I'm on the boat

randyp · Post by **randyp** » Thu May 06, 2010 8:17 pm

Finally. Launched last week, but no time to spend overnight. I'm here today watching the sun go down and the wind is HOWLING, so it's gonna be a frosty night in upstate NY! But I'm on my 4th Smithwicks and the heater's crankin away. Tomorrow is set aside to wash the deck and put away all the crap that's been in sitting in bins down cellar. This is my 33rd season on the lake and my 10th season on the mightly Blue Heron. Hope all of you have a great season wherever you are, and keep the Trojan Forum up and running.

jimbo36 · Post by **jimbo36** » Thu May 06, 2010 8:45 pm

randyp, that's quite a picture you paint of your evening. Sounds real neat. I am north of you in southern Ontario and the wind is howling here too. Hope you have a great season as well. jimbo36

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Fri May 07, 2010 3:52 am

Glad you're in the water. Sounds cold but with a good brew and the heater cranking on your Trojan - hard to beat it.

I am still on the hard doing updates that have to be done before launch with anticipated launch date of May21st so we are definitely getting ready and can't wait.

Danny Bailey · Post by **Danny Bailey** » Fri May 07, 2010 8:39 pm

You northern guys are tough. It has been in the high 80's here today but will drop in the 70's tonight....brrrr. What's a Smithwick

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Fri May 07, 2010 9:47 pm

Smithwick is a red Irish ale made in Kilkenny, Ireland - great stuff!

MattSC · Post by **MattSC** » Fri May 07, 2010 10:23 pm

I'm jealous, still have about two weeks to go.... Hope you have a great season

foofer b · Post by **foofer b** » Sat May 08, 2010 5:25 am

Holy smokes, guys, went fishing yesterday inshore St. Augustine and it was a cool 92 in the shade.

LandVF36 · Post by **LandVF36** » Sat May 08, 2010 9:46 am

I little cold here again in MN. While we've already had a few 80 degree days this spring, today its 37 and not expected to get above 50 until 3 or 4PM. I was going to be in the yard today, re-assembling the flybridge after a complete re-paint over the last four weeks, but the winds woudl just make that miserable. A little too cold to add some varnish to the brightwork around the decks too. So jealous of you southern boaters...

chauzer · Post by **chauzer** » Sun May 09, 2010 12:04 pm

glad i'm not in the water yet! had two inces of snow saturday night. the weather better start turning around because there is salmon to be caught!!

foofer b · Post by **foofer b** » Sun May 09, 2010 7:28 pm

you have salmon all the way in Wisconsin?

ready123 · Post by **ready123** » Sun May 09, 2010 8:33 pm

foofer b wrote:you have salmon all the way in Wisconsin?

they are in Superior and Michigan lakes.... so

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Sun May 09, 2010 8:33 pm

We have lots of salmon, both Kings and Cohos in the Great Lakes. The largest one I have caught is about 22lbs and they like to fight. Great fishing and greater eating!

foofer b · Post by **foofer b** » Sun May 09, 2010 9:03 pm

I did not know that. Thought they were only west coast fish. They must travel a long way from the ocean to spawn.

captainmaniac · Post by **captainmaniac** » Sun May 09, 2010 9:16 pm

Finally got mine in on Thursday. Nice and clean, polished up really nice, Teak looking great! Wish I had remembered to bring the camera to get some good shots at launch, because it only looked good for about 1 day (and I was looking forward to sharing pics with the forum - I don't think it has ever looked better). But .... West winds about 20-30 knots on launch day (splitting the engines and turning the wheel - it still wouldn't turn it into the wind without goosing throttles big time), East winds on Friday also about 20-30 knots, followed by 30-45 knots sustained out of the NW Saturday (and gusting to 60), then 'calmed down' to about 20-25 knots today, all with intermittent thunder storms... Boat is a mess already with the rain, crap from local industry, leaves and crap from nearby trees etc... (plus the damn birds have already discovered it). I had 7 lines out, so at least there is no damage.

Oh well... at least I am doing waaaay better than a few others at the marina - a 44 Carver Aft Cabin snapped 3 lines over the weekend - all were 3/4" double braided nylon; a 44 Sea Ray Sedan lost its swim platform (pounding by wave action) and we thought it might be sinking (it is sitting about 6" lower in the water than normal), a 43 Viking popped a couple of fenders, a few other smaller boat snapped various lines, and 2 or 3 snailboats blew under the (fixed, cement) dock - they need new railings and lifelines, and some rigging repairs.

The worst one - his self furling rig was ripped out of the foredeck (along with all other hardware and bow railings he had) after he went forward and under the dock a few dozen times, the sail (brand new this year) unfurled a bit and started flapping in the winds (gusting to 60 kn) and ripped right up the middle, the forestay and furling gear were blowing all over the place (think of a 50' steel cable, with a sail on it to catch the wind, and a 40 pound weight on the end...) and have taken chunks out of his hull and the dock, lag-bolted 4x4s lining the dock have been ripped out, and he has nice 'road rash' where the foredeck rubbed under the dock, hull sides got abraded by his bow railings (hanging off the side of the boat), and his port side where he was grinding against the 4x4s under the dock... His steel toe rail is bent like pretzel where either it was rubbing on the concrete, or from pressure from the sheets attached to the self furling jib as it blew around... The winds were so strong on Saturday there was absolutely nothing we could to do get the forestay and furling rig under control - there were 5 of us trying to muscle it under control, but we decided it made more sense to just let it go and cross our fingers that nothing bad happened, than to break a few bones fighting mother nature. His boat was at the mercy of the elements from Friday until Sunday morning. They had to leave it alone and wait for winds to subside a bit today, to finally get the sail down, lash the remaining parts to the mast, pull the bow railing back up on deck and tie it down, and salvage whatever they could. TDFI (Thank <whatever Deity you believe in> For Insurance)... At least $40K to fix it right. He launched about a week ago -- if his season isn't over, he has lost at least half of it.

k9th · Post by **k9th** » Sun May 09, 2010 9:21 pm

Actually the Michigan DNR plants salmon in Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior every spring in the neighborhood of up to a million a year - at least that was the number a few years back - it may be down some now. That helps to support the local economy and fishing industry.

The Canadians are also rumored to plant salmon in Lake Huron from what I understand. I know there is a hatchery in Kincarden, ON that is rumored to plant salmon.