Just ran across this forum and signed up yesterday. Hope to hang here on occasion, and get to know more in the sailing community!
I'm located about 40 miles west of downtown Chicago. Am a fluids
engineer at a national lab by day, and an artist by night. 2 big hobbies are playing bass (fiddle or guitar), and sailing. Spend way too many hours on a forum for musicians, which by the way, is reflected in my handle here.
I started sailing when on a trip to
Bermuda in 1999. Cap'n Bob Zuill had m out in a 42'
Morgan Ketch. I was addicted right then. Was on the islands as part of a art workshop. Had several from the class out there with me laster in the week for a sunset sail. Once back to Chicago, arranged
ASA sailing lessons downtown in Lake Michigan the following spring. Arranged sailing with her again in the BVI's the following year. Been sailing ever since.
My
boat is a 14' Shell Swifty, sprit rigged catboat, lots of fun as a
trailer sailor. Was actually looking to build one, had the plans, was going nuts trying to find
marine plywood in the area. One day a few years back, came around a corner, and here's this Shell Swifty 14, nearly exactly the
boat I was going to build, sitting in a yard 'for sale'. It was at my house within the week! Over the past 4 summers, I've had it out around 60 times, in 4 different lakes, winds from 0 to 15+ with gusts, and I've had a blast! This was my first boat. I am just now
learning to sail it on the edge.
So, I didn't build my first one. Oh well, one behind. Am looking at building the next one, the Chincotegue, from Selway
Fisher. Maybe next year. Long term plans, for when I retire in 4 to 8 years, a shoal
draft or
centerboard sailboat, about 30' LWL, to go up and down the Sounds and
Outer Banks of the
East Coast, maybe all the way to the
Florida Keys. Sort of my answer to the mandatory
Retirement RV years.
I've considered jumping up to more of a cruiser for Lake Michigan, like a Stonehorse 23 or Nonsuch 26 or so. But living this far out from the harbor, haven't felt it worth my bucks. But I have considered timesharing maybe. Also, I belong to the Northwest Sailing Association here, out of Arlington Heights. Unfortunately, life's been a bear the last 2 years, and the more I try to hook up with their activities, the more I'm detoured.
Anyways, that's a lot more than you needed for my first visit. Hope to get to know many of you here. Am in a new house with only dial-up ISP, with lousy
email reliability, so I'll only be checking in for short spells on occasion. (And a computer box that sounds like it's losing a fanbelt.)
Anyways, Hi Y'all!