum and will be a re-creation of the vessel in which Juan Rodriguez de Cabrillo entered San Diego Bay and landed near where this construction site is located at "Spanish Landing" in the north end of San Diego Bay.

Aft work platform at Spanish Landing. We were fortunate to see the ship near the very beginning of her construction. When completed, she will displace about 200 tons, not very different from the size of the Surprise (Rose) replica frigate at the Maritime Museum, although representing a very different era of sailing technology.

Stern frame and keel segment.

Details of attachment of sternpost and frame to keel.

Originally, the builders of this ship had planned to use laminated frames. But, delamination occurred in some of these frames even before they could be installed; that caused the plan to be switched to assemblies of solid wood framing portions.

forward portion of framing

General side view of San Salvador framing beginning with temporary template for a mid-ships frame

another side view

general view of San Salvador

another general view of San Salvador at Spanish Landing

Replica San Salvador starting construction by volunteers of the Maritime Museum of San Diego

Aft work platform, end view

Side view of aft work platform showing ship's sternpost and aft framing

Golden Bear in Golden Light

2011-08-31T18:38:00.005-06:00

A golden bear is bathed in golden light. The training ship TS Golden Bear is owned by the California Maritime Academy and normally is moored in Vallejo, adjacent to San Francisco Bay. Here she is seen visiting San Diego. The ship was originally built as a US Navy oceanographic research vessel.

Various Views at the Maritime Museum of San Diego

2011-08-31T17:48:00.004-06:00

Prime view of lofty spars from south of the San Diego Maritime Museum. Vessels in the foreground and background combine to make an interesting array of tall masts, yards, and rigging. From left, you can tease out the traditional two-masted rig of the Californian, then a single streamlined mast for the International America's Cup Class racing yacht Stars and Stripes (USA 34 from 1995), then the similar stick for the IACC yacht Abracadabra and the traditional rig for the replica yacht America in background. In the center foreground is the cold-war-era Project 39 Russian submarine and a partial view of the ferryboat Berkeley.

Wheelhouse of the double-ended ferry Berkeley. Signal flags are I (black dot on yellow), 6 (black and white triangular pennant), H (red and white), G (yellow and blue vertical stripes), 3 (red, white, and blue triangular pennant), Z (four-colored quartered flag)

Rowing boat between ferry Berkeley and Surprise frigate. The small rowing boats carried on old sailing ships could weigh a few tons and require the efforts of a large crew to hoist on and off the ship.

experimental submarine Dolphin conning tower. Signal flags are modern International Code Flags; they appear to be arranged in a decorative pattern to dress ship. They represent the characters 6 (black and white triangular pennant, H (red and white), G (blue and yellow vertical stripes), Y (red and yellow diagonals), X (blue cross on white), K or 5 (yellow and blue), 3 (red, white, and blue triangular pennant), E (red and blue), K or 5, and F (red diamond on white).

Conning tower of experimental submarine "Dolphin", which was initially used to test firing a torpedo from very deep water, and then became a research vessel. Code flags are assigned various meanings depending upon how they are arranged; single flags have meanings both to merchant mariners and different meanings to sailboat racers. Groups of flags can combine to make messages either according to a code or by spelling out words.

Stern of submarine Dolphin, with background view of bow of steam yacht Medea.

View beyond stern of museum submarine toward boats moored in San Diego Bay

Admiral Nelson's Victory at Trafalgar exhibit on board the Star of India

2011-08-31T12:52:00.004-06:00

Model, HMS Victory, at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, in an exhibit hall on the main deck of the Star of India (Euterpe). The real Victory was launched in 1765 and thus was already 40 years old and the survivor of many sea battles by the time the battle of Trafalgar occurred in 1805. With 104 guns and three decks, she was a great and powerful first-rate ship of the line, but not as immense as the four-decker Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad that was built by Spain. (Although the Spanish ship was considered to be the largest warship in the world, her sailing qualities were reflected in the nickname "El Ponderoso". She was captured and then sank after the battle of Trafalgar.)

model of HMS Victory, three-decker first-rate battleship that was Vice Admiral Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. This battle, along with Nelson's actions in Egypt and Copenhagen, essentially ended France's serious claims to rivalry with British naval power. Napoleon would have to try for imperial dominance on land hereafter.

Diorama and exhibit about the battle of Trafalgar, off the Spanish coast, with a representation of Nelson's famous message to his fleet, using a flag signal code of the era.

Another ship represented among the exhibits on board the Star of India is the Swedish royal ship Vasa. The original Vasa foundered on her maiden voyage not far from land and was relatively well preserved by cold water until recent times.

US Navy vs. Army in San Diego

2011-08-31T12:24:00.004-06:00

While we were near the north end of San Diego Bay, we saw a small reminder of the US Navy's presence in the city. I couldn't see any flag or markings on this ship, but will venture way out on a limb and guess that it's some sort of amphibious assault support ship, such as maybe a dock landing ship or amphibious command vessel. Does anyone know just what this is?

Of course, San Diego is a major US Navy home Pacific Fleet home port, supporting everything from landing craft and stealthy submarines to gigantic aircraft carriers.

And now let's hear it for the US Army in San Diego. Although one never thinks of San Diego as an army town, I did find a slight US Army presence at the San Diego Maritime Museum, of all places. So, here goes:
Kit, US Army, Outboard Motor, in case, with accessories

Exhibit label for "Army Outboard Motor"

Two views of top of motor

Pilot Boat "Pilot"

2011-08-31T11:57:00.003-06:00

One of the attractions at the San Diego Maritime Museum is the former pilot boat "Pilot". When we went to the museum, however, it wasn't there with the other museum ships. We learned that it had been taken to Spanish Landing, on the north end of San Diego Bay, for maintenance and repairs on her hull. On our last day in San Diego, we went to Spanish Landing to see Pilot and the beginning of work on the San Salvador, a replica being built of the ship that explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed when he was the first European to explore San Diego Bay.

In addition to the temporary presence of the Pilot, and the beginnings of work on the San Salvador, the site had educational exhibits about the era (1500s) in which Cabrillo reached San Diego, including this replica representation of a local native american home.

What is a Notice of Race?

2011-08-30T22:17:00.003-06:00

Recently, I received a brief race announcement that was labeled as a "Notice of Race".

The announcement did, in fact, cover some of the requirements of a valid Notice of Race (NOR), giving the date, time, place, and entry fee.

However, it omitted many of the details required by US Sailing (and by equivalent International Sailing Federation member national authorities in other countries) to constitute a NOR. Ironically, one of the missing pieces was telling prospective sailors what rules would apply -- I say ironically, because the so-called NOR didn't meet many requirements of the Racing Rules of Sailing, placing the club in violation of the RRS. Before the regatta even happened, this yacht club was already not running its regatta according to the rules.

The NOR is supposed to give a prospective race crew all the information they need in order to decide whether to participate in a regatta. Besides the when, where, and how much, it needs to describe applicable rules, the name of the organizing authority, classes racing, handicap system used, any rules that may be changed (and these must meet strict requirements), and other information. Similarly, Sailing Instructions must also be provided and must likewise meet various requirements.

What does this mean to the club that doesn't publish or post a proper NOR?

Of course, it means that the club isn't meeting the expectations of racers, especially knowledgeable ones. It leaves the club open to the impression that the race committee is untrained or possibly operating unfairly; without the right paperwork racers can't tell if the playing field is going to be level and which rules and procedures will be in place. By issuing proper documents, the club's racing committee fulfills one aspect of following best practices. (Others include race committee training according to national standards, and following proper protest and hearing procedures.)

But, it does get much more serious than this from the club's perspective.

The NOR and SIs for a race are part and parcel of the framework of the Racing Rules of Sailing. They NOR and SIs are required and defined in the RRS. They all have to work together.

The Rules, when agreed to and acknowledged on a properly written disclaimer and sign-up form, are part of a binding contract between a skipper and a yacht club. This contract sets out expectations and requirements for both the skipper and the club. It defines liability. It tends to give the club legal protection in the event of a lawsuit. It is expected by the club's insurance providers, and by US Sailing (or the appropriate national authority outside the USA) and US Sailing's appeals process.

With the right paperwork, procedures, training, documentation, and actions by volunteers, a club obtains maximum protection for itself in the event of a tragedy or lawsuit. Lawsuits are more easily defended, avoided, or dismissed. And, with a competent race committee that enforces proper procedures, disasters are less likely to occur in the first place.

Without the right paperwork, a club puts itself and its officers, directors, and volunteers at heightened risk.

Unfortunately, for smaller club, Directors and Officers liability coverage (D&O insurance) may be prohibitively expensive. Prospective officers and volunteers may be well advised to seek umbrellas liability coverage from their personal insurance agents after discussing their situation with the agents.

Aye, sometimes ye wear the red shirt, but...

2011-08-30T18:39:00.002-06:00

"On Deck There! Two sail ahoy, two points off the larboard bow!" cried the lookout from the maintop.

His skipper, Commander Sir Jeffrey Ronald Hawke (Bart.) of His Majesty's Brig of War Gryphon, took a glass from the duty midshipman and sprang up mightily into the mizzen shrouds. The ships came hull-up over the horizon and then, the crowded decks, numerous gunports, and death-head flags revealed them to be dreaded pirates.

Back on the quarterdeck Sir Jeffrey called to his cabin boy: "Lad! Fetch me my red shirt!"

In the savage combat that ensued, Sir Jeffrey and the crew of the Gryphon took one pirate ship, with the other outlaw ship escaping, but with great damage and chastisement. Although the combat was desperate, with grievous losses on both sides, the crew of the good ship Gryphon prevailed and many pirates were slain in combat or hung from the yardarms afterward. Afterward, Sir Jeffrey's men wondered about the meaning of his calling for the red shirt. Was it some sort of ritual or good-luck charm? Finally, the youngest midshipman timidly asked the captain about the shirt.

"My lad, you wondered about that red shirt?" replied Sir Jeffrey. "Ah, I was concerned that, were I to be wounded in battle and seen to bleed, my crew might become fearful and lose heart. So, just as the deck is painted red to hide the sight of blood, so too was my shirt red that I could receive wounds without fearing for my men's courage."

Later during that same cruise, again the lookout cried out when swift pirate ships again came into view and raced downwind toward the still-battle-scarred Gryphon. But this time, the heroic Sir Jeffrey was faced with not two, or even three or four, but rather a great, devastating fleet of ten pirate ships!

"Boy!", he roared. "Fetch me my brown trousers!"

Former Cup Racer seen from the Maritime Museum

2011-08-29T23:15:00.010-06:00

Wednesday afternoon we caught up with sailor and museum volunteer Brad Holderman at the San Diego Maritime Museum. While we were chatting, we saw a former America's Cup racing yacht sailing out on the bay. I'm pretty sure it was "Stars and Stripes" but not the 1995 USA-34 International America's Cup Class (IACC) Stars and Stripes that is moored adjacent to the barge shown in these pictures, but rather a slightly order IACC boat, USA-11. So, we seemed to be looking at Stars and Stripes and Stars and Stripes. Part of the confusion is that there have been several "Stars and Stripes" even during the IACC era of the America's Cup... see list below.

It seems that the one out sailing was the "Stars and Stripes" that is IACC USA-11, based out of Shelter Island. In any case, it looked good!

Visitors to the Maritime Museum of San Diego often can view two former America's Cup racing yachts, Abracadabra and Stars and Stripes, which are usually moored on the left (south, or port in some of these views) side of the museum barge, plus a replica of the historic yacht America that gave its name to the America's Cup. In these views, the America is not in her usual berth on the right (north, starboard in this view) side of the barge, but the Californian can be glimpsed beyond.

If the 1995 "Stars and Stripes" is the one at the southeast corner of the barge, with the blue sail cover and rig partially visible in some pictures, then the IACC Cup boat out on the bay might be another -- IACC USA-11, the 1992 defender, as identified by sail number and by a partial telephone number visible on the sail. It's confusing because there were several "Stars and Stripes" during the IACC era. According to the AC website:

USA-77 Stars & Stripes (USA) 2003 LVC.
Sank while in testing in San Diego. Raised and sailed in LVC quarter-finals repechage Mascalzone Latino, location unknown.

USA-66 Stars & Stripes (USA)
Crew training and tuning boat for USA-77

USA-55 Stars & Stripes USA
Finished 3rd LVC Semi-finals
Owner Mascalzone Latino, on display in Naples, Italy at the Port of Naples

USA-54 Abracadabra (USA)
Sailed in LVC R-R 3, finished 9th
Sold by Aloha Racing (Waikiki Yacht Club) to BMW Oracle racing as training boat, later acquired by Team Dennis Conner as trial horse for USA 66 and heavily modified. Currently in San Diego for charter. http://www.nextlevelsailing.com/

USA-50 Abracadabra
Sailed in LVC R-R 1 & 2
Acquired in 2005 by Next Level Sailing (San Diego, CA) for competition in local regattas. Currently sitting in south San Diego Bay in dry dock at Knight and Carver Marina, National City, California next to USA-49. http://www.nextlevelsailing.com/

USA-49 AmericaOne
Sailed in LVC R-R 1,2, & 3
Involved in minor collision in the early rounds of AC2000 with USA-55 Stars and Stripes. Acquired by BMW Oracle Racing in advance of AC2003. Acquired 2006 by Next Level Sailing (San Diego, CA). Currently sitting in south San Diego Bay in dry dock at Knight and Carver Marina, National City, California next to USA-50. http://www.nextlevelsailing.com/

USA-34 Stars & Stripes
Won defender series, discarded for USA-36 in finals
Charter in San Diego. http://www.nextlevelsailing.com/
The 1995 USA 34 is based at the San Diego Maritime Museum and some of the pictures here show part of the rig and the blue sail cover

USA-11 Stars & Stripes USA
Lost 1992 defender finals 4-7
Used by Dennis Conner as trial horse for 1995 campaign, sold to the US Virgin Islands America’s Cup Challenge for AC 2000. Sunk in hurricane, shipped to Miami for refurbishment in 2002, and brought to San Diego for charter. http://www.sailusa11.com

A stroll around Shelter Island, San Diego

2011-08-29T20:38:00.003-06:00

Koehler Kraft boatyard entrance, almost right across from our room at Humphrey's Half Moon Inn, well centered on Shelter Island in San Diego. Here and there we did see a couple of Etchells sloops on the hard. The trip was only a two-nighter, so we focused on just a few activities -- including a thorough visit to the San Diego Maritime Museum and searching out seafood.

Also across the street was the Dennis Conner gallery and museum, which we visited and shopped before leaving town.

Sunday a week ago (21 August 2011), Carol Anne and I drove from Mesa, Arizona, to San Diego, reaching the Pacific Ocean, or at least Shelter Island. Shortly thereafter I took a walk around the neighborhood.

Two sailboats moored off Shelter Island

Sailboats and San Diego city skyline in distance

Sailboats and blurred passage of a motorboat

A little later that evening, we walked a few blocks to the Red Sails Inn for dinner.

Low light photo turning outbound sailboat into a near ghostly blur

Inbound sailboat arriving at twilight

Comments on Ye Pyrats

2011-08-29T15:52:00.005-06:00

Pirate flags are a bone of contention in a popular cruising-oriented website. Some people think the Jolly Roger is harmless fun; other think it quite offensive.

The discussion about the flag naturally leads to the nature of piracy and pirates themselves, and whether their romanticization by Hollywood and modern pop culture is appropriate or truthful, harmless or harmful.

It's complicated... and depends on context. Flying a pirate flag in place of a national courtesy flag when entering a country that potentially has real crime issues would be really stupid. Modern piracy is ugly, brutal, and nasty.

Historical piracy was mostly that way, too, but with exceptions and complexities. Some of the historical pirates were at times sanctioned by their crown as privateers. Some were disgruntled supporters of the Stuart cause who rebelled at the institution of the House of Hanover and attacked colonial commerce for partially political reasons. Some of the Bahamian pirates later accepted the King's pardon and subsequently became respected citizens. Some used terror as a bluff and actually committed little violence. But others were needlessly cruel and bloodthirsty (for example, Charles Vane).

One other slight reprieve for the historical Caribbean pirates' reputation is that they practiced a crude form of democracy and relative egalitarianism. Captains were generally elected and generally only got to keep slightly more loot than their crews. In an era of widespread autocracy and despotism (before the USA's revolution), they were among the most free of people ... until they got caught and sentenced to be hanged by the neck until dead, may God have mercy on their souls.

ALL pirates were thieves.
SOME pirates were murdering, torturing, barbarously cruel thieves.

All pirates used the threat of force to rob people. Beyond that point, the real life historical pirates of the Caribbean were diverse in their motivations and methods.

Some approached piracy purely as an economic transaction and used a minimum of violence. Others enjoyed being bloodthirsty. The most ethical pirates might merely rob their victims of choice cargo and useful supplies, but leave the victims with their ship and supplies. Other pirates would torture some of their victims, either to locate hidden plunder or for the beastly, bloodthirsty enjoyment of it. No doubt you could draw a continuum, from the relatively "civilized" Jennings and Hornigold (not to mention Drake or Morgan) to the more violent Vane or l'Olonnais.

Surprisingly, Blackbeard (Ed Teach/Thatch) was one of the less violent pirates; he used a terrifying appearance to overawe victims into surrendering without fighting. And, strangely, his death occurred as a result of a sort of quasi-illegal "rogue police" action.

Besides greed, motivations included the political (some pirates were former victims of the Bloody Assizes of 1685 [the back story to the movie Captain Blood]) or, a generation later, failed Jacobite supporters of the Stuarts; whereas others continued to prey upon their country's traditional enemies even after peace treaties invalidated their privateering commissions.) And, politics in the islands were quite tortuous, with some English and British officials setting up privateers who later turned pirate, and others colluding with pirates and fencing their ill-gotten goods.

Other pirates may have rebelled against injustice, poor treatment, bad food, crowding, tyranny, years at sea without reprieve, and harsh treatment in the Royal Navy, which all too often was governed by "Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash". The pirates were happy to keep the first of these.

One of the more interesting pirates was the inept, landlubberly, weak, and outlandishly dressed Stede Bonnet, who appears to have been a touch mentally ill and who made a spectacularly unlucky pirate, being hanged after a short career.

Politics had a lot to do with how some pirates survived or thrived from their careers. It could work out pretty well for a Charles Morgan or a Sir Francis Drake but not nearly so well for a Captain Kidd.

To make it all more complicated, the real pirates of the Caribbean practiced a crude form of racial equality in a time of racial intolerance and cruelty. Although the pirates tended to treat African slaves as cargo, West Indian Blacks who spoke English (or European languages) often were recruited by the pirates for their crew and became full partners on board. They took the same risks as European, Asian, or Native American pirates and received equal shares of the booty.

No, this doesn't make most pirates nice people. But it is part of a complicated picture that isn't the black-and-white (intended!) picture that some would demand.

One topic of related discussion was the rebellion by British sailors in 1797. What does this have to do with Pirates?

Okay, let's draw it out for you:

MUTINY!

Pirates -- rebelled from bad pay and harsh treatment in conventional navies, took over ships, sometimes flew Death Head or other pirate flags, for a time created a "Pirate Republic" in the Bahamas, elected their own captains, used force on those opposed to them, might make enemies walk the plank

Rebellion at the Nore -- rebelled against bad conditions, mutinied and took over ships, flew flags of rebellion, put officers ashore forcibly, threatened to take their ships over to the French enemy or maybe even turn pirate, blockaded the Thames, for a time created Parker's "floating republic", elected their own captains and delegates, used force on anyone opposed to the mutiny, hung rope ends from the yard arms to threaten to hang anyone opposed to them

People who might try to argue that pirates were some depraved criminal class would be stymied by the fact that the mutineers had been regular Royal Navy crews -- and that most pirates had been honest Royal Navy sailors and merchantmen.

Here is an important lesson for modern times: If there's enough temptation (booty), motivation (harsh conditions at home), and few enough consequences (lack of strong international response), then regular people will turn pirate and piracy will re-ignite. Just the way it is off Somalia today. Why can't the world learn from history?

It's like the "fire triangle" -- take away either the temptation, motivation, or lack of consequences and the pirates will be extinguished. And then cruisers can sail in relative safety and not get hassled about wearing black eye patches.

Pirates and mutineers could all be seen in the friendly view as being like cruisers in escaping from harsh, land-based authority and seeking more liberty and democracy. Not to mention the rum. And those who deplore modern piracy might do well to know the history of crime at sea so as to know how to predict the behavior of pirates and know what it will take to stop them.

Heron Lake Marina, New Mexico

2011-08-24T13:52:00.004-06:00

View with gangway leading to the marina at Heron Lake in northern New Mexico. The marina is owned and operated by the New Mexico Sailing Club and is ready to welcome visiting sailors.

B Dock at the Heron Lake Marina, with the Narrows beyond leading to the main body of the lake. These images were taken on 14 August 2011, Sunday, just before we headed south to Albuquerque and then adventures in the west.

A dock

Corner of C dock

The boat on the corner... Santana 20 in her slip, waiting for someone to sail her.

Dry Lake Yacht Club -- But where's the club house?

2011-08-24T13:13:00.002-06:00

This sign for the Dry Lake Yacht Club between Holbrook and Heber, Arizona, is good for a chuckle -- although there usually is a pond or small lake to the south.

We've never driven through during any sort of flooding conditions, but we always do so giant wind turbines in the area.

Arizona journey

2011-08-24T12:56:00.004-06:00

On Monday, 15 August 2011, Carol Anne, Gerald, and I drove to Arizona so as to get him home in time for the fall semester, and so Carol Anne and I could join him in working on the house in Mesa. En route between Heber and Christopher Creek, we passed through some rain storms which were a welcome novelty.

We also passed through the construction zones between Christopher Creek and Star Valley, Arizona, which weren't such a novelty. But it is interesting to see progress from trip to trip.

After passing through Payson, Gerald drove us down into the hot desert country via the mountainous portion of the Beeline Highway.

More Ghost Ranch South pix of rocks

2011-08-22T23:57:00.004-06:00

Gate to a photographer's playground on the south side of Ghost Ranch north of Abqiuiu in northern New Mexico. These shots were taken Sunday, 14 August 2011 on our way south from near Heron Lake back to Albuquerque.

Tree and slope

Cerro Pedernal and Abiquiu Lake in the background of this scene shot south of Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico.

View south to Cerro Pedernal

More rocks!

Scenic New Mexico: Ghost Ranch South

2011-08-20T10:56:00.005-06:00

Cerro Pedernal stands guard over Abiquiu Lake in northern New Mexico. These views were captured during a quick scenic stop at the southern edge of Ghost Ranch last Sunday afternoon. We were returning from Laguna Vista and Heron Lake to Albuquerque with Gerald and his friend Wolf.

Rocks

Uphill

and more rocks

Rocks and valley

Gerald and a friend explore the rocks

Downslope

Rocky slope

Rocks with Cerro Pedernal in background

Trees with scenery to the south

Trees and background scenery

Two rocks frame a scenic background

Two rocks and background

Light on a rocky mesa

Slopes

Views from the main marina at Elephant Butte Lake

2011-08-08T00:37:00.003-06:00

View of Marina del Sur, the "main marina" at Elephant Butte Lake in southern New Mexico.

Marina and boat ramp (sorry for the fuzziness!)

View of the area north and east of Marina del Sur, with Rattlesnake formerly-Island in the background. A year ago, the parking barrier at the left edge of the photo was near the water's edge and all of the trucks on the beach would have been well submerged.

Rattlesnake formerly-Island, for now a parking place for wheeled motor vehicles such as motorhomes and trailers. Perhaps by year's end it will be an island again.

sloop Constellation resting in harbor

2011-08-08T00:35:00.002-06:00

En route to Carol Anne's boat, we passed by the quietly waiting USA 38, the Etchells sloop "Constellation"

Elephant Butte Peninsula

2011-08-08T00:30:00.003-06:00

"Elephant" formation and DamSite Marina at the south end of southern New Mexico's Elephant Butte Lake. With the dam outflow shut off, the lake is just beginning to recover from its lowest level of 2011. At higher lake levels, the "Elephant" can be circumnavigated, but not now; the Elephant is now a peninsula. The lake will have to rise ten feet or more before the Elephant is an island and can be circumnavigated again by even so much as a kayak or canoe, much less a sailboat.

Yes, Virginia, it's been a drought year

Heatstroke Sailboats at Tempe Town Lake

2011-08-03T18:51:00.004-06:00

On a warm Sunday afternoon (31 July 2011), a few desert-hardy sailors showed up for Heatstroke Series sailing at Tempe Town Lake in Arizona. We couldn't stay long because we had errands to run before heading back to New Mexico, but we visited with folks for a bit.

The race signals are given from ashore.

The mark boat has the generally simple job of setting and later removing the pin buoys for the starting line.

Arizona household snapshops

2011-08-03T14:24:00.004-06:00

Living room in Arizona home. Now that the home is fairly well furnished, it looks far more lived in.

Bedroom in Arizona home.

SW corner of bedroom with roll-top desk re-assembled and in place.

Bedroom, east and northeast side showing dresser with mirror

Peek into backyard

Residents in living/great room and kitchen

Photographer ignored by cat. Mostly.

2011-08-03T01:58:00.004-06:00

Scratch cat ignores photographer as only a cat can.

Photographing cats isn't Quite as bad as Herding them.

Gerald and Carol Anne with Scratch

To avoid taking a good picture one can look down...

... or wiggle right

Rotation is always a favorite attitude

Etchells sloop "Caliente" enjoys good New Mexico breezes

2011-07-26T00:37:00.004-06:00

The Etchells sloop "Caliente" heads north back toward Rock Canyon Marina after a couple of hours of good sailing on Elephant Butte Lake.

A first good look at USA 438 as her crew enjoys good sailing conditions under sunny desert skies in New Mexico.

After dropping one boat off for storage in C D Crouch's lot in Elephant Butte, I retrieved the boom on which "Zorro" had repaired the outhaul and installed it on Carol Anne's USA 125, "Black Magic". I'd arrived at the marina just in time to see another Etchells, USA 438, "Caliente", sail south from the marina, but not in time to get any pictures.

Closer view of "Caliente"

Starboard view of "Caliente"
But, after I finished my boat chores, visited with folks on the marina patio, got a copy of Latitude 38, and enjoyed an ice cream cone, "Caliente" began to peek over the horizon as she and her crew returned toward the marina.

"Caliente" in sparkling desert sunshine. That gave me time to hop into the kayak with a camera and paddle out into the lake. Conditions were great for sailing; at the time I rendezvoused with "Caliente" the wind had settled down a bit from about eight knots to six or seven. The lake had few enough powerboats that the chop was mainly from the wind and the well-ballasted Etchells could easily ride through the small, perhaps foot-high waves... though on the kayak I had to paddle carefully to keep my equipment mostly dry.

Aft view as "Caliente" approaches Rock Canyon Marina. As "Caliente" approached her mooring behind the partial shelter of the marina and its floating tire wall, the wind settled down yet more, to just a handful of knots (about 5-7 mph) -- perfect for picking up a mooring.

Back at the marina at the end of a gorgeous day at Elephant Butte Lake

Black Magic tucked away for the week

2011-07-26T00:33:00.003-06:00

The Etchells sloop USA 125 "Black Magic" in her slip at Rock Canyon Marina in southern New Mexico. I had just re-attached the boom and boat cover. Shortly thereafter I visited with folks at the marina office and patio, got a copy of Latitude 38, and then went kayaking to visit with the crew of the Etchells "Caliente".

Caliente approaches her mooring

2011-07-26T00:21:00.004-06:00

Etchells USA 438 "Caliente" approaches her mooring. Rock Canyon Marina, Elephant Butte Lake State Park in New Mexico, afternoon of Monday, July 25, 2011. This was also a father and son reunion, as Nat's dad, Nick, was on a visit from Maine.

Monday afternoon was a relatively quiet time at Elephant Butte Lake, even during mid-summer. Caliente's sail happened after most of the anglers and skiers had returned to shore for the day.

house pictures from Arizona

2011-07-14T22:35:00.005-06:00

Scratch the cat enjoying one of his pieces of furniture. The set-up of the house in Mesa, Arizona, has been very gradual, but now the master bedroom and living room are mostly done. The living room could still use a few pieces, but the house is getting there.

Master bedroom, finally furnished fairly completely

Dresser with mirror

Corner of master bedroom

sitting area in north end of master bedroom

laundry sorter next to gas-powered dryer

New lawnmower assembled -- people in this neighborhood enjoy having rather large lawns in spite of living in the desert, though we do plan to replace the front yard with Xeric desert landscaping.

pile of cardboard recycling in the garge, with not enough room in the recycling bin to handle the backlog. Americans use a lot of packaging.

Learning to sail: a cautionary note

2011-07-13T18:52:00.002-06:00

Maybe most sailors agree that people learn in different ways, one-size-fits-all advice does not, and most people learn best from a variety of sources, practice, and feedback. Beyond that point, it seems we lose consensus very quickly.

-- Some people do well learning mostly on their own mostly on small boats; yet some don't do so well on dinghies or have their own reasons for starting on something bigger.

-- Some people find pleasure in being in a structured learning environment and some people detest being in a classroom or structured learning situation.

-- Some people find lessons expensive, and some people find that cramming a bunch of lessons together without lots of practice time in between shortchanges them on an opportunity to digest the lessons, experiment with different techniques, and come up with questions and ideas. Others get a good feeling out of "drinking from the firehose" and seeing how fast they can come up to speed.

-- Some people can sail by themselves in uncrowded, protected areas on inexpensive boats where the cost of a bad experiment is minimal. Others have panicky families, challenging sailing environments, expensive boats, judgmental spouses, or even more expensive neighbors' boats very close to hand, where the cost of a mistake can be much more than the cost of lessons.

-- Some people are blessed to have friends and neighbors who are good teachers and live close to lots of resources for improving their sailing (community sailing centers, racing associations, clubs and co-ops, boating safety groups, community colleges with boating programs) and are easily able to find a good skipper and talk their way onto a boat. Others are not so fortunate.

-- People vary in their tolerance for failure, courage/foolhardiness, need for excitement, sociability, common sense, mechanical ability, health, disabilities, coordination and balance, confidence, language and listening skills, budget, patience, time available, learning styles, and other life and boating skills. They have very different reasons for being attracted to sailing, and their interests are likely to evolve and grow as they learn more about the sport, are exposed to different kinds of sailing, learn more about what they do and don't like on the water and in boats, and learn more about themselves.

So, what are we going to do with that one-size-fits-all advice? Where's Procrustes' bed when you really need a nice peaceful nap? (Προκρούστης, son of the sea god Poseidon, a nice sailing examplar)

Still too dry

2011-07-09T03:07:00.002-06:00

Although a few rain showers have finally reached New Mexico and brought relief to fire fighters, it's still frightfully dry.

Heron Lake in far northern New Mexico is still receiving some runoff, about 200 cubic feet per second and rising almost an inch a day,with 301,395 acre feet and 7,167.77 feet elevation above sea level (2300 Fri. night 8 July 2011). That's three-quarters full, which is not too bad for a drought year.

Elephant Butte Lake in southern New Mexico is not doing nearly so well.

The Butte fell a foot in the past three days with only about an eighth of its nominal capacity and its elevation is several feet below operating plan predictions. With 257,384 acre-feet of water and an elevation above benchmark of 4,318.47 feet (0200 Sat. am 9 July 2011), the lake is getting to a point where park managers can advertise a great deal of beach -- but not as many places for sailors to explore.

Our reference point for really low conditions was around 2004. At one point, the lake got down to about 4294 feet elevation and around six percent of capacity. That was a low enough level to impact some of the boat ramps and make navigation of the lake challenging. We're hoping the lake stays well above that level this year.

One of the most dangerous things about sailboats...

2011-06-25T19:50:00.002-06:00

As a volunteer instructor who occasionally helps out with New Mexico boating safety basics classes, I am well briefed on many nautical hazards, and have had enough experience to know how quickly things can go wrong and become menacing out on the water. Cold shock immersion, hypothermia, heat exhaustion and sunstroke, fire and burns, collision with a boom, falling, falling overboard are just some of the hazards.

But one of the most dangerous aspects of sailboats, especially for people who realize that there is no one perfect boat,

...is the way they sometimes follow you home.

And now I get to figure out just how a light keelboat wants to be sailed. It should be interesting.

Sailors and the Coast Guard's 2010 Accident Statistics

2011-06-22T14:46:00.001-06:00

New boating accident statistics have been released by the US Coast Guard.

Boating Safety Resource Center

If you figure the Coast Guard's 2010 accident statistics proportionately, here's what the numbers seem to say:

Sailors are more likely than other boaters to have accidents with contributing factors of weather, equipment failure, and improper anchoring.

Sailors are less likely to have accidents with factors of excessive speed and alcohol use. (How did that happen? Sailors must be more judicious about their drinking, saving most of it for ashore.)

Big-boat sailors have about as many accidents but are less likely to suffer injury or death than other boaters. Big-boat sailors are more likely than other boaters to suffer damage or injury from groundings but are less likely to fall overboard.

Dinghy sailors are more likely to keep a proper lookout; they know everyone else is out to get them. Dinghy sailors are less likely than other boaters to collide with fixed objects. Dinghy sailors, compared to other boaters, are more likely to fall overboard or capsize. Dinghy sailors are more likely to get into trouble with hazardous water than other boaters. PFD wear and preventing cold-water immersion injuries are critical for small-boat sailors.

Pat (NM volunteer boating basics instructor)

Most boating accidents are not reported to the US Coast Guard recreational boating accident database. Those that involve death, injury, or reasonably significant damage are supposed to be reported.

Method: Use the proportions of auxiliary sailboat accidents ("big sailboats") and sail-only sailboat ("dinghies") accidents and multiply by the number of accidents of each type to establish the expected number of accidents for the big and little sailboats. Note any large and statistically significant differences.

Auxiliary sailboats were responsible for 29 of the 313 reported grounding accidents, just over twice what would be expected.

The 15 reported dinghy capsize accidents were more than four times what would be expected based on simple proportions, but are not surprising to anyone who's sailed a very small, un-ballasted sailboat where exquisite balance is a continual requirement and getting wet is expected. Fatigue, sudden high winds, lack of wearing flotation jackets, or cold water can turn a normal dunking into a reportable accident.

We followed a home home

2011-06-22T00:59:00.004-06:00

Now we have a little place in Mesa to call our own. The weekend was busy, with us rushing to set up the house as much as week could before having to rush back to New Mexico on Monday night. The pictures are from the real estate listing; we haven't even had time to take any of our own, though perhaps a certain photo major could come up with a few, eventually.

Front view of home -- but when we bought it the front yard was rather unkempt. We are gradually making it tidy again.

We couldn't get around to everything, including setting up some repairs. But, on the plus side, we got insurance coverage, set up utility accounts, learned about City of Mesa recycling and waste management, installed a programmable thermostat/controller, installed a bunch of energy-conserving compact fluorescent light bulbs (including three-way and outdoor spotlight bulbs) got delivery and installation of a garage door opener, dishwasher, bed set, washer, and dryer. We also caught up on overdue watering and some garden trimming, sorting out waste and recycling bins, and bringing and buying various household furnishings.

Kitchen. It has since been improved with the addition of a decent dishwasher, though Gerald is welcome to wash dishes manually if he prefers that as being kinder to the environment.

Dining nook, located in the front of the house.

The home isn't huge, around 1470 square feet, but it is nicely designed as a retiree sort of home, with a nice master bedroom and much smaller secondary bedrooms.

Front entry

Work still to be done includes arranging for roof repairs and replacing the damaged, light-duty vinyl flooring in the bedrooms with a good laminate floor.

Great room

The home has some quirks, particularly a vast number of electric switches -- the home was built by an electrician according to a neighbor we met. Even the high-level "cat shelves" (plant shelves to people not owned by cats) have switched outlets.

Master bedroom

The neighborhood also has an interesting oddity that we'll have to learn about: flood irrigation delivered on a schedule from the Salt River Project.

View from great room (living area) forward toward kitchen and dining nook. If we took a picture now, it would show empty boxes that had been unpacked.

Part of master bathroom

We also have some other projects with which to keep busy, and promise that some of them will definitely have something to do with sailing.

Grease is the Word

2011-06-03T09:37:00.000-06:00

This past week's Dockmaster duty at the Heron Lake Marina and its aftermath were marked by "interesting mechanical learning issues".

One of them happened when I was towing a MacGregor sailboat south from near the lake. This is a boat we've been very slowly repairing and preparing for sail. I had just put new tires on it last Friday and was towing it south on Wednesday afternoon when the left side tire and wheel decided to go walkabout, sheering the wheel studs.

When I called my auto club, the responders seemed to think that the only solution would be to find a flatbed truck large enough to load a long sailboat and boat trailer. Such a great beast was not readily available and might have to come from more than a hundred mails away.

Another friend suggested a heavy-duty wheel dolly to allow the boat to be towed. This seemed far more sensible than waiting for hours for a giant flatbed wrecker.

Even more directly helpful was a good Samaritan named Henry who stopped with some advice and aid. With this support I was able to remove the wheel bearing parts and drum. Then, I dropped by the marina, where I was able to use a bolt, alignment bar, and sledgehammer to pound out the press-fitted wheel studs.

The next day, Thursday, I was able to go to the auto parts store in Chama, near the Colorado border, and look for replacement parts. Although the store didn't have exact replacements for the wheel studs, they did have some that were expected to fit; the clerk took time measuring various candidate wheel studs with a digital caliper to find the best candidates.

Returning home with wheel studs and other goodies, I then placed the wheel drum in an improvised jig and pounded the new studs into the drum. This is a case of literally placing a small object in an even smaller hole; the studs are slightly compressed in the process.

Then it was time to journey seventeen miles to where the crippled boat trailer awaited repair, attach the drum, repack and reassemble the bearing and related parts, and then get to the relatively simple business of placing the spare tire and wheel on the trailer. After gathering up all the tools, blocks, and gear, it was then time to cautiously head south. The bearing and wheel seem to have held up well and this time the trip south to Placitas was a success.

And I even got to play with lots of dark grease. It's sort of fun, in a primitive, childish, atavistic way to mess with the stuff. And, for when that palled or I before had to touch "clean" things, there was a tub of mechanic's hand-washing cream on hand and lots of rags plus a roll of paper towels.

More thoughts about the Chesapeake Sailboat Tragedy

2011-05-24T01:05:00.000-06:00

How many NASA rocket scientists does it take to capsize a sailboat?

Sadly, that has a tragic answer: "Ten, but two of them have to die."

I feel terribly sorry for the survivors and families of the victims. Yet the bottom line is that this horrific accident was entirely preventable and the talented, bright young men were lost needlessly.

No, the truth is these two didn't have to die. At every step they could have made different decisions -- not to sail at night after partying, not to overload the boat, to wear life preservers, to have and be able to use other safety and distress signalling gear, to stay with the boat and each other. Sigh.

Thought: If the brains of NASA rocket scientists can't keep them afloat, what chance do the rest of us have without a life preserver?
Of course, you might argue that they have denser brain tissue, but I suspect there's not a statistically measurable difference; we're probably all equally dense in this area.

So, the lesson learned here is that brains will only keep us afloat if we use them.

Dead in the Water... Again, Sigh!

2011-05-23T22:42:00.008-06:00

Sigh. Another overloaded sailboat capsizes.
And more death results.

A 22-foot sailboat, overloaded with ten people at night, none of them wearing life preservers, capsized in the Chesapeake Bay during a "late night cruise". One died, one was missing until his body was recovered several days later.

It gets worse: the dead men and their friends were more or less NASA rocket scientists!

San Diego CBS8 article

WTOP FM update on second body

The first dead man "was an associate research engineer for the National Institute of Aerospace, which does research in conjunction with NASA's Langley Research Center." The other nine people on the boat were six graduate students working at the NASA research center and three NASA contractors. The second dead man was one of the grad students, a "University of Maryland graduate research assistant working for the National Institute of Aerospace, which does research work in conjunction with NASA." The second dead man and his roommate apparently were the boat's owners.

What has become of NASA rocket scientists? Guess they aren't what they used to be. Was it smart for ten people to board a small sailboat at night (thought to be a Venture-MacGregor 22), none of them wearing life preservers, and then capsize?

Enough beating up on foolish rocket scientists. While rocket scientists making abysmally stupid decisions is far too tempting a target to ignore, the suffering of the survivors and families is very real and terrible and deserves sympathy and prayer. This is a horrific tragedy, and made worse because it follows hard on the heels of another terrible capsizing of an overloaded MacGregor 26 sailboat earlier this spring in San Diego. In that tragedy, an overloaded sailboat belong to the midwestern Heart of Sailing charity capsized, resulting in two deaths. No life preservers were on those victims, and boat appeared to have not had its water ballast tanks filled and appeared to be grossly out of trim and unbalanced.

An advisory group to the US Coast Guard has recommended expanding the number of people who are required to wear life preservers. Although many sailors resent being told what to do, if the stupidity and avoidable carnage continues there will surely be a reaction in the form of more rules and less individual choice.

For what it's worth, here's the profile picture of the surviving co-owner of the boat, who was aboard for the tragic night:
Looks like these guys know how to have a killer good time. In 2007, the Virginia Legislature passed a law requiring motorboat operators (including operators of most sailboats) under the age of 40 to pass a boating safety class. Unfortunately, this requirement won't be phased in until July 1, 2013 -- two years too late for these bright young men. (Eventually the requirement will be phased in for all Virginia boaters, with very few exceptions.)

"...one of the unanswered questions is whether the boat was large enough to safely have 10 people on board". Duh. It certainly wasn't safe for rocket scientists... overloading a small boat... cruising late at night... in 57-degree water... without anyone wearing life jackets. The moral of the story is that no one is too smart to get by with ignoring basic safety. Where's your life preserver?

Seahorse serendipity

2011-05-22T20:38:00.002-06:00

Divers participating in program in main kelp forest tank at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Clinic/surgery with docent giving presentation about marine creature medicine

Seahorses. One of the nice little surprises waiting for us in the aquarium was the sight of seahorses in a miniature kelp forest environment. They are quite graceful and fun to watch.

An even closer view of the seahorses

Swimming with the Sharks

2011-05-22T15:01:00.005-06:00

Sharks in the water. Most sharks, especially these well-fed captive sharks, are quite mellow. The visit to the Shark Tank (not the one in San Jose) was a highlight of the visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Our visit was made all the more fun by the enthusiasm and curiosity of "Silvergirl", who joined us for the visit and then led us to one of her favorite Orange County beach restaurants.

Sharks in the water. That reminds me of a lawyer joke.

Sawfish and shark shadow. The sawfish once had her saw bitten almost off by a shark; the aquarium's vet was able to repair it with epoxy.

Manta ray and sharks.

The story was that a sailboat once came to grief trying to pass over a bar through a reef surrounding a tropical island. Instead of passing the bar, the boat was driven onto the reef. Its raft was torn up when the crew attempted to launch it. A crew member would have to swim through the shark-inhabited water to reach land and then hike to a village for help.

Manta ray and hammerhead shark.

So, the captain dove in and swam toward the island but was soon surrounded by first curious, then aggressive, then hungry sharks. As he struggled through the water he began to flounder and panic; then he was attacked and disappeared. Most of the rest of the crew was understandably reluctant to try the swim. Except for one.

"Silvergirl" styling with the sharks.

One middle-aged sailor swore that he'd be able to swim the shark gauntlet without a problem. And, amazingly, he did just that. Not only did the sharks not attack him, but it almost seemed to the other sailors that the sharks formed a wedge to escort him all the way to the water's edge. The crew were utterly amazed.

"Silvergirl" and friends, including manta ray

Later, the successful swimmer returned with fishermen from the village to rescue the remaining crew members. After they reached land, the crew all wanted to know how he had successfully swum with the sharks to land and so they plied him with questions about what had happened and how he'd managed the shark-strewn swim.

Sharks below

"Well, it's terribly simple," he answered. "Just professional courtesy. I'm an attorney and my finny friends and I are all members in good standing of the bar association."

Apologies are offered to the Shark Anti-Defamation League. Note that no sharks were harmed in the making of this bad joke.

Sharks in the tank. The sharks in this tank do not play hockey, unlike the somewhat more skilled shark pucksters of San Jose.

Sawfish

Transpac Exhibit

2011-05-22T14:53:00.003-06:00

Pac Cup 1950s

A nice surprise along the Long Beach waterfront near the Aquarium of the Pacific was a series of signs commemorating the Transpac Race that is held every other year from southern California to Hawaii. Shown here are a couple of examples of the signs that chronicle the history of this long-distance (more than 2000 nautical miles) ocean sailing race.

Detail of 1950s Transpac highlights

1970s Transpac highlights

Helter Sailor

2011-05-22T01:07:00.005-06:00

MacGregor 26 takes a sinkin' but keeps on floatin'

When I sink to the bottom
I float back on the top of the tide
Where I crash and burn
with a hole in my side
Till I sink to the bottom and I see you again
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Do you don't you want me to sail you
I'm sinking down fast but I'm miles above you
Throw me throw me throw me the hawser
and you may own a boat but you ain't no sailor

Grounded sailboat (US Power Squadrons image)

Go helter skelter
helter skelter
helter sailor
Glug, hu, hu
I will you won't you want me to sail you
I'm sinking down fast so don't let me sail you
Throw me throw me throw me the hawser
You may own a boat but you ain't no sailor

Captain Smith of the "virtually unsinkable" Titanic had the same problem as many modern sailors -- going too fast for conditions (image via National Geographic)

Look out
Helter skelter
helter skelter
helter sailor
Yeah, hu, hu
Look out cause here she comes

Yellow boat, not in banana tree (via dashpointpirate)

When I sink to the bottom
I float back on the top of the tide
Where I crash and burn
with a hole in my side
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again
glug, glug, glug

Santana 22 "Yachtsea" playing in the surf by Fort Point, San Francisco Golden Gate (via Chuck Laintz)

Well will you won't you want me to sail you
I'm sinking down fast so don't let me sail you
Throw me throw me throw me the hawser
You may own a boat but you ain't no sailor

Amorita classic yacht, the unfortunate victim of being run down from behind by the much bigger Sumurun, whose afterguard had a slight difficulty in obeying basic sailing rules.

Look out
Helter skelter
helter skelter
helter sailor
Glug, hu,

Helter Skelter
She's sinking down fast
Yes she is
Yes she is
sinking down fast

Gerald and lorikeet companion

2011-05-21T23:49:00.003-06:00

Gerald found a companion in the lorikeet exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Words to live by -- with a bite

2011-05-21T23:45:00.002-06:00

A sharkish attitude. How would you apply this to your competition? Or to driving among rude, aggressive freeway drivers? Artwork was near the Aquarium of the Pacific shark tank, of course.

Sailboat, with a Queen

2011-05-21T22:37:00.003-06:00

Portrait of a Queen; Long Beach's iconic former transatlantic passenger liner dominates much of the view the shoreline.

Sloop passing in front of the Queen Mary. The geodesic dome behind the Queen is part of a passenger boarding terminal but was originally built to house Howard Hughes' gigantic amphibious airplane.

The Queen Mary has now spent half of her life in Long Beach, serving as a hotel, museum, conference center, and site for restaurants and gift shops.

Different Boats for Different Folks

2011-05-21T22:31:00.002-06:00

Last Saturday (May 14, 2011), we strolled along the harbor near the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific while waiting for a friend. We saw quit a variety of large boats, including a faux riverboat designed for booze cruises and various harbor tour and wildlife-watching boats. One of the more interesting was the three-masted schooner shown here, the American Pride. She is a 130 feet long, 200-ton boat owned by the Children's Maritime Foundation, and originally was a working fishing boat in the US northeast.

The schooner is used for a variety of educational programs as well as being available for charter.

Views from Point Fermin

2011-05-21T20:28:00.003-06:00

Point Fermin view. Pt. Fermin is a rugged headland in San Pedro, California, which stands guard over the northwestern approaches to the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach, one of the world's busiest commercial ports. The harbor also embraces marinas for many hundreds of pleasure boats.

Pelican of Pt. Fermin. The behavior of these pelicans was quite interesting as they took advantage of wind currents to make a great circular rotation over the ocean below Pt. Fermin.

Rocky shore below Pt. Fermin

Pelicans approaching projecting cliff at Pt. Fermin. Further back from the cliff is the site of the Korean Friendship Bell. More immediately at hand is an enjoyable park with great shade trees and walkways to enjoy.

And another row of the pelicans of Pt. Fermin. After our visit to the point, we then enjoyed a hearty meal at the San Pedro Brewing Company, which we'd not visited for several years.

Pt Fermin pelicans over kelp bed

Excursion boat "First String", probably out on a wildlife and whale-watching cruise. Although it was late in the season for the northbound grey whale cow and calf migration, we sighted several spouts and double spouts and heard that some blue whales had been sighted in the area that week.

View west along cliffs showing dramatic headland in front of Pt. Fermin light

Point Fermin Lighthouse

2011-05-21T00:26:00.004-06:00

Friday the 13th of May was our day to explore and re-visit a chunk of the Los Angeles county coast in southern California. After visiting Marina del Rey and King Harbor, we proceeded further south and east to Point Fermin in San Pedro.

Pt. Fermin's lighthouse and setting are scenic and enjoyable. We were also treated to sightings of whale spouts, rotating pelican flights, and the distant sound of barking sea lions.

West side of Pt. Fermin lighthouse, with part of garden. We have yet to catch one of the tours but hope to one of these days.

Sign behind Pt. Fermin lighthouse in San Pedro, California. Because the light was situated atop a high cliff, it did not need to be especially tall.

Sailboats exiting the harbor

2011-05-19T13:09:00.005-06:00

Sloop sailing out of the channel at Marina del Rey in southern California. The center portion of the channel is designated for sailboats that are under sail whereas the outer portions of the channel are for craft motoring -- upchannel on the south side and downchannel on the north (near in this view) side.

Sloops heading for Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

Beneteau and Santa Cruz sloops catch a puff as they exit Marina del Rey.

Friday the 13th was a pretty mellow day for us, our first full day of the trip in SoCal. We drove to Marina del Rey, where we walked out along the north jetty to watch boats entering and exiting the harbor. Later on we bought a VHF handheld radio and a boat cookbook at the West Marine and visited people at the Cal Yacht Club, including spending some time with the club manager, Gus, at their bar and buying a couple of souvenirs.
Beneteau motoring out.

Cockpit close-up. After leaving Marina del Rey, we then made a quick visit to King Harbor, where we strolled among boats and restaurants, then drove to Point Fermin, where we watched pelicans, saw whale spouts, and heard barking California sea lions.

Tour boat and sloop. The day then wound closer to a close at the San Pedro Brewing Company.

Beneteau sloop behind tour boat, Marina del Rey California.

A cure for travel withdrawal: More travel?

2011-05-19T10:56:00.003-06:00

Gluttons for punishment. Masochists. Maybe that's what we are.

After arriving home in Albuquerque Tuesday night -- via the Final Detour -- we found stacks of mail and a long list of errands waiting. We were busy unpacking, sorting, corresponding, and catching up into the wee hours of the morning. During the previous week and a half, we'd put some 2,000-plus miles on the Vibe's odometer as we traveled in Arizona and southern and northern California.

One would think that more driving and travel would be the last thing on our minds.

So what did we do on Wednesday? Travel, of course.

Wednesday morning, after a couple of quick in-town errands, I drove to Los Alamos to retrieve Little Cat A from her spa vacation with Carol Anne's parents. It was not a rescue -- Dulce did not go into her cat carrier at all willingly. She had something to say about the trip south -- Meow! Repeated some 3,500 times.

Then we frantically loaded the big truck for a trip south to meet up with the fifth-wheel travel trailer we'd just bought. So, by day's end, I'd driven a few hundred more miles to add to the previous day's 400-some and a similar tally for the day before.

Aaaarrr me hearties! (MDR Style)

2011-05-17T23:15:00.002-06:00

Because this home facing the channel into Marina del Rey is in a prime corner location, its owners must apparently be always prepared to repel boarders.

Second Wind returns to the water

2011-05-17T09:58:00.005-06:00

After her stay at KKMI, "Second Wind" was ready to return to her slip in Richmond's Marina Bay. Skipper Ken would be joined by Gerald for the brief motor trip to the pumpout and slip.

Second Wind backing away from the travelift slip

Second Wind arriving in Marina Bay

Skipper Ken, Gerald, and ship's dog Trixie approach the pumpout dock at Marina Bay on Thursday, May 12, 2011 in Richmond, CA. Shortly thereafter we left for southern California, so we didn't get to sail on the boat this trip.

Trip Log

2011-05-16T23:38:00.005-06:00

2 May 2011, Monday: Lunch with Monticello Don; got fifth-wheel title, evening drive to Gallup, had to rent junior suite at Red Roof Inn, dinner at Applebee's with interesting local sports exhibits.

3 May 2011, Tuesday; drove to Tempe, visited Gerald and brought his stuff to him. Watched silly high school sailing on last day of season; Gerald was helping coach from the safety boat. Topp's selection for the fridge. (Big Belly bbq after silly sailing) (Probably had dinner at the Chuckbox later after dark -- massive burgers.)

4 May 2011, Wednesday; looked at nine houses, mostly in Tempe, with Gerald. Paid Gerald's rent. Went to Tempe Marketplace, Paradise Grill for a late lunch.

5 May 2011, Thursday; (New York sub shop, key duplication, dinner at Marcello's Italian restaurant in south Tempe, did research and reservations for rest of trip. Also believe this was day we toured Arizona Cactus Sales in Chandler and learned more about saguaros, cacti, and succulents of the desert.)

6 May 2011, Friday; Desert Belle cruise on Saguaro Lake, dinner on patio of Lakeshore Restaurant

7 May 2011, Saturday, picked up sailing gear from Gerald to take west, drove to Bakersfield (lunch at Denny's w. of Banning, dinner from Grill Hut)

8 May 2011, Sunday, left Knight's Inn in Bakersfield, drove to Coral Reef Inn and Suites in Alameda, had a beer on Second Wind with Ken, dinner at Salute e Vida italian restaurant with Ken, got groceries at Safeway.

9 May 2011, Monday, visited Aeolian and Ballena Bay yacht clubs, grabbed food at Foster's after a quick drive by the aircraft carrier Hornet museum.

10 May 2011, Tuesday, Second Wind's through-hull caper, caught up with Fuu Miyatami at the Blue Pelican and Svendsen's, got bibs and books at Blue Pelican and heavier bibs, plus gloves and recharge cylinders for CA at Svendsen's, caught Ken's friend and former slip neighbor James M. at Svendsen's. Lunch with Fuu at Sushi House near the Coral Reef. Rested, then picked up Gerald from his evening flight from Tempe via Salt Lake City to Oakland, then found the Scolari italian deli open, which had great strombolis, mushroom bread pudding, and other goodies.

11 May 2011, Wednesday, lunch at Oakland YC while Gerald adventured and hiked through San Francisco, laundry, trip to San Jose to Sam's BBQ, where CA's cousin Louise and her band had a gig; saw Jer & Sam, Jim M., re-acquainted with Dark Hollow bluegrass band, got CDs.

12 May 2011, Thursday, quick pick-up of burgee at Oakland YC, returned marina key to Ken and helped him get Second Wind back to Marina Bay; Gerald rode on boat and I met them at pumpout and slip. Drove to Best Western Palm Garden in Westminster. Dinner got strange: Panama Joe's on 2nd St. in Long Beach had college night -- and it got cranking early wild and crazy. But, what happens at Panama Joe's will just have to stay at Panama Joe's.

13 May 2011, Friday, drove to Marina del Rey, looked at boats in channel, visited Cal YC; had great talk with the club manager, Gus, and picked up another burgee; Gerald got a contact for potentially getting boats for his team. Dinner at San Pedro Brewing Company was quite good; we hadn't been there in since the time we chartered a boat from Marina del Rey and spent a couple of nights at the Cabrillo Beach YC several years ago.

14 May, 2011, Saturday, drove to Alamitos Bay YC, joined them for their open house, bought a burgee, looked at boats, helped launch a boat, hung out with folks. Went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach for the first time, where we were joined by "Silvergirl", aka A Force of Nature. We had a good time at the aquarium that got even better when she led us to the Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach, where she charmed the staff thoroughly.

15 May, 2011, Sunday, massive amount of time spent on the Queen Mary, beginning with a the sumptuous Sunday champagne brunch. We had a very experienced professional waiter, Dometilo, who, along with his assistant Pascual, did a wonderful job of waiting upon us during a very leisurely and thorough lunch. Gerald, especially, made sure to compliment their work to the mai^tre d' and to the the banquet and food manager, Ruben. Then we made up for some of the excess with a few miles of walking the decks, stairs, and companionways of the Queen, followed by a rest in the Observation Bar, where a couple were singing to entertain the after-work crowd.

16 May, 2011, Monday; after breakfast we drove Gerald to the US Sailing/Pacific Coast sailing center, where he was joined within several minutes by the rest of the Arizona State University sailing team and their coach, Phil. We then drove out, through at least one confusing and poorly mapped set of freeway junctions, to Tempe, AZ, where we checked into the Springhill Suites and made arrangements with our buyers' agent to look at properties the next morning.

Oddly, gas prices seem higher here than on the highway.
Regular unleaded prices, US dollars:
4.07 9/10 and 4.09 9/10 Westminster Blvd.
4.09 9/10 Morongo Sovereign Indian Nation near A&W restaurant, west of Banning in Cabezon
3.99 9/10 Coachella
3.69 9/10 just east of the Arizona border
3.65 9/10 Quartzite (exit 17) and exit 45 (north side)
3.73 9/10 Arco in Tempe ... what's happening here!

Boat off Marina Bay during a breezy San Francisco day

2011-05-16T23:00:00.003-06:00

San Francisco Bay is known for forceful summer afternoon winds. The boat shown in these photos was beating out of Marina Bay, Richardson, California, on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 10, 2011.

The boat was seen from F dock on the west side of Marina Bay, where Carol Anne and I had been visiting our friend Ken on his boat "Second Wind". This was a rough day for Second Wind after attempted repairs to a through-hull valve went awry. The skipper had to make an emergency run later that day to the KKMI shipyard to the west for an emergency haul-out.

Previously, we'd left Tempe, Arizona on Saturday, May 7 after picking up some equipment from our son, Gerald, to take to California for him and driving to Bakersfield via Lancaster and finding a great barbecue place in Lancaster, the "Grill Hut".

On Sunday, May 8, we drove up CA 99 to Alameda Island and checked into the Coral Reef Inn, a 1960s apartment complex converted into a motor inn. We had a suite with a separate bedroom, which would come in handy when Gerald caught a flight in a few days later to join us. A couple of items needed fixing but were not too much of a problem and we were able to run out to Richardson to join skipper Ken for a beer each on his 35-foot S2 sloop, "Second Wind".

Ken had work to do on the boat, which he'd not sailed or spent much time on in many months, so it was thus on Tuesday, May 10 that we volunteered to help him with the recalcitrant through-hull valve that was clogged and preventing the marine head from working properly. My part in the though-hull caper was uncomfortable but simple; I was lying on my back at a strange angle with a hand and arm in the chilly water, keeping a plug secure in the outside opening of the through-hull, which was below water level. Of course, there was the detail of getting the right through hull, but that at least didn't cause too much excitement.

Heron Lake Marina a week ago, April 9, 2011

2011-04-17T01:09:00.002-06:00

Heron Lake Marina from the south, April 9, 2011, a week before the marina had opened and only about a month after ice had melted from Willow Creek Cove.

Now, a week later, the marina has only just opened and the first boat (one above was a temporary visitor) of the season is now in the marina and the first dockmaster is on duty.

Lazy Day at Elephant Butte Lake

2011-04-14T21:46:00.000-06:00

Here's a feel for a gentle Sunday afternoon at Elephant Butte Lake in southern New Mexico, with pictures taken on March 27, 2011.

Etchells 22 sloop "Black Magic" in temporary marina slip after having been solo-launched that weekend and sailed up to Rock Canyon.

Terry skippers his O'Day 22 toward a temporary slip while he waits for someone to get a boat out of his regular slip at the Rock Canyon Marina.

Rental houseboat and reflections with marina gas dock and Elephant Butte scenery in background.

Greetings from Larry's Pride

2011-04-14T21:45:00.001-06:00

On April second, we drove to El Paso to help continue the birthday week celebration for "Zorro" and catch up with the "pride" -- about ten cats in and around the house plus two honorary cats (Connor and Sugar Bear, the dogs). The pride is run by the feline trio of furry Oscar, Coochi (mostly Maine Coon Cat-ish), and white Frisky. Getting pictures can be a challenge with the animals swirling about the home.

"Window Dressing" (Squeaky is one of Zorro's old-timers.)

Frisky and friend

During our visit we also had lunch/dinner down the hill at the Cincinnati Street club, a bar and grill near the University of Texas at El Paso.

Almost caught still

Connor, the honorary cat

Something that needs a truck to take it places

2011-04-14T21:40:00.000-06:00

This twenty-eight-foot K-Z Durango fifth-wheel travel trailer has been in storage for a while, with its present owner now living in Maui, Hawaii. It looks like it wants to go places.

Last snow of the season?

2011-04-10T11:39:00.003-06:00

Buccaneer 18 sailing dinghy waits for warmer weather to sail at Heron Lake in northern New Mexico.

Even though some parts of the Southwest USA have seen 90-degree (F) weather recently, last night's snow was a reminder of how quickly spring weather can change from balmy to brittle. We awoke this morning at our cabin to a half inch of white stuff all over the ground along with sub-freezing temperatures. However, now the sun is out and the snow is likely to disappear soon, perhaps for the entire summer excepting the occasionally mountaintop dusting. And that also means that spring runoff has starting, and that Heron Lake is beginning its springtime rise in water level.

Peek at neighbor's cabin to the northwest after late-sprig snow in northern New Mexico.

Small trees to west were briefly dusted in snow.

View south; when the lake is higher an arm of the lake can be seen.

Truck Spec Tech Talk

2011-04-06T01:34:00.002-06:00

This evening I learned that a 2002 Ford F-450 SuperCab 4x4 truck with a 7.3l turbo diesel engine and automatic transmission could tow a boat and trailer weighing up to 17,400 lbs. (assuming the 26,000-lb. GCWR is not exceeded). That would be a moderately large boat.

Ford F450 specs for 2002
7.3L Turbo Diesel V-8 (6.8 is the gasoline V-10, by the way), OHV overhead valve, 2 valves per cylinder, 4.11 x 4.18 bore/stroke (in.), 444 ci (7277 cm3) displacement, 17.5:1 compression ratio, 250 hp @ 2600 rpm (automatic), 505 lb.-ft. @ 1600 rpm.
1D or 2D diesel fuel, hydraulic electronic unit injection (HEUI) direct ignition,
6 quarts oil capacity with filter
4 speed automatic overdrive transmission (4R100), gear ratios 2.71:1 1st, 1.54:1 2nd, 1.00:1 3rd, 0.71:1 (OD), 2.18:1 reverse, 2:00:1 converter

4-door SuperCab, front suspension non-independent rigid axle with stabilizer bars; rear suspension non-independent live axle, leaf springs, shock absorbers and stabilizer bars

Power recirculating ball steering, 17.09:1 ratio,
Front brakes 13.0 3 outside rotor diam. (in.), 9.06 inside rotor diam. (in.), 244.81 sq. in. total swept area per axle
Wheels, standard 16” 8-bolt, largest tires available P225/70 Rx 19.5 all-terrain

F-450 SuperDuty 4x4 SuperCab, 161.8 DRW, 4,018 front (lbs), 2,988 rear (lbs), 7,006 lbs. total, 15,000 lbs. GVWR, 7,990 lbs. payload

Trailer Towing, F450 7.3L Dl V-8 Turbo Diesel 4x4 DRW, either:
4.30 axle ratio, 26,000 lbs. GCWR, 17,400 lbs. maximum loaded trailer weight
4.88 axle ratio, 26,000 lbs. GCWR, 17,400 lbs. maximum loaded trailer weight

Dimensions, (inches) – nearest available are for F-350 4x4 DRW:
158.0 wheelbase, 247.6 overall length, 95.5 width, 40.7 front legroom, 32.4 rear legroom, 68.0 front and rear shoulder room, 67.4 front hip room, 67.3 rear hip room, 41.4 front headroom, 38.5 rear headroom, 38 gallons fuel capacity, 57.15 ft. curb-to-curb turning diameter, 59.76 ft. wall-to-wall turning diameter

San Diego Sailing Tragedy

2011-03-28T13:55:00.008-06:00

Sailboat Tragedy in San Diego Leaves Death and Unanswered Questions in its Wake

The news is in from San Diego Bay, and it's not good. Although the facts are still unclear, what appears to have happened is that ten people went sailing on a small cabin sailboat on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Two of them died.

Part of the problem is assessing the accident and what might have gone wrong is that the news reports seem sketchy, contradictory, and inaccurate.

Rescuers and the media had difficulty in confirming the number of persons aboard, the size of the sailboat, and what happened to it.

Initially ten people were reported as being on board, with two dead and seven rescued. Do you have the same trouble with your "adding"? Then it was thought that a child had been double-counted. Then rescuers realized that one of the people who had been on board had driven her or himself to the hospital to check on the others.

This is said to be a pre-accident picture (from the day before the accident) of the boat which capsized and turned turtle on Sunday in San Diego Bay. The boat is most likely a MacGregor 25 that may have been affiliated with an Orange County branch or chapter of a charitable group, "Heart of Sailing", that takes developmentally disabled people sailing. Photo attributed to Diana Roberts and Stanley Pendleton.

The boat had been reported as a 35 or 36 foot sailboat in some quarters, but pictures are much more consistent with a 25-footer, which seems to be agreeable to informed opinion.

One headline described the boat as "sunk" -- illustrated with a photo of the boat floating upside down!

Some initial speculation was that the boat might have been a rental, but it appears unlikely that the probably type of boat involved would have been a rental, and there now has been speculation that the boat may have been involved in a charitable "Wish" program.

It is possible, based on the shape of the boat, the shape and size of its portlights (windows), and reports about a "missing" or undeployed "keel", though not at all certain, that the boat was a make known as a MacGregor 25 or, less likely, MacGregor 26. If the boat was a MacGregor 25, it would be a lightweight (~2100 lb. empty) 25-foot sailboat relying upon a ~625-lb. crank-down centerboard for stability and to keep it from heeling (tipping) too much in the wind. (A Mac 26 would be about 2200-2400 lbs. empty and rely on something like a 1200-lb. water ballast tank for stability.)

If a Mac 25 centerboard were not cranked down and locked in position the boat would be especially vulnerable to capsize (turning over). (The same vulnerability would hold true for a Mac 26 whose water ballast tank had not been filled and then sealed shut.)

Although a Mac 25 or 26 with 10 persons on board might not be illegally overloaded, the boats are light enough (2100-2400 lbs.) that poor weight distribution (say of 1500 lbs. of POBs moving around), could endanger their stability, particularly if many of the POBs were not experienced sailors, did not know how to position their weight for safety, were uncomfortable with the environment, or perhaps had a language barrier between them and the boat's skipper.

If any of these crew- and load-related issues were to be combined with a problem with the ballasting (crank down iron centerboard or water ballast tank), the result could be catastrophic. Such may have been the case.

One good thing about the MacGregors is that they are typically built with flotation material and hence unlikely to completely sink. However, the continued flotation of a boat might be of limited help if a non-swimmer were to become separated from the boat, or if a person were to be flung suddenly into chilly water and experience cold shock immersion, which can result in hyperventilation, breathing water into the lungs, confusion and disorientation, the possibility of triggering a cardiac event in some people, and failure of swimming even in good swimmers. Additionally, even when boats remain afloat but upside down, there may be few or no good handholds for the survivors and many survivors might not know to stay with a boat. It appears that in San Diego's tragedy, some POBs were wearing PFDs (life vests), but others were not. Despite other boats and rescuers being nearby and responding rapidly, two persons died and others were severely hypothermic and required hospital treatment.

Our family has owned a boat that might be somewhat similar to the boat involved in Sunday's tragedy in San Diego Bay. Ours was a 1994 MacGregor 26(s) swing-centerboard boat that relied on a water-ballast tank for stability. We once performed an experiment in relatively controlled conditions, on a calm lake, wind about 2-3 mph, in protected water in a harbor with other boats close at hand and all POBs in US Coast Guard approved life vests. We loaded the boat with nine people, which was less than maximum capacity.

(Capacity can generally be found on a capacity/load plate on small to moderate size boats. For boats lacking a capacity plate, a rough maximum can be found by multiplying the length and width of the boat, dividing by 15, and rounding down; hence a 25' boat with 8' beam would be allowed no more than 25 x 8 / 15 = 13.2 = 13 people. This is only valid for protected waters appropriate to the type of boat and a lower limit may apply if the boat has a capacity plate, for specialized boat types, and certainly a much lower limit would apply for ocean or rough-weather use, sailboat racing, traveling with heavy gear, etc. Common sense and the layout and ergonomics of the boat would dictate a practical limit of something more like four to six people.)

The result was, that with everyone in the cockpit in the stern (rear half) of the boat, the boat's bow (front) popped up about eight inches out of the water and could be bounced up and down. It felt like that if we'd added a couple more people on the aft rail that we'd then have been able to "pop wheelies". That's not safe! Further, while using sails, it was also almost impossible to tack (turn) the boat. And, with so many people on board, it was extremely difficult for sailors to handle the control lines or avoiding having passengers sitting or standing on control lines and equipment needed for the boat's operation.

Now imagine what this could have been like in an uncontrolled environment, with a medium amount of wind blowing, and all sorts of boat traffic and boat wakes (waves) in the area. Imagine what this might be like if this were a first-time sail for some of the people on board, and if perhaps several of the people on board did not speak the same language as the skipper or the rescuers. Imagine what it might have been like if the skipper and/or crew were unable to handle the control lines and equipment in an emergency because of non-sailors getting in the way during a critical situation.

Now imagine how much worse this would be if, unknown to the passengers and crew, a defect in the way the ballasting system or its operation made the boat inherently susceptible to capsize.

That is a recipe for disaster -- and perhaps what happened yesterday on San Diego Bay.

We may know more within the next few days, but we know enough to suspect that this tragedy was entirely preventable and unnecessary.

We also know to express our very deepest sympathy for the survivors in mourning the loss their loved ones.

And we should know to thank the rescuers, who saved eight victims but who no doubt carry their own load of trauma and disappointment.

Perhaps if you can tell one more person to wear the appropriate, approved, properly-fitting life vest, someday a life can be saved. And perhaps also a life can be saved if you can educate someone about the under-appreciated and understood dangers of cold shock immersion. Will you do that?

UPDATE:
Excerpt from San Diego Union Tribune:

...Roger MacGregor, founder of the MacGregor Yacht Corp., which made the Nessie, said there’s no question the boat was overloaded Sunday.

“Ten on that boat is just too many,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “If I saw that boat in the bay with 10 people on it, I would be concerned.”

According to the MacGregor Yacht website, the boat is virtually unsinkable if it has a full ballast tank and lowered keel.

Newer models of the boat can be used without water in the ballast but the Nessie, manufactured in 1988, requires its ballast tanks to be filled with about 1,200 pounds of water to be self righting.

Shean [President of Heart of Sailing discussing the boat sailed by organization founder George Saidah] said Nessie’s model does not have set capacity guidelines.

MacGregor said it is up to the boat operator to determine how many people can safely fit on the boat but noted that during testing of the vessel, when the deck was loaded with 800 to 900 pounds, the boat was able to right itself.

A quote from an interview with George Saidah described his background as an initially impoverished immigrant to the US:

"Nous operons sans filet de sécurité," he says, lapsing into
French. "We didn’t operate with a safety net," he quickly
translates.

(from heartofsailing.org, iparenting interview)

Carol Anne's happy place -- growler from Socorro Springs in Socorro, NM

2011-03-25T00:40:00.005-06:00

Carol Anne's favorite stop between Albuquerque and Elephant Butte Lake is the Socorro Springs brewpub in Socorro, NM. Growler refills are around $10 plus tax.

What's my line: Kudos to Annapolis Performance Sailing

2011-03-23T03:24:00.002-06:00

Recently I ordered several hundred dollars' in boat parts and line from Annapolis Performance Sailing. The one thing that didn't go right is that I had clicked to buy a piece of discounted remnant line from the sale area of the APS website but encountered a computer error. I didn't send an e-mail to report the error until it was too late to add the line to my order. However, the customer service representative took the initiative to send me the line without a shipping charge and now it's here. This is good customer service and so I'm happy to give credit where credit is due.

Low-profile boat fender

2011-03-23T03:02:00.000-06:00

The low-profile boat fenders that are popular with bass anglers are also useful on low-freeboard sailboats and boats that don't have lifelines from which to hang fenders. The curved neck on the top of the fender also might help prevent damage to the hull-deck joint of a boat.

The Shoe Thing Continues

2011-03-23T03:00:00.002-06:00

Two views of shoes. Carol Anne made a post about her new dinghy boots over on itsfiveoclocksomewhere ; two can play that game!

Final batch of Heron Lake Marina on Ice photos

2011-03-19T01:36:00.002-06:00

C dock visible in light afternoon light and locked in ice. Monday, March 14, 2011 at Heron Lake Marina in northern New Mexico. Yet, the marina season should be starting in just about a month at the marina, which is owned and operated by the New Mexico Sailing Club as a co-op effort. Heron Lake is the largest no-wake lake in the region, and also home to a cold-water fishery.

Marina point

North cove

Stack of encased marina floats

Gangway at Heron Lake Marina

Heron Lake Marina on ice, March 14, 2011, more pix

2011-03-17T18:43:00.005-06:00

Dockhouse and pavilion at the Heron Lake Marina, Monday, March 14, 2011

Southeast cove, with moorings in ice or on land

South Cove

/zoom view, islet in south cove

View to the west, showing much of the cove and the upper part of the Narrows in ice

View northward showing gangway to Heron Lake Marina

Dockhouse (zoom view) at Heron Lake Marina, which is located at Heron Lake State Park in northern New Mexico, USA, and owned and operated by the New Mexico Sailing Club.

Heron Lake Marina in ice, March 14, 2011

2011-03-16T13:11:00.003-06:00

View of Heron Lake Marina from the southeast looking to the northwest. The main body of Heron Lake is to the west, via the Narrows. As of Monday, March 11, 2011, the Heron Lake Marina was still caught in thick ice, with only a small ice-free pond just beyond the marina. The main body of Heron Lake is ice free.

This gangway is at the extreme limit of its travel and does not appear to be safe for general use. Planning for the 2011 season might want to consider the possibility that the lake level will be a few feet lower than during 2010's season.

A Dock and the marina pavilion at the Heron Lake Marina, owned and operated by the New Mexico Sailing Club.

Tempe Town Lake HS Sailing Practice, March 7, 2011

2011-03-16T12:20:00.005-06:00

March is frequently very pleasant at Tempe Town Lake in Arizona. High school sailing practice, sponsored by the Arizona Sailing Foundation and Arizona Yacht Club, was happening during this visit.

Watching sailboats in the sun at Tempe Town Lake. Gerald often helps with this group, though this day he wasn't able to get in on the practice because he was helping look at a house.

A pair of 420s, a Buccaneer, and a Capri 14 were out at Tempe Town Lake, near ASU's Sun Devil Stadium.

Sailing dinghies at Tempe Town Lake during high school sailing practice, March 7, 2011. Pontoon boat is the "coach boat".

Heron Lake Marina advisory

2011-03-15T10:20:00.003-06:00

The marina at Heron Lake in far northern New Mexico is operated by the New Mexico Sailing Club and sits at an elevation of about 7,100 feet above mean sea level.

As of late Monday, March 14, 2011, the marina and surrounding cove were in perhaps about two inches of ice. A small ice-free opening about 30 feet in diameter is a hundred feet west of the marina. About a third of the way down the Narrows the lake becomes ice-free. Willow Creek a mile or so above the marina is also generally ice free and the ground near the marina has snow only in the shadiest areas.

Snowpack and resulting runoff for Heron Lake may be something like 80% of average or a bit better but this could change up or down. Much of Colorado has above-average snowpack but the upper Rio Grande basin is a bit below average. New Mexico's snowpack is below average, getting much worse in the south.

According to the Santa Fe New Mexican on March 4th, central and southern New Mexico's lakes will take a hit: "The Rio Grande is predicted to flow at 63 percent of normal into Cochiti Lake and at just above half the usual flow into Elephant Butte Lake. Inflow to Santa Rosa Lake is predicted at 36 percent of normal, while the Navajo Reservoir will fare better with inflows at 83 percent of normal. The Rio Pueblo de Taos is expected to flow at 30 percent of normal."

Heron Lake pictures to follow!

Slightly sailing related things...

2011-03-14T14:46:00.003-06:00

This year has gotten off o a very slow start on the water, with not much sailing yet. Let's hope that starts improving very soon.

Lately, there's been a lot of what I'd call "peripheral sailing activity", including

- ordering several hundred dollars worth of boat parts to do maintenance on Carol Anne's boat,

- watching sailing at Tempe Town Lake,

- joining the Arizona yacht club,

- attending Nick Hayes' "Saving Sailing" presentation,

- towing a small sailboat to Arizona,

- towing a different sailboat to New Mexico,

-starting arrangements to move another boat soon,

- paying summer slip fees for Heron Lake,

- attending a New Mexico Sailing Club meeting,

- bring Gerald swaging and riveting tools and a cordless drill so he could work on boats,

- salvaging clear plastic windows and battens from an old sail to be used to repair a better sail, and

- learning that Gerald has been invited to crew in a NOOD regatta and helping him get air tickets.

Let's see, that covers just about everything except for .... sailing.
Knew I was missing something!

The house looks nice but the back yard could use a bit of tidying

2011-03-10T13:41:00.003-07:00

One of the houses we looked at in Arizona looks quite impressive, although it does have some clean-up and fix-up issues. However, the lot immediately behind the house needs some tidying and de-junking:

Travel Impressions

2011-02-17T23:46:00.002-07:00

Gallup, early Thursday morning: chilly, with a cutting wind.

En route into Arizona: busy trying to dodge tumbleweeds, some of which managed to kamikaze into the red Vibe. Blowing dust in some places. Truckers and fifth-wheel towers were having trouble with crosswinds and headwinds.

Holbrook: Quiet once we were off the main drag. Barbecue not super cheap but filling as we dined among ceramic piggies at Bubba's Big Pig Bar-Ba-Que.

High country Heber, Christopher Creek, Payson -- road construction not too much of a bother; noticed a little west of the high-tech experimental elk crossing that Star Valley now has FOUR sets of speeding cameras. Payson was an ice cream stop (Dairy Queen).

Tempe: Our first-choice inn on Scottsdale Blvd. (we can get a discount if we show up last-minute) was booked but we got a very good rate at the Springhill Suites not far from the Phoenix Sky Harbor. Carol Anne and I had a meeting with someone in south Tempe while Gerald went to a meeting of the Arizona State Sport Club Association. Carol Anne and I learned some interesting things at our meeting, including potential complexities of certain kinds of transactions. We then got together with Gerald for dinner at the very popular Four Peaks Brewing Company. Yum. I was the designated driver but was allowed a sip of Carol Anne's brew. Oh yes, Gerald was with us at the Springhill Suites while the Idaho State women's softball team was checking into the hotel. We also did some moonlight suburban sightseeing to explore some Tempe and western Mesa neighborhoods and test my memory of local city navigation.

Friday: not much is planned yet but we'll see. Maybe run through West Marine?

America's Cup new map from Notice of Preparation for CA enviro doc

2011-02-10T14:30:00.002-07:00

Circled area is course; big red arrows and lines are shipping lanes; and little arrows from shore are spectator viewing areas. Small circled areas south of Angel Island and SE of Sausalito are spectator boat areas.

Not so tropical update

2011-01-13T08:33:00.002-07:00

Today I'm in south Texas, but a subtropical paradise it's not today -- cold weather and a chilly mist are limiting the scenic and outdoor adventure potential. Tomorrow, In Corpus Christi, I should at least see some sailboats, but actual sailing might have to wait for some other swings along the Texas coast later this winter, spring, or summer.

Update

2011-01-09T10:40:00.002-07:00

The holidays passed quickly and now it's time to move on to other projects. Gerald and Scratch cat have returned to Arizona to prepare for the new term and presumably next weekend's Leukemia Cup and Birthday Regatta in Arizona and Carol Anne has prepared for the new semester's classes that begin in just over a week. Today I will be packing for a trip to south Texas but unfortunately may be traveling south along with some chilly weather and may not have time to linger along the coast.

Just for fun, I've been looking at real estate prices in the Tempe area with the idea of getting a place where Gerald could stay and we could when we visit. It might be interesting to see what's the best place available in Tempe, southern Scottsdale, western Mesa, of the eastern fringe of Phoenix (85281-4, 85257, 85201-2-10, 85008, 85042-44 etc.) Sadly for people in the Phoenix-Tempe area, the Valley of the Sun has far too many bank-owned and short-sale properties as a reflection of economic hard times.

As for boat news, that's likely to pick up in about a month.

Political thought for the day

2011-01-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

Ultimately any comment about the "Tea Party" has to have lots of qualifications because the TP isn't really centralized, hierarchical, or unified. Beyond common ideas about smaller, limited, accountable government, the Tea Party is different things to different people.

Some of the ideas and quotes that have given the TP a bad or controversial name may have come from some or a few TP-ers but not really define the whole TP. So, one can't fairly say that the TP itself is racist or xenophobic or defined by birthers or such, but one might say that the Tea Party harbors more than its share of people with these beliefs and that some TP leaders or groups are congenial to or guilty of them. Now, if you can demonstrate that leaders of say seven or eight or nine out of the ten largest TP groups have shown themselves guilty of something, then you could call that something a Tea Party characteristic.

But to say that everyone who goes to a TP rally or believes in their core economic and constitutional message is a racist is wrong, poisons civil debate, and makes the accuser sound guilty of the same intolerance of which she or he is accusing the TP-ers. Too bad life isn't simple.

Chama steam rail yard before Christmas

2010-12-21T00:42:00.003-07:00

View of rotary snowplow and Chama train station

On Monday, after checking and doing a bit of work at the marina at Heron Lake, Gerald and I drove into Chama. The railyard was looking scenic in the snow, so we snapped a few pictures. We also visited with one of the local business owners, which was easy on a slow day.

iew of narrow-gauge rail cars with wintery mountain background

Chama, Cumbres & Toltec station and portion of rail yard with rotary snow plow framed by tree

Narrow-gauge rail cards and roundhouse

Gerald

Gerald with holiday scenery, snow, and mountains; Gerald enjoying the view of the rail yard

Rail cars with coal-fired steam loco and tender in background

Coal tipple behind barn in Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad yard in Chama

Coal tipple and barn

Gerald and Chama village holiday scene

The double-spouted water tank is a unique feature of the rail yard for the Chama terminus of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway

Heron Lake Marina in the snow, December 18, 2010

2010-12-19T10:56:00.006-07:00

View from the marina point into Willow Creek Cove, the Narrows, and Heron Lake, New Mexico.

View of Heron Lake Marina A and B docks, with marina shelter and gangway, from marina point, December 18, 2010.

Gangway, Heron Lake Marina, Willow Creek Cove at Heron Lake, New Mexico, USA.

Reflections

According to ( http://www.fws.gov/southwest/mrgbi/resources/dams/index.html ), Heron Lake has a capacity of 399,980 acre-feet at a crest elevation of 7,192 feet and its dam, completed in 1971, is 276 feet tall and 1221 feet long. The early efforts at crating a marina were simple affairs using 55-gallon drums for floats. As the reservoir filled during the 1970s, the then-young New Mexico Sailing Club moved its activities from Navajo Lake and the Cochiti reservoir to Heron. Around 1989, the club arranged to take over and expand the small state-owned marina in Willow Creek Cove. Since then, the marina has been renovated and improved.

Bottom of gangway.

Heron Lake is a high-altitude lake in northern New Mexico within view of high mountains in New Mexico and Colorado. The marina, which is owned and operated by the New Mexico Sailing Club as a concession of the New Mexico State Parks division, is open for about half the year, from late April until mid- to late October.

Top of gangway for Heron Marina.

View down gangway to Heron Lake Marina.

Top of gangway, view from south side

View from the south of Heron Lake Marina and gangway

Panoramic view of Heron Lake Marina in the snow, December 18, 2010.

South side of Willow Creek Cove. Note the islet in the center; when the lake surface is several feet higher this is a hazard to navigation between the boat ramp and the marina.

Southeast corner of Willow Creek Cove, showing mooring buoys and cable.

View from the south showing the entire gangway system for the Heron Lake Marina.

Chama railyard in the snow, Dec. 18, 2010

2010-12-19T10:11:00.004-07:00

Rail cars and train station in Chama, New Mexico.

Snow, tree, and train station in the snow.

Detail showing train station and rotary snowplow car. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has two old rotary snowplow cars, one of which was used several years ago to clear snow from the line after an unusually heavy winter snowfall.

Detail of railyard park in Chama, New Mexico. At an altitude of about 7900 feet and with a location just a few miles from the Colorado border, Chama often sees significant winter snow. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico and preserves a scenic, high-altitude segment of the former Denver and Rio Grande narrow-gauge railroad.

Chama, a mountain village with a population of about 1,200, is an eighteen-mile drive from our cabin and the nearest thing to a town within fifty miles. Of particular historical note is that several years ago, during road construction on the north end of town, a traffic light was temporarily installed and operated to service a construction detour. After the completion of construction, the traffic light was removed. Now, the closest traffic light would be in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, fifty miles to the northwest; or in Espan~ola, New Mexico, 65 miles to the south.

Snow in Albuquerque

2010-12-19T10:02:00.003-07:00

Expedition ("Babe") Thursday morning after snowfall in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

Snow on motor vehicles in Albuquerque on December 16, 2010. More than an inch fell, covering the ground, but it had melted or soaked into the ground by sunrise because of mild temperatures.

That is the typical story for winter snow in Albuquerque; the winters are typically mild in spite of New Mexico's high elevation and location along the Continental Divide, which passes about a hundred miles to the west of our home in Albuquerque and almost within sight of our cabin in northern New Mexico.

Heron Lake will rise again...

2010-12-14T01:20:00.003-07:00

It seemed to me that the Corps and Bureau websites show that there isn't too much or anything left for the contractors to take.

SJ-C (San Juan-Chama) water taken out from Heron Lake, 2010, acre feet
28 April
458 May
238 June
0 July
31,899 August
45,008 September
0 October
77,522 total af of SJ-C water withdrawn through October.

The Heron Lake level was 7158.59' with 256,935 SJ-C acre feet and 257,313 total acre-feet remaining at the end of October 2010.

7,154.31' is the current Heron Level with 238,102 acre feet as of December 13, 2010, 2200 (10 pm) implies that roughly another 18,000 or so acre feet have been taken out during November and December.

This would account for almost all of the annual water available to contractors of 96,200 acre feet per annual water season. Heron has gone up several inches and more than a thousand acre feet in the past three days.

The implication is that SJ-C water is no longer being taken out and the marina should be safe through the winter.

http://www.usbr.gov/uc/albuq/water/SanJuanChama/Reservoirs/rpts/heron_storage.html

http://www.spa.usace.army.mil/wcscripts/lcud.pl

By the way, I did get to sail last Saturday at Elephant Butte Lake in between presiding over my last RGSC board meeting and the year-end party. At the White Elephant (White Whale?) gift exchange, Carol Anne scored a bottle of good rum ... aaaarrr, matey!

More water details.
As of the end of October, when about 80% of the available water for the year had been removed from Heron, here is how what each contractor removed compared with their total allocation. If some contractors removed more during the season than they were entitled to, it presumably means they bought some water from another contractor.

Taken Total Contractor
0 20900 Middle Rio Grande Conservancy
5730 5230 City of Santa Fe
0 375 County of Santa Fe
8648 5000 Cochiti Lake
48200 48200 City of Albuquerque
708 1030 Pojoaque Unit
0 400 Taos
0 1200 Los Alamos
150 1000 Espanola
0 15 Twining
0 400 Los Lunas
0 400 Bernalillo
0 500 Belen
0 60 Red River
0 6500 Jicarilla Apache
0 2000 San Juan Pueblo
0 2990 uncontracted
77,250 taken as of end of October; 96,200 total is what is available for the contractors during each water year.

Note that the numbers don't add up right; the total of what is shown as taken out from each contractor (63,256) was about 14,000 acre-feet short of the 77,250 total as of the end of October. Most of this is likely Middle Rio Grande Water that hasn't been put in the tally yet as being drawn by MRGCD.

For more details, see

http://www.usbr.gov/uc/albuq/water/SanJuanChama/Reservoirs/rpts/heron_release.html

End of weekend sailing at Eagle Mountain Lake

2010-12-09T17:59:00.005-07:00

J/105 race boat framed by trees at Eagle Mountain Lake.

More scenic peeking at boats from the Fort Worth Boat Club

J/105 no. 1105

An impressive feature was the club's nearly non-stop weekend schedule, with races scheduled for every weekend in December.

The Boat Club seemed to be the lake's hub of sailing activity, with plenty of traffic in and out of the marina even on a Sunday in December.

Boats and harbor

Boats and harbor view

Foreground and background

Sailors could have made quite a busy weekend at the Fort Worth Boat Club; in addition to the weekend of racing, the club hosted a big dinner party Saturday night along with viewing of the lake's holiday lights boat parade.

Fleet under sail

Boats in line.

Two boats

2 boats and harbor

Sunday lunch break sights on Eagle Mountain Lake

2010-12-09T17:52:00.003-07:00

Two boats enjoying Texas sun and breeze at Eagle Mountain Lake near Fort Worth, Texas, December 5, 2010.

Spinnaker shot

Two boats enjoy December sunshine

Flying Circus

J/boat and maybe a Merit?

Member Perquisites

2010-12-09T17:41:00.006-07:00

Fort Worth Boat Club dinghies in foreground, J/22s and inner portion of marina in background.

It is common courtesy and a good idea for yacht and sailing clubs to offer little perks and goodies to their members. For example, when we visited the Fort Worth Boat Club, we noticed fresh popcorn that was provided at the end of the day's racing.

And some clubs go further and make club-owned boats available to members who don't have a boat or who want to try something different. Many clubs will have a dinghy fleet that can be used for recreation as well as for teaching sailing to youth and adults. Sometimes a club will also have one or a few small keelboats or pocket cruisers.

However, the Fort Worth Boat Club seems to out-do the vast majority of clubs in this area. In addition to the usual dinghies, the FWBC owns a whole fleet of ten J/22 race boats that can by used by club members. And, even the pickiest racer is likely to have few bottom complaints, since all the boats are kept up out of the water on hydro hoist lifts.

Inner marina west side, showing J/22s.

View to the southwest showing a row of J/22s on hydro hoists.

More pretty pix from the Texas Cowtown....

2010-12-09T17:33:00.004-07:00

View to the northeast from the marina at the Fort Worth Boat Club. Although Fort Worth is the only place I know of with a twice-daily cattle drive downtown, it's not exactly a "cow town" these days, but a good-sized city of several hundred thousand people with all the usual cultural amenities and then a few. And, although the neighboring Cowboys football franchise has been floundering, the local university team, the Horned Frogs, have been more than impressive.

Some surprisingly good-sized boats call Eagle Mountain Lake home.

Outer row