What are your plans for the winter?

I need a Chat Box for the next issue of Catamaran Sailor about what sailors from the snow belt are planning to do for recreation this winter to fill the gap until summer. Like, for instance:
Ice boating, frostbite sailing, downhill skiing, crosscountry skiing, repairing your boat, building a new boat, going on a charter cruise on a big cat in the Caribbean, chess, needlepoint, reading, racquetball, working out at the gym, splitting wood for the fireplace, replacing your kitchen cabinets, ice fishing....

Also, if you belong to a fleet or club, what if any activities do you do as a group during the non-sailing season? Group ski trips, sailing charters, dart league, guest speakers at meetings, mini-seminars...whatever you do to maintain your sailing group's bond during the off season.

(Northerners only, please. I don't need to hear from the people in the lower sun belt, because this is the beginning of the best sailing season, so we know what you are going to be doing).

This winter, like every winter, I'll be skiing (just got my pass today) and dreaming about the new boat I picked up last week that is sitting under wraps, wating for warmth to return to Colorado. I'll also be putting together the fleet newsletter and organizing a sailors and friends weekend of skiing in Vail or Beaver Creek. Finally, when the waiting gets too much, I'll load up the motorhome and head to Mexico for Mid-Winters West. See ya on the beach!

Cross country skiing over to the island that I sail to. I'll take some building materials to build a Cabin. (A Geodesic Dome)

Also playing hockey, whiling away the hours on chat lines.

Found a crew member for the H 18 I am getting! All-right!!!

Sailing the Tornado those weekends it is above 0 degrees Celcius and clear sight.

Otherwise, going kiting with my 4.8 square kite on the snow. Will try out a crazy dutch idea with an windsurfer rig and some skates on ice.

I guess there will be lots of backcountry snowboarding as well..

Landyachting on the beach.

I sailed a class 5 last weekend in windforce 5 and I'm hooked. Lifting one wheel and blasting along with 2.5 times the windspeed.

No trapeze though.

Wouter

Mary,

Thank you for posting this question; it caused me think about initiating the Second Annual Beachcat Sailors Invade Annapolis. Last year we, a couple of friends and myself, organized the First Annual Beachcat Sailors Invade Annapolis night. Its main purpose was to gather and tell tall tails about the previous season and make broad overstated predictions about the upcoming season. Its minor purpose was to show a Beachcat presence in Annapolis, an overwhelmingly leaner type of town. We choose a fine Annapolis establishment, The Boatyard Bar & Grill (www.boatyardbarandgrill.com), to gather our WRCRA club members and friends. We didn't give them any heads up that we were coming and in fact we didn't give the people we were inviting much notice either. It worked out great. About thirty members and friends made it out. The more responsible attendees actually had dinner and as I recall the service was excellent. We would like to have the second annual invasion this winter. Thanks for reminding me!

Perhaps, for this event, our ever-creative WRCRA Fleet Captain Keith will come up with Phase II of his World Domination by Catamarans Doctrine!

Sail the waters of Galveston Bay. Work on boats and trailers. Plan next year's trips. Grand Canyon for some hiking. Looking for a 6.0 or P-19 that needs some TLC as a project boat for next year.

Well, this year I turn 50 and I plan to focus on getting as much ski time as I can.I'm planning 1 week in New England, 1 week in back country B.C. and this summer a trip to South America to do some summer skiing.In between, I'll be night skiing at my local hills in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Sailing the old 14 this weekend as well as all winter. Here is the forcast.

COASTAL WATERS FORECAST FOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
257 PM EST FRI NOV 14 2003

COASTAL WATERS FROM MERRIMACK RIVER MA TO WATCH HILL RI OUT TO 25 NM

ANZ236-150415-
NARRAGANSETT BAY-
257 PM EST FRI NOV 14 2003


GALE WARNING

TONIGHT
W WIND 25 TO 35 KT WITH GUSTS TO 40 KT...DECREASING TO 20
TO 30 KT IN THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. WAVES 2 FT.

SAT
W WIND 20 TO 25 KT. WAVES AROUND 2 FT.

i spend the better part of the winter crying, waiting for the summer to come back.

well aren't you a basket case? :P

I feel the same as basket.case, not only is it cold and raining here, but even if I wanted to sail in the cold, they've already drained my home lake.

Arkabutla Lake level chart

But on the bright side, I get to stay in and watch football.:D
Memphis 37 - Louisville 7 !!

Damon

Look at the bright side, now you can find your nuts that you dropped overboard last summer!

Basket (If I may call you that)

I feel your pain... But last summer will never, ever come back. It's gone along with all your dreams, but another summer will come along. There's always more starfish in the sea....There there now...

Todd has a great project N6.0 for sail.

my crew and I are mountain biking when it is dry, Skiing over christmas moulding some cradles and then back sailing in Feb when it warms back up.

This winter I will expermient with carbon and use my newly bought vacuum pump.
The first project we try, are new larger carbonbeams for my ventilo. Next thing will be a carbonrail / rack with footsstraps, mayby also a snuffer and then it will be spring again :-)

Besides that, will go for skiing and mountaineering, do some climbing in a gym (this one of the best trainings for sailing, without going to sail ;-) ) After a winter of climbing in the gym, you can hold the sheets for ever, as this strenghtens the lower arms.

Going down under to sail with some friends.

Pandering for new sails.

Planning for a new regatta.

Watching Wind and Aussie Skiffs vol. 2 while drinking a Grolsch.

Right now I am in the woodshop phase of the iceboating season. I am hoping to be on the ice in about 2-3 weeks. Dreaming about the first black ice.

Sail Fast,
Sail hard water
Eric Anderson DN 5193

Going to get my strange boat finished, in the mean time she can come in doors and curl up by the fire where its nice and warm and the fibreglass can still cure.



Gareth
www.fourhulls.com

how are you planning to do the beams?

Sold my '76 Hobie 16 and plan the next season. Spend time online at catsailor.com I got a lot of great advice from my posting about a good beginner boat- and dare I say it I'm contemplating a monohull to teach the kids to sail. They had a bad experience with jellyfish and high winds sailing in a NC sound. We may rent a while to get the basics down. I also read "The Race" about the first round the world maxi-cat and trimaran race. I'm also devouring Catsailor and Multihull magazines.

You got to adapt to your environment to make it through the long, brutal Michigan winter. Plans include fleet gatherings, meetings, planning sessions, boatshows (Toronto and Strictly Sail in Chicago), skiing and snowboarding. For the hard water - I'd love to try iceboats - those things are wickedly FAST. I do have a couple of trips to California to thaw out and play in the soft water (get in a surf session or two). Also will be repairing some battle damage and getting ready for next season. First regatta may be the Mid Winter's East but will definitely hit Nigel's event at Hartwell, GA over Easter.

The fact that you can fit that 'strange boat' through the front door of your house is very intersting! I've been watching your project progress with admiration (as a fellow engineer) and anticipation.

Going to visit Rick and Mary! (I wish!)

I can't wait until global warming kicks in!
signed:
cold in Toronto

Hi Mary,

Well, of course, you know how I started my non-sailing season...by coming down to see you and Rick! Tell June the massage therapist that I miss her, and plan to get a two hour massage again some day!

This evening, I finally got started on building my Morris Chair, which will hopefully look like this one:



Other than that, I am also doing some sailing event planning for next year. Planning a regatta involves finding sponsors, and you can never start too early.

In the meantime, I'm happy to be working on my chair! Who wants to spend the weekends woodworking, when it's warm and windy enough to sail!

Cheers!

Tim

Fast is fun ,, the water is a little colder then down in the Keys.
Last Winters Racing Crack X Style

Wow chackett!!!

You have my undivided attention!!!

Where can I get plans, info, discussion forums on ice boating. I now walk to my island when I'd rather be iceboating!

I'm not much of an expert but that's the most beautiful ice boat I've ever seen! I understand that it's homebuilt too - plans or from scratch?

The crack-x ice boat was designed and built by a local New England 6.0 sailor. She does belong in an Art Museum as much as she does on the ice. My DN was in the background in the above picture. Ice boating is a great winter activity, and you still get to keep up on the summer skills of figuring out the favored side of the course, headers and lifters, port starboard crossings. All while averaging 30 mph! One amazing thing on the ice boats is that in winds of 5 to 7 knots you can sail at four to five times the speed of the wind.

The last picture didn't turn out unfortunately : (

Where did you get the DN (Daily News) from? Did you make it ?

The whole 'enclosed ****' thing looks like a good idea! A couple of handwarmer packs stuffed in various regions of my inner clothing and this boy from South Carolina would be ready to go! (I grew up in Cleveland but have since lost my ability to withstand cold temperatures).

I've forgotten how insanely boring the winters are around here.

I'm tempted to do the winter series on the 17 just to do something.

BTTT

Winter, time for training: