This morning there was a strange yellow, warm, bright orb that rose in the east and is making its way across the blue sky! After what seems like an eon we have fair weather! The weather has been rainy, windy, stormy for so long that I forgot what summer is about. My lawn is green, but nearly 6 inches tall, the pool overfilled, the outside cats have been living under the boat or on the front porch for over two weeks, and the air conditioner is running to relieve the humidity in the house. Sailing? Nope!
I hear ya Brian. Send some of that rain our way - we could use it! Until just a couple of days ago, we have had daily temps of 100+ F, every day since the end of June. Just yesterday, it was bearable enough at 90 to go out and fix a pop top support that broke on the Catalina trip in June. Very much looking forward to Fall/Winter/Spring!
Hope you get back out sailing soon. We go to Channel Islands Harbor at the end of this month for our annual Anacapa Island sail, and I can't wait to get on the water again.
I'm hopeful about tomorrow morning. I now have my P15K in MAST UP STORAGE 100 yards away from the Potomac ramp at Leesylvania State Park north of Quantico and south of Woodbridge. Cannot believe my luck in hearing about this place, and it's 1/2 the price of my wet slip at Quantico.
Frank, I would be thrilled with a mast up storage, especially so close to a ramp. I don't mind the rest of the setup, bending on sails, fenders and such, but even on the P165 putting up the mast is a bit of a pain. Until a few years ago, the setup area had some overhead wires too! I have not been out much, but I try to have a crew (usually my 6 foot 200lb son). He very good at raising the mast while I guide it, and importantly helping to lower it. Truthfully, last time out, my wife did a good job of guiding the mast while I raised it. I use a block on the bow pulpit and run a line to the jib halyard, along with a mast crutch, which helps a lot.
Quote from: Quantico Frank on Sep 04, 2026, 03:45 PMI'm hopeful about tomorrow morning. I now have my P15K in MAST UP STORAGE 100 yards away from the Potomac ramp at Leesylvania State Park north of Quantico and south of Woodbridge. Cannot believe my luck in hearing about this place, and it's 1/2 the price of my wet slip at Quantico.
Great score Frank! Hopefully no wires or trees between your dry slip and the ramp? I don't see any obvious power poles in the aerial photo, but it looks like there are some overhanging trees to navigate between?
Yes, Tim, I made my acquaintance with some of those trees three times the day I first splashed the new boat going on a couple weeks ago! Fortunately no real damage other than a bent up Windex that I was able to bend back into shape. After that I looked around and the approaches to the other big ramp at the park are free of trees, and that will be the one I'll use in the future. Many of the boats in the storage facility are stored mast up, and there are some sizable ones.
Quote from: Brian N. on Sep 04, 2026, 04:41 PMFrank, I would be thrilled with a mast up storage, especially so close to a ramp.
Brian, it was pure luck. The day a few weeks ago when I first splashed Niké, I saw a guy who was getting ready to launch a P18, and went over to say hi. He's the one who told me about the storage area across the road. And something else, as I was stepping and unstepping the mast that day it seemed the P15 mast is lighter and easier to step than the P165 to the point that I would put it basically in the "no big deal" category at this point.
Quote from: Quantico Frank on Sep 05, 2026, 06:57 AMYes, Tim, I made my acquaintance with some of those trees three times the day I first splashed the new boat going on a couple weeks ago! Fortunately no real damage other than a bent up Windex that I was able to bend back into shape. After that I looked around and the approaches to the other big ramp at the park are free of trees, and that will be the one I'll use in the future. Many of the boats in the storage facility are stored mast up, and there are some sizable ones.
Yes, looking at it again, the trees are relatively less dense if you make that first left off of Ludwig instead of going all the way to the south end of the south lot, but the south ramp has less trees near it than the north ramp.