My girlfriend and I got lost canoeing in the Okeefenokee Swamp, and when it got dark we spent the night side-by-side in the bottom of the canoe - in the rain. She’s now my wife so I guess it was a good bonding experience.
Doug, that is intense - you both pinned down in the bottom of a canoe, in the rain with Snakes, Alligators, Mosquitoes all around you. Not only does she still talk to you but married you! I'm not sure if that says better things about you OR her? How about we settle on the both of you have serious character! Now some of us may be expecting some sailing stories from you both - I mean the canoe can't be the end of your adventures, and if that was the start I'm trying to imagine what came after! Kidding, and not so kidding. Congrats and the best to you both!
I lived aboard my Flicka at the Port of Edmonds for many years. The only reason I moved off was falling in love with my now wife, it was too small for two and she has no desire for that lifestyle. That was some of the best years of my life though, and I’m so glad I lived that dream for a while, before moving on to new dreams!
My husband and I spent weekends and 1 week vacations our first 10 years together camping out on a Com-Pac 16. We were also tent campers so at least we were a little drier in the Com-Pac. We finally decided our backs deserved an upgrade and we went to a "big boat", a Rhodes 22. We sailed that all over the Chesapeake for 18 years and up to 2 weeks at a time. Good, good times.
I think if I were writing that now, the info and the story would be the same but I (hopefully) wouldn't sound as smug about it. We decided we had aged out of the Rhodes in 2016 and went to an almost pocket trawler (a Rosborough RF-246) which we've had since them. We've had some great adventures on that boat too but we seem to be aging out of that as well. We do have great memories though. I'm glad folks are still reading that book - lots of good info.
The way you track your evolution from camping to weekend dry sail cruisers to slipped multi-day cruisers hits close to home for me, including where you did your cruising (eastern shore, MD) and what with all the space and equipment issues you encountered along the way. You surely packed a lot a ton of good info into just one chapter. The entire book is one I refer to again and again, for inspiration on how others got it done (cruising) in small sailboats.
My little 8 foot Gorfnik let me live aboard for 11 days while crossing and exploring the interior of Everglades Park- without getting out of the boat- and it was quite enjoyable. Also some other week-long trips in Québec, Maine, Maryland and New Jersey, plus countless weekends. My friend James lived aboard his for 35 consecutive days. Does this qualify it as a proven design? :)
I spent 3 months cruising the Salish Sea and beyond on my Marsh Duck, sleeping aboard all but 3 nights. She was 18 feet long, but weighed less than 200 lbs.
In 2013 I sailed a 12' AMF Puffer in the Everglades Challenge (until light winds and high seas conspired to damage my pintles and gudgeons off of Fort Myers), and I spent a number of nights both on board and camping leading up to and during the event.
I've spent 60 years sailing out of Alamitos Bay in Long Beach, CA -- home of some of the best sailing and some of the worst cruising in the world. Why? Because there's no place to sail TO -- except Catalina, across 26 miles of big water, which can be daunting in a small boat. Having said that, I've made the trip, and camped for days at a time, in a variety of small boats: seven years, 4-5 trips per year, in my Neptune 16; a friend's 18-ft Westwind; even one week-long trip on my Hobie 16 back in the '70s. Just had my 10-year-old Hobie Adventure Island completely refurbished--new steering lines, bungie cords, etc. -- and thinking about taking it across, if I can find a chase boat...
Here's a good way to deal with the raw cut end of bungee or synthetic rope: Do a single wrap with masking tape where you plan to cut. Use a sharp knife to cut through the tape and rope. Then melt the cut end with your match or torch. When you peel the remaining tape off, you'll be left with a neat end with no fraying or swelling.
Most of my overnights have been in a couple of 21-& 23' proas but I did spend one night sleeping in my 14' EasyB canoe while camping with a group on Lake Powell when the wind was really stout and the rock ledges provided neither shelter or a means to anchor a tent.
Michael and I were cruising the Bahama out islands with a 14’ Hobie Cat towing a canoe with camping gear. Some evenings we were caught along a mangrove or coral shore with no place for a tent so we had to sleep on the cool damp firm Hobie tramp. The good old days of really getting lost, like Doug in the Okeefenokee.
My girlfriend and I got lost canoeing in the Okeefenokee Swamp, and when it got dark we spent the night side-by-side in the bottom of the canoe - in the rain. She’s now my wife so I guess it was a good bonding experience.
Doug, that is intense - you both pinned down in the bottom of a canoe, in the rain with Snakes, Alligators, Mosquitoes all around you. Not only does she still talk to you but married you! I'm not sure if that says better things about you OR her? How about we settle on the both of you have serious character! Now some of us may be expecting some sailing stories from you both - I mean the canoe can't be the end of your adventures, and if that was the start I'm trying to imagine what came after! Kidding, and not so kidding. Congrats and the best to you both!
I lived aboard my Flicka at the Port of Edmonds for many years. The only reason I moved off was falling in love with my now wife, it was too small for two and she has no desire for that lifestyle. That was some of the best years of my life though, and I’m so glad I lived that dream for a while, before moving on to new dreams!
I sailed and camped aboard a Drascombe Lugger (18' 9") for many years.
My husband and I spent weekends and 1 week vacations our first 10 years together camping out on a Com-Pac 16. We were also tent campers so at least we were a little drier in the Com-Pac. We finally decided our backs deserved an upgrade and we went to a "big boat", a Rhodes 22. We sailed that all over the Chesapeake for 18 years and up to 2 weeks at a time. Good, good times.
Mary Lou, I was just reading about your Rhodes 22 experiences in Stan Grayson's book, Sailing Small (Chapter Five)!
I think if I were writing that now, the info and the story would be the same but I (hopefully) wouldn't sound as smug about it. We decided we had aged out of the Rhodes in 2016 and went to an almost pocket trawler (a Rosborough RF-246) which we've had since them. We've had some great adventures on that boat too but we seem to be aging out of that as well. We do have great memories though. I'm glad folks are still reading that book - lots of good info.
The way you track your evolution from camping to weekend dry sail cruisers to slipped multi-day cruisers hits close to home for me, including where you did your cruising (eastern shore, MD) and what with all the space and equipment issues you encountered along the way. You surely packed a lot a ton of good info into just one chapter. The entire book is one I refer to again and again, for inspiration on how others got it done (cruising) in small sailboats.
My little 8 foot Gorfnik let me live aboard for 11 days while crossing and exploring the interior of Everglades Park- without getting out of the boat- and it was quite enjoyable. Also some other week-long trips in Québec, Maine, Maryland and New Jersey, plus countless weekends. My friend James lived aboard his for 35 consecutive days. Does this qualify it as a proven design? :)
I spent 3 months cruising the Salish Sea and beyond on my Marsh Duck, sleeping aboard all but 3 nights. She was 18 feet long, but weighed less than 200 lbs.
In 2013 I sailed a 12' AMF Puffer in the Everglades Challenge (until light winds and high seas conspired to damage my pintles and gudgeons off of Fort Myers), and I spent a number of nights both on board and camping leading up to and during the event.
I've spent 60 years sailing out of Alamitos Bay in Long Beach, CA -- home of some of the best sailing and some of the worst cruising in the world. Why? Because there's no place to sail TO -- except Catalina, across 26 miles of big water, which can be daunting in a small boat. Having said that, I've made the trip, and camped for days at a time, in a variety of small boats: seven years, 4-5 trips per year, in my Neptune 16; a friend's 18-ft Westwind; even one week-long trip on my Hobie 16 back in the '70s. Just had my 10-year-old Hobie Adventure Island completely refurbished--new steering lines, bungie cords, etc. -- and thinking about taking it across, if I can find a chase boat...
A couple who lived in the same marina I did were in a 25' sloop--with 2 large dogs, labradors, as I recall.
Here's a good way to deal with the raw cut end of bungee or synthetic rope: Do a single wrap with masking tape where you plan to cut. Use a sharp knife to cut through the tape and rope. Then melt the cut end with your match or torch. When you peel the remaining tape off, you'll be left with a neat end with no fraying or swelling.
Me again. Why did I post that in this thread? I have no idea.
Most of my overnights have been in a couple of 21-& 23' proas but I did spend one night sleeping in my 14' EasyB canoe while camping with a group on Lake Powell when the wind was really stout and the rock ledges provided neither shelter or a means to anchor a tent.
Michael and I were cruising the Bahama out islands with a 14’ Hobie Cat towing a canoe with camping gear. Some evenings we were caught along a mangrove or coral shore with no place for a tent so we had to sleep on the cool damp firm Hobie tramp. The good old days of really getting lost, like Doug in the Okeefenokee.