The Irish Mist sails Lake Geneva!!!

Today was a perfect day for sailing-blue skies, warm breezes and lots of help setting the mast, rigging the lines and setting the sails.  (My apologies for inaccurate seaman lingo.  I will learn.)
The pictures tell the story.

Boat, trailer and previous owners(Tim and Barb) arrive

Fist step, rig (attach lines to) the mast.  Jenne works the ground part while Tim and Jim work from inside the boat.

Do not tangle the lines.

Lesson 101 on tiller and rudder installation

The Marina staff have never launched a cat boat.  It is a good thing Tim is here to supervise.

Placing the boat under the hoist to set the mast.

Mast,gaff,  and boom are temporarily removed so that the wooden transport supports can be removed.

Barb and I are busy stuffing all the extra sails, winter cover and wooden support in our car. 

   

Lifting the mast

Finally, into the water

More securing and attaching needed.

 

Jenne tapes the mast "skirt" in place.

The hole in the bottom is for  maintaining the propeller.

In the meantime, I have "landlubber" duty.  I got the title changed, paid for the license and the state taxes.  The Irish Mist is legal.

I'm camped out in the parking lot waiting for my ship to come in.

I repacked the car to stow the wooden transport supports under all this so we'd have room for Jenne on the way home.  Winter cover, extra sails, rudder paint and assorted fluids for the engine etc.  

First sighting.  Initially there was no wind and they had to crank up the motor.  Tim decided to show them how to reef the 

sail.  And then, the wind picked up and they "scooted" along at 3 knots they rest of the way.

Jenne took this picture as they approached Geneva Inn's dock

Tacking to come about.



Securing the sail.




Heading for #10 slip

Lines secured fore and aft.

 Sail cover secured.

Bright red 2016 Wisconsin License.  The Irish Mist is safe from the Lake Geneva Boat Police!!
This complete Ship Log #1. Date: May 16, 2013 16:30

Sail Boat Planning Dry Run May 12, 2013

 Today we scoped out the boat slip, the Marina that will hoist the mast and launch the boat and where to get the license and title changed.   We've provisioned with a map to Lake Geneva, auto inflation life preservers, and other miscellaneous lines and "stuff."  Jim is sooooo excited!!!

Geneva Inn has a wonderful area for docking behind the hotel

View from the slip

View from the hotel patio 

Slip #10 will be the summer home for the Irish Mist

Jenne and Jim perform manual inflation testing of their auto inflation life preservers.

The back story
Jim's dream of owning a sailboat will happen this week. He's had the "Irish Mist " named for 51 years since he sailed Lake Michigan as a teenager with his brother.  I used to tease him that he couldn't buy a sailboat until after I got my grand piano   Well, he bought that for me as a surprise for our 25th wedding anniversary.  Although he's "shopped" the internet for years, and I've encouraged him to buy, or rent, or crew on a sailboat, last year was the year he gave himself permission to buy one.  He found his favorite type of sailboat, an 18ft cat with a marconi rig in Sturgeon Bay, WI.  It is a perfect one man sailboat with a center board. (I have declined to be a reliable first mate). He test sailed it last October and bought it.  The previous owners  stored it there for the winter and will deliver it to Lake Geneva on May 16.  Jenne and Jim have completed 2 of their 6 sailing lessons at the Kenosha Yacht Club.

Coming Back to Wisconsin April 6, 2013

We left Arizona 3 days early due to those pesky winter(this time Walda) storms that come across Colorado and snow up Raton Pass ( our route back through Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.)  Those intense blue skies followed us through Raton Pass.

 

 Snow covered Rocky  Mountains in the distance.

April 8, 2013  Davenport, Iowa.  Our motel room overlooked the Mississippi River which appears to be back to a high water level.

 

 Mississippi River - no rain but 50 degrees and cloudy.

Journey's end.  Safe and sound.  Thank you, Lord

April 4 Desert Flowers full bloom

Time to head back to WI.  Our time here was wonderful!  We visited our favorite places and a few new ones.  The desert flowers were different this year.  I guess this is not so unusual depending on the Nov thru Jan  rainfall and the optimal temperature.  Here are the comparison pictures from our favorite garden Tohono Chul.

 Feb 16

April 6, 2013

 This is a pomegranate tree.  We don't have these trees in Wisconsin!!

My Columbine flowers NEVER get this large and I won't see any blossoms until June.

These are my favorites, but they did not flourish this year.

Goodbye till next year.

Last Day at Tohono Chul and Arizona Critters April 4, 2013

Last year, I remembered seeing this quote but could not find it again till this year.  It was on one of the benches that are scattered around Tohono Chul Gardens.  Although the desert landscape continues to intrigue me, I love this description from someone who really loved the desert.

 Mr Lizard paused to pose for me

Very nervous little ground squirrel on  the look out for possible trouble.

A rattlesnake.  We gave him all the time he needed to cross the path.

Hummingbird getting a quick drink.

And of course, here is my favorite critter, Horacio, the Great Horned Owl.   I had not heard him who hooo ing lately.  I was walking around the complex and just as I was wondering if he was gone, I heard Who hooo hoo and there he was.