Coming soon: “What the hell was that noise and why is there so much water coming out of that water jug?” details of our last adventure of the season on Utah Lake and how we got Chinook home.

Today I hope to get some shots of her under sail from a distance.

Snow on Mt Timpanogos

And this was late in the day after much of the snow had already melted.

Most of my adult life I’ve wanted a boat. So I figured I would take some classes, try to go out sailing a few times to be sure I’d like it (I knew I would) and then start “seriously” looking for a boat to buy.  I tried to go sailing last week, for the first time really, (the catamaran to Buck Island in St Croix, and the hobie cat I sailed on one day about 22 years ago don’t count)  but that didn’t work out so well. (see: The non-glamourous side of sailing) So, like most of my endeavors, I ended up going  about it all ass backwards. Tuesday I purchased my first boat, a 1979 MacGregor Venture 25′. Today I sailed for the first time (on my own boat) and tomorrow morning I am getting my first sailing lesson. 

Wish me luck.

When we arrive to the marina Hugh makes some comment about the spiders. Apparently its been a month since Hugh sailed last and I can attest, leaving a boat for that long at that marina results in your vessel being virtually cocooned  in spider webs. The GSL is famous for the Brine Shrimp (sea monkeys) and Brine flies. The abundance of flies leads to an abundance of spiders, most notably the Araneidae, or the common Orb Weaver. These suckers get big. I saw some as big as a silver dollar (including legs). But I’m sure they are great for all the migratory birds the lake plays host to.

When we get to the slip, I realize Hugh’s boat was not purchased for its beauty. She is definitely showing her age, and the brightwork … isn’t. Even the brightwork that is still on the boat, obviously hasn’t been bright for years.

As we board, Hugh tells me we need to lower the mast to fix the halyard that had jumped the block the last time he took her out on the lake. I figured, okay, no problem, just tell me what to do. It wouldn’t have been so bad, if Hugh had known what to do himself, or if he had bothered to tell me he was clueless.

So I follow along as Hugh removes the boom and sail, loosens the shrouds, detaches the jib stay, ties a rope to the stay, hands me the rope and … removes the bolt that the mast is supposed to pivot on. I’m sure anyone who has spent any time on a sailboat (or anyone familiar with physics) will realize that Hugh has just removed his footing and the 27′ mast is going to pivot on Hugh’s shoulder rendering me and the rope virtually useless. But I figured, it’s his boat, he must know what he’s doing. That myth was quickly shattered when the mast came crashing down on the transom railing. The aluminum mast was no match for the steel handrail. The mast has a large dent next to the track (I’m sure there is a proper name but I don’t know it), and it is slightly bent. Hugh figures it will be okay, fixes the halyard at the block, and we get the mast standing again. As we are re-attaching the rigging, Hugh pushes the mast towards the bow to assist in reattaching the stay, but in the process breaks the bolt that holds the starboard aft shroud to the deck.

“Thats okay, we’ll just tie it to the handrail for now and I’ll fix it later.”

“Great.” I think to myself.

So we get everything put back together, fire up the outboard and begin to head out on the lake. 

On the way out, there were very few flies, the wind was gently blowing and it really was a pleasant experience and a beautiful day.

When we have cleared the buoys Hugh kills the outboard and begins to raise the sail. The sail goes up smoothly, until it reaches the dent. The mast was dented a little too much to allow the slug to pass by it. My hopes of sailing the Great Salt Lake were shattered, for that day at any rate.

As we begin to head back to the marina, the flies suddenly bombard the boat and it feels as though we aren’t moving as there is no breeze. We conclude it is a result of a tailwind and current that is moving at the rate we are. The flies are a bit annoying but rather harmless. The outboard motor on Hugh’s boat is a short shaft and not real powerful, so I’m sure with a little more speed, the flies would not have been an issue.

We dock back at Hugh’s slip and decide to remove the mast again (the correct way this time, much easier and safer) so Hugh can fix or replace it at a later time without requiring any additional help.

So I didn’t actually get to sail, but I enjoyed the experience, and definitely learned a lot, mainly what not to do and what not to buy.

I’ve heard from a couple of sailors and I’ve read on a couple of websites that the GSL is actually a great lake to sail (pun completely shamelessly intended). For those of you have been to the shores of the GSL know how putrid it can smell. But apparently, beyond the water break (I think that’s what it’s called, still learning) it is a beautiful lake with no unpleasant odors, and NO (or very few) motor boats.

I will report back tomorrow about the accuracy of these statements.

Since Natalie’s last name is legally hyphenated, she gets some interesting versions like: Beresh Dance or Dan Bereshnyi Natalie

I’m thinking I might send this back to GE informing them Mr. Dand has moved, his new address is (insert creative fictitious address here).

For obvious reasons I can’t (won’t) talk about the details of the experience, but I will say, I could have almost (possibly) been on camera, but the guy they asked me to sit-in for returned before his character was needed again. Oh well, it was rather exciting being rushed off to the wardrobe trailers to get costumed, and rushed back “just in case the next shot needed ‘my’ character”. However I was almost a little insulted when the guy returned and hardly looked like me at all. He was shorter, rounder and had more hair (longer and more of it). If you see the movie, during the basketball scene, see if you can spot anyone that looks remotely like me at the officials/announcers table.

It was a long day starting at 3pm ending at 4:30am, it got somewhat boring at times, but it should be good money, and a nice change to the concert hall and theatre.

Some of you … actually, many of you … who am I kidding, all three of you, I’m sure recall, I already had a blog, but it’s been a while since I updated it and my brother made fun of it because it was lame, and he was right. Last night after the concert I was visited by the person whose blog inspired me to start my own. Kristin Fellows  was one of the stage managers at Libby Gardner Concert Hall when I was working there. Kristin inspired me to give it another go (blogging that is). With my renewed inspiration, I realized I had stopped blogging because I wasn’t thrilled about the page I had built, like  I said, it was pretty lame.  So  I visited my brother & sister-in-laws blog, Livin’ on St Croix, which is a great blog, and a terrific resource if you ever plan to visit the Caribbean, more importantly, it’ll convince you that St. Croix is a must see when you do. At the very bottom of the Livin’ on St Croix blog, in a tiny font it says “Livin’ on St. Croix running on WordPress“. That’s how I found the new home for my blog. Hopefully this one won’t be so lame. Wish me luck.