We have a fleet of J-24s as part of our boat club, and Pete, the sailing
instructor for the youth program, was also an avid J-24 racer. His racing
experience alone amounts to about 25 years. Anyway, we got to our mooring
one afternoon this past season and he had not been able to start his 6-hp
outboard, so Pete was sailing in, doing short tacks up the river, jolly crew
on board and nothing particularly wrong. As he came by, Pete said, ³I¹m
sailing in because the damned motor won¹t start, but it¹s not a problem.²
What was funny to watch was the Coast Guard Auxiliary, putt-putting along
behind them (looking confused as hell at every tack). There were several
geezers in the CG boat, one of whom had a line coiled and ready to throw in
a nanosecond. They came by shaking their heads. ³His motor won¹t start, but
he won¹t take a tow,² they said. I said, ³He¹s the SAILING instructor. It¹s
not a problem.² But they shook their heads some more and followed him all
the way to the dock. Shockingly, he docked without incident. I am sure they
chalked it up to blind luck.
--Dave Shugarts
C-27 #4866 Cahoots (1981)
SR, A4, Outboard, Tiller, Dinette
Newtown (Housatonic River), CT
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Website: http://www.BoatDiddly.com
~~~~_/)~~~~~~~~~~~~(\_~~~~
~~~~~ (\_~~~~
On 12/24/07 10:39 AM, "Joe McCary" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> About 3 decades ago (actually 1978) I had just purchased a new car and a new
> house and then scrapped together the money for a 22¹ Seafarer. I had an old
> outboard on it. And after a few weeks it died. I didn¹t have the money for a
> new engine then so I rationalized that the British blockaded the French coast
> for several years in ships that were NOT as Weatherly as my modern sloop and
> they never lost a ship in the process. So I sailed for a summer with out and
> engine. Of course I watched close the wind conditions and predictions. I
> would not go out if no wind was forecast. I had a ball and tacking up a narrow
> channel to the creek to my slip got me some strange looks, but hey it is a
> sailboat! I am not si sure if I would do that today but IF I had to I know I
> could.
>
> Joe McCary
> Aeolus II #4795
> West River, MD
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
> On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
> There is a guy in this part of the Chesapeake who has a sailboat of about 27'
> (make unknown to me), use to have an inboard engine but now only uses a
> sculling oar as auxiliary power. He sails all over the Bay with the boat.
>
> I'm happy to have a diesel waiting to sputter to life when needed. However, as
> a former Boy Scout, First Class...I can scull if I really need to do so...but
> that would have to be a life and death situation...of course, sculling would
> probably kill me so on second thought, I wouldn't scull if I had to. So just
> skip this paragraph.
>
> Dave T.
>
