my quirky Merc

My Mercury outboard (5 HP, single-stroke, long-shaft, insert other impolite outboard terms here, etc.) has always had her idiosyncrasies, but this season has been the worst.  This past weekend, though, she and I had a breakthrough.  I now know how to most predictably get her to start, but her behavior is very strange and I will not be satisfied until I can get her to start "normally."

Here is what I do:  I open the fuel line, pull out the choke (fully engaged, and then partially after a few pulls), and then pull-pull-pull on the starter.  I pull many times, somewhat compulsively, because I just know she will start up if I pull just one more time.  At this point, she is clearly flooded, and there has been nary a spark nor a sputter -- absolutely no encouraging signs of life at all.   Sadly, she is so flooded by this time that there are a droplets of fuel falling into the lake.  (Sorry, environment.)  After about 30 seconds of some combination of silent reflection, beverage-freshening, and the use of somewhat coarse language, I close the fuel line, close down the choke, open up the throttle all the way, and start to pull some more with results as follows:

First pull:  nuttin'.
Second pull:  spark, sputter.
Third pull:  she starts up and begins to purr like a happy little kitten.

After about 10 seconds or so, I open the fuel line once again and shortly thereafter, away we go.  What is just as remarkable is that she starts on the very first pull later on when it's time to motor back into the slip.

So, my primary question is What da?  My secondary question is 'Should I not open up the choke when I first attempt to start her in order to effectively bypass the whole ridiculous 'flood, then starve' routine?'  I am so clueless about outboards.  My general strategy is simply 'treat her like a lady, and she will return the favor,'  but I think she is becoming a little too highmay at this point.

a blog post from The Admiral

hull = painted!

I don't have photos, so you must take my word for it:

My new boat is now dark blue!

The second coat didn't provide quite enough coverage, but the third coat perfected the finish. (Where 'perfected' = 'good e-freaking-nough!') My sister Jessi did the rolling and I did the tipping. As is typically my style, I attempted to make up for my lack of skills and experience by purchasing the best equipment I could find. For the painting project, I purchased four badger (or were they China bristle? potayto-potahto, I guess...) brushes. This provided us with a fresh new brush for tipping for each coat. (Jessi and I both did the tipping on the first coat, while Terry did the rolling.)

We let the paint cure while we had lunch at the nearby Cheshire Market and Bait Shop, and then we excitedly removed the painter's tape to reveal the boot stripe. There were many 'oohs' and 'aahs,' but mainly there were heartfelt expressions of gratitude and relief that the hull painting was finally finished. By completing this project, I have proven that - without a doubt - anyone can paint a sailboat.

We are now only 14 days from launch!

and the winner is...

Now that I've let the anticipation build for, what, several months now?... I'm here to announce the winners of the guessing game:

Best Guess from a Budding Entrepreneur

"I'm guessing A [a new hose for my overworked basement dehumidifier], but I love the idea of B [Colonics! The Home Game] and think it will sell in great quantities in certain parts of California." -- Greg Andkris

Best Guess by a Family Member

"It is a urinary catheter for a very small man so he can sail, drink and pee all day without leaving the tiller." -- "your baby brother"

My Personal Favorite and Overall Winner

"One end connects to your pocketbook and the other to your boat so that money can be siphoned directly into your a) passion b) obsession (select appropriate choice). Very efficient." -- John

This apparatus is actually a fancy new suck-free siphon for removing the water from my bilge without risking the ingestion of yucky, germ-filled, maybe even brain-eating amoeba-filled bilge water. Mike and Richard guessed correctly!

To recognize John for this honor, I'd like to write an article about him. John, are you the very kind sailor who offered me a moonlight sail on SF Bay and the opportunity to kiss the boy of my choice while sailing underneath the Golden Gate Bridge?! (Note: This has little, if anything, to do with the fact that John won the contest.) If so, John, I have your e-mail address and will get in touch to conduct an interview with you. Let me know, 'kay? Congrats to the winners and thanks to all who participated!

is it just me?

Please rest assured that I'm not going 'all political' on y'all. This is just more of the typical long-winded rambling that you've come to expect here at the Central Air blog.

Here is an image that was published in this month's Angie's List magazine, which focused on issues related to water conservation and water shortages. I am an avid recycler, composter, make-my-own-cleaning-products-er, and all-around nature-loving chick. As a sailor, an inhabitant of Planet Earth, and an avid hydrater, I have a high degree of fondness for the water. As a matter of fact, I'm planning to build a rain barrel (aka 'mosquito hatchery?') this summer so that I can make use of rain water to water my lawn and garden. (Uh oh... I smell a goal in the works here. Sigh. It's like a disease or something.)

Anyway, now that I've shared my 'tree-hugger resumé,' I've gotta tell you that when I read the text on the chart, I examined the graphic for several minutes trying to figure out what's wrong with this picture? I definitely recognized that the decrease in Lake Superior's water level just after the turn of the century is disturbing indeed, but the increase of recent years appears to be just as dramatic as the decrease was.

So I thought, A-ha! The point of this chart must be that the average water levels have decreased over time. Now that would be pretty alarming. I looked very carefully at the average over time and saw that - nope - Lake Superior's average water level over the past 150 years has remained unchanged.

So I guess the moral of my story is that... oh, I don't know... Call me lucid but I think that maybe it is kind of awkward to supplement a somewhat alarmist piece with a graphic that is not all that alarming.

lightning strikes twice

I'm here at the Columbus airport very-very early for my 1:44 PM flight to Portland via Chicago O'Hare, because running to catch a plane is as awful an experience as having a root canal and a pelvic exam at the same time. (I am merely speculating, of course.) When I arrived here at the airport, I was thrilled to find that the newstand had one copy remaining of the February Real Simple magazine, because -- get this -- I was printed in the 'Your Words' section again!

I again wouldn't have known it was there if a few friends hadn't brought it to my attention. The February question -- which I answered so long ago that I couldn't remember my response, only that it was sailing-related -- was...

How do you alleviate stress?

My answer was this...

I sail.

When there's a nice breeze blowing, there's nowhere else

your thoughts can be except on board and fully present.

Sigh - it's so true. It alleviates my flying-related stress just reading those words and imagining what that feels like. It will be so good to be back on board Central Air this season and fully in that moment again.

countdown update: valentine's day edition

tow vehicle decision - part two

Okay, now that I've let the anticipation grow over the past few weeks, I'm back to work through my all-important tow vehicle decision right here in front of the world. You, dear readers, have the opportunity to witness the obsessive-compulsive, overly-analytic, spreadsheet-oriented process that I employ for such decisions as...

Which stereo system should I buy, based on the optimal combination of price, features, sound quality, and fewest unsightly wires to conceal?

...as well as...

Coffee?... or tea?? (okay, just kidding about that one.)

The corporate types and 'Six Sigma Practitioners' refer to this decision-making tool as a Pugh Matrix, but I like to refer to it as the 'help-I'm-going-all-neurotic-and-overthinking-stuff-again' or the HIGANOSA Method. (Acronyms -- all the cool kids are using them.)

To start with, I'll determine the criteria against which I will test each of my tow vehicle options. Here's what I'm thinking so far:

The best solution will have:

• minimum cost
• scalable solution (as in, 'will be capable of towing my next boat when I catch 'two-foot-itis'' and trade up to a Catalina 22, 25, or maybe even a 30-footer like my mentor Edward, an experienced blue water racer and intergalactically-syndicated sailing columnist)
• dependable long-term solution (will suffice for more than just 1-2 seasons)
• minimum chance of degradation of personal dignity
• supports regional trailer-sailing

I think that's about it. In some upcoming riveting posts, I'll brainstorm my list of options and assign each option a 'score' for each criterium. At the end of all this HIGANOSA-ing, I will have (a) finally written a few blog posts this year, and (b) more fully exposed the depths of my quirkyness to the internets, and (c) have a solid decision on what to do about towing Central Air this season. Believe me, you won't want to miss a minute of this.

I did it!

No, not that... and not that, either. (sigh.) What I did do is singlehand my boat for the first time! Last Sunday was a beautiful day - temps in the low 70s and not a cloud in the sky. Not much wind... but I thought it might be an okay day to try my hand at singlehanding in a low-pressure situation. It was a joy to spend one of the last few warm, sunny days of the season at the lake with The Admiral.

The Admiral (Judy Jetson)

I dropped the docklines and left my slip without drama. It wasn't all that long ago that I felt like leaving and returning to the dock singlehanded would be a nearly impossible feat -- a super-advanced move. Now... easy-peasy. (Yes, Murphy. I'll be prepared to hit something next time. Thanks, man. Back atcha.)

Unlike her previous sails, The Admiral seemed rather relaxed. I lugged her up onto the cockpit seat using the handy handle on her doggy-PFD, and she promptly made herself comfy and dozed with her pretty little head on my knee. I guess she was either feeling very relaxed... or she was just closing her eyes in an attempt to escape from the horror of it all!

The Admiral - snoozing?... or silently pleading for mercy?

The key to my new-found singlehanding prowess is most certainly my new tiller-tamer. Before the tiller-tamer, my helm was way too floppy. Just letting go of the tiller long enough to... say, remove the lid from a bottle of Dasani?... caused Central Air to immediately round up. I guess that's what she was designed to do, of course, but it just made it impossible to go forward to raise the mainsail.

Literally singlehanding - one hand on the tiller and one on the camera!

In summary, apparently any moron can singlehand a little sailboat in very light winds (provided that said sailboat is equipped with a tiller-tamer.) For now, I'll resist the enthusiastic urge to apply for membership with the GLSS. Hmmm... maybe next year?

A sunny Sunday afternoon at the lake for just we two girls.

Cleri-what?

Have you ever heard of Clerihew Day or a type of poem called a 'clerihew?' Yeah, I hadn't either, but I get all my best sailing/blogging/international cultural info from my friend Tillerman, and he is celebrating Clerihew Day with a clerihew-writing exercise on his blog today.

Following the guidelines of a good clerihew...

• it is biographical
• it begins with the subject's name
• it has the rhyme scheme AABB
• it should be light-hearted or humorous

.... I submit the following as my contribution:

Christy the sailing chick with mad skill
Has a sailing goal she'll never fulfill
Why are boys so mean?
Christy needs a broken heart vaccine.

SIGH. <"wink">

Hooray for Team La Vita!

Wow - this Wednesday's 'beer can' race was just magical for Team LaVita, which is composed of Ralph, his son Scott, and Scott's neighbor, me. It was so breezy when we sailed out to the race course that Scott put a reef in the main. The weather settled a bit so that we were able to shake out the reef prior to the start. It was a nearly perfect night, weather-wise and team performance-wise.

For example, each time Scott attached or moved the whisker pole on a downwind leg, he actually snapped the shackle at the end of the pole onto the genoa clew without even touching the sail and usually on the first try!! He was like Robin Hood Daffy Duck or something -- minus the smack upside the beak at the end. "Ho, Ha-Ha, Dodge, Parry, SNAP!" Beautiful.

As for me, the genoa was (semi-consistently) well-trimmed during the entire race. My real superhero move was when we tacked the boat, and I released the genoa on the port side, trimmed it on the starboard side, and then trimmed the mainsail, adjusted the traveller, and tightened up the adjustable backstay -- all with minimal flailing! I'm sure that it was just a one-off, so I'm feeling more surprised than smug about the whole thing.

And Captain Ralph? He is always a rock star. He skippered La Vita to a 2nd place finish in our fleet for the first race of the summer series. I wonder what color flag we'll win for this series? I hope that it is my favorite color.

2008 Boat Projects

I'm a tinker-er - like my Bro - and a list-maker, so how could I start the sailing season without a super-aggressive list of boat projects? As usual, most of these projects require skills that I do not have (electrical wiring, using scary epoxy, etc), but I've never let that stop me in the past. My personal DIY-related motto is... 'When in doubt, worry about it... procrastinate for weeks... google the heck out of it... and then just wing it.'

Here, in no particular order, is my list of 2008 Boat Projects. I'll create a section for this along the right side of the page, just below my all-important '2008 Sailing Goal' section, and I'll strike through each project as I complete it. I'll be sure to tell you all about the adventure associated with completing each project, too.

1. Swim ladder treads


2. 150 Genoa and associated hardware


3. Velcro-ed bug screen for forward hatch


4. Racing Snapit (not really a "project," but hey, I needed something cheap/easy amongst all these monster projects!)
   
5. New stereo with CD player and iPod input jack


6. Tiller tamer


7. Boomkicker


8. Depth Finder and/or Knot Meter


9. Hinged oscillating fan


10. Refinish the teak


11. Winch handle holder


12. Shelf for cockpit speaker hatch-board


13. New dog-friendly companionway step


14. Fix hatch leaks with weather-stripping


15. Lead main halyard & reefing line to the cockpit


16. Masthead anchor light


17. Mast-front steaming light

Good grief! I must be insane. The only way that I'll get all this done is if there are plenty of no-wind days... and who wants that?

improvement noted

At this week's Wednesday night race, I implemented my new sail trim strategies and my post-race performance review reflected some improvement. I was upgraded from "not that bad" to "pretty good!" I am so motivated and driven (and goal-oriented), and I'm making such notable progress, that I'm confident that I should be "nearly sufficient" by the end of this season!

a word to the wise

Beware of low-hanging booms.

I'm not sure if this photo is a before or an after shot, but the point is that one cannot be too careful when tacking and especially when gybing.

This message is brought to you as a public service of Christy and is sponsored by the number "146" and the letters "OS."

Sail Like a Girl

At last night's ACSA general meeting, I met my new sailing hero. (Scootch over, Captain Bill Pinkney, there is room enough in my heart for two sailing heroes!) Our guest speaker after the meeting was Heidi Backus-Riddle, the 1985 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and an all-around kick-#ss sailor and speaker!

In the photo to the left, which I must admit to "borrowing" from the internet, Heidi (second from left) and her all-chick crew are posing after winning the 2007 Fall Bay Regatta on her Tartan 10 - "Nuts."

Heidi also served as the first lady Commodore of the Great Lakes' Inter-Lake Yachting Association.

Sailing is a family sport for Heidi, as her crew is made up primarily of her sisters and her daughter. What a privilege to race with family. (Note to Bro -- please come up and race in a weekend regatta with me!)

Heidi concluded her talk by providing us with two pages of tips for better racing -- really good stuff. Many of her suggestions involved the importance of maintaining focus and concentration, two areas where I've realized that I come up painfully short. Hopefully by the end of this sailing season I'll be able to make it through a 1-2 hour race without making random, inane comments or pausing to freshen up my lip gloss.... and will win some blue flags as a result.

Someday, when she's not so busy winning regattas and such, I hope that Heidi will write a book about her experiences. If Heidi has a fan club, and she should, I'd like to apply be President.

Wrap-Up on 2007 Goals

Early in the '07 season, I drafted an insanely-ambitious list of goals for skills I wished to practice - or master - during the season. Here, finally, is the wrap-up on how I did in accomplishing those goals:

1.) Man Overboard Manuever (top priority!)
Oh dear... how sad that I did not once practice this most important skill. Oh, the shame. Seriously, this was terribly irresponsible of me. I will be sure to practice it this season. My friends' lives may depend on it one day.


2.) Docking - 'mount' and 'dismount' - using the outboard motor
Hooray! This skill, the one that I most feared at the start of last season, is definitely the one I got the most practice with all summer. By the end of the season, I was able to cast off and return to the dock without crew assistance, even.

3.) Heaving-To (in order to picnic on the lake... take a 'head' break... or kiss a boy or something)
I hove-to for the first and only time when I went sailing with my girlfriends from my Bible Study group. I couldn't remember which way to lash the tiller, windward or leeward, but I decided to 'just wing it' and it worked! (I still don't remember which way to lash the tiller. Hmmm...)

4.) Anchoring (in order to picnic on the lake... take a 'head' break... or kiss a boy or something)
I anchored for the first time when I went sailing with my friends Kelly and Allen. It was a bit too choppy for Allen's taste out on the lake, so we headed for the cove to have lunch and gab. I couldn't remember the exact procedure for anchoring, but I decided to 'just wing it' and it worked! We had a lovely visit. We considered going for a swim, but the heat of the day was surpassed only by the yucky-ness of the lake water.

5.) Reefing the Main (need to be able to do this quickly and easily... preferably before I *need* to use that skill)
Well... my first attempt to reef the main was about as unsuccessful as it gets. I made some preliminary adjustments at the dock to prepare for reefing, and I must have inadvertently knocked the sail-stop out of the mast groove and into the drink. When I raised the main out on the lake (in 15+ knots and a whitecapped chop), every single sail slug on the main came flying out of the mast groove and the main flopped around violently, connected at only the head and foot. It was *not* my finest moment as skipper. We tucked back into our slip to search for a remedy, as I didn't have a handy spare. Fortunately, my friend Eileen came to the rescue with a spare, but my confidence was really blown for the day. (No pun intended - SIGH.)

Soon after, I decided to rig up a single-line 'jiffy reefing' system by drilling some holes (yay!) and installing a couple new fairleads and a cheek block on the boom. I also surmised that in order to reef my main, I must drop the first sail slug below the sail-stop. So, my second attempt at reefing went much more smoothly, but unfortunately I had three tall men aboard and my boom wasn't as high as it should have been. I have resolved to address this issue permanently during the '08 season by adding a boomkicker to my tricked-out little boat. Never again will I have a sagging boom (or a wildly flying mainsail, Lord willing.)

6.) Jybing (so that I can turn 90 degrees one way... instead of 270 degrees the other way, in anything above 'light and variable' conditions)
I practiced this skill as often as I could. I actually 'enhanced' this goal to actually be "Jybe the boat in moderate winds by waving to boys in nearby boats." I am pleased to say that I achieved this goal. (Hi, boys!) That said, I could always use more practice on this one.

7.) Using a Tiller Tamer (and perhaps Singlehanding!)
Although I pretty much did sail singlehanded the evening I had my Mom aboard for her first sail -- leaving and entering the dock, tacking and gybing the boat -- I have not yet raised the main without having someone else hold the boat nose-to-wind. (I was very proud of Mom for doing such a brave and valiant job of that!) My '08 project list will include the installation of a Davis Tiller Tamer that will make it possible for me to leave the tiller to raise the main, fidget with the stereo, and other important sailing-related tasks.

A Mirror-Like Finish

This year's wax-job is so shiny that not only

can I see myself in it, but I can also see my dog,

my Honda CR-V, and a couple other boats across the way.

(Photo Credit: E. Kolman)

extreme makeover

I gave myself a little new year's makeover here at Central Air blog! After nearly a week of designing and obsessing -- but, heavens no, no actual blogging -- I think it's just about ready for release to the general blog-reading public.

Yep, that's an actual photo of CA2's decals... all shined up using a Handi-Wipe and the inside of my t-shirt... while standing in the mud... during a rainshower last Friday. As they say, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do... and this girl was ready for a blog makeover.

Lavish praise from the blog-reading public, activate!

Parrot Video!

Pirates stereotypically have parrots, right? Well, I doubt that many of them have a parrot that can bust-a-move like this guy can.

Mental Rehearsal for Running Aground

Our lake sure is drying up fast! I have plans for a couple more sails before we pull out next weekend -- including a sail with three non-sailors -- and I'd like to be prepared for anything. In particular, I'd like to understand and mentally rehearse the proper course of action to take if I'm out -- probably after dark -- and run aground and get stuck. BTW, Central Air draws around 28" and has a fixed keel. In my defense, I (thankfully!) have no personal experience (as skipper or crew) with this scenario, and I have not received any formal instruction on this topic.

Here's what I think I would do:

(1) Attempt to heel the boat *away* (correct?) from shore and sail back into deeper water.

(2) Attempt to (gently, so as not to leave part of the hull or rudder on the obstruction) motor back into deeper water.

(3) Attempt to hail a fellow boater via the VHF on channel 16 in hopes of getting a tow into deeper water.

(4) Call Jim Miles, club Historian, and ask him what to do.

(5) Call the Park Ranger on duty and ask for assistance. (Note to self: Go against instinct and do not attempt to 'play the chick card' here. These people are trained law enforcement professionals and would not likely succumb to my feminine wiles like the guys at Lowe's so readily do.)

(6) Swallow pride, keep can of RAID handy (I live to see spiders die!), and hunker down 'til morning.

Is this a good plan of action? What alternate actions would y'all recommend and where should they fall within my existing list?