[Rhodes22-list] 1st Sail of the Season

[Leland]

Mike,

I was amazed the first time I read the stats on hypothermia.  Your
extremities become useless almost immediately in cold water, and since that
includes your head, you're pretty much done for.

I just checked the weather forecast for tomorrow and temperatures will be in
the upper 40s.  Wind will only be 2 mph in the afternoon, so I'll probably
be the only sailboat on the water.

Lee



R22MikeW wrote:
> 
> Early season sailing is usually great, as long as you don't get too wet. 
> Beware of hypothermia in these conditions.  As we age, the permissible
> time 
> in water diminishes rapidly (less than 15 minutes at 45F for a 50 year
> old.) 
> Please do not take major risks when singlehandling, particularly if 
> handicapped, especially when you cannot afford to wind up in the drink. 
> Also, be careful not to lose those teeth when the unexpected breeze yanks 
> the line from your mouth.  Better to let go and retrieve the flailing line 
> later (or spill the beer) than to lose your choppers.
> 
> Glad you had a good day sailing - I was stuck working!
> 
> Mike
> s/v Shanghai'd Summer ('81)
> Nissequogue River, NY
> 
> From: "Leland" Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 5:43 PM
>>
>> Whenever my boat is dry-docked, we seem to get unseasonably perfect 
>> sailing
>> weather.  This year I decided to keep my boat in the water and haven't 
>> been
>> sailing once since early November.  Today I swore I'd go out come hell or
>> high water.
>>
>> The hellish part was mostly that my motor wouldn't start, but after
>> losing 
>> a
>> socket and screwdriver bit in the water (I need a big magnet to fish
>> those
>> things out), I was able to pull start the motor to life.
>>
>> Temperatures in and out of the water were about 45 degrees, although even
>> with the wind chill I was quite comfortable in ski clothes.  We had some
>> gusts but the wind was pretty steady between 10 and 12 knots, and chop
>> was
>> manageable at about 2 to 3 foot.
>>
>> I had forgot how much fun sailing is.  I had the poptop up and too much 
>> sail
>> out for the conditions, but I never broached and the excessive heeling
>> rarely slowed me down below 5 knots.  It was that exciting kind of
>> sailing
>> where it's more fun than scary.
>>
>> As easy as the Rhodes is to sail it's still a two-handed job.  I'm
>> recovering from some minor hand surgery and it was not a pretty sight
>> when
>> it came time to furl-in the sails.  Now that I know I can use my teeth to
>> hold a furling line, I may never need to put my beer down again.
>>
>> Weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday looks even better.
>>
>> Life is good.
>>
>> Lee
>> 1986 Rhodes22  At Ease
>> Kent Island, MD
>>
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>>
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