Another Early Start Predicted for 2013 Sail Season!

[brucybaby]

I'm a northerner ... and a sailing nut: Last years season started amazingly on Mar 19th. A beautiful eighty four degree day. Thinking back, I had to get rid of a groundhog that had been digging around my house. Hmmmm, I'm not normally a superstitious kind of guy. I don't hate groundhogs, actually cute little furry things. I love to see them playing in the neighbors yard.




If it looks like it's going to be sunny on Feb 2, here's my plan to hedge against a late start.

http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/Gro ... /id/384547

Looking forward to beginning the season in March once again!

[K.C. Walker]

I'm in coastal Connecticut which is "Southern New England" but we've had snow cover most of the month. However, people are sailing around here already. We had a January thaw a little over a week ago. I went walking with a friend down in the state park where I often launch my boat in the summer. It was a balmy 45° and the water temperature was the same. The wind was gusting to 45 miles an hour with a good constant 30. Sure enough, there were three people out windsurfing and two people kite boarding.

I stopped to talk to a couple of the windsurfers. One woman was rigging up and I asked her what size sail she was going to use. She said 3.5 m and her goal was to not be rescued. She was actually a pretty good sailor. The guy I talked to had his GPS and said his fastest run of the day was 44 miles an hour! In talking to someone else I found out that guy was with the Coast Guard and his friends told him, "no way we are coming out to rescue you in this stuff".

What a difference a week makes! After the thaw we had a cold snap that's got all the ponds and even the saltwater Bay frozen solid. Well, that makes black ice which means ice yachting! A couple of friends of mine were out sailing their DN and said the ice was a 9. I guess January is the month of speed sailing around here!

I keep thinking the way to go sailing in winter is to go to the British Virgin Islands, but maybe I just need to buy some more sailing gear.

[brucybaby]

Last year,this is what I was doing on March 20. Punxutawney Phil saw his shadow.

http://youtu.be/uw6rBI--gsQ

.... and this year he didn't...


MYTH BUSTED!!!!

[jeadstx]

Spring came into central Texas hard last night. It has been fairly nice for about a week, Monday was in the low 90's, today suppose to be in the low 70's.

For those of you in the north, I remember that the groundhog predicted an early spring. I think the"rat" lied.

John

[K.C. Walker]

+1 for the rat lied! At least it's sunny today and has melted most of the recent snow.

[Breakin Wind]

+2 on the rat

Last year, on this upcoming weekend we rolled the dock into the lake and launched the pontoon (still had a little more land work to do on Breakin Wind). I suppose I could still put the dock in tomorrow again, but this time it definitely would be "on" the lake and I'd still have to wait a couple weeks for it to melt through before I can put the boat in... hmmm.... maybe put the boat "on" too...

Anybody ever tried a Daysaler as an ice racer?

[GreenLake]

Keep it simple, just leave it on the trailer and put blades on all the wheels.

Now how to set up the tiller linkage...

[seandwyer]

+3 regarding the rat. It was in the teens several nights last week with a few snow showers that didn't amount to anything. But now it's snowing. Has been off and on all day and is supposed to all night, into tomorrow, maybe more tuesday...and I live in "southern" Ohio. Last year, it was warm, but honestly, I think I feel better with this weather. Last year was too warm and summer too hot. Here's to hoping for something normal.