The Lintons Win - Again!

After taking top honors at the 101 boat Flying Scot North Americans eralier this month the Lintons have done it again. This time, they prevailed over a 48 boat fleet at the Lighning World Championship held in Athens Greece. This is their second World Championship in the Lightning Class. For complete results click http://www.lightningclass.org/Results/results07/Worlds/WorldChampionships.htm

Way to go Amy and Jeff!

I wasn't there, so I have no story.

Our next fleet race is Saturday, August 4, so the next blog entry will probably be shortly after.

Capsize Recovery

In light of the events from the last fleet race I thought it may be helpful to post some thoughts about capsizing and righting a Scot. I should mention that I have not capsized yet so none of what I am about to say has been put in practice. For some time, Kim and I have discussed the idea of picking an appropriate day (while the water is warm) and intentionally capsizing the boat to try it out. We've just never done it but the sailors at Deep Creek Lake have. Here is a link to see the process, with step by step photos: http://www.saildeepcreek.com/capsize_drill.htm


As time goes by we continue to be amazed that we haven't wiped out yet, but it is only a matter of time. I need only to think about the Egans at the 2006 midwinters and I know it will happen to most of us, eventually.

We have discussed what we THINK we should do when it is our turn to swim. Here goes:

1. Lifejackets on - Lets hope we have lifejackets on if the wind is such that we are at risk to capsize. We don't routinely wear them but we do store them and the throwable cushion on the floor under the aft deck. The reason is that they should be easily accessible, on the low side, with the boat lying on it's side. If stored up forward they could be much more difficult to get to. Do you know where your winch crank is? A lanyard or having one always in a specific pocket would be a good idea, in case of turtling.


2. Throwable cushion to masthead - Ideally this will be Kim's job and is probably the most important one to accomplish quickly, aside from safety issues. We will want to use the throwable to help prevent the masthead from submerging. The other steps can wait assumimg we get this one done correctly and quickly, so I will make sure she is ok before I proceed. She will stay there with the cushion under the mast as long as needed.


3. Release the sheets - Assuming this has not already been done, I will release all sheets to prepare to right the boat. I also plan to flip/throw the jib sheet (on the high side of the boat) over the boat so it hangs down across the the bottom. That jib sheet will be used to gain leverage to right the boat. The angle of pull used to right the boat will leave that sheet un -cleated and free to run as soon as it is released, if the other sheet was used it would remain cleated after I let go of it.


4. Release the Spinnaker halyard - Assuming the spin. was up at the time, releasing the halyard should make it easier to re-enter the boat after righting it. My boat does not have the take up reel and it is likely the halyard will not run without a tangle. This is another reason why I should install the reel, I've added that to "my list".


5. Try to right the boat - On our boat this will be my job since I weigh the most. I will swim to the underside of the boat and grab the centerboard if it is down enough to grip it. If the board is retracted inside the trunk I will grab the jib sheet which should be hanging there and place my feet against the hull and begin to hike against that sheet. I expect that the boat will come up without too much difficulty at this point, assuming we did not turtle. A note about the centerboard, I have had the boat on its side and in this position the board is very difficult to move by hand, unless it is mostly down. Being in the water will make it even more difficult so I don't expect to be able to move it. If I am struggling here I will call to Kim (still at the masthead) to help me try to right the boat. Assuming we right the boat with sheets eased the boat may or may not sail a very short distance before luffing itself to the wind.
6. Get back in - This may seem like an easy thing to do but it isn't as easy as most expect. We will use the safety line mounted to the transom. Mine is rigged with a bungee to keep it in its normal position. However when you grab it while in the water it will extend enough to be able to push it low enough in the water to place your foot on it, like a step ladder. This allows you to use both arms and legs to help get back on the stern deck. I've noticed a couple boats in our fleet have folding transom ladders but most don't.
7. Bail - Or not, if you're lucky. Somtimes a recovered Scot will be virtually dry, other times pretty well swamped. I guess it depends on your luck and the time required to get it righted. With the boat on its side (not turtled) the only opening to allow water intrusion is the spinnaker thru deck blocks, if installed on the aft deck. My boat has the small Harken blocks, I think they are part # 088 which won't let too much water in. The larger size blocks will allow much more water to enter since they accept larger diameter line sizes.

So, what if all this doesn't work and we turtle? Chances are a tow boat will be needed to help right the boat or help tow it back to a beach or dock. This is when a bow flotation bag is very helpful. Incidently, class rules will be requiring bow bags for boats competeing in FSSA regattas beginning in 2009. With the bow bag and transom port it is possible to drain a lot, perhaps most, of the water from the boat, enought that you may continue to race without a trip to shore. Without one, the best you can expect is a very slow tow back to shore and a lot of bailing.

Any comments and or suggestions are welcome especially from those who have experienced the process first hand. If we find the oppurtunity to put this process to test I will update this entry with what I learned. Any ideas?

Flying Scot 50th Anniversary Tribute, Tampa Fleet 168

July 14, 2007

Disclaimer: I have cut and pasted the report from Andy, our Fleet Captain with a few edits by (it's my blog) me.

Andy and Rod aboard "38 Special" sporting a nice new bottom

Our fleet race on Saturday was one to remember. The story line includes man and machine versus the elements, drama on the high seas, damsels in distress..... Weird thing was some attendees missed all or some of the action.

First, the players, (by hull#). Andy Hayward and Rocket Rod Koch #38. Dave and Kim Thinel #812, (you have to see the beautiful new bottom job on Pig Pen by the way). Diamond Doug King and his TWO girlfriends (sorry I did not get the ladies names), #2069. Bill Adikes and Joy #3998. Dave Bell and Susan Cintron #4156. Mike Douglas and Terry #4305. Brian and Kat Malone #4318. Mark Taylor and a variable amount of kids #4321. Paul Silvernail and Leslie Fisher #5026. For a total of nine Flying Scots.

I think most of us were surprised to see white capping conditions when we arrived at the club, (after all its July). There was a fair amount of thunderstorm activity in the area as we launched boats and prepared to shove off. It was the general consensus that the main cell to the West of DIYC (over South Tampa and Bayshore) was sweeping to the North East and would miss us. Mike Douglas and Mark Taylor were the first to leave, followed by Brian and Kat and Andy and Rod a bit later. The teams were greeted by about 15k of breeze and heaped up waves immediately after clearing "A" dock. The storm cell was sucking the breeze in hard and the Southerly direction made for some messy wave action. Brian and Kat took mercy on their borrowed rocket ship and wisely headed back to wait out the cell. Mark, Mike and Andy smashed some waves and actually found that the further South you went the more the weather moderated. The cell passed pretty much as thought, it did not even rain at the club. Andy and Rod began to wonder where the rest of the fleet was and sailed back into the harbor, preparing to yell "Chickens"! Upon turning the corner by "A" dock it became clear, the rest of the fleet was attending to the capsized #5026, in the basin. Dave Bell, Dave Thinel and Diamond Doug had the DIYC launch and were attempting to extricate Paul and Leslie's sloops mast from taking a core sample of the mud at the bottom of the harbor.

The rescue of 5026 in progess, this is how a Scot will sit with no bow bag, one crew, when fully swamped

Andy couldn't resist jumping in to assist and with some pulling to windward from the launch and un-housing of the centerboard, popped her upright. Other than some very stinky, muddy sails she was no worse for wear. (Leslie will sell to anyone one slightly used Windex, Cheap! )The fleet members swarmed the stricken yacht and had her bailed out and rinsed off, in no time.

Almost back to the dock where we will use the hoist to drain her out.


Mike and Mark thought that we all had flaked out and actually had a match race while all of this was transpiring.

The fleet got back on track and headed out, the wind stayed pretty strong from the South/Southwest all afternoon. The second race saw Mike Douglas jump out to a early lead followed by Dave Bell at the windward mark. Andy and Rod got ole #38 cranking and passed a boat on each of the subsequent legs to snag the win.

Mike with Terry crewing, shows some nice form and speed

Shortly after the finish it was noticed that Doug King's Mandy Rose (2069)was on her side about a quarter mile South of the starting line. When #2069 righted two of Doug's crew were in the water away from the boat. Doug's outhaul had parted which made moving to windward impossible. Andy and Rod scooped up the ladies, and Rod used the " what are nice girls like you doing in place like this" line, that Rod, he's smoooth! It was too rough to attempt a boat to boat transfer so the girls were deposited on DIYC's beach and #38 missed race three's start.

It proved to be a super close race with Mike, Dave T and Dave B all finishing overlapped in that order! It should be noted that Mark Taylor single handed Blast Off in this race and really pressed the leaders, awesome!

More speed from Mike and Terry to take the finish

Race four saw #38 win the boat in a righty biased race and never look back, Mark had added his ace super crew Stu and was back in the mix for a 2nd, followed by the fresh and clean #5026. Tom Taylor, race committee extraordinare, called it a day, and the wind/sunburned group headed for the docks. Thanks again to Mr Taylor for his top notch efforts!

The weary bunch gathered poolside to relive the drama, unfortunately Andy had to scat early due to work, total bummer!

Lessons learned; 5026, never leave the mainsheet unattended in the cleat, even to only put on gloves. Skipper or crew has to always have it in hand on a gusty day. 2069, jury rigging a new outhaul in 15 or 16 knots of wind and steep waves with the main still up is a real battle. Partially dropping the main to complete the temporary repair and rehoisting would prove easier.

If the oppurtunity arises you must ask Doug King for his "blow by blow" version of the events, hopefully with cocktails in hand.

Kudos to Leslie and Paul for jumping right back into it as soon as their boat was straightened out. This was only their second time out with the boat after purchasing it several weeks ago. Awesome.

Day 11 The Final Chapter

Well, folks, this is it, the last leg of the trip home.

0945 Leisurely morning, we are in no rush to hit the road. We caught a little Today show, GMA, and Regis and Kelly while packing up. We probably have about 6 hours of driving time today, at least it’s not raining. Nothing worse than packing wet stuff. Had to bring the sails in last night to dry out, or, at least keep from getting more wet, the room is now a mess. The Econolodge was good to us, serious water pressure, consistent water temperature (new concept compared to the wild fluctuations at The Taj) ice machine close to room, and coffee for Dave in the am.

1105 Stopped for gas at same GA exit at which we stopped on the way up. Souvenir shop and Subway sandwich stop with the slowest sandwich artist, yet. On the bright side he did not seem to know about the Subway policy of rationing the cold cuts for the sandwiches. He piled the meat on a bit and we could actually taste it. I guess the simple things can be a thrill near the end of a long road rip!


1120, WELCOME TO FLORIDA! We are almost there…well about 4 more hours. Nice to have flat roads again too, we can use the cruise control again.

Rt 301 just north of Ocala, horse country and notorious speed traps

1433 off I-75 to route 54. The trip is almost over, about 1 hour.... Before we left, folks asked if we were anxious to be going home. Can’t really say we were feeling any urgency to get back. A new feeling, really, most other times we have been ready (probably because of the puppies awaiting our return in the past, but now they are both dead). We might be ready for another adventure… The new book is entertaining (we started Carl Hiaasen’s Skin Tight), time passed quickly today

Home at: 1530 Wow our grass is like one of those farm fields we passed, ok maybe not that high but it is higher than I’ve ever seen it. Obviously, it has rained here while we were gone.

Vital statistics; The complete trip was 2399 miles we used 126.73 gallons of gas for and average of 18.93 miles per gallon. The return trip from Deep Creek lake back home was 1041 miles it took exactly 16 hours so we averaged 65 mph, helped by the light traffic for most of the trip.

Parting thoughts;

The new aluminum trailer is nice; smoother ride, very stable and the boat sits lower so there is better rear visibility. It also sits at an angle (unless Dave parks it on a hill) which allows rainwater to drain through the rear drain hole better than the old one, we put this feature to a good test Sunday, with the late day downpours.

The last rest stop on I-75, almost home

We think we lucked out; this was our first North Americans and it was really top notch. We can’t say enough about the awesome job the Fishing Bay YC did running this event. The organizers and volunteers were more pleasant and helpful than any regatta I have attended. The clubhouse and grounds were great as well, we will go back there again, at the first opportunity.

The new van was a pleasure to spend time in and tows the boat really well. If I lived in the mountains I might choose a bigger truck but for our purposes it should be excellent.

We made quite a few new friends including several on the Flying Scot board. Serving as District Governor may have more positives than Dave may have thought and some fun as well.

The visit to “the factory” was a lot of fun and very interesting. If you get the chance to check it out in person you should try to do it. The Carpenters are really great people and they run a very good business.

The Deep Creek YC is amazing. We’ve mentioned the free beer, the spectacular scenery, a huge fleet of Scots and a really cool clubhouse and pavilion. The best thing to me was the atmosphere for a fleet race, it was better than many regattas I’ve attended. The downside is the wind is crazy, and the racing area is tight for so many boats.

Dave has some grass to cut

Thanks for all the comments, we might have tailed off on the length of these but you all said keep em coming, so it’s your own fault!!!!

Day 10, Heading South

Last night while we were experiencing the hot – spots of downtown of Oakland, MD a deer and a bear crossed our path!! Really, Kim saw a bear! We also ran into our Michigan friends at the Honi Honi (THE hot spot in the area) Marie and the girls like to dance and were doing a great job supporting the band, who was also very good.

The ride away from the mountains of MD was quite fun, downhill toward WVA, Big hills and monster turns at the bottom, Kim has a nosebleed.

We don't have signs like this in Florida


0832 log entry, entering WVA

Fun fact about DCYC we learned this am from Darlene and Ray, the kegs at the club are tapped in June, and don’t turn off till October! They also have little “lockers” that look like PO Boxes, and you stash your hard alcohol in there. Most members have a stein with their name on it, too. Hmmmm, nice.

More beautiful trees and mountains, recurring theme in these parts; It must be stunning in the fall. Civilization- not so much; that can be a good thing

Sorry about the glare from the window, no time to lower the glass

1020 Exiting I-79 onto US 19 (sounds like home!) The trip directions that Ray gave us before we left said we should have been here 7 minutes ago. The print out is similar to what you get from Map quest but it also allows you to put in a starting time and shows what time you should be arriving at the various turning points, landmarks etc. We left 10 min after the start that Ray had listed, so we built that in. How could be we that far off schedule? We’re going as fast as we can!! Since the traffic is fairly light we assumed we should “catch up” before long. (How does Kim feel about computers, though?)

1499 mi total for trip so far, it’s getting warmer outside, Kim takes off the outer layer (of 3, no photos please). So far today, no AC needed, that has helped Ody’s hill climbing. The A/C has been helpful on the larger down hills to keep from having to use the brakes to keep the speed under control. Also, the coolest invention ever made for traveling on the road… the plug in cooler. Ran out of colas and beer (as mentioned before) and the market had only “suitcases” (they won’t go bad). The cooler takes them from room temperature to drinkable (the colas, folks, the colas) in less than a couple of hours.

Trying to play Amy’s town-name-rhyming game with some of these places we go by. Not so easy, but some, like Gassaway, was really fun. Mt. Nebo, Monongah, Hepzibah, Pruntytown, and Hico were challenging!

Nervous moment: cop heading the opposite way on the highway, us in the left lane about 15 over the limit, he turns around and comes our way. Following, following, UGH! Hope they like “fur’ners” in this part of the country. Start practicing that southern accent, Dave.

Phew, he goes for someone else and we’re in the clear.

1108 Making history as we cross The Western Hemisphere’s Longest Arched Bridge. Sort of anti climatic though since the arch structure is busy holding us up and is underneath us, so we can’t see it anyway. We’ll take the signs word for it though. Now, while I was writing that down, I missed where the heck we were. Ok, near Fayetteville, WVA, more importantly, near Biscuit World! Unfortunately, if we stop, that will REALLY mess up the time line. The place was packed with cars, must have been really good.

1123 Gas and rest break, oh, Ody, got only 17.7 mpg, all those mountains towing Piggy were a little tough. We must have downshifted a hundred times this morning so far, the grades are one after the next like a roller coaster.

According to Ray’s computer thing, even with the stop, we’re catching up! Only 4 minutes off the pace now, on corrected time. Dave can’t believe we haven’t caught up yet, I think this little “race” is becoming an obsession.

Entering a tunnel on the interstate

We encounter some sucky road repair areas, Dave clicking away with the camera, I feel like I’m traveling with Serge (some of you know what I’m talking about) Click, click, click. It is beautiful, the camera holds 1500 or so shots, I suppose we’re almost to the limit. Another great invention is the digital camera, click, click click, then delete all the crap and maybe you are left with a few good shots. Maybe...

1220 State line crossing from WVA to VA!! 1618 total miles for trip, averaging approx. 60 mph, still 5 minutes behind Ray’s time table! How fast does he want us to go?

Click, click, click…

Piggy in hot persuit


1318 State line crossing into NC!! Nine minutes behind in our progress compared to the computer generated estimations. We are actually losing ground! This is causing a bit of tension in the van. We've discussed tossing the trip sheet out the window but we don't litter, ... yet. Let’s see how it goes in the next 100 mi of NC.

Amy’s rhyming make-up-a-story game turned into a Dr.Seuss-a-thon in Mocksville (Fox in Sox-ville, you get the idea). That was good for a few miles of fun!

Click, click Lake Norman. I think we got a picture of Scot racing. The computer time frame is stressing us out, we’re only referring to the aids to navigation at this point.

1452 1795 total miles, we’re into SC! Sadly, cannot help but look at the computer schedule, we’re 18 min behind, how can that be??!!!

1555 1863 total miles, fill up, outside of Columbia, just under 20 mpg, good girl, Ody.

1630 Finished Tim Dorsey’s (he’s one of our favorite authors, here is his website: http://www.timdorsey.com/ it is best to have your sound turned on) The Big Bamboo. Now, we really have to abandon the time line, too depressing and the traffic between Columbia and Charleston is pretty thick. We are only able to run about 65 and that won’t cut it for Ray's damn trip sheet. We don't succumb to the urge to litter though.

1647 Decided to drown our sorrows in a roadie. (Sorry, parents, but we have an appropriate cup to keep the evidence covert and we’re over 21, you just can’t tell, at times.)

1723 Lighting, thunder, and heavier rain. Bummer.

1725 This storm over : ) Starting Carl Hiaasen’s book: Skin Tight. He's really good too, especially if you are into the books with the Florida setting.

1811 2029 mi, Into GA!! We've decided to quit soon, since more heavy rain and thunder and lighting. Exit 94 near Savannah looks good, they have lots of signs, food, gas, and lodging, we need all three. The rain is really pouring down now, major lightning, traffic lights are out, you get the idea.

1835 Econolodge here we are! In room wireless internet access too, so we can send and receive. We highly recommend this exit. Nice waitress, nice room, compared to the Taj, at least and until we unloaded the wet sails into the room. For the trip home we traveled with the sails in the boat, after the downpours and Daves hasty parking job, on a hill, stern raised, boat now full of water, they were swimming around in the boat. Brilliant.

Day 9 Fleet Racing at Deep Creek Lake

Hello all, its 0730 and wake up time! Woo hoo!! Hey, can we go sailing? Up here in the mountains, it’s pretty chilly still, and its summertime. Good for sleeping, though. Clear and sunny, nice breeze- hopefully today’s fleet racing will be less frustrating (and a little shorter) than yesterday’s “Fun” race.

We enjoy a casual morning with Darlene and Ray. Wonderful hosts, beautiful location and great coffee by Ray.

Hey cool, they do have sun here at Deep Creek Lake

More randomness;

Dave’s been talking with Harry (Carpenter, the builder of our boats) about trading for a new-to-us aluminum trailer. Harry seems willing to work a deal. We will see today.

More mileage numbers for those of you paying attention to this part of our adventure (silly, I almost used the word “Odyssey”). The E light was on, filled up with 15.6 gal, and we traveled almost 300 mi, making that almost 20 mpg, pretty good for the Ody. She’s done well towing and chugging up and down all those mountains.

I’m apparently riding with Mario Andretti through these crazy hills and dales. With overdrive, down hills are quite an adventure (generally, I have decided not to watch).

More thoughts on last night’s affair at the DCYC: It included a parade, birthday and anniversary wishes to the Flying Scot all wrapped up in one. More bagpipes (memories of Dunedin) and scandalous kilt wearing by boys and girls. Amy and I definitely think Stacey and Clinton ( from TLC’s What not to Wear) need to be consulted re: skirt lengths for this season.

Racing was another experience in lake sailing. Worried there wouldn’t be enough wind as we were slowly making our way out to the course. Everyone seems to have their own personal wind! We decide to start at the pin and time it pretty well we immediately tack to port as does most of the fleet so we look golden, soon we are laying the weather mark, still on port tack. This, of course lasts about 30 seconds and the wind does some crazy shifting and suddenly the boats that started at the other end (read; last place) are crossing the fleet. We can’t believe this crap. I think we rounded third. For the first half of the spinnaker run the first boats leaves all the rest of us and soon has a 15 boat lead. Dammit! The second half of the run has the fleet catching up and we manage to get an overlap at the leeward mark so now we are first. We immediatly lose our lead and drop back to third. Easy come easy go. More cursing from Kim. Looks like breeze out to the left so we tack and go to the corner, one tack to the finish and we come back to win the race. Finally, but we are out of beer...back to the club.

More fleet racing as seen from the club

The group we raced with does 2 races with lunch break in between. Not wanting to wear out the welcome (we are also meeting with Harry) we had a wonderful lunch at the club with Darlene and Ray and more of their friends. After lunch most sailors head back out for the second race we have another beer (the always flowing variety) and enjoy the beautiful day. Fleet racing day is quite an event with we would guess about 35 to 40 Scots racing, lots of people enjoying the club, etc. This scene has us a little jealous to be sure. We come from a good fleet in Tampa but fleet racing is nothing like this.

1545 Up to the factory we go!
Meet Harry and sign the final paperwork on the trailer deal. Hope you guys get to see the pictures later when we download ‘em. Harry and Karen are absolutely wonderful!! No trouble spending time talking with them, hope they come visit!

Kim enjoying her new trailer outside the factory

1700 Sebold’s (the beer place near the factory) is open—Score!! Gotta stop, a must see. Remember those places stuck in time that I mentioned before? No idea when or where but they sold The Beast!

Sebolds is OPEN!

Mr Sebold seemed more interested in selling beer than having his picture taken judging from the body language. Little did he know about his future fame on the worlds premier sailing blog...

Back at Darlene and Ray’s, car race finishing up on TV (Ray is a big NASCAR fan) and we get ready for more time on a boat! The aforementioned pontoon variety. They are expert tour guides and it was a beautiful evening for a ride. After dinner, they took us downtown to Oakland, nice area, and to Honi Honi’s. Good times. : )

PS Rumors are that the Fishing Bay YC was hit by a microburst either Thursday or Friday, right after we left. What are the odds of that happening two years in a row?

Day 8, The Big Party

Happy Friday!! We haven’t had a wireless signal, sorry to you all staying up late waiting for our updates!! Yeah right.! We are in rural America, remember!!

We were able to sleep in this morning, and what a nice day to do so, chilly, gray, rainy and 60 deg!! (What month is this?) Ray and Darlene were up early to help out with festivities at DCYC. We wake up to an awesome view of the lake from our bedroom window. The rain and fog although unwanted makes for some really cool scenery amongst the hills and valleys. Darlene and Rays cabin is way cool and we are very fortunate to be able to stay with them a few days. It’s the perfect spot to unwind. Hopefully, the rain won’t put a damper on the party. All events are rain or shine.

The view from Darlene and Ray's porch Friday morning

1130 Setting out on a quest for gasoline, then to the DCYC for noontime events!

1200 Gray and rainy, no gasoline in sight (we missed a station, found one closed or out of business, UGH). Amy and Jeff continued to be champions at the festival winning 2 cranks, 2 plugs, and a cool pin at the games (sail rolling, bailing, cranking halyards). Go Team Tampa!

A full house for the festivities

Bagpipes and Kilts, just like back home in Dunedin!

1300 Somewhat reluctantly, we prepare for the “fun” racing this afternoon. We’re a little OD’d on racing and it’s scheduled to be a 2 hour “fun” race on this gray and rainy day, but it appears to be clearing (ok, my cup is half empty and half full). Amy may have the plan…hot tea drinking, computing, and maybe a little afternoon napping. Jeff’s sailing with some Juniors who were also at NACs. Good kids.
After putting on foul weather pants and spray tops over fleece and thermal layers (summer sailing??) we take the boat and get in line (backwards) for the first photo op, so they took another. We counted about 45-50 boats out!
The “fun” race course takes us into several of the fingers of Deep Creek Lake. We experienced extremely shifty conditions (wheeeee, lake sailing) and unbelievably light air. So, are we having fun yet?

A couple of old timers out for the race, boats that is!

1730 A three hour tour later….They finally call the race. Jeff was one of the 2 boats that finished within the time limit (with only 50 seconds to spare). Thankfully, power boats come to tow us in (although we have mixed feelings, we want to finish, but it’s been very frustrating). We get into our “regatta spiffy” attire for dinner at the club under their beautiful new pavilion. Awards were given to Harry and Karen and recognition to other important folks in the organization. Eric Ammann who was Sandy Douglass’ “right hand man” told a wonderful story about the beginnings of the Flying Scot. He built the boats with Sandy before Harry and friends. (Kim even bought a book by Sandy Douglass!) Its funny, on one hand you know that the Scot being around for 50 years equals a bunch if history. You can really get a better appreciation at an event like this, it kinda hits home. We have also spoken to several people this week who have had a Scot in the family for over 30 or 40 years, and several generations.

Harry tooling around on the "First One" hull #1

So tired, back to Ray and Darlene’s for bedtime, hopefully. The gas gauge is now below “E” and the low fuel warning light has been on since yesterday. Where are all the intersections with gas stations on all 4 corners? With so many steep hills we expect what little gas is in the tank will run to the low side and we will be stuck. Ray gets us to a station and we fill up only to find that we can pump only about 16 gallons, the tank holds 20 gallons so 4 left and all that worrying for nothing. Now I know for the future. Darlene retired early; Kim yawned a lot and felt pretty rude. Turn off the damn computer, its bedtime!

Day 7, Off to the Factory

A few parting thoughts as we leave the FBYC, Deltaville, and The Taj.

It wasn't meant to be... At the banquet and shortly before the awards ceremony we learned that there were two boats that had been called over early but had subsequently received redress from the judges. As a result, we dropped back to 11th instead of 9th. We'd be lying if we said it didn't put a damper on our evening. I thought about questioning the judges a little bit to at least get the story. I decided that even if I heard the story and completely disagreed with it (probably unlikely), I would not file an appeal anyway, so best to move on.

FBYC: what a great place and a wonderful area for sailing. We stopped by in the morning to get an internet signal and another beautiful breeze was keeping the back porch cool. Alas, no more racing today (but my bottom is thankful, even with the padded shorts several full days of sailing in a row, and I’m ready to sit on some nice cushioned furniture). The regatta was first class all the way, all the volunteeers were great.

Deltaville: waterfront farmland? Interesting. We love the lack of franchising in this place, no metropolis, no Starbucks, just a Market and a few other essentials. Amy noticed that in the checkout line, she saw the usual People, National Enquirer, and Star magazines, but also, the unexpected Sailing Magazine! These people have their priorities in line.

The Taj: there may not be a coffee pot, a fridge, a range hood, or the appropriate water temperature in your shower, but unlimited ice makes up for a lot!! We enjoyed the Dockside Inn quite a bit, just don't lean on the railing. It’s rustic quality may not be everyone’s cup of tea but we'll remember it for a good while. The adjacent yard chock full of abandoned boats adds a little to the feel of the place. We were happy that so many of the guests were Scot sailors, a few more new friends for us.

946 Leaving the Taj, on the road to Deep Creek and the factory!

1038 Stopping for gas before it gets too expensive, $2.78, not bad, of course, 4 miles down the road it was $2.72. Oh, well. Made just under 20 mpg that last tank, short trips to and from the marina, and all.

Shot out the drivers side window, beautiful country

1133 Almost run off the road by a house!! We’re taking mostly 2 lane roads and they are narrow and winding and steep and beautiful. Oncoming traffic, wide load trailer towing a house, stay on your side, buddy!! Hang on Piggy!!


1300 Lisa Hayward calling to check in. Super – cool! Apparently, cell phone coverage is still pretty spotty… we lose connection, but she calls back. Hope Thursday night racing goes well at Davis Island! Breeze on!


1330 Bathroom break. Nicest smelling bathrooms Shell station, Winchester WVA. Coffee –free for me!! Interesting, checkout guy was deep in conversation and told me to just “go on.” BONUS! It was the cappuccino out of the fancy machine, too! You won't get that at no stinkin Starbucks.

Light rain. Ears are popping from the changes in altitude. Lots of churches (there were many in Fishing Bay, also, of all kinds) most with cemeteries on the property, or nearby. Some were kind of pretty when they are on a hillside. We wonder, in some places why the churches are so difficult to drive to, some seem like they would be impossible to reach in the winter.

According to the directions we have, we are instructed to avoid a winding, dangerous route called the Allegheny Front. We wonder if we have made a wrong turn, the road we’re on seems a lot like that. We have seen 5 or 6 hills with the Caution 9% grade warning signs. I am taking some comfort about having installed the transmission cooler before our trip. Some of these hills were some work to climb especially the last one on Route 135 just outside of Deer Park where the factory is located. That one was probably 3 or 4 miles long and we chugged along in 3 rd gear, A/C off at about 45 mph, I think the crest was 3700 feet.

1432 Roadwork and lane closures impede our progress, a little. We see another Scot on the road. He’s from Wisconsin! We’re traveling through small towns with small businesses, the Americana thing, for sure. Everything seems a bit stopped in time. Restaurants and businesses with yellowed, broken signs. They are all of the vintage shapes, too. House styles are dated, as well. All of the towns we’ve been through also have volunteer fire and rescue departments. It’s raining one minute, a valley or crest and 10 minutes later and the sun is out and the sky is mostly clear blue. Bizarre.

1515 On to route 135!! This is the road to Harry’s!! More ear popping! Grade logic system on the Ody is kicking in. Cool. We are anxious to get out and stretch the legs, we grab a beer from the cooler but don’t open it just yet. We decide to have it ready to go so we can celebrate the passing of the “Welcome to Deer Park” sign we KNOW they will have.

Ahhhhhh, that hit the spot.


1535 Finally, the factory! Exactly 6 hours. We hook up with Darlene and Ray our hosts for our visit to Deep Creek and get a tour and see first hand how the Scots are built. We are impressed with the operation and the nearly completed boats almost ready for delivery. Seeing the new ones leads to the inevitable thought of owning one, for only a split second that is. Pig Pen has grown on us over the last 3 years, there is something cool about having an oldie and beating the new ones. We never have found out what year Pig Pen is for sure but 1964 is probably close. Someday, I need to ask Harry to look it up for me.

The Factory up on the hill, home of Flying Scot Inc; http://www.flyingscot.com/

From the spar loft, two boats nearly ready for delivery

A hull laid up and still in the mold

Harry and Karen have provided a picnic lunch, we have a little grub and a beer or two. Others from FBYC and beyond continue to trickle in. We must go to Deep Creek Yacht Club to register for the weekend, they are expecting 275 people. We’d like to set up the boat, and get it in the water, it rains. Fortunately, there are kegs tapped and free beer! Good friends, good times, waiting for the rain to stop. Boat’s in, Ray helps out a lot! Jeff, Amy, Allen Turhune, and Ryan Malmgren arrange their living situations for the night, and we all go to a Tex Mex place for dinner, we are all starving, and it was Delish!

Home to Ray and Darlene’s we are beat, its really dark, this is some driveway. Get some of the best sleep we’ve had in a while. Day 8 will have festivities, a race and a banquet at Deep Creek Yacht Club, should be fun.

Day 6, Race Day 3 It's Over! The Lintons WIN!!

Our view at the Taj, we never could positively identify the substance on the window

We woke up this morning a little on the late-ish side along with many others. You could tell it was the last race day, everyone is a little sore, little tired, lots of bruises, hands have the permanent sting from the lines , etc. Some may even have had a couple too many cocktails… I don’t know anything about that.

It has been a little hard to try to stop thinking about all the boats we let get away the first day. We had hoped to try to crack the top ten, but really did not know how realistic that goal was, since this is our first North Americans in the Scot class (and, did we mention there are a few rock stars here?). Following the first 2 days of racing we can see that it was a realistic goal, but the hole we dug was likely too deep. The forecast of 15 to 20 knot winds would not help, we could only hope the forecast would be wrong or at least the breeze would stay southwest and not go southeast with the huge fetch across Chesapeake Bay.

The tractor guys are still not used to our slothful ways, and we received ridicule, once again, for being later than expected, they are a forgiving group, lucky for us. The water wells were dry (they have spigots at the end of every row of boats parked) and we had planned to wash the bottom this am prior to racing, hmmm, what to do now? Finished the more permanent repairs on the vang and while Dave was computing, the tractor was ready, and Kim launched the boat (with a little help). We tied up to a floating dock near the beach, and Kim went swimming and removed some texture from its bottom. We chatted with friends Henry and George Picco, and soon it was time to hit it.

The wind was nice, but we were not discussing it, so as not to rile the wind gods. It was still early, about 0915, so plenty of time for it to fill in stronger. Around 1015, we’re checking and adjusting and tuning and getting some pointers and doing some speed testing with Jeff and Amy. Greg Fisher and Marc Eagan (are THEY really talking to US??!!) approached to give a few bits of tuning advice, which we appreciated. Kim was eager for the races to start, thinking it would be great to get them done, before more wind came.

Finally, racing starts, we have a short discussion with Kelly Gough (past NAC Champion) with about 30 seconds to the gun, we leave Kelly a nice hole but we have an even nicer hole so we both charge off the line at the start. It doesn’t take long before we begin to fall back from both Kelly and the boats below us, we have no speed for some reason. Funny because we were going good a half hour before when testing with Jeff and Amy now we find ourselves getting spit out in the big fleet and struggling to find speed and clear air. We decide to undo the last round of tweaks we made and tried to dig out. This first race is only 3 legs (the others had been mostly 5, but we understand the race committee wants to make sure to get 2 races in today) so early position and clear air are important, we have neither. As with the previous 2 days the right side has the advantage and despite a poor start we pick off a few boats. We get a couple more on the run and manage to recover enough to finish in the top 10. Jeff and Amy entered the day with the overall lead, they put the hammer down and won this race and likely cemented the Championship. Wooooooo! Our shot to catch up to the boats just ahead of us in the standings is looking fairly good. The wind is cooperating so far, although we continue to avoid the topic so as not to jinx ourselves.

The second race was 5 legs, we’re having a hard time remembering details but we were 4 th at the top mark. The right side is still working and we spend alot of time over there protecting it. There are not many position changes in the top 7 or 8 but we do pick up 1 boat to finish third, our best of the week. It was really a thrill to be in the mix with, or ahead of some really good sailors, most who are professionals.

The first Spinnaker run of the last race, we like this one! We are yellow and green.

We are pretty psyched on the sail back to the club after the third place finish. We put a lot of boats between us and some of the boats we were shooting for so we are fairly certain we will crack the top 10. As a little bonus it breezes up a bit and we get up on a plane on the way back to the club, and more importantly, the pool. It was a great day on top of a really good week. Thoughts of the boats we lost on the first day continue to linger.

Back at the Taj, we soak up some A/C and get ready for the awards banquet. It has been hazy and hot, probably mid 90's and we have had enough sun. We even close the curtains to get the full A/C effect, you know; that cool dark feeling. We bump into Ron Pletsch who just returned from the club and the Prelinary results; we moved up to 9th!! Hugs and high fives!!! Ron is 4th and of course Jeff and Amy are the new Champions. A nice showing form the Florida District, life is good! We are off to the banquet.

Oh yeah, tonight is our night to Bartend, should be very interesting.

Day 5, Race Day 2, A Mixed Bag

Hey Guys,

Here we are recovering from another big day, let’s relive the excitement, shall we….???

700 Didn’t have to get up as early today, no skipper’s meeting, just be out at the race course by 1100 start.

800 Arrived to the boat parking area to the reprimands of the tractor organizer; Doug, for being late!! He expressed his disappointment in us and informed us he will reschedule the minions for tomorrow. Now we've done it!

Repeated attempts at computer connections were made, most to no avail. Difficult to log on to the internet as well as get clear cell phone signals in the metropolis of Deltaville (Google-earth it, we dare you) Don't misunderstand, we are not complaining we will gladly sacrifice some communications to be rid or traffic, A-holes, jet skis, etc.


906 Heading off the dock, we have about 5 knots of wind from the southwest. By the time we approach the race area it is fading out, shortly after and it is dead calm. Quite a few sailors went for a swim, we dangled our feet in the water and decided against a swim. The water is a bit chilly for these two Floridians. We did, however, take a moment to query Harry Carpenter about the possibility of getting one of those sweet custom aluminum trailers. We may be in luck...

1100 Postponement flag up, till about noon until the sea breeze came in from the southeast allowing for the start of first race. Lightish winds to start with, which filled in to about 7 or 8 knots from approximately 130 degrees. We did pretty well, kinda nice being near the rock stars (Kelly and Heidi Gough, Jeff and Amy Linton, Ryan Malmgren, the team of Fisher and Eagan), we think were 8th in that race. The right side is generally better, as it was yesterday.

Then between races Dave was just talking with Jeff, saying how surprised he was that the wind hadn’t come in stronger (great, Dave, now you’ve done it!). Within, like, 15 min, the wind was up to 15 or 16, we knew we were done with the long fetch across the Bay (Check the results page, it’s too upsetting to discuss here.) Not long after the breeze arrived the waves followed making starboard tack very challenging to steer especially for the boats with light crew weights. We broke the vang in a big wave on the middle beat and lost a few boats there, and lost a few more on the 2nd downwind while Kim was down below repairing it. With too much weight forward we riding bow down trying to catch a little surf on the waves but it didn’t work to well. At one point we were being passed by surfing boats on either side of us. It was fixed just in time to set up for the spinnaker take down, so we had the use of the vang for the last beat to the finish. I think we would have dropped in to the 30’s if we had not repaired it, so at least we held on for a 24.

Vang on! For an hour or so... Whats up with that?

1500 The wind dies again, Amazing, it just HAD to be up for the second race only? Quite unbelievable, but, as they say, that’s sailboat racing. We wouldn’t care quite so much if the forecast for tomorrow wasn’t so foreboding (10-20 mph – whatever) for us lightweights, at least.

1630 Finished gabbing, must head back to the Taj Mahal (our home, here in Deltaville formerly known as the INN) and partake in poolside activities and clean up for the Board of Guv’nor’s Dinner. (yippee)

Marie, Jim and Andrew Davis; new friends from Michigan and Michigan District Governor

1830 or so, aArrive at Eckhard’s Restaurant for the Board of Governors dinner, good drinks and food, chatted with good people, it was more fun that we might have expected. Hans (the local District Governor) is quite pleased and announces to the crowd that they are part of the Biggest Flying Scot event in the HISTORY OF THE WORLD!! We suspect we may be hearing more of this...

2125 Stop back at the yacht club to check results. We’ve jumped to 12th, but anything could happen tomorrow (the best of which - that the forecast will be completely wrong!!) Amy and Jeff are doing really well, and since it’s the Nationals, there are a lot of categories to win. Aside from overall champion (which, they are in the lead for presently), they are also leading the First Time NAC award, Highest Place for Husband/Wife team, Highest Place for boat with woman on board, Highest placing boat with Busch Beer in the cooler (not really, but it seems as though the list gets quite long). We will have to make a reservation for a rental car, or a second trailer for all the hardware those two are going to pick up if they keep going the way they’re going (and that’s just plain ol’ fast!).

Wish us luck! We’ve got a lot of work to do! Hope the wind forecast is wrong.

Hike Dammit Hike!!!

Day 4, Race Day 1 - Here We Go

Here we go;

6 am rise and shine! The Club has done an awesome job so far but many of us are leery of the chances of those tractors getting over 100 boats in the water in time. The organizers made an announcement Sunday evening that it would be best to have your boat launched and ready prior to the 9 am skippers meeting. That didn’t sound good. So 6 am it is, and tractor guys are supposed to be ready to go at 7 am. We arrive at 6:50 and it is surprisingly quiet, except for a brisk southerly breeze that has been blowing all night, maybe about 12 or 13 I’d guess. Very overcast sky and the look of rain. No big deal but more than the forecasted 5 to 10 which we were hoping for. The last few days there has been no breeze early but then it fills in late morning or early afternoon. Luckily, Kim has heavy influence on the tractor guys and we are first in the water and they are consulting with us on who should be next on the agenda. Nice! As it turned out the launching process was amazingly smooth and very quick, we will be sleeping in a bit tomorrow.

After the skippers meeting we shove off and head to the race course. If you have seen the NAC website we used area D, if you haven’t it is at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (western shore) and the Piankatank River. I've included a chart but area D is not labeled but is just above and to the right of area C. The area is ideal for racing with room for courses of a couple miles in any direction. Curiously, the legs would only be .75 miles in length. We work our way there and begin some practice in what turns out to be very tricky conditions to sail. The breeze has lightened up a bit but the water is very lumpy, especially tough when on Starboard tack. This will make for a long day.

Here is a chart of the racing area, the club is just above and to the right of area A. To get to area D, we sail through A, B and C around the point and out to area D, usually about an hours sail.

The site of over a 100 boats in the pre-start area was pretty cool. The right side appeared favored due to both wind and smaller waves so we decide to be close to the boat and work our way there as soon as we can.

Only about 30 or 40 other boats have the same idea so it is crowded but amazingly we hit the line on time, with speed and at the RC Boat. Too Cool! For about 2 or 3 seconds… until the RC signals a General Recall. SUCK!!!! We go again but now the I flag is flying so more caution is in order. We get a decent start near the boat and try to work our way up the right side. We struggle at times to find clear air but our strategy was working ok. If it were not for a pile up at the leeward mark and overstanding the change of course mark we could have been 10 or 12th. Not too bad for our first race at our first NAC.

The second start looks good for us as well, we are at the boat with speed but about a boat length below the line at the gun. Another General recall. Time for the Z flag. The next attempt is clean but we get spit out of the pack and struggle to sail in clear air. We work right again and end up pulling out a fairly good leg to round about 10th. We eventually work up to 6 or 7 and the right side is working well. Near the end of the second spinnaker run a huge left shift with pressure comes in and we are toast. We lose a bunch of boats on the last leg to finish 18. I never saw the left shift coming so……….. Jeff saw the shift and is sitting pretty in first place, hoping for more light air.

Many cocktails later the Lintons and us enjoy the fine BBQ facilities at the INN. Jeff is a fine slow cookin BBQ guy along with an excellent sailor. Not sure how you can cook a whole chicken using only about 12 charcoal briquettes. Not sure how he sees all those wind shifts either!

The Inns BBQ facilities

Jeff and Dave in action

Sunset from the Balcony of the Inn

Forecast for tomorrow is 10 to 20, Damn.

Day 3 More Life in Deltaville

Good day! It’s race day minus 1!!! (No, Kim’s not too nervous!!)

900 Leave our cozy residence at The Dockside Inn ready to meet Jeff and Amy for some pre-race tuning up / practice. The Women’s group and junior group are readying for their regattas. Our boat, by some providence, is parked right near a tractor, and we are in the water within minutes (the Yacht Club is equipped with these awesome tractors that tow the boats around the yard, to the ramp or hoist). The tractor thing is pretty cool, cool enough that you are not even allowed to bring your vehicle in the boat storage area, tractors only, thank you very much.

Some tractor action with Henry Picco's "Blue Nose" in tow

Jeff and Amy must have the plague (or at least pink eye –Jeff’s left eye looks pretty suspicious). They’ve asked 3 or 4 tractor drivers to come to take them to the hoist, with no luck. Kim always ready to help out, sprints across the yard to snag a friendly tractor guy, minutes later “The Majestic” is attached to the tractor and in route to the hoist. Chicks!

1100 Dave on computer, can we go practice, yet? Doing some important work, checking the class rules re: mooring rings and sending this very important communication to some very important people : )

1200 Out on the water we connect with Amy and Jeff and do some speed testing. We re both on Starboard tack, us to weather, and they promptly sail away from us and were thinking we drove 14 hours for this _________?!?! Jeff is kind enough to offer some helpful suggestions and we do better. Now at least for a time we can keep up, until a bad set of waves or a lull or whatever the hell and he gains a boat length. A boat length you KNOW you will never get back. The bright side to the abuse, I mean lesson, is they could very well win the regatta, at least they are one of the favorites, we KNOW they are fast.

1430 Dave has to go to a board of governor’s meeting (all hail the guv’nor) so we are back at the dock. Amy and Jeff come back in soon after, the wind got a little funny, and there were some storm clouds a’brewin’.

1730 BAR’S OPEN! Boy, did they give us quite a reception! Bagpipes (hey, are we back in Dunedin?), participants invited to join in a procession around the yard, good band, honors to “The First One” (Harry Carpenter is racing hull #1), and awesome food!! Dave picked up some parts from Harry, unfortunately, some modifications are needed. We get word that 59 boats are in the Championship Division, and 40 something are in the Challenger Division. It is a wonderful area to sail in, and we are excited for tomorrow!

Hull #1 "First One" next to the Big Tent

Thankfully, we feel better about having some practice in before the big race. Hopefully we will hold our own in the light to medium winds which are forecasted for tomorrow. Actually, just getting to the course on time may be an accomplishment, we are a bit concerned about the launching process. The forecast is 5 to 10 SSE with 70% chance of thunderstorms.

We will send another report after Monday’s racing but the full results will be posted on the website http://www.fbyc/nac.com Look for Flying Scot and results=should be easy to locate.


Another successful day is complete. Miss you. Wish you sailing folks were with us!

The prettiest boat in the bay, we kicked his butt on "the race" back to the club

Day 2 Arriving at Fishing Bay Yacht Club

Greetings,

Happily we only had about 2 more hours of driving left to do today. We woke to a nice clear, cool, morning, in fact it was noticeably cooler outside the air conditioned motel room. Leaving our initially-questionable-turned-comfy Econo Lodge accommodations in Petersburg, VA, we filled the Ody and we were on our way! After a disappointing 18 mpg on the last tank yesterday, we filled up this am – Hooray, 19.4! Then another “What are the chances” moment…yesterday we saw two battered old pick-ups with trailers containing every possession possible in them doing about 40 mph. We finally got past them and resumed normal speed after a bit of yelling by Dave. The same "Beverly Hillbillies" were holding up traffic again today! Whatever.

The last hour of driving was done on local roads, its been a while since we have seen so much farm land. The area is really nice, at least it is a huge change of pace from what we are used to back home in Tampa Bay. I don’t think I have ever seen so many marinas located right next to a farm field. We also saw gas prices that we liked-$2.70!!

897 miles later, we arrived at FBYC (Fishing Bay Yacht Club). Lots of activity at the sailing center at 0947, kids were sailing and working hard, volunteers receiving their instructions, boats arriving from everywhere. This place is awesome.

The Fishing Bay YC Main Clubhouse

1200 Measuring and weighing commence. Nice, a little early, but we had a few problems...mooring rings (are you kidding me?), boom length (if you just measure it correctly, everything will be fine, Harry just sold us this boom last year! He wouldn’t sell the wrong size boom!!), it all worked out.

Pig Pen measured and ready to go

1400 Registration complete, boat rigged and ready! We go to Dockside Inn to check in since there’s not enough wind to sail yet. We are a little curious about the Inn; several interesting comments from locals along with a strange look or two and we are pretty sure there is a story. We pull in the driveway and can’t help but laugh, we are also the only car in the parking lot. We have photos but I forgot the wire (150 trips through the house, we knew we were forgetting something) to transfer them from camera to computer, so they will follow later, it is now later, hence the photos.

Look Now! They have a VACANCY! Shocking

The Dockside Inn with office on the right, Wooo Hoooo!

1500 BREEZE ON! Back to the club to go sailing, what a beautiful area, interesting wind. We spend about 2 hours practicing tacks and jibes and Kim is much happier. We have actually sailed very little the last month or two so we are afraid we will be rusty. With a little luck, we will get some more practice in tomorrow before the 3 pm board meeting.

1850 Safely back to shore, and we run into the Lintons- we go to dinner with sick Jeff and Amy. Cough, cough, cough. Jeff even turned down a beer, we’ll just leave it at that. We have been feeling the early cold symptoms over the last week and a half but have been fending it off with Vitamin C, etc. Hope our luck continues.

2050 Back from dinner (I believe only one pizza place in Deltaville, we may become very familiar with their menu), fully sanitized with all immunity defense mechanisms on! (Vitamin C, Echinacea, Airborne, and anything else we could find) As Dave mentioned, he’s been having some back discomfort, good thing he brought his personal P.T. and a full bottle of Alieve.

Maybe we’ll see some fireflies tonight, but it’s getting chilly. Amy said it was too cold for fireflies in PA last night (44 deg!!!), not as cold here, but I needed long sleeves and no AC in the hotel room, please.

PS Several people have asked about Clifford….

See you tomorrow.

Day 1, On the road to the North American Championship

Hey Everyone,

Kim and I are attending the Flying Scot North American Championship being held in Deltaville VA. This is the first report of the trip so far, I will try to do an update everyday. We thought it would be cool to start an online Diary type of thing for our vacations and sailing activities (pretty much the same thing, it seems). So these emails will force us to keep a record of the antics, uh, activities from this trip.

Day 1 Friday, June 22, 2007. Ok we turned off the hot water heater, set the a/c thermostat at 85 degrees, turned off the main water valve, walked through the house 150 times to find that last thing we know we are forgetting… The heck with it lets go, its 7:32 am and we hit the road. One frustrating thing about hitting the road from our place in Dunden is it takes a long time to get to I-75 heading north. I’ve never timed it but I’d guess it takes about an hour, minimum or more if at rush hour. UGH! Today it took 58 minutes; we got on I-75 at exactly 8:30 am. This may not seem like a big deal but when returning from a long trip that last hour seems like hell.

What are the odds? So its 9:26 and I see a Flying Scot entering the highway from an on ramp, its BRIGHT yellow, nothing stands out more than this except maybe a school bus. Then I realize it is connected to the back of Ron Pletsch’s truck, so it must be that old boat #341 that he has been working on. It looked really good in the next lane, he did a nice job of it. Did I say this thing is yellow?

Here's Ron with the YELLOW boat after arriving at the club. The picture does it no justice.

Its 10:32 am and we notice we have only covered 160 miles. Some quick math produces an average speed of only 53 mph for the first 3 hours, shit, at this pace it will take like 3 days to get there. It is time to get serious and quit stopping at every rest area we encounter.

At about 12:15 we stop for gas at the first exit into Georgia. Sort of the “moment of truth” for the new (used) Honda Odyssey van we bought recently. I am missing Clifford (the old Suburban) but one thing that could ease the pain would be some good gas mileage from the Van. Again, some quick math shows we just missed 20 mpg, not too bad for towing. I am a little disappointed that we are only 4 or 5 hours into the trip and I cannot get comfortable, my back hurts, as it has for about the last month. Clifford was way cool for long trips.

On the bright side it is a nice day for travel. We hit only brief patches of rain which lasted a few miles but most of the day was sunny and hot. For the most part the traffic was fairly light and thankfully there were no accidents or tie –ups. With good conditions, we began to pick up the pace, by the end of the day we stopped just outside Richmond VA. We covered 801 miles in 12 hours and 15 minutes for an average of 65.4 miles per hour for the day. The Van seems to be happy and in a groove at about 80 mph so that is a good thing. The A/C is really cold…another good thing.

The Van and Piggy at the Econo Lodge outside Richmond VA

We noticed that the attractions along the highway and the motels seem pretty empty for a Friday night. Even the world famous “South of the Border” looked deserted and maybe closed, couldn’t tell for sure since it was still daytime. We wondered if gas prices are keeping people from traveling….you think about a lot of relatively meaningless things during a long road trip.

The eerily empty Econo Lodge, not sure what to make of this place...

Settled in at the Econo Lodge and the beer is really hitting the spot and we're happy about being only 2 hours away from Deltaville. Our plan for tomorrow is to be registered, have the sails measured, the boat weighed, and in the water by tomorrow afternoon!