Dear Capt. Noah T'all,
 
I was sailing on the lake a few weeks ago enjoying a wonderful warm summer afternoon with moderate to light breezes when the sky to the west began to darken ominously and in the distance we could hear thunder.  Fortunately, we were on our way home and already in Big Creek so we got in while the sun was still shining.  My question is what should I have done if I had could not have made it back to the dock before the storm hit?
 
Martha Darkcloud
 
Martha,
 
Being caught in thunderstorm is never any fun.  However, we sail in an area where thunder boomers are common, so the odds are that sooner are later you are going to caught out.  There are four phenomena that are associated with a thunderstorm.  Three of them you have to worry about and the fourth you need to pay attention to.  The first thing that is associated with a thunderstorm is heavy rain.  The rain can be so intense that it can severely limit your visibility.  The second issue is strong wind.  The third is of course lightning.  The final element is thunder.  Thunder while scary can be your friend by providing you an early warning.   Below is a list of things you should do to stay safe during thunderstorm season.
 
1.       The best tactic is to avoid a thunderstorm altogether.  Before you leave the dock check, the weather forecast.  The dock staff monitors the weather via the Internet.  Ask what the radar looks like before you go out.  If the cells are close hang out on the dock for few extra minutes to let them blow past.  If the storm is a little further out you might go out but stay close to home.
 
2.       No matter how closely you monitor the weather, thunderstorms can pop up quickly, so you need to stay alert and watch the sky while you are out.   Look for quickly building clouds with dark bottoms.  Listen for thunder and watch for lightening.  If you see any of these signs, especially the thunder and lightning, it is time to be heading for home.
 
3.       Okay, you are not going to make it back before the storm hits.  What now?

The answer to last month's question of what does handsomely mean in a nautical context is handsomely - With a slow, even motion, as when hauling on a line "handsomely".
 
For next time, when are you technically on a boat or ship?
 
Sail Safe,

Capt. Noah T'all 

The demented folks at the Passport Sailing Club have created "The Scurvy Sailor Merit Contest" in an effort to understand the fun challenges of the sailing lifestyle. 

 

A list of thirty (30) sailing merit badges have been compiled below.  These tasks/badges are designed to expose, promote and recognize the true masters of the Lake Lanier Sailing Lifestyle.   

 

This contest is a self paced marathon that begins June 1st 2009 with the competition completion to be held during the E.T. Challenge in 2010.  Monthly updates of members accomplishments and admissions will be posted and recognized for all to envy.  Special prizes will be rewarded to the scurvy-est and crazy-est sailors of The Passport Sailing Club ! 

 

 

2nd place prize is a Free Coastal Nav. Course (CNAV 105) with a retail value of $ 325 !!

 

Win (3) PSC Club races/regattas (same day)

Sail with your Mother in law on Lake Lanier

Lose (3) PSC Club races/regattas (same day)

Provide an interesting article for our newsletter

Dock a boat stern first into a PSC slip

Wear the best "Yacht Club Custom" to the 2009  E.T. Challenge

Sail with your boss on Lake Lanier

Install LSA T-shirt in Sidney's Peace & Love Bar (in BVI's)

Sail/boat in 100 degree heat

Sail naked without getting arrested

Tie Knots: double beckett bend, flying bowline, bowline, monkey's fist and thieves knot (same day)

Show your best sailor tattoo to Capt. John

Refer/register a friend for a BKB course

Sail with your Father in law

Photo of you with Foxy (in BVI's)

Sail with your teenage daughter (happily)

Create a sun tattoo with LSA's logo

Sail in 30 degree temps

Watch the ASA Coastal Nav DVD without falling asleep

Wear a Speedo to a regatta party

Sail to the bridge & dam on the same day

Sing your favorite Jimmy Buffet song at a regatta party

Participate in both the E.T. Challenge and Penguin Regattas

Donation of sailing/tropical music CD to dock's sound system

Complete a body shot from Capt. Kurt's navel

Sail to Baldridge Marina (no motoring)

Wear a bikini to a regatta party

Volunteer to cook for a regatta cookout

Sail/charter in an exotic vacation destination

Most senior club member (longest membership)

 

Merit badge check off sheets will be available and maintained at the dock for all participants.  Each task must be reviewed and notarized by Matt when completed.  Proof of task completions must be presented to verify participant's progress. 

 

Good Luck to All !!

 

This is not going to be a long technical thesis on how to adjust your stays and corsets or how much mast rake makes you chic and unique.  To figure that stuff out just go to the Internet and Google "tuning your rig" and you will get pages of helpful hints. If you are flush with cash you can buy books, CD's and attend clinic.  Or you could always write a letter to that crotchety old Capt. Noah T'all. The tuning I am talking about is tapping into the soundtrack that accompanies your sailing life.
 
Let me start by saying that I have eclectic musical tastes.  At any given moment, you will find me listening to just about anything on the boat from Bach to Buffet. Some blues or maybe a little country, occasionally a touch of classical is just the thing.  You could hear big band music or you might hear the theme to Gilligan's Island. 
 
My mood or the mood I am trying to inspire drives most of what I listen to.   Sometimes my musical choice is event driven.  Leaving dock is a perfect time to hear  "Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies, we hope in a short while to see you again" as I wave goodbye to all the lovelies lining the dock as I depart.   Sometimes when the wind has gotten up and I have waited to too long to reef I can hear  "Going to hell in a bucket baby, but at least I'm enjoying the ride" from the Grateful Dead.  Maybe when I have run my little ship aground (temporally, on a soft cushion of sand of course) the juke box in my head might punch up old number 37 "Now I guess I'll have to tell 'em that I've got no cerebellum" by the Ramones.  When crew coordination and cooperation is not all it should be, then "The Italian mobster shoots a lobster, Seafood restaurant gets out of hand" by the Clash might pop in my head.   When I'm navigating, Drivin' N Cryin's "Lost and found and lost again" seems most appropriate. Approaching the dock after a week or two of being on the briny blue and thinking about being reunited with my baby, Francine Reed singing "meet me with your black drawers on" pretty much says it all.      
 
Then there are the times when I want to set the mood.  On regatta days no pre-race ritual is complete with out the theme from Tom Slick, "In the thunder boat grease slapper once he's on your tail.  He won't quit because you know there's no such word as fail to Tom Slick".   If I am trying to set the mood for amore then  "cause it's cold and lonely on the briny blue, I can see paradise by the anchor lights" by Meat Loaf, sort of.  Sunset on a boat is a time for introspection and contemplation; Amazing Grace on the bagpipes will help you find your chi.  Then there are those days when the wind is perfect, the temperature warm and the boat is balanced and screaming for the horizon, Glenn Millers "In the Mood" will set your toe to tapping as the boat does her dance with wind and wave.
 
So come on down to the dock because "Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came." 
 
_/) Cheers!
 
Honez
 
Thanks to everybody who contributed lyric and song selections. 

Docking Clinic

Spinnaker Clinic

Anchoring Clinic

Coastal Navigation Clinic

The Fine Art of Sun Tanning Native Style  :-)