|
Our yacht club is in shambles. I've lived on Mobile Bay, Al since the
early 50's, been through Camille, all of them, and never, ever have I
seen this much disaster. Our club had been here since the early 40's
and is demolished. My family has been here for over 134 years and have
never seen anything like this and we didn't get hit straight on from the
hurricane. The "east is the beast"
As you can see, Fairhope Yacht Club is gone. My boat was just to the right and hanging
on by a thread. Four of our docks disappeared in the hurricane. A
friend called my later, about an hour, and said my boat was gone.
someone said they saw my brother's Hunter 27 sailing itself out the
harbor, right over the jetties and headed north all by itself. Me other
brother's boat, a Pearson 29 is just fine.
This was taken about 1400. The wind was strengthening still.
The tide had receded about 2 feet as it was going out at that time.
Timbuktu was hanging on by one bow line to who knows what! The background is
the FYC parking lot and pier house.
The former bar at Fairhope Yacht Club. Sure gonna miss sailing that bar!
A once beautiful Pearson. It is now on my pier, over it. It was just across from my boat. the
boat to the right of it also was on the otherside.
Some great friends pumped out me boat and put it back in it's slip
today! It's teak is bashed up, the fiberglass around the deck is a
mess, some of the stantions pushed through the deck, the engine is
ruined, but danged if those old boat aren't sturdy...and I mean dang,
cause I was hoping if it came to this it would be a total loss. Now,
what to do? :) Lots of fixing up to do.
Above the bluff is me "whittle Patty shack" that I built a few years back
rather than building a pier and pierhouse. I have 30 more feet of beach!
My home was built in 1909 as an Episcopal rectory (1,400 sq. ft...been in the
family since 1954). I was out on the bluff standing there barefoot
watching the bay turn into an ocean, when I felt the vines under my feet
just ever so slowing moving and I jumped four feet away and the bluff I
was standing on dropped to the beach. And that was just the beginning
of the erosion.
My own case is nothing compared to my neighbors west of
here in Pascaguola, Gulf Port, Biloxi, Pass Cristian, New Orleans. It's
undescribable.
-- Patty J, Timbuktu, #461
|
Offshore Sailing
by Bill Seifert with Daniel Spurr
We went to a Windjammers lecture to hear Bill Seifert and I was impressed enough to buy
the book on the spot. I've heard a lot of people talk about ways to improve a boat, but
I've never heard one person suggest so many good ideas that I hadn't considered. Part
of the charm is the specificity of the suggestions. Everyone says you should secure your
floorboards, hatchboards and batteries. Bill shows good suggestions on how to do so.
The suggestions are very practical for the do-it-yourselfer, too. Many show how to
make or adapt inexpensive solutions. Tip #12 on closing the deck blower vents is one
that will pay off for me without ever going offshore. I'll implement that one to
stop the wintertime storms from finding their way belowdecks.
Besides modifications, the book also includes advice for operating offshore, cooking,
boat selection, dealing with bureaucracy, and more.
Bill Seifert has worked at Tartan, TPI, and Alden Yachts. He's a veteran of many
Marion-Bermuda races and now runs his own yacht management company. His tips are
born of experience--not of book-learning--and it shows. He obviously knows his
stuff.
(Note: commissions earned from this link help defray the costs of this website)
|
|
|
