Picked the wrong day to put the mast up on the Sailboat

Brent Dowell

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So, we are trying to get our sail boat ready to run again. Used to keep it in a slip in California, but since we moved we've had so much to do around this place it just kind of fell into a bit of disrepair.

The last couple of weeks have been warm, but nice. Sometimes in the summer we get several days of super hot weather that kind of spawn 'monsoon' types of thunderstorms that do nothing but bring clouds, lightening, and fire. No moisture, so they just cause fires.

So nothing was in the forecast today and this morning I started doing some work on the boat. Decided I needed to get the mast up so I could get all the sheets, halyards, and lines off it to clean them up.

Then today it started to get cloudy in the afternoon and thunder starts rolling through the valley...

I went out there about an hour ago and I heard a weird 'tik tik tik tik' noise coming from the boat. There's nothing on that boat now. No batteries, nothing. We are cleaning it up.

The tik tik noise varied from 1 per second to sounding like a 120 beat on a metronome... Best as I can figure the static electricity was building up in the rigging and somehow was finding a way to ground somewhere through the boat. I'm guessing the skeg on the motor, but I wasn't going to get close enough to find out what with the lightning and thunder out and about.

Seems like the little bit if moisture we just got tempered it down.

I think tomorrow I'll pound a metal stake in the ground and hook some old jumper cables up to it to ground it until I take the mast down...

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Oh man i envy you going sailing. Long time since i was on a boat. Lot of work to prepare it though, they like high maintenance woman a sailing boat.:D How are the main sails after all the storage?
 
Sails are all fine. Engine is a little rough, bottom needs some painting...

We had some good times on that boat in the California delta. Overnights are a lot of fun. Can't wait to get everything sorted out again and have some good times on it. If we don't might as well sell the darn thing, but I'd rather use it than lose it...
 
Sails are all fine. Engine is a little rough, bottom needs some painting...

We had some good times on that boat in the California delta. Overnights are a lot of fun. Can't wait to get everything sorted out again and have some good times on it. If we don't might as well sell the darn thing, but I'd rather use it than lose it...

Brent , I envey you don't sell it sail it. can't you find a marina on lake tahoe ??
 
Ok no one has asked this question so i guess i will have to stir up the pot here. Out of the two of you who is the skipper and who is the crew.:D

Hard to tell. We are a pretty good couple. Sometimes one of us is in charge, other times the other. We call it team work...
 
Ive rented pontoon boats a few times out on Lake Mead.
In our younger days, my wife and I used to find a secluded spot and skinny dip in the middle of the day. I really miss those days, but lake Mead has to be one of the most beautiful lakes on earth. Must be some thrill to take out a sail boat there.
 
@Allen - Lake Mead, yes it is...the water got so low at one point, we rented a houseboat for a change. Absolutely love going through the narrow canyon.

@Rob - I let him do all the heavy lifting, but sometimes he gets mad at how fast I can get it going at times. But I will say he is the "Captain".

I do see skinny dipping in our future. :rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
hope it all turns out well brent and sharon,, but this picture reminds me of the movie with those two old guys in texas i think and had two lions and a yacht in the barn...just looks outa place in your landscape but the pyramid lakes are definitly large enough for it..and they are just over the hill:)
 
Yup, Pyramid lake is just over the hill. Very popular with boaters around here on weekends.

It's a trailerable sailboat. The mast actually goes up and down pretty easily.

I can get it rigged and ready to launch in about 40 minutes.

Just needs a good cleaning, a little painting, and some motor maintenance and we should be good to go. :thumb:
 
dont forget to check for snakes:eek::eek: they can crawl up and around alot things that most wouldnt think they can..wouldnt want to wake up one am with a creepy crawley thing next to you:eek:
 
Brent , I envey you don't sell it sail it. can't you find a marina on lake tahoe ??

I have a feeling lake tahoe would be muy expensivo...

We kept it in a slip for years, I think now we'll just keep it trailerable...

dont forget to check for snakes:eek::eek: they can crawl up and around alot things that most wouldnt think they can..wouldnt want to wake up one am with a creepy crawley thing next to you:eek:

Thanks for that Larry! I'm really not a fan of those slithering reptiles...
 
Way back in the early '70's I had a little 16' day sailer when my first wife and I lived in Foster City, CA... It was her idea to get the boat, but she would never let me take it out in the bay to really learn how to sail it... I always tell people that it cost me $2000 to find out my wife didn't like to sail.:dunno::rofl::rofl:
 
Took my sister out on the boat in the California delta once.

The delta can get quite breezy, and this particular boat is a bit 'tippy'.

Some people just don't like it when the boat is on the level! :rofl:

I always had a pretty good time sailing it and would take it out single handed sailing every now and then.
 
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