[Rhodes22-list] Re: Was "stirring the hornet's nest.... (political)" Now "boating stuff" (sailing - go figger)

[Herb Parsons]

I haven't had the time (work and my boat up here) to make it down to New Orleans again since I drove the DUKW right after Katrina, but my wife and I are going down this weekend. I hear that the marina has torn away several of the docks (including our, they moved the boat for me), and are looking for all of us to exit to make room to rebuild everything. We're going to try to find another temporary marina or dock (hoping someone in Eden Isles will let us tie up a few weeks) while they rebuild, then we'll move back.

We've put aside a little cash to haul the Coronado this winter, fair and sand the hull, then repaint it. We'll also get the standing rigging replaced, and I have a new (used) replacement pedestal and controls ready to put on it. Looks like it very well may be seaworthy by this summer. We're hoping. Then, we'll redo the interior (I've got experience now, after doing the O'Day), and maybe the chartering will start to happen.

On the home front, the O'Day is doing great. I will have all of the interior done shortly. Spent too much of this summer racing (crewing on another boat) to get as much done on either boat as I'd like. But, I look at it all philosophically - the idea is to enjoy sailing, and I am. Both rebuilding the boats, and sailing the others.

The boat I crew on was bought by the owner last year. After getting out of sailing for years, he and his wife bought it not planning on racing (even though it's more of a racer than cruiser, Mirage 24) and we all started off poorly, usually finishing last, often by an unbelievable time difference. By the end of the first season though, we were doing much better and placed 3rd in our fleet, regularly giving the leaders a run for their money. We're nearing the end of the second season together now, and we're in second, and often finish seconds behind the guy that always holds first. As a result, the club board, at their annual "end of year" meeting, nominated myself and another of our crew for crewman of the year. It's unusual to have the two nominees on the same boat, but there we are.

Finally, on the home front, I recently got accepted as a captain for one of the local charter companies. We're in the off-season on that now, so no charters yet, but they're coming. That will give me the experience I want and need for the chartering I hope to do someday in the New Orleans area.



Herb Parsons

S/V O'Jure
  1976 O'Day 25
  Lake Grapevine, N TX

S/V Reve de Papa
  1971 Coronado 35
  Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana Coast

>>> flybrad at yahoo.com 11/15/2005 11:41:53 AM >>>
Herb,

Thought you might enjoy this news brief.  Hey, what's
going on at your end of the gulf?  Things are
painfully slow in Gulfport, everyone is having trouble
getting Right of Entries (ROE's) and even the private
parties with more than enough money to take care of
themselves are waiting for the big gubment check. We
were doing OK picking up dead chickens until the EPA
shut down the project for soil samples.  Uh, I'm
pretty sure the chickens are still dead.   Are things
progressing any better where you are?

Brad