Flags - Let them Fly

Today we talk a little bit about Flags.

There is a complicated and confusing number of Flags associated with boat communication. Flags to identify boats, flags to terrify boats, flags to spell out words.

Because we can't just use our LETTERS to spell out WORDS.

Or our RADIO.

This flag is pretty clear:

The Jolly Roger - flown by pirates from the 1700's, in various styles, customized to their preference. It's rumored that the pirate Calico Jack Rackham was the original designer. 

It was the first flag our wooden boat flew.

One day we hope to fly this flag:

The Yellow Jack or 'Q' flag was once flown by ships to indicate that no one on board suffered from plague or cholera.

Charming.

Good thing Calico Jack didn't design this one. It would probably have had a colon on it. 

Now it indicates a boat requesting clearance into a foreign port.

Here is an example:

Say we rent a boat in Tortola, BVI.

The boat is licensed in the BVI:

Taken on Nanny Cay. It's possible that the sailboat in the distance is our lesson boat - an IC24, see 'I' on April 10. That would be the lesson boat I should have been on but... - See 'D', from April 4.

So, it flies the Flag of Tortola.

As Americans, we have been cleared through immigration at the airport.

So out of courtesy, we could fly a small American flag on the port spreader of the mast, but not higher than the Tortola flag.

Now lets sail to St. John, just across the way.

Upon entering the port, we would need to raise the yellow flag as our boat is not US registered.

Even though we are.

Once cleared by the harbor master, we take down the yellow flag and raise a US flag in its place.

Oh, and these flags are only flown between 8am and sunset.

Given my issues with crossing borders I can only imagine how this would actually go down.*

Consequently, this is pretty much the only flag we are currently flying:

The Fin Flag
It's a Parrothead thing....

And then there's this guy:

How I really hope his name is Jack.

Playing bagpipes at noon near The Indians and Norman Island, BVI
ps-Norman Island is thought to be the inspiration for Treasure Island...

I don't believe there is a flag for that.

Come back tomorrow for G - might be Galley. Might be Green Can. Which isn't found in the Galley.

A-Ahoy

B-Bells

C-Catamaran

D-Dramamine

And for more A to Z fun, click on the link below:

a-to-zchallenge

*Me and my border crossing trials: 

Me in Canada

Me going to and returning from Mexico

Me causing nearly an INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT

Please, dear Lord, don't ever let them build a wall around here. If I ever got out I would never get back in...

Escape - the 'ism' not the song...

So, the letter E.

My choices were Equator or Escapism.

I have never been to the Equator.

I hear it is lovely.

But, they say write what you know, so it looks like it's Escapism.

Which is okay.

I am an Escape Artist.

the view from Fort Recovery Tortola, BVI

Escapism:

the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy.

I love to escape.

Don't get me wrong, I live a charmed life. But I also work in a rather highly stressful job in a location where the weather is less than ideal, ie – yesterday was 48 degrees which turned into sleet and thundersnow leaving us at a balmy 28 this morning and sliding upwards to nearly 70 tomorrow with a threat of tornados and thunderstorms.

I love a change of seasons too. Especially all in one 72 hour period.

Consequently, a good portion of my free time is fantasizing over Hemingway-esque lifestyles in more temperate climes.

Until we began sailing.

A sailboat is the perfect answer to chronic Escapism.

When you are on a sailboat you can be no where else but in the moment. Everday concerns get left on the shore as you manage the lines and sails and rudder as they interact with the wind.

But that's not the only thing about a sailboat.

As Jack Sparrow says: 'It's more than a 'boat'. It's freedom. Wherever we want to go, we go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and sails; that's what a ship needs. Not what a ship is. What a ship is, is freedom...'

The ability to climb in and sail wherever you want to go is an amazing feeling.

Granted, our 24 ft fixer-upper on an actual ocean would be a little more excitement than I need, but just knowing she could do it...

You don't even need to have a motor; although even an escape artist considers safety in those fantasies...

try to tell me this view doesn't bring on the wanderlust...
(Florida Bay from our rental boat from Key Lime Sailing Club)

And boy, oh boy, are there fantasies.

Sailing the Mediterranean.

Island hopping.

Cruising the Gulf Coast.

Those dreams are fluid but when it's April and you are riding to work at the butt-crack of dawn in the freezing rain wearing four layers of outerware, which you know you will have to carry home in the 80 degree tornado later....well...

you nearly miss your stop...

But that's okay, the red line ends at the airport...

And in case you were wondering about the title. 

I give you Escape, by Rupert Holmes

This was day 5 of the A to Z challenge. 

A-Ahoy

B-Bells

C-Catamaran

D-Dramamine

If you would like to check out other authors click on the link

a-to-zchallenge.com

Dramamine, my old friend

I have always had an issue with motion sickness.

it;s hard to get the feel of the movement here so imagine,
the wind was around 20-25 mph.
see the gentle rolling waves?
now, turn your head back and forth, up and down.
(return trip from North Nest Key, Florida Bay, Key Largo)

Not a great malady for someone who would love to spend an extended amount of time living on a sailboat.

Especially given my history...

Me puking in the British Virgin Islands...http://www.coastofillinois.com/2015/02/the-first-rule-of-sailing-school.html

Me puking in Jamaica....http://www.coastofillinois.com/2016/01/well-played-neptunewell-played.html

Brought to you by my mortal enemy motion sickness, with no assistance from alcohol.

Amazingly, I did not complete the Bermuda Triangle of Vomit on our first trip to the Keys.

see the sparkle?
doesn't help...
(still the return trip, North Nest Key)

Which brings me to today's post: D is for Dramamine.

Without this wonderful little drug, I would never have made it through family car vacations to South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Florida.

Thanks to Dramamine, I am so conditioned to fall asleep in a car that there have been times when we aren't even to the highway that I haven't fallen into a deep, drool dripping from the side of my mouth sleep.

Until the invention of non-drowsy Dramamine.

I carry it with me everywhere.

I am a pro at pre-medicating.

In the BVI, I drugged up before my fateful class.

In Jamaica, I had a dramamine shooter with my ill-chosen breakfast before the scuba lesson of doom.

Here's a fun fact.

Non-drowsy Dramamine is also sold as Antivert and Bonine and Meclizine, which is the generic mother of all the previous names.

Just as in sailing, there are way too many names for the very same thing.

And I have taken them all.

I hate to think what would have happened without them....

And this is why I keep going back.

Come back tomorrow for Escapism...more than just a fancy word...
And click on the link: a-to-zchallenge.com for more posts.

C is for Catamaran. Also Crazy.

Catamaran

from the Polynesian for logs tied together

see also:

method to simultaneously soak tourists in salt water while convincing them they are having fun.

Ah, catamaran.

I'm not talking about those ginormous America's Cup boats with the hydrofoils, or even the sleeps four comfortably while you cruise the islands in search of rum drinks.

Oh no.

I'm talking about those dual pontoons with a mesh sling between, flying over the water, usually only one pontoon submerged, as the captain desperately tries to keep the boat upright.

You've seen them.

there they are. innocently awaiting their next victims

Admit it.

You watch just to see the whole boat teeter precariously before giving in to gravity and flipping over, leaving its crew dangling on the sideways pontoon looking confused.

Or is that just me?

Thanks Catamaran.

Because of you, every single person who sets foot on our monohull sailboat is convinced they will flip over and go for a swim.

I promise you, our boat will not easily capsize. It has several failsafes built in.

If we are heeling (leaning) so far to one side that control is gone and a simple turn will not help then all Rob needs to do is release the mainsail and the wind will be lost, thus uprighting the boat.

Or, I can drop the sails entirely. Same effect.

Of course the biggest safety feature is the gigantic MESS and subsequent hissy fit to deal with should the boat actually capsize.

But, back to Catamarans.

We had the good fortune to spend a luxurious week at a luxurious resort in Jamaica where all non-motorized water craft were included in our stay. Naturally we (Rob) had to give the little Hobie-Cats a try.

We've rented sailboats before and fully expected a few questions about ability, rules of the road, next of kin...

We were asked two questions:

You feel comfortable with this one?

And

You see that reef, where the waves are breaking violently? Well, don't go past them.

Or the imaginary rope marking the resort's portion of ocean, which in my head was yellow and accompanied by imaginary snipers in palm trees waiting to take out the errant sailor who looks like they might be absconding to Montego Bay.

We carried the small boat to the water, climbed in and headed directly for the reef.

Really quickly.

Thanks to Rob's endless, obsessive study of sailing and my professional job as ballast, our little cat soared, turned and soared some more.

It was exhilarating and such fun. The wind. The spray. Our friends went with us one afternoon and I am not sure they stopped smiling the entire evening.

That's the beauty of island sailing. The winds tend to blow consistently in one direction – see 'Trade Winds'. And in this case, that wind blew directly down the coast past all three versions of the lux resort towards the imaginary roped off end of the world.

This is us! Our friend the Fireman snapped this one. 
Way to go, Fireman!

Downwind sailing was exhilarating.

Returning to the boat hut, upwind, was a challenge.

Especially if you were the poor guy who has never been on a sailboat and just can't seem to manuever the boat back up the shore. But it's vacation and you really wanted to try something new.

You know, the guys we skimmed past.

It's not that we wouldn't have helped them. Each time, just as one of us was about to say, 'maybe we should go help those guys' they would begin a turn and look to be almost there, causing us to pass, at which point the one in charge of the tiller and main would freak out and turn the boat downwind again.

que the theme from Gilligan's Island,
or that scene in Club Paradise where the guy takes a sailboard out and never returns

We managed to get our serpentine return trip with just enough minutes to spare in our hour time limit to laughingly make plans for the next day's outing. An elderly lady standing in the shade of her gigantic straw hat smiled and in a strong New Jersey accent commented, 'you really seem to know what you're doing out there!'

At last, the validation we had always hoped to get! Sailing approval by a complete stranger. And on top of an amazing morning on the water!

Later at lunch, we noticed several catamarans from early in the morning, still floundering near the imaginary rope well within the scope of the imaginary sniper, clearly past their one hour allotment.

Eventually the boat hut guy appeared, helped drag the boat to shore, unloaded the exhausted sailors and promptly charged them fifty dollars for a 'rescue'. He then proceded to quickly sail the stranded boat back to its home.

The elderly lady in the big straw hat just happened to be sitting behind us at lunch leaned in and said, 'he really knows what he's doing too!'

We all laughed.

Is that wrong?

they are quite lovely
even as they lay in wait for tomorrow....

Up for tomorrow: D – Dramanine. Oh, yeah. We're going there...

Click on the link: a-to-zchallenge.com for more alphabetically themed posts!

Buy a Swatch for Pete's Sake!

I don't wear a watch.

I once wore one daily. But then the battery died and it cost more than the watch to replace the battery and then cell phones were invented and since phones now act as ALL small appliances, well, why bother.

But, I have noticed that on each sailboat there is at least one person, usually the captain, who wears a watch.

Most likely because they got tired of fishing iphones out of the water, but also because the traditional method of sailboat time keeping is ridiculous.

I am talking about ... Bells.

You've heard the saying: Four Bells! All's well!

Ha.

All's well because no one really knew what time it was so why argue...

According to boatsafe.com, as well as that lovely tome "The History of Navigation", back in the 15^th century days time was kept with an hourglass and announced with the ring of a bell. The notice was for every half hour of each 4 hour watch.

Time aboard a boat was marked in 4 hour watches starting at 4am as such:

Middle Watch: midnight (0000) to 4am (0400)

Morning Watch: 0400 to 0800

Forenoon Watch: 0800 to 1200

Afternoon Watch: 1200 to 4pm (1600)

First Dog Watch: 1600 to 1800 (6pm)

Second Dog Watch: 1800 to 2000 (8pm)

First Watch: 2000 to 0000

Why First Watch is last on the list and Middle Watch is first should give you a clue as to the next confusing part of this process.

Why the 4pm-8pm watch is broken into two watches was to allow for the evening meal. Why it is called the 'Dog' Watch I do not want to know.

Now this is where the 'Bells' comes in.

In order to mark the passage of each watch a bell was rung for every half hour.

For example:

0030 – one bell was rung.

0100 – Two bells were rung

0130 – Two bells, pause, one bell

0200 – Two bells, pause, two bells

0230 – Two bells, pause, two bells, pause, one bell

0300 – Two bells, pause, two bells, pause, two bells

0330 – Two bells, pause, two bells, pause, two bells, pause, one bell

0400 – Two bells, pause, two bells, pause, two bells, pause, two bells.

Making 8 bells at the wee hours of daylight 4am.

Or, 8 bells late afternoon 4pm.

It was important for the crew to know when their watch was up or starting. And important for navigation as before the days of GPS, travel was done with a sextant and the stars and time was very important in knowing where a constellation should be.

Which makes me wonder...

Was this really the best system they could come up with?

How did they not lose track of how many times they flipped that hourglass and how many bells they were ringing?

It would be like making a triple batch of cookies to take to work at 10pm while watching a particularly exciting episode of Chopped and forgetting if you just measured 5 cups of flour or 6 cups of flour as Ted announced that there were only 15 seconds to go and now you wonder if you actually added 14 cups....

or so I have heard...

According to Rob, they probably made hash marks on the crows nest. But that would be an awful lot of marks on that lovely wood. And wouldn't you lose track of which hash mark was yours? Why couldn't they just use a chalkboard?

When did they invent chalkboards?

I could go on.

But thankfully I have a much better method of timekeeping.

I present to you Laura's Real Time Sailboat Timekeeping:

Time to sail. You can tell we are just starting out by the unrumpled appearance of the sails. And me.
(Blue Skies, our 15 foot wooden sloop.)

1000 – Leave the dock and hoist all appropriate sails to a perfect wind.

1010 – Wish you had a soda, which is below, so you don't say anything.

1012 - Captain is ready for a soda so now I have an excuse to get two sodas and a handful of chips.

1025 – Ipod playlist is started up.

1028 – Captain is asking for a snack.

1103 – Begin regretting the soda and wondering how much longer to restaurant for lunch so I don't have to use port-a-potty.

1108 – Finally ask how far with usual response being 'about 15 minutes' which in driving time is the equivalent of 'just over the next hill'.

1130 – First visual confirmation of existance of restaurant. Wind dies.

Noon-ish.
(Boat, Cool Change - our fixer-upper)

Afternoon time is easier.

1600, or one hour before you need to be back at the dock to clean up and meet friends at the wine bar - Wind becomes perfect, boat is flying with just the right amount of heel (lean) and spray leading you to the decision to make one more run.

1615, or furthest distance from dock – Wind dies.

1617 – Peevish looks pass between captain and crew. Crew threatens to call friends and decry captain's horrible job of controlling the boat and cheapskate need to not use motor.

1620 – Motor started, sails dropped.

1620:05 – Wind becomes perfect.

1837 – First glass of apres-sail Cabernet served with delightful appetizer of Spanish peppers stuffed with goat cheese and drizzled with balsamic glaze served.

1840 – Plans for sail the following day finalized.

Please note, these times are generalized.

In all honesty, unless you are truly circumnavigating the world, attempting to outrun that threatening lightening bolt on the NOAA app, or have rezzies at the Snook'sBayside, there is absolutely NO reason to tell time on the sailboat.

It is one of those very few places where time can stand still and life truly is in the moment.

Seriously, do you really need to know what time it is?
(Blue Skies)



Come back on Tuesday for C – Catamarans, Cool Change and Cruising – I can't decide....

check out the link: a-to-zchallenge.com

for more A to Z posts!

Ahoy!

Ahoy!

Well, here we go. Twenty-six posts in alphabetical order with Sailing as a theme.

Do Not Be Afraid!

These are not textbook posts of the finer points of sail. Although that will be a post because I love the ridiculously true graphic describing them.

No.

This will be a combination of observations, tales of the Caribbean and an occasional explanation.

So...pull on your lifevest, release the bowline and off we go...

We took up sailing about seven years ago. Theories to why abound – boredom, insanity, a desire to spend money on things like epoxy and rolling furlers and epoxy. What started as a 10 foot wooden bathtub has evolved into a 15 ft wooden sloop which was really just a gateway boat to a 24 foot, 40 year old rehab project.

I have slowly learned enough, and more importantly, convinced my husband that I know enough, to be offered the tiller from time to time. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is this:

There is WAY too much Applied Physics in sailing.

I do not want math and/or science to be at the forefront of my leisure time. Thus, ignoring the math and sciencey explanations, I will give you this very important lesson:

You CAN NOT travel in a straight line when traveling upwind. And of course, the converse of that, the restaurant you desperately want to have lunch at will ALWAYS be upwind.

A Sailboat can't sail directly into the wind. If you turn the boat directly into the wind it will stop.

Dead. (Explanation of such not included here for math/sciencey reasons.)

This usually occurs as you are trying to maneuver out of the way of a large obstacle, say a cruise ship, or into a particular area such as your favorite lunch spot's only open slip or you are just trying to look cool in front of those irritating, hyper, power boats.

Oh sure, a dead stop can come in handy when the wind whips up so strongly that parts of the boat are literally flying off around you and into Lake Monroe, Indiana.

But generally, a dead stop is not what you want.

note Sail M is closest and slightly raised, subSail J is the larger looking sail in the background.

So here is where that math comes in:

In order to maintain Force A of Wind Velocity W with Sail M as the variable, you must constantly reposition Sail M and subSail J,  if subSail J is raised and the wind is not too great.

Or in non-math terms, you have to pick up enough speed in a cross-wind direction to allow release of the Front Sail (Jib) and moving the Big Sail (Main) through the wind to the other side of the boat, thus moving the boat in an opposite yet still forward direction at which time the Front Sail (Jib) is pulled back into place.

If any of these things happens out of order the boat dies.

As do your hopes of a refreshing rum-based beverage with lunch.

Momentum is lost and all this manuvering must start again.

Bringing me to our A-Word:

About

As in –

Ready About?

Coming About!

I Said COMING ABOUT!!

'About' is the last word you won't pay attention to as you sit in the cockpit with your fizzy water, attempting to get the perfect sailing selfie.

Because if you aren't paying attention as the Captain yells 'I said Coming About!!' then Boom B will knock you out of the boat in into Lake L as the Big Sail (Main) swings into place, assuming you listened enough to let the Front Sail (Jib) out and didn't get too eager and pull it in too soon.

This is a view of the boom from a lying on the deck of the boat perspective
don't ask.

There are two options when you hear the command Coming About.

The simple one is to duck.

The more complicated one is to grab the line which lets the Front Sail (Jib) out, causing much anxiety producing flapping which you will want to make stop by grabbing the other line and pulling it across to its new home. BUT DON'T! You must wait until the Big Sail (Main) has crossed the center line, along with the boom, before pulling the Front Sail (Jib) into its new, wind catching place, thus maintaining a somewhat drunken straight line to your lunch reservation.

Oh, and those things I am calling 'lines' are called 'sheets' even though they are, in all actuality, 'rope'.

Confused?

Don't be.

The take-away is this:

There are a ridiculous number of names for every part of the boat with corresponding commands that sound nothing like what the intended purpose of those commands are.

Your only hope of getting to that lunch spot in one dry piece is to learn at least the basic ones.

Having a quick ducking reflex is also key.

When all goes well, this is what you get, foreward-ish movement with a nice splash at the bow.

This concludes day one of Alphabetical Sailing for the Easily Entertained.

Come back tomorrow when we will discuss

B – Bells.

Or why can't you just say what time it is?

Want to learn more or read some other entries? 

Click here!

And ps - Happy Easter!!

With Spring comes New Beginnings...so Look Out!

Welcome to the Vernal Equinox....

or

Happy Spring

According to the Farmer's Almanac, today – March 20 – at 1215 – the Earth is not tilted toward the Sun and the Sun passes over the Celestial Equator thus giving both hemispheres an equal number of daylight and nightime hours. Eggs stand on end. Worms begin to crawl. Temperatures begin to warm in the Northern Hemisphere as each day's quota of sunlight increases.

And, I begin to update the blog in a more consistent manner...

I know, I have made that statement before.

However, this week marks the 'theme' reveal for the A-Z blogging challenge which begins in April.

The A to Z challenge is pretty self explanatory. I write 26 blog entries, one for each letter of the alphabet. You, the reader, gets 26 consistent chances to get a little glimpse into my head...

Sorry.

Not sorry.

So, without further ado....

The Theme for this year's challenge will be...

Sailing!

26 posts, from A to Z, giving my take on this wonderful lifestyle.

That's right.

Lifestyle.

Not sport.

Not hobby.

Not obsession...well, maybe a little obsession....

Don't be afraid that this will be 26 highly technical posts on the finer points of a beam reach whilst crossing the International Date Line under full sail. At night.

Please, it was all I could do to finish my Sailing 101 book.

I hope this will be 26 entertaining, slightly educational insights into life as a sailboat owner, novice sailor and eternal optimist.

So, until April 1, keep that elusive Sun over the yardarm!

This is the view from my kitchen Monday, March 19, the last day of winter.
Winter was taking itself quite seriously. Please note the ringlets on the birdbath from the rain, which was coming down at a 45 degree slant. Surprisingly, I was not on a sailboat for this...