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• AMERICAN GRAFFITI • aka “GT-341’s Corner” |
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14 October 2005
The new 05/06 sailing season is fast approaching and the juices are beginning to flow. Yesterday, I awoke in the middle of the night with another idea of how to finish the new iceboat trailer. Thanks ok, but then I couldn’t get back to sleep. As I get older I find it advantageous to get up and write these middle of the night ideas down on paper, otherwise they are forgotten by daylight.
The GX-1 is taking shape and every time we set it up for adjustments and measurement my wife says that I get as giddy as a schoolboy after his first kiss. I can’t remember that far back, but she should know because it was with her.
Other club members are starting to talk boats and swap-meets so it’s not just me.
See you at the Gull Lake and Pagel swap-meets, or on the ice!
Corey, GT-341 |
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19 December 2005
Can you believe this winter weather so far? It is not yet even officially winter, and the weather man reports that Grand Traverse County has already received one-third of our normal total winter’s snowfall. Bummer! Hopefully Lake Michigan will cool down pretty soon and the lake-effect snows will dwindle as the deeper Torch Lake, Elk Lake , Lake Charlevoix, Higgins Lake and North Lake Leelanau begin to freeze over.
Please, let’s not forget to say a prayer for all our folks serving in the armed forces and for all the victims in the world that have and are still suffering from the terrible natural disasters that have taken place this past year. May God comfort and protect them all.
Have a great Holiday Season, no matter how you celebrate it, and with a little help from mother nature, we will all get together on the ice soon!
Corey, GT-341 |
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03 February 2006
Do you every wonder what would happen if you sailed into an unmarked 10’ x 15’ hole caused by a spearing shanty hole? Well the GX-1 had the misfortune of experiencing such an encounter this past Saturday (14 Jan 2006) on Lake Skegemog and the result wasn’t pretty!
There is an old iceboater’s adage that goes “there are those that have, and those that will.” Maybe now I’m good for the rest of my sailing days!
Al Leroux in his boat “Adrenaline” and I were sailing maybe 100 feet apart, on a starboard tack at approximately 45-50 mph, when out of no-where I see open water directly in front of the right side of my boat. Within a split second of seeing the water I remember hearing a tremendous whoosh of water as the right side of the plank plowed into the open hole. What followed was a violent jerk and 90 degree rotational spin of the fuselage and a hard slam of my left shoulder and my helmet on the ice. As I laid there trying to assess what had happened and if I was injured, a wave of water slid by my helmet, causing an immediate mental preparation for a dunking. Oh no I thought, the whole darn boat is slipping into the water! What a relief when I realized that it was just a wave of water washing under me. It certainly was an awful feeling, looking out at the tangled mast of sail, boom, mast, stays and a shattered fuselage. Then suddenly it hits you, hey I’m ok, no broken bones, not even bleeding! I am still thankful that God had his Angels there to protect me, amen and amen.
Within a minute or two there were almost a dozen sailors at my side, helping untangle the mess and celebrating that I was not injured. The jokes and light hearted humor was well under way by the time we had managed to push the wreckage to the shore, like “wow, an Opti Skeeter”, or, why did you make such a long trailer, you could fit three of these in there.”
Bob came over Monday and we put the parts in the garage to evaluate the situation. On Saturday I was certain t hat my sailing was done for the season and that I would get the ice shanty down from the rafters. But much to my surprise and delight, Bob announced, ”a few days on the bench the boat will be back on the ice—not pretty, but sailable.” Looking at the way the backbone was torn apart, it is apparent what happened during the crash. As the plank and boat slid apart, the forces of the elongating triangle of the starboard side stay to the hound and the hound to the forestay, ripped the truss in half just ahead of the mast step frame. We are very pleased that the cockpit capsule held together, protecting the occupant (me) from ejection and flying debris.
Well I’m glad to announce that as of this afternoon (Friday), it is sailable. Tomorrow I will put some primer on the new side panels, straighten out some mounting hardware, replace the one broken batten, have Bill Buchbinder make on new trip wire, and loader it back in the trailer for the next outing.
Fourteen pumps of Gougeon; five feet of Poplar; two feet of 2” fiberglass tape and my last sheet of 1/8” plywood did the trick, plus a whole lot of guidance and help from Bob Gray and Bob Johnson. Thanks guys!
See you on the ice at next air. Click here for photo story Corey, GT-341 |
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April 2006 - It must be over, for Love Is In The Air!
What a great season of sailing this one was. Not too many times on the ice, but every single one of the eight times out was memorable. Big drain holes; little drain holes; metal crap on the ice to mess up nice new runners; downward ice heaves full of water; lots and lots and lots of air on Houghton Lake; a new boat that was all that it promised to be; good friends and good food at the sailing outings (thanks Richard!); a really wonderful Fun Regatta; and last but not least, an opportunity to sail a forward cockpit Skeeter that John Hudak (Coldwater, MI.) so graciously provided (thanks John, I think that I’m in “A” love!)
I really hate to see the season end, but it is spring and love is in the air…………...well, maybe not so much in the air as in the water and at the end of a fly rod (as witnessed below) and just to keep things in prospective, to my wife Loretta (44 years and hopefully still counting), I love you also.
Have a great summer everyone, keep your runners sharp; catch up on all those honey-do jobs that took a back seat all winter; and save enough time to build that new boat for 2007.
See you on the ice! Corey, GT-341 |
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June 2006 - Supporting a club
The question comes up from time to time from fellow iceboaters, “why should I support a club and pay dues?” Good question in this day and age of the internet and its instant communication of where and when there is iceboating. But the question is also easily answered.
Your local or favorite club not only needs the physical help of its members for locating good ice, organizing outings, being liaisons with larger or National organizations, teaching and mentoring other iceboaters, running hotlines and web sites, etc., but it needs your financial help to make it possible for all of these things to happen.
For the normal annual dues charge of $10-$25, or the minimal fee for participation in an organized regatta, you really receive a lot for your money. Of course, as in all organizations, you only receive back what you put into it (contribute).
In all of the instances that I am familiar with, Iceboat clubs are not-for-profit organizations (although some may have larger account reserves than others). Many smaller clubs may have difficulty keeping their operational cost covered. Just one mailing for an eighty member club can cost more than $30 in postage and cards.
So I hope that you will make part of your 2007 New Years Resolutions now by making a promise to support your local or favorite club with your time; your sweat and talent resources; your attendance at announced weekend club sailing events; joining club hosted regattas; and by supporting them with your financial help.
See you at the next club meeting and on the ice! Corey, GT-341 |
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July 11 and Greta and Isaac (two of our six grandchildren) are ready and eager to go sailing in their new LS 45 and Isaac shows off his GX-2 model.
Hey, who says that grandpa’s shouldn’t spoil them? It’s my duty……. |
