[Rhodes22-list] Launching the Empress

[Ronald Lipton]

We splashed the Empress of Blandings (see P.G. Woodhouse) on
Friday.  It took about four hours to launch, motor to the slip, and
rig the boat.  It went pretty well, only the usual foulings and a few
brief curses.

We went to Chicago the next day.  I recruited my son and a friend
from work but there was NO WIND.  It made for a pretty low key
journey (about 34 nm).  I don't have any rousing stories about
lost rudders and running aground (this time).  It was the first extended
use of the Nissan 6 which I bought last fall.  The motor ran well for 
the
full trip - we were able to sail for the last 3 or 4 miles with a slight
breese blowing onshore.  You may remember that this is the motor that
burned oil for the first tankful of gas.  Oil consumption is OK now.

I took a few pictures with the Panasonic camera

- Mount Baldy in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
- A lake freighter zoomed in
- A lake freighter zoomed out
- Chicago through the haze

The wind was so calm that the trail from the smokestack could be
followed for about 10-15 miles into the lake.

The next morning I motored over to the pumpout dock for the
sanitary inspection in fairly high winds.  On the way back the
motor died - it started up again but died when I tried to go into
reverse to slow the boat near the mooring.  I am using a
hose and engine
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