The Rapscallion Chronicles

Idea Men

2008-11-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

Thomas Edison meets Jolly Roger and becomes the brand for Anarchists. I like it! Anarchy is fun. Fight the Power! The Man is just being all the manish. Well, the man, I don't play the man games! I'm gonna make paper airplanes and send them on secret missions! I'm gonna stop watching TV! and I'm not going to buy anything anymore! I'm gonna live off of the land, and drop off of the grid, and get ready for the world to devolve! I think I'll look good in sheepskin and a toga, like the olden days.

luigi colani

2008-11-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking about the Leeward hullshape of the proa. Harry's design is simple, easy to build and all, but I wonder what it would look like if Luigi Colani would have designed it.

colani's designs are so forward thinking I have a hard time believing he is human.

Check out his version of a motor home. The body shape increased the fuel efficiency by 45%!!

His biodesign approach reminds me of the Mercedes box fish car.

proamobile

2008-11-10T15:21:00.001-08:00

There was some good smack on Proas on the interweb. Some neet guy posted the coolest proa mobile I have ever seen!

The table is ready to go. The core is on it's way from that country that I ordered it from... I can't wait!

The Laser 28 is still in the water. I'm going sailing tomorrow... It's the last boat in the water in this sleepy town...

new main

2008-10-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

I have worked out a new main sail for the old school Rapscallion. The sail has a big roach. In this case, the roach has nothing to do with weed, it is a bigger than sail than a regular main. I designed the sail to match the profile of a melges 24 main sail. The sail is class legal according to the laser 28 class rules, so I shouldn't take a PHRF hit for it.

I also designed a "spitfire" main for the boat. It is a bit smaller, but the shape is more closely optimized to the spitfire wingshape.... decisions decisions....

sad sad times

2008-10-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

Pulling the boat out of the water is a rough time of year for me. But I have all kinds of things this fall and winter to keep be busy. I started another Master's program at UW Madison. This time the degree will be in Polymer Engineering, it should help with my sailing and possible boatbuilding hobby... I'm also teaching another class at a local private college... more cash for the cause...

This winter I plan to get Rapscallion race ready. Here is a list of upgrades:

repaint deck
sand hull
new bottom paint
check keel and rudder profile
new halards.

I'm also getting a new mainsail (max roach) finally.... and a new/used spinnaker.

I'm still working on the proa... I just ordered the polycore for the boat. I have the basalt and epoxy, and with the core I'll be able to start making panels. I'm using derek Kelsall's KSS building method for this one.

The hard part was finding a place to build the hulls... but I was able to talk a guy into letting me use his warehouse in exchange for an undetermined amount of stroh's
beer... imported from detroit...

I'm also thinking about entering a mustache growing contest. See, there is stuff to do after the boat comes out of the water....

2008-07-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.planet.fi/~kcad/cpc/Cruising_proa_concepts.htm

a bit of proa info for EVK4

Rapscallion 2.0

2008-07-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

After over a year of mulling over plans for a home build, I have finally found the boat I am going to build... (or at least try to... but like Yoda said, "There is no try, only do or do not.")

I was hoping to build a 31' Kurt Hughes swing wing trimaran, I even bought the plans, but the cost of raw materials was a bit higher than my very modest budget could handle.

So I asked Rob Denney to design a proa that had standing headroom, a fully enclosed head, easily trailer launch-able, and fast as the Dickens! Also, because the of boat's light weight, it can be pulled by my regular Lebaron Convertible. No gass sucking SUV for me... and freedom from the Marina Fees! Horray!

At that moment Harry Proa and Rapscallion became very good friends! For it was at that moment that Rapscallion 2.0 was born!

The Bruce number for the boat is 2.34! And, with some internet wheeling and dealing, the boat will be very inexpensive to build. Check out www.harryproa.com for details on this boat - which are contained in the most recent newsletter.

The original rapscallion is cleaning up nicely, but is itching to race.... more on racing as soon as the pics are available.

SPLASH!

2008-06-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

Rapscallion is in the water! Just in time too, The flood is still flooding. Water is on the rise and rain is raining a lot. I fixed the muffler on the Bukh motor. The original one had a hole in it and it was leaking exhaust into the cabin... stinky Danish motor! A new one was over 1000 with shipping - I could free a lot of gnomes from home depot with that kind of dablomms... A local gotee guy said I should just take the old one to a muffler shop and have him make a new one. This seemed to be a better idea than making one out of mashed potatoes so I did just that.. (I took it to the shop I mean..and I saved the mashed potatoes for dinner) The muffler guy made a new one for 70 dollars and it works better than the old one! Thank you gotee guy!

I'm going to work on her a bit today. I'm going to paint the deck, replace all of the non structural wood with lighter carbon composite panels and replace a couple of bad ropes.

Once all of the things are done I'm gonna put her on Craig's list. Cause the secret boat built in the area next to area 51 will be ready!

Well, almost ready to launch

2008-05-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have been working on Rapscallion for several days now, getting her ready to launch. I buffed the hull, (she is very shiny!) painted the mast, and I'm in the middle of redoing the sail drive exhaust. The original muffler was plastic, and over time it must have gotten a bit warm and developed a leak. I had a stainless steel muffler custom made (shiny!) I hope to put it in tomorrow.

I'm going to paint the deck and interior this year, and replace all of the non-structural wood with carbon fiber composite panel. I found I can get really cheap carbon fiber through work... BIG SCORE! According to my calculations it should shave a few pounds off... Rapscallion is on a diet. As long as I own her I'm going to have to race her. There are a couple of Regattas I can enter locally, that should be fun.

The Gnome is getting excited! I'm working on Dramimine for a sponsorship.

T - a couple of days

2008-05-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to launch Rapscallion. I'm replacing the muffler on the little red motor. The exhaust always leaked a bit, I finally found the leak, after it got a bit worse. I'm painting the mast, boom, and deck too. I also made a new rub rail out of a blend of EVA and HDPE. Working in polymers helps at times. I like the goo! The season hasn't started yet and I already miss racing her. The little rascal is ready though, and the First 8 has a new suit of sails, a smooth belly and a razor sharp keel. All I need now is a vacation, a little drink with an umbrella and a nemesis!

New Season:

2008-05-09T13:06:00.001-07:00

A guy named Joe is working on Rapscallion. He is fixing the exhaust for me. It gets smelly in the cabin at times when the motor is running, so he is going to redo the whole exhaust thingy. If that don't work I'm going to pull the motor out and put in a hamster wheel and a series of rubber bands. I'm not going to sell her this year. I can't sell the boat until I buy a boat to replace her. But if I keep both boats I can be a double dog captain. Neet.

I have rejoined the Warbird sailing syndicate. Now, the Warbird team has 2 boats. Although the one design fleet has lost it's numbers, the racing should be a nice way to spend a Wednesday evening.

Lil' Rascal (a little laser) is ready for Elcart lake, and the Beneteau first 8 is ready for NNYC. I'll get on the water this year, and maybe, I'll take a few Gnomes with me.

another one bites the dust

2008-03-29T16:03:00.000-07:00

A fellow laser 28 guy is moving away to a city called Kansas city, but it isn't the capital of the state Kansas like the name would imply. It makes sense because the name of his boat is Yikes. Yikes is right.

As the snow melts.....

2008-03-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

The businessy business I have been doing is finally winding down... I have been working on developing a family of new products for the company. It's time to put my feet up on the desk, fold my hands behind my head and dream about sunshine, sailing, and my soon to be empty wallet.

Rapscallion has not sold. There has been interest, but I haven't had time to follow up with most of the inquiries. 80 hour weeks, traveling weeks at a time - and endless "what if I do this" questions kept my brain cell very busy. But now, enough show has melted in the back yard to reveal the garden gnomes again. Good news for people who think winter wonderlands best belong in Norman Rockwell paintings and little round balls that are meant to be shaken - not stirred. What do they call those little snow globes?

I got a bit of work to do on the boat - I want to paint the mast and deck - and put it in the water. I'll sell it. I want to sell it. It comes down to 3 words.

I started the trimaran. I'm building a smaller one before I try to build a 30 footer. little steps... before the big steps.

New Crew?

2008-01-07T04:38:00.000-08:00

I may need crew this summer if I still own the laser 28. A little "bud" me would come in handy. I would name him Bud just cause I like the irony. I want to race against my Dad in the Trans Winnebago. However I think it would just be easier to race the little lasers instead. The problem with that is he has been racing those little buggers for over 20 years now, and it's been a while since I played with my dingy.

I'll hopefully crew on a Laser 28 locally, and reactivate my NNYC membership. I feel lonely without a YC membership. Quick! I need a hug! Maybe I'll start a multihull support group, or volunteer some time at the Lost puppy place. Ali, this little puppy needs a home, can we get him? PLEASE?

olden days

2008-01-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

This photo is of Nate Hershyoff's catamaran. He likes to go fast when he sailed. Well, when he was alive that is, or was. But the people in the olden days didn't like multihulls once they saw how fast they were; so they banned them from all of the fancy pants regattas. And they had some fancy pants in the olden days. I always liked pantaloons.

Nate went back to monohulls - he designed some winning America's cup yachts after his multihull days came to an end. It was all about the fancy pants I guess. I can't wear pants until monday - after the stint is removed. I think I'm gonna celebrate by wearing a pair of pantaloons. You really can find everything on ebay.

The Laser 28 is still for sale. I already have seller's remorse. But the little laser looks great! I can't wait to race that little puppy. I wonder what kind of pants you win in a laser regatta?

Tin Can

2008-01-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

This looks like fun. If you can't see the link look up the Tin Can Blog. It's about a guy who wants to sail around the world in a boat that he built for 8 dollars.

Surgery is over. It went ok. Thanks Tillerman. I'm going back to sleepy sleepy.

Had a fella from Cali look at Rapscallion. The fleet has shrunk to 4.

morphine yumm!

2007-12-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

My Morphine vacation is coming to an end. I go in for surgery Monday. This little sidetrack messed with my master plans. Hopefully I can post my Bananna 20 stuff later today. But my Laser will have to sit in Many for a bit longer.

Laser 28 For Sale

2007-12-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I have gotten a flood of emails about my boat for sale on sailing anarchy. And from what the interested parties have said it would seem the marine surveyor I just talked to was about right with his value assessment. There has been some grumblings from the one-designdanestas about the boat leaving the fleet, but I think there are some locals interested in buying one someday.

I'm hoping to set up an interview with some sailing people in lake geneva soon, I need to get going on some BYM stuff. I also need to look for some new racing opportunities. The little boats on the little lake will be lots of fun, I'm gonna see bout Fond du Lac too. Racing scows was a blast. Worst case the laser doesn't find a buyer and I putz on that for a season.

The Trans Winn is calling.... And i did find a ride for Chi Mac already, thanks to an Ocean Racing connection. more on that and the banana20 tomorrow.

Bananna-maran

2007-12-24T04:58:00.000-08:00

It was suggested to me that a yellow home built trimaran would be neat. Dick newick's designs always reminded me of bananas because of the hull rocker and the xtra volume in the bow.

the banana-maran is born. Or maybe bananarama maran would be better. Monkey business either way I guess. Merry Christmas All!

I got a kidney stone for christmas. The pain was delirious. I thought I was gonna die. The morphine helped.

Pushing the rope

2007-12-17T10:34:00.000-08:00

I recently heard during a recent feng shui consultation that it is unwise to attempt to push a rope. Although I understand the nature of the metaphor in the wise man on top of the mountain sense I had to tehe to myself. Obviously this person was not a sailor. Remembered back to the day after thanksgiving this year like it was only a month ago. It was cold that day and my boat was still in the water - it was the last boat in the water here in Sheboygan. (that is a funny story too... but I digress) I had to sail her to Manitowoc in order to get her out of the water. The deck was covered in snow and it was sunny with the winds out of the west (my favorite). It was a great time! Just me and the gnome - on our way to a bittersweet end of an era. I had to bust through some ice in order to make it out to the lake. But after I made it to open sea I felt free. Free from the windmills and the toothbrushes. It was a long awaited relief; the kind of relief that an animal feels after chewing it's own leg off to escape a bear trap.

Rapscallion is for sale now on Sailing Anarchy. I don't want to sell her to a local. She needs to move on, for obvious reasons. Who says you can't push a rope, you just have to freeze it first, right gnomie?

It will be tough to see her go, but the multihulls are calling. More on that later.

trimaran project

2007-09-01T19:10:00.001-07:00

So, after a long and pensive ponder I have finally found the design I was looking for.

Fast Phil!

2007-08-19T16:58:00.000-07:00

My august article on Ocean racing has my buddy Phil's picture. He jumped in the lake while I took a picture.

http://www.bymnews.com/august/product-review.php

I hope to interview someone from Melges boatworks in the near future.

oh BOY!

2007-08-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to race little boats on the little lake ..... it was a BLAST.

I missed racing this season, but a new research job and teaching a college class on the side ate up a lot of time. what time was left I spent single handing rapscallion. With just a couple of minor tweaks I can single hand her more genially than I can the little laser.

Now I just have to find one of those little buggers for sale. They are more expensive than I thought.

papp's got a brand new bag

2007-08-11T09:52:00.000-07:00

I recently was given two Ocean Racing waterproof bags for my review. One of them was a large duffel bag and the other was a backpack with an extra wetsuit like bag for a laptop computer. At first glance I could tell these bags were of a high quality. The fabric is heavy and feels coated to the touch. Water just beads up and runs off of them! The seams are sealed with rubber and even the zippers are build to protect the contents of the bag form moisture. I was impressed. But then again, I'm easy to please.

So I decided to test them just to see how water proof they were. I had an old 486 laptop lying around collecting dust. It still worked, so I decided to pack it into the laptop storage bag in the backpack and then go swimming. The bag was completely submerged when I dove in the water wearing it. I then swam back to the boat wearing the bag and got out of the water. After drying off I opened up the bag to see how the old computer fared. There was some water in the bag, but only enough to get a couple of paper towels wet. The laptop inside in inner bag was still dry! Not bad!

Considering how much you can spend on a laptop alone not to mention the gear and software to go along with your racing effort I think this type of bag is a small and very valuable investment in comparison.

And the larger duffelbag is great for your foul weather gear and a change of clothes that you want to stay dry no matter what happens on the race course. Although the name of the company that makes these bags is Ocean Racing, I could see a much broader group of people benefit from such a product. Campers, Kayaks, fisherman, hunters, basically anyone who wants to keep their items dry while traveling would appreciate the quality of this luggage. I didn't race the Chi Mac this year, but when I do next year, I'll definitely have my stuff in these bags.

A cautionary tale with a brighter side

2007-07-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

Well, the sailing this year has been mostly single handed. I can fly a spinnaker single handed.... the set, Jibe and douse... The dousing sock helps. With a bit of practice, I hope to be ready for a wed race in August.

I was pacing myself against another Laser 28 this Sunday, and I was pretty slow upwind... I'm gonna have to do a VPP chart for the boat when it is "light" on crew.

some guy said I should just train some monkeys! I love monkeys! But then I realized that he was just joking... he didn't think a monkey could do it.

Monkeys are smart! They beat us to space!

SPACE MONKEY!

so what is the brighter side? and what is the caution?

look at the last post.... it's a spitten image of the world's first skipper of a sailing monkey crew...

EEEKKKK!

2007-07-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

ROACH!

2007-07-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to try and design the largest sail I could using the class measurements for the L28.

Rapscallion Assination

2007-07-03T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well, Suddenly i have a moment to stop and take a breath. 2 days off in a row. I'm caught up at the moment with work, class, and the boat is ready to go. I'm going to race on saturday in Neenah, the fleet up there has grown to 46 boats! It should be interesting. My dad has been working on polars for the boat. I got him one of those velocitik gizmos for his birthday. They are sweet little toys for the techno mind to pensively ponder.... 1 test is worth a thousand expert opinions, and even the guy at the back of the pack is right every once in a while....

I also redesigned the homegrown mainsail I was working on. I took the max girth ratings from the class rules and went from there... The thing is HUGE. 33 sq Meters. I wonder why they don't make them that big all the time? You would need a backstay whip.... maybe that's it.

Found a new killer summer band. Ike Rileys Assination. Stunning Evening is a great tune.

Rapscallion sells out!

2007-06-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this crop of people interested in crewing will work out, but I was hoping to work up a crew hat or T shirt just the same. Right now all I have at the moment is the idea of the graphic for the boat name. I wanted Rapscallion on the sides of the boat in ransom note font. The Hat would have a couple of sponsor logos, BYM news for one... maybe one more. But I'm blanking on a mascot. I wanted a little rapscallion guy - I was hoping for a harmless trixter persona... but nothing comes to mind.

solo? ahh, blame the crew anyway!

2007-06-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, single handing the boat is pretty easy now; the tiller helper has control lines that run along the rails to the foredeck. I learned the hard way that little trick wasn't foolproof. Last Tuesday I was pulling out of the river when I noticed some metal piece fly off of the base of the mast. I didn't see what it was... so I went up to the foredeck to take a look. I had lost the bolt in the goose neck. The control line also got a bit tangled in the jib sheet. Long story short I ended up kissing the break wall right in front of the local coast guard outpost. I lost a couple of stanchions. The bases ripped out of the deck. Well, at least I have time to research my next BYM news article while I wait for the epoxy to dry.... I was able to straighten out what was bent; and I bought new stanchions just in case. I seem to go through those like underwear.

I have met some people at work that seem to be interested in racing. I'll give it a shot. They actually want to practice!!! I was floored. I have a borrowed Laser for tomorrow. I can't wait to race the little guy! I have been so busy with work, school, and life that I haven't been sailing as much as I had hoped.. I have to start racing again. Good old Uncle DeGroot sold the old butterfly a long time ago...

tiller helper

2007-06-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

here is a pic of the tiler helper. I went out sailing last night.... and put a little too much faith in the tiller helper... that is a story for another time.

single handed funnies

2007-06-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

There was a great article on single handed racing on SA. I just put lazy jacks on the boat and have a tiller helper that allows me to sit on the rail while going upwind. I think I will practice putting the chute up and jibing single handed. Zoe and elmo just don't seem to be into flying the chute... but I can get them to sit on the rail...

I'm gonna play with control line set ups that will allow me to steer the boat from the rail and foredeck.

Ohio

2007-06-16T00:34:00.000-07:00

I have been in Ohio for the last week. The weather has been great, so I am jonesing for a sail. I may not have time this weekend to go, father's day and all. The sailing season is so short in Wisconsin.

The Day she missed

2007-06-10T04:25:00.000-07:00

Ali was in Madison this weekend visiting her brother. She Missed a great weekend for sailing. The water was very calm and the wind was 10 to 15 for most of the time. My favorite sailing weather. Saturday's sunset was impressive - the wind died down a bit after sunset. The Gnome got a bit seasick, but he still handled the jib like a pro.

The Quantum sail loft in Racine recut my old dacron mainsail. I'm pretty sure this sail is almost as old as the boat. I have a pic of the boat in 1987 and this was the main in the pic. She still is a bit deep, but I think I can tweek the rigging to flatten it some more. The pic below is of the sail without a cunningham. It actually didn't look bad once I set the cunningham up. Well, it was still a bit deep. Once my lowers are loosened to just noodles I'm hoping the backstay will have a greater impact. Most of the Sailors in town raced to Manitowoc today, I'm sure they had a great time. I think they had a perfect day for it. With a few more tweeks to the boat I think she will be ready to race short handed. The slugs on the main make life much easier. I hope to get lazy jacks on the rigging later today. The furling jib is still in the works, it should be ready later this summer. The real issue is downwind. I'll have to experiment a bit with the spinnaker.

The crew is dying to race again. I'll be in Ohio this week running some tests on some new products in the Development stage for work, so I can't. But later in the year if I can find the time it would be fun.

I would love to get a new Main for racing. But I have discovered how sweet the whole slug and lazyjack setup is, I don't ever want to go back to a bolt rope. Too bad there isn't a laminate that could be left on the boom...

ORMA Article

2007-06-09T04:55:00.000-07:00

I just finished the June article for BYM news. I have no way to judge how good it is, I haven't gotten any comments on it. Marian seems to like it. The muppet crew seems to be a bit tight lipped.

when the gnomes cry

2007-06-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

The weather has been a harsh mistress. The fog was so thick it felt like we were on the edge of the world. And on race night I was the RC and the weather was bad. i cancelled the race. Even my gnome crew is growing sad...soon we will sail... soon.

"class dismissed"

2007-06-05T04:16:00.000-07:00

All and all I believe my first night as an undergrad instructor went well. I was a bit worried about breaking class a bit early, but they didn't seem to mind.

I have taken the liberity to develop a format for the class that is a little unusual. I think it will be very interesting to see how it will unfold.

ransom note

2007-06-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

http://ransom.sytes.org/?r=cmFwc2NhbGxpb27e8z16

blogs, EVK4 and genetic engineering

2007-06-02T04:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say thanks for the nice words on SA EVK4. I'm sorry I haven't been able to contribute to the crapola project lately, I've just been swamped with work on my end. Once I get into a rhythm with my new job, classes, and once I figure out how to use an outside email account at work I hope to chime in from time to time.

I want to get the class website up and running today and publish the syllabus. mow the lawn (I never did the back yard. It is a jungle!) BYM is waiting for an article, and I have to get back to an interested potential advertiser for BYM. I must say, overall live is very good. I love what I do, I just have to figure out ways to become a bit more efficient.

Which brings me to Genetic Engineering. I wish I had the cash to start a Genetic E. firm. The first thing I would make them develop is a kind of yard grass that was as aggressive as a weed but only grow to be about 2 inches tall. Imagine a lawn you didn't have to mow! Come on guys, we have the technology! Lets make this world a better place!

The second thing I would do is develop a type of bacteria that would eat plastic. Our oceans contain 6 times more plastic than plankton. Imagine little critters eating polyethylene and producing ethanol as waste.

I'm cramming as much as I can in this little head of mine. Platic is pretty incredible when you think about it. And right now we only recycle a tiny fraction of what we produce. I would love to change that. There is a lot of research into this of course; but with the rising cost of oil and many other chemicals used in the plastic industry recycling will soon become the preferred method. I wouldn't doubt that we will be mining landfills in my lifetime; looking for things that we can recycle.

well, off to work. I hope to finish my errands and go sailing later this morning!

lawn mower raps

2007-05-30T16:29:00.000-07:00

Living with a "wife" is new territory for me. I'm learning exactly what being married means. On my wedding day I laughed at some friendly advice given to me, "Learn to say, I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll never do that again." I haven't been married a year yet, and if I had a nickel for every time I have said that....

Ali seems to only have a couple of pet peaves. I believe I already blogged about the bed sheet gripe; but her second pet peave is lawn mowers. They are too loud and they burn gas and that is bad for the enviornment. She used one of those push thingys with the rotating blades. As much as I love the enviornment I don't have the time to cut the lawn with a sissors. But a gas mower was out of the question!

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll never bring it up again."

Eurika! An electric mower!

Off to Sears we went, after a great deal of kajoling and exhaustive research, we bought an electric mower and a 100' extension chord. The mower wasn't in stock, it was to arrive Wednesday. Race day. I'm not racing, I just wanted to go out on the boat and watch the other racers. Was that so wrong?

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I won't do that again."

So, instead of sailing I turned a 100' powerchord into 2 50' powerchords in need of some TLC.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I won't do that again."

Skullduggry!

2007-05-27T23:59:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to the maiden voyage tomorrow. I have to start training the crew. They insist on training for the day Rapscallion races once again. Kitty is practicing his Skullduggry pose. You look quite fierce kitty! Now go take that giant ball of string by force!

That main looks a little baggy up top

2007-05-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.ho1designs.com/

looks like a cool website...

I did it!!

2007-05-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

MY WAY!

Well, I hit 1000 posts on SA. I said I was gonna pull the plug at 1000, and oddly enough, at this point in my life I don't have the time to put into the forums that I used to. I had fun though, in a Dr strangelove kind of way. Allan Dugan chuckled he said. That alone made it worth something. The final curtain...

I'm also pulling the plug on racing my leadmine. I had a Blast today on Warbird, I'm gonna really miss racing.... of this I am certain. I hope the little boats are just as fun as the leadmines..

SuCCess!!

2007-05-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

My one and only laser 28 Regatta was a good time! We only had enough wind for two races; Warbird pulled a 1st and a 3d. That was enough to get us second place. The Canadian was a nice guy, I didn't get a chance to talk to him much after the races, but he was excited at the idea of getting a bunch of Lasers together in Canada in August. I wouldn't mind Checking that out. I'm gonna miss Racing on Kevin's boat.
Maybe I can sneak on again later this year. I'm going to Elkart Lake Tomorrow, in search of wacky adventures of lil rascal. I'm working on a new article for BYM news, but my new medication is making it difficult for me to write something "creative."

Where is Friday?

2007-05-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

I lost friday! I have no Idea where it went!

RACE!

2007-05-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

There is a Laser 28 race this saturday, and a Canadian is coming down from Canada to Challenge the fleet. Warbird will be ready (I have my own definition of ready... that is a secret) Rapscallion is still in the boatyard, but she wil be launched after the great Maple Leaf Regatta.

Popular Bank!

2007-05-23T04:23:00.000-07:00

Now if I could get tht shot on my check card cause I have an account at popular bank.... the world would be a better place. I can just hear the sales pitch (no pun intended) Here at popular bank we understand that life can bring with it some unexpected challenges; that is why we have overdraft protection. However, you may want to bring your own lifejacket, because Davy Jones doesn't take American Express.

bright red bottom

2007-05-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

Rapscallion's bottom is as good as it's going to get. I got a hold of a guy that is willing to run the crane to splash her.... so it is only a matter of time. I can't wait to actually write about a sailing experience....

ORMA

2007-05-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.multicup60.eu/history-of-multihulls/

I was forlorn when I discovered only 4 boats were entered in the Multihull cup pickle dish classic. Granted, the are big and they clash with my ideal sailing syndicate budget constraints; but they are very fast and dangerous. Perhaps the big dollar advertising is wearing thin between the Volvo ocean race, the America's cup and the ORMAs.

For me it's all about achiving mind-blowing speeds while cheating the icy cold grip of death. Watching the 60 foot multis skip along the wave-tops at over 35 knots is impressive to the non-sailor, and for a fan it is ecstasy.

SUNDAY!

2007-05-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

I have to start working on the Syllabus for the summer class today, that should be interesting. But first, back to the boatyard! I must bring Rapscallion back to life! After the bottom is ready I'll start builing the lightning tower and use the power of nature to reanimate the beast.

rub the magic boat!

2007-05-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

I spent the day buffing rapscallion with rubbing compound. Tomorrow I'll wax her and prepare the bottom. Hopefully I'll get the new speedo instruments installed too. The battery is charging and I hope to launch her sometime next week.

Patent? Horray!

2007-05-18T15:28:00.001-07:00

I have been asked to solve some problems with one of our formulations. I have an idea or two, and I plan to start experimenting next week! Maybe I can patent the mashed potato addtive if it works! I have always wanted a patent. I just want my name on one. I would even settle for "et all." I would celebrate by gettinga cake that said congrats Et all! I love cakes! Dairy Queen cakes are good, but other cakes are good too.

I was listening to NPR cause my wife wanted to listen to NPR yesterday and they were talking about the backlog of patents. They are hiring 1000 people a year for a bunch of years to come. They pay six figures too. Einstein was a patent guy; look how he turned out! He was a sailor too. I hope I get myboat in the water soon. I plan to work on it this weekend and hopefully launch it this weekend or next week.

The laser 28s had their first Wednesday race this week. Only two were there; Eclipse beat Warbird for the honors. Nice Job Scotty!

the ticket that exploded

2007-05-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

Oblivion doesn't have to wait for friday. The ticket exploded. I need a new name, so I can start over.

take your bike to work week

2007-05-18T05:18:00.000-07:00

Now that I have a job I can participate in the take your bike to work week. But I drove to the YMCA, rode the stationary bike in the morning, then drove home to brush my teeth and then I drove to work. It was the next best thing. I live less than 4 miles from work but the roads on the way are pretty nasty. I wouldn't want to deal with the crazy morning drivers.

Game Theory

2007-05-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

http://footballisfixed.blogspot.com/2007/05/using-simple-game-theory-to-eliminate.html

Game Theory and sailing.... crazy!

Potato Days!

2007-05-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

Living in the midwest can be surreal at times, but I guess in the end it is no different than living anywhere else, weirdness is in the eye of the spud... spuds have eyes right? Well, here is an opportunity for spuds to get a close up of the time honored classic man vs. man conflict. I just love the idea of watching mashed potato wrestling. The idea is probably better than actually watching it, unless a yeti is wrestling a platoon of Gnomes, now that would be something fit for a cable pay per view! Actually, I'm surprised professional wrestling hasn't introduced a yeti in their mix..

Polly wants an extractor!

2007-05-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

I'm obsessed with plastics. I want to know everything there is to know about those crazy polymers. Testing master batches can be an issue however. Turns out that sometimes people use coffee machines to test the stuff! extraction is the action...

Don't look at me!

2007-05-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

"Don't look at me" .... one of Steven Wright's best one liners... I can relate. The batteries may be dead, but the rabbet just keeps on going. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to spend some time with a giddy librarian.

Tomorrow is the first wednesday race of the year ... in many places... "Rapscallion" is still on land. She will splash eventually.

The Future is.......

2007-05-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

13 ways of looking at a blackbird.... and only one way of looking at plastic? YES!! It's all good!!!

WOW!

2007-05-14T06:14:00.000-07:00

I found a Kurt Hughes tri for sale. I believe it was built from an older set of plans, but it is a great example of how nicely they can turn out. This one is equipped with a hobie 21 rig. A 20 knot ride for less than the cost of a new mainsail for Rapscallion! Well, that is if you don't count your own labor. It takes about 100 hours to build it, and the cost of materials is about 3,500; if you buy the rig and sails used. The owner is asking 20,000 for this one. I think I'll build mine. At least I'll have something to do in the winter.

Rapscallion returns to his roots!

2007-05-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

This year I'm going to give the leadmines a rest and race the "lil lasers" at the Elkhart lake sailing club. I've heard some very good things about that club and the lake. It seems like a very nice way to spend a sunny sunday afternoon. I only have a couple of weeks to come up with "lil Rascal" but I'm in no real hurry. They race butterflies and sunfish as well, any one of those boats would serve the purpose.. I wonder if I still have that old butterfly in Uncle De Groot's machine shed. The critters probably got to the sail, but I have some Dacron lying around and a sewing machine that needs a destiny! Eventually I'll probably find a laser I suppose... unless Ali gets better. Maybe a Melges 17 is in my future! I'll start building the 2 man tri in the fall and hopefully find a place to race mulithulls in the following spring. I should just try to get the Jaycees to help me start a disabled sailing program in the area. There are so many resources for groups that are willing to put in the time, and now that I'm going to be in this area for a bit longer I should just do it already.

The 2 man tri in my opinion is the perfect platform for two man team disabled racing. The Skud 18 and the Martin 16 both cost more than my Laser 28 did used, and frankly I'm not so sure Lake Michigan would be a good place to race such a small monohull. A 23'tri on the other hand would be a fast stable fun ride that my wife and i could race...next year

http://elsc.laserforum.org/

Mother's Day!

2007-05-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

We are taking the Moms out to eat today. I think they still like food. I know I do!

The future is Plastics!

2007-05-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/health-fitness/Our_oceans_are_turning_into_plastic_are_we_2.shtml

That is money! All of the plastic is in the ocean! And it's free! Soon we will be fishing for plastic...

In the Dawghouse!

2007-05-12T17:25:00.000-07:00

Well,

The boat needed a bit more work than I anticipated... so it is probably a good thing I couldn't splash today... I'm gonna need some time to make some arrangements with the slip people and the trailer people. I wonder what Mr Perry is doing with the 7.5 Meter Flying Tiger concept. Trailer launchable boats are looking better and better all of the time. Now that I have some cash maybe a trip to Ames Point boatworks is in order. I'll have to give that guy a call. A trailer launchable Rapscallion thanks to a chainsaw and some elbow grease. Now that would be nice.

tomorrow

2007-05-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to splash the boat tomorrow. I can't wait! The pressure is off racewise; this summer will be dedicated to simply enjoying sailing for what it is.... a pleasant distraction. The crew will enjoy time out on the water, watching the sun set and finding out if the people on land can see that my Hawaiian shirt glows in the dark.

BYM, a cool site!

2007-05-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.bymnews.com/may/rapscallion.html

Rapscallion takes a course in sensitivity.

2007-05-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

I was asked to not mention an affiliation on my blog recently, and out of the utmost respect for that group I will honor that request. It may be difficult at times however, because the whole purpose of this blog was to discuss the common interest of the aforementioned but now unmentionable affiliation.

I have reread my past posts concerning the unmentionable affiliation paying particular attention to the point of view of the party from which this request originated, and I can not see what he or anyone else would be upset about. But that is not the point.

It's funny though; the source of most of my concerns concerning my expressed or implied opinions of this affiliation really had nothing to do with the party that took offense. And apparently this tidbit of information was unknown to the hard working peeps that are sensitive to the portrayal of my opinions and imagination.... and when I say imagination I'm really stretching it... All anyone has to do is simply read a post or two and realize 99% of the content is hyperbole. And the rest is a unique blend of raillery, banter and persiflage.

So, the only course of action I can see moving forward would be to censor my posts to ensure the exclusion of the name of the now unmentionable name of the affiliation to which I can not refer to forthwith...

who reads this sillyness?

2007-05-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

I ran into some local "fans" of the blog recently. Apparently, my incoherent prattle made some cages rattle. I can't decide which perspective I find more mind blowing; the fact that someone is upset at something in here or the fact that someone other than my wife actually reads this!!!

Rapscallion's view of the kingdom...

2007-05-09T19:24:00.000-07:00

How could someone not believe in Gnomes and leprechauns when faced with such a view. Perhaps is isn't as awe inspiring as the Mountains of Boulder, or the Redwoods of California; but this is Wisconsin. This is as good as it gets....here. I could snap a few pics of chewing cows sauntering lazy-a-ly along a poop covered field surrounded by an electric fence.... This is the silver lining of America's dairyland for me. At the moment... it seems to be more than enough.... doesn't it.

The crazy part about these pictures is the Rainbow ends at the Sheboygan Yacht Club, the very same place as our wedding reception. Beautiful? Ironic? or just plain wrong.... Only time will tell... My wife seems to like me so far...

CELEBRATE!

2007-05-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

I have to say this has been one of my best days EVER!! Well, in a spell anyways... One week ago I was unemployed and broke... Now I have a research position (with salary bump), I'm now an adjunct Professor, and I'm published in the BYM news. This online mag has a world wide circulation of 60,000 to 100,000 a month!! It's crazy how things can change so quickly. Gas is 80 bucks a gallon and I don't care. I can ride my bike to work. The lab is only 3.87 miles from my front door. I just want to take a moment and say thanks to the crapola crew for helping my with my resume, Mike R and Jenny G for giving me good references. And I want to thank BYM for giving me a chance to write for their sweet mag. Now I'm off to sell some ads for BYM, and to invent a fireproof plastic made from good vibrations and napalm.

Tomorrow is a work day!

2007-05-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well,

I'm going to work tomorrow! And I'm going to see if I can get a slip for my boat as well! Then I'll start building my very own whirlybird! There is a nice landing pad on top of the masonic temple in town!

The Freemason Mystery Revealed!

2007-05-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

My Muppet crew got me this gift as a congrats for being employable. Thanks guys! I have to spend time digging up dirt in the back yard tomorrow. I hope i can find a slip for my boat next week, cause I don't have time to build a dock anymore...

JOB!!

2007-05-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I just got an offer from banannaplastusa. So now I have 2 jobs! The teaching gig is one night a week, so I think I can do both. Now I have the cash to build a boat but not the time...

Wacky Professor a Reality!

2007-05-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

Well, The teaching gig is a go! I'm going to teach a summer class, and hopefully more classes in the fall. This should be fun!!! I'm going to pick up the book later today in order to read up on the subject.

PHRF ?

2007-05-04T22:52:00.000-07:00

I'm meeting with the head of the PHRF association in the US today for an interview for BYM news. I started a thread on PHRF and got several ideas for questions... so thanks Sailing Anarchists! I think it will be a good time, maybe I'll volunteer some time to the association.

Librarian day!

2007-05-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

What can I say? It's friday, and I'm smitten with a very sultry Librarian.

More waiting

2007-05-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

I got a call from the guy at bananaplast today... He wanted more references. I gave him the contact information for some of my undergrad professors and the phone number of my cub scout den leader, Mrs kranchnabble. I'll just sit on my computer and blog and do stuff...

Jaycees... They Let me Join!

2007-05-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

I went to a Jaycee meeting, hoping to get a free brat and do some "networking".... I met a bunch of nice people who really like bud light and the band Dokken..... They asked me what I was interested in and I said secret societies. i said we need to spy on the free masons... maybe have a brat fry in order to raise funds to support such an effort. They said I was funny.... but I think it was a PR laugh. Now I'm off to find out who Dokken is....

Waiting with beards

2007-05-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm in waiting mode.. No word from the banannaplast company yet. In the meantime I'm going to network with some secret societies. I haven't heard from the free masons lately, I sent them several emails, and I left a Gnome at the Masonic temple, but they still haven't contacted me. Maybe they would like some mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. We are going to an open house to check out the Kiwanas... They give brats to people who stop by.. and give them money... I think they are raising money for some do gooder deeds.

The Wacky Professor!

2007-05-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

When it rains, it pours. There has been some rumblings in my email inbox concerning an opening at a local university. I may be teaching a grad course soon! I would make all of the students bring cookies and cheese for me every class! But I would give them A's... cause I'm nice and stuff...

Colorado Sailing

2007-05-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

I love Carter lake. They allow multihulls to race portsmith... so my little tri that could will fit in nicely. It looks like the Laser 28 will fit in as well. ... hmmm.

Back to earth.... the second interview went very well. I have to take a drug test, and get them my transcripts.. and at that time they will make an offer. They said they want me to start on Monday. I really hope it works out... and if it doesn't work out... I'm moving to Boulder NOW.

Colorado has stolen Rapscallion's Imagination

2007-05-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a trip to Boulder Colorado. I have never been to Colorado before, so I didn't really know what to expect. It turns out I love everything about the place. The mountains, the Weather, the local color, just fit this salty dog like a pointy hat on a gnome. I stayed at a Retreat owned my my wife's family. The view of the mountains was stunning. I'll write more about it later... I have to focus on my second interview today : )

Tony Bullimore vs. The World... Now

2007-05-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

The long awaited departure of sailor Tony Bullimore has finally given the nay sayers a new tune to grumble.... The have gone from "he is never going to leave" to "he will never make it." I wish Tony nothing but the best of luck and I hope some of his chutzpah wares off on me....

http://www.teambullimore.com/

Leaving on a jetplane

2007-04-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm off to Colorado today. I'm going to visit some of Ali's relatives. She is coming along. She wants to see her relatives too. I've never been to Boulder. It should be a good time. I'd better start packing. I'm not sure If I'll be able to blog while I'm on the road... (it's an expression.. we are actually taking a flying machine.. it looks nothing like the picture above) but I'm sure I'll be back. That is the plan... as far as I know anyway. So.. see you guys on next Tuesday...

Gonzo II

2007-04-24T20:03:00.001-07:00

Rapscallion has gone Gonzo!

2007-04-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Things have taken a turn in the life of Rapscallion. Destiny has tapped me on the shoulder and has made me look! I have a second interview for a research position (set for Tuesday..thanks for the support my 2 readers! (you know who you are)) I have started writing sailing articles for BYM news; silly gonzo type stuff. I also have some interesting brainy sailing stuff in the works for them... I'm really going to have fun with the opportunity. I think I'm going to try to draw a rapscallion in the ralph steadman tradition, just to see what he would look like.

Second interview?

2007-04-24T05:32:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...

I went to this place for an interview. I wore my lucky bow-tie. I looked fabtastic! And I think the interview went well. It is a smaller plastics firm owned by an Italian guy.. So now they want to set up a second interview. Did they want to ask me more questions?

Shouldn't they have just asked them in the first interview? ... I really liked the glimpse into the corporate culture... I was impressed with the casual - yet entrepreneurial features of the position. The company grew from 8 to 90 employees in 9 years and is expected to double their sales by the end of the year. (over 100 million) That, in my mind, allows for plenty of opportunity for personal professional growth.

Plus I really dig working with polymers. I have been learning about polymers on the side because I'm interested in building boats. I love data analysis... DOEs are the backbone of polymer research... and they need a DOE dude... so that six sigma black-belt thingy will really serve me well. I'm hopeful about this one...

snare in the plan!

2007-04-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

I was lucky... because a friend of mine had a rental property on the river. He said I could keep his boat behind his house ah long as he didn't have to spend any money on anything and he didn't have to work on anything.... that is still a very good deal! Last summer one of his crew set up a floating dock to keep boats back there. He left the docks in the water over the winter and the ice just destroyed them... Most of the barrels (floating dock) are on land and the dock sections are against shore. It looks like I have an awful lot of work to do if I want to put my boat in the water this year...

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

2007-04-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

I had a very promising job interview on friday. There is an opening for a person with my background near by. It sounded like a very good opportunity! Maybe my days as a stay at home Librarian's husband are numbered.... Even if I do get a job I hope we can still play "bad patron with overdue books needs to be punished" ..... I love that game!

Rapscallions and skullduggery

2007-04-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

I spent part of Saturday working on Rapscallion. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the boatyard was buzzing with activity... I hope to splash her soon... The bottom is ready, I just have to strip the interior a bit... too much junk below..

SOON!

The Tick 20 years later!

2007-04-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

A large group of cartoon masterminds have created a thing of greatness! SPOON!!

sail shape study

2007-04-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

There isn't much I can do to practice when my boat is landlocked. I make spreadsheets and read books and dream... mostly. I started to look at sail shape again. When I was designing sails with Sailcut Cad software I delved into the implications of sail shape. It is an interesting topic... And there are ways to measure sail shape that I find rather clever. UK sails has a free ware program that lets people measure sail shape with photos. Based on that I cobbled together a little hand held thingy that does the same thing. I have a couple of main sails that have different shapes even though all of the settings are the same.... No big surprise there... I'm just amazed at how little the sail shape has to change in order for the rig to depower. That's important for me, because if I do race I'll be light. I'll have to depower before the other boats. The next thing that ties into sailshape is VMG... If I depower early this will create a delta between the theoritical VMG and my actual VMG.. It just means I'll have to sail around alot! and write things down! maybe..

If You build it.....

2007-04-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

I just found a really cool blog about a guy building a F22 trimaran! Those tris look like they will be great boats. I'm going with Kurt Hughes for my build, but the F22 is probably better suited for someone who wants a functional interior and has more time and cash to burn on a build project. I put the link under sailing links on this page... Check it out!

Has Rapscallion jumped the shark?

2007-04-18T00:15:00.000-07:00

I have tried to post every day with this blog - hoping to keep the creative juices going. But It isn't easy to jot down daydreams with clarity. Most of the time I "check out" I go to a place where things don't happen linearly. It's too easy for me to start at one thought and branch from there with two new thoughts that seem to be occurring simultaneously. It just gets more convoluted from there. Our brains were designed to handle input from several senses at once. Reading offers the chance for our imaginations to run wild, but the evolution of our language limits this tremendously. In some ways language harms our creativity. I think of people who seem to confuse symbols with the things they stand for. Take for example the American flag. It's just a piece of fabric, what it stands for is what is important, not the flag itself. Our language blurs that distinction in my opinion. I also wish there was a way to string words together in a tree branch form instead of this stupid paragraph form... so concepts can flow from a single source... It should also be easier to create words for things that don't yet have words...

what was I talking about? Oh ya, jumping the shark... It's not as easy to come up with silly funny silliness every day. But in this case I'm hoping it's the effort that counts. The only way to become a better writer is to write.... practice... right?

The Horror

2007-04-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

I had a bad dream about the Gnome Be Gones. I have to find a way to make peace with these creatures. Who would make such things? WHY? WHY? I wish I could understand. Gnomes are good peeps! The guys from ZZ TOP are Gnomes! I am off to the "Raps" cave to create "Librarian be Gones." All I need are a couple of pipe cleaners, a coconut, some dice and some chia pet seeds for the beard. I will use lightning to animate this creature, because I'm fresh out of reanimation serum. These creatures must be stopped! Who is with me?!

NOOOO!!!!

2007-04-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

I have a wife now, that means I no longer have a say on anything.. I LOVE lawn gnomes! She wants me to plant a garden. So I'm gonna plant a garden. I wanted to contribute to the garden too, with lawn gnomes!

And look at what she orders... they are called gnome be gones! they are scary looking! but Ali loves them.... so now my gnome friends are on the run, wanted for crimes they didn't commit; wandering from house to house, solving mysteries....

It's not a bad life I guess.

Veni, Vidi, volo in domum redire

2007-04-16T01:58:00.000-07:00

It all starts at home. The castle of creative splendor! With the help of my Gnome friends I'm finishing off the basement. And there, in the new "Raps" cave, I shall perform all of my calculations. I will build a solar powered abacus! And I shall continue with my neural network experiments. I'm still playing with my VMG macro.... that is all I can do until I can start playing with rapscallion again..

Rapscallion Beer!

2007-04-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

Wow! The stuff is .... I don't know... never had it. But I like their mascot!

I wonder if Concord brewery delivers? And I wonder if I would have to leave the bartender a tip if the beer costed me my eternal soul.... what the "h@ll" would the percentage on that be?

Old Time Radio

2007-04-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

I went to an Old Time Radio theatre show last night. Some local folk get together and put it on. It looks like a lot of fun.... They performed some of my favorites! "Lights Out" and "Suspense" were part of the evening's bill. But an episode of "Aces" stole the show. I have been listening to old time radio shows for about a year now, it's addictive. It started with x -1, and grew from there. I started writing private eye type shows for fun. I only recorded one. I just loved working in words like chicanery and phrases like "It made no sense, like a eubangie with a monkey." And that crazy organ..... ahh good times.

Laser 28 Gurus Visit America's Daryland!

2007-04-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

Several sailors from the Canadian Laser 28 fleets are coming down to race in our first weekend regatta. May 26 will become a day that will live in infamy! (and by infamy I mean a rum induced blur) They are going to crew on "Yikes," the syndicate run by Jim Kennedy. Jim is short on crew, his bowman joined the Army. He left "Yikes" looking for a place that would treat him with the respect and dignity he thought he deserved. Basic training offered him that chance... a chance that was absent on "Yikes."

Jim is an adroit sailor and a fierce competitor. The Canadians will certainly have their hands full. Warbird and Eclipse will also be on the line.... I don't know how Rapscallion fits in to mix. Between a lack of funds and Ali's health I simply doubt I'll be able to race on a regular basis. I feel it would be unfair to potential crew to simply cancel a race at the last minute because my wife needs help; which is why the little boats are beginning to look so good to me. And, I'm a bit tired of the guff from a couple of sailors for not racing the Laser 28.... I'm kinda thinking of letting someone else race her sometimes, just so she is out there. Once the new Gnome knows the boat maybe the Muppets could go out and race her themselves!