So long 2023...

[T-Schwan]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

- Charles Dickens

Sounds like Chuck had a wild year, but how was yours?

Did you get out on the water as much as you hoped? Buy a new boat or sell an old one? Make an awesome modification to boat or trailer?

Share your year with us, and here’s to a better one in 2024!

 

[kappykaplan]

Did you get out on the water as much as you hoped?

Not even close - but I did enjoy what little time I got.

 

[dLj]

It's been a great year for me. I retired and started a North Atlantic circumnavigation. Can't complain.

2024 will see me becoming a grandfather. Another stellar year!!!

dj

 

[Tally Ho]

I day-sailed about 40 times in 2023….still working my 9-5 job, so got out Wednesday nights and once or twice on the weekends. I did do a 3-day, 2-night at anchor trip on the south end of Lake Michigan. We don’t have many doves, bays, etc, so just anchored near shore with out much protection. Have to carefully pick the right weather window!

This year, Friday and Friday night were Ok. Saturday was over cast and not a lot of wind. Forecast was for stronger winds on Sunday. I woke up at 4:30 Sunday morning with building North winds blowing me towards the lee shore. I wasn’t dragging, but it was uncomfortable. I made coffee and breakfast, waited until daylight, and then got my foulies on and started the engine. I had to manually pull the anchor up, get back to the cockpit and get the motor in gear before the wind blew me backwards toward the beach. Pucker factor was high, but I got things sorted out and motored home safely in a nasty storm.

I am retiring in March, so looking forward to getting many more sailing days in for 2024!

New Max Prop waiting to be installed before launching in the spring!



Wife and I heading to Maui for a month before returning to work for a few weeks and retiring March 1. A few minths of travel (Florida and Canada) in March & April, the home to launch Tally Ho in May…then 150 days or sailing


Cheers,


Greg

 

[WayneH]

I broke my left tibia in November '22, spent 6 months in several casts, got out of the last one and a week later rebroke it. Dr said it was not healing correctly and so I got a rod inserted. After limping around for a year, I am constantly stopping my walking so that I can start over NOT LIMPING. Too unstable to get out on the boat away from the dock most of the year. Just now, feeling comfortable enough to take the boat out.

But I keep repeating my dad's saying. "I am vertical and ventilating. It's a good day." Spent the last three months working on boat projects trying to get ready to head out to the Bahamas in March. Hoping that 2024 is a lot better than 22 or 23. But that's a low bar this time.

 

[Dalliance]

2023 was a great season for me and I broke my record. I got out day sailing a total of 47 days, 40 of them on Dalliance, and I did 59 overnights on the boat in my harbor. All in the short Chicago sailing season, which for me was from the last week of May through the first week of October.

The end of the season was both frustrating and sort of an adventure. I took the sails off October 7th for an October 11 Chicago River delivery to winter storage (One lock and 23 draw bridges through downtown.), then had to wait until November 1st because the last bridge, a 108 year old vertical lift railroad bridge, was out of order. By then, the weather was below freezing and there was freezing rain and snow the day before. I’m a fair weather sailor, so I had never started my little Yanmar 2GM diesel in such cold weather and was concerned it might not start. So I went to the boat during a Halloween day snow squall, opened the engine compartment, plugged in my space heater and reluctantly left it on overnight.

The engine started right up the next morning and the unintended benefit was that the side decks and cabin-top were dry and ice free. It was freezing, but sunny on delivery day and we were the only boat in our river trip group of 14 boats that morning that didn’t have an inch of treacherous ice on the decks.

 

[Terry Cox]

You can watch my PNW Summer Cruise 2023 video over on the "Show Us Your Boat Videos", forum to see what I did in 2023. Just say'n.

 

[kloudie1]

I didn’t get out nearly enough. My good memory for the year was sailing Pensacola Bay with a buddy and getting to see the Americas Cup boats practicing. Impressive to see them come screaming by at 40 knots.
lingering trouble with my replaced knee and prostate surgery slowed me down a bit in ‘23 but ‘24 is going to be much better!

 

[dlochner]

Did you get out on the water as much as you hoped?

Hahahahahaha......

Second Star was launched, towed to its slip. Left once to get pumped out and left again to get hauled out for winter. Not a stellar year for many reasons. Three boat projects took longer than expected and killed the season. Maybe next year?

If all goes well, we'll leave in June to sail out the St Lawrence River to the Canadian Maritimes and then south. We've said that before, I don't think our marina friends believe us any more.

 

[BigEasy]

Definitely need to make sailing a higher priority in 2024. Lingering medical issue had me somewhat sidelined in 2023. First order of business is a haulout at beginning of March!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The season started out nicely enough but my heart attack while staying on the boat over the July 4th weekend was the big event for me. Thank God we weren't anchored out - we had just gotten there in the afternoon and it was hot so we decided to stay at the dock over night with air conditioning. Recovery has been better than expected and I was on the boat with my kids to sail once in September. We also moved the boat to a new marina in October before hauling out so the month was only eventful in that regard. Sue was traumatized while I have taken it in stride. We're both looking forward to a new environment this spring, but Sue is still filled with some dread and she's not thrilled about my relatively care-free attitude.

 

[jssailem]

Live and enjoy life to the fullest Scott.

I find myself in the Caribbean on a sailboat. Unknown how many more times I have to enjoy such an experience. I wake each day and am Thankful.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

The older I get, the more I become fickle, forgetful and crippled looking forward to all those medical ailments and remedies in retirement. However, i cherish those moments with my customers and manufacturers as a former sailboat dealer.

Some of you are aware I use to help make home made peach brandy in them thar Virginny mountains behind my dealership called moonshine. I gave it away as gifts never taking a red cent to keep my patootie out of trouble. About thirty years ago, I sent a gallon to Frank Butler with Catalina in California right before News Years Eve. He called asking me what to do with it. I told him to cut it 7 to one. Did he listen? No! He drank it straight. Sharon Day called me the following week to advise me that Frank was off work and things were much quieter requesting some of that shine. Later, I asked Frank if he wanted some more shine and he said hell no telling me I was not Crazy but certifiably nuts. We both laughed so hard. I told that story to Warren Luhrs, Hunter Marine and said Frank was a light weight in front of Frank in Annapolis and we all loughed. I sure do cherish those memories with my manufactures and customers

Dave

 

[Deparlocean]

We should all be grateful for the year we passed even if it was a bad one, because if we still stand here to tell our story, it is because we came through and succeeded to start another one!
Whatever comes this coming year is a bonus in our time on earth and I am grateful for that!
As for my sailing season, the main two events are sailing from Kingston Ont.CAN to Sackets Harbor NY, passing by Clayton NY, visiting their marvelous Antique Boat Museum, then on to Cape Vincent, then pass by Grenadier Island. While in Sackets Harbor we made a historic tour of the city and learned a lot about the war with Canada in 1812.
When we were going to Clayton, we managed to get tied to the municipal main docks just before the storm that was closing on us, stroke with winds of 30+knots and a wall of rain with 0 visibility. With winds of up to 20 knots and waves of 3-4 feet on lake Ontario, going and coming back from Sackets Harbor, it was sailing like I love to do!
The second event in my sailing season was sailing alongside with one couple of friend aboard their ship, through the northside of Amherst Island, the bay of Quinte, the Murray Canal, and then back to Kingston by the open (south) side of Prince Edwards peninsula in one long 10 hours sailing, stopping for a last night In Waupoos Marina, before heading back to Kingston. The anchorages and the friendship made all that beautiful!
As for 2024, we plan to make a tour of the south (US) side of lake Ontario up to Niagara with our same friends and then perhaps, if weather permits, a crossing to the north canadian side of lake Ontario. It will be another time to be remembered afterwards along with all those previous enjoyed sailing.
I wish to all of you a marvelous coming year and lots of fantastic memories to sherish!!!

Marc Ravary

 

[dlochner]

We should all be grateful for the year we passed even if it was a bad one, because if we still stand here to tell our story, it is because we came through and succeeded to start another one!
Whatever comes this coming year is a bonus in our time on earth and I am grateful for that!
As for my sailing season, the main two events are sailing from Kingston Ont.CAN to Sackets Harbor NY, passing by Clayton NY, visiting their marvelous Antique Boat Museum, then on to Cape Vincent, then pass by Grenadier Island. While in Sackets Harbor we made a historic tour of the city and learned a lot about the war with Canada in 1812.
When we were going to Clayton, we managed to get tied to the municipal main docks just before the storm that was closing on us, stroke with winds of 30+knots and a wall of rain with 0 visibility. With winds of up to 20 knots and waves of 3-4 feet on lake Ontario, going and coming back from Sackets Harbor, it was sailing like I love to do!
The second event in my sailing season was sailing alongside with one couple of friend aboard their ship, through the northside of Amherst Island, the bay of Quinte, the Murray Canal, and then back to Kingston by the open (south) side of Prince Edwards peninsula in one long 10 hours sailing, stopping for a last night In Waupoos Marina, before heading back to Kingston. The anchorages and the friendship made all that beautiful!
As for 2024, we plan to make a tour of the south (US) side of lake Ontario up to Niagara with our same friends and then perhaps, if weather permits, a crossing to the north canadian side of lake Ontario. It will be another time to be remembered afterwards along with all those previous enjoyed sailing.
I wish to all of you a marvelous coming year and lots of fantastic memories to sherish!!!

Marc Ravary

Marc, you sailed some beautiful waters. We've been enjoying them for 40 years. One thought on your plans for next year, consider going west on the north shore and coming back on the south shore. The prevailing winds on the south shore are SW to W which will have you beating to weather the whole length of the lake, it is little more favorable on the north shore and you can go up to Bellevue and Presqu'ille before dealing with the lake.

 

[Deparlocean]

Thanks for your advice, I appreciate.
I do know that prevailing winds are SW or W. That is why we did not sail from east to west on the south side of Prince Edward County since there is no place to hide on that coast if it gets rough.
I will surely take your advice in account, but I think we will make small jumps from town to town on the south side of lake Ontario up to Niagara, weather helping.
I missed that part of the lake when I came back from Traverse City on Lake Michigan in the summer 2021, with my other friend that wanted me in his crew to bring back to Cornwall Ont, his newly purchased catamaran.
We will have the time to do it since I am retired and our friends are teachers with long vacations!

 

[Deparlocean]

I should tell the story about that catamaran conveying another time!

 

[DArcy]

A few minths of travel (Florida and Canada)

Greg, if you make it to Ottawa look me up!

I only had a couple of weekends on the boat last year, hopefully more next summer. I did get out for evening sails regularly, mostly racing on a C&C115. There are still a couple of bigger boat projects to finish up so I will have time on the boat, even if it isn't sailing.

 

[FDL S2]

Sailed 58 times in 2024, 53 on my boat. Raced 22 times on my boat-Won some races and was DFL in others. Most memorable was being part of a winning crew on a J/46 in a race on Lake Michigan.

 

[Baja bash]

Always wanted to do the Baja Haha on my own boat , starts in San Diego and ends in Cabo.
So spent last summer upgrading systems on my 2004 Hunter 41. In September broke it down and shipped the boat
from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco. Re did the bottom ,changed the running rigging and standing rigging.
Sailed down to San Diego then joined 100 other boats for a rally to Cabo on Oct. 30th.
Boat is currently in a marina in LaLaz , will do some island exploring the sail north in May.