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Our Sailing Hideaway Blog and YouTube videos will remain active. Join the HideAways as we tell, through blog stories and videos, what life really is like on a small, 23' Com Pac sailboat. We'll show the joys, thrills and chills of the sailing life, but also what it takes to maintain a boat, trailer and truck. You are just as likely to learn how not to do something correctly as to do it right. That's important too! New! The Hideaways take to the road! Follow Traveling Hideaway: Winds of Wanderlust Transitioning from Sailing Hideaway to Traveling Hideaways as sailors learn to travel without heeling, well, not much, anyway. The Paint Wasters Society unlocks the art of paint squandering with sheer delight, free from the shackles of remorse or guilt. Trust me, a century down the line, nobody's going to bat an eyelash, so why not indulge in some paint splattering shenanigans today? Let's turn those pricey pigments into a canvas of laughter and joy.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Sailing Away The Florida Winter

After months of life’s less pleasant offerings the HideAways found a bit of spring in their winter under sunny skies, 80 degree weather, and easy seas this last Saturday in mid January.

Multiple weeks of absence from sailing has been known to cause the average sailing brain to corrode and sea legs to stiffen.  The boat seems to suffer a similar malaise mostly from enduring the snowbirds. The ones that prefer to poop on boats not so much the ones driving about in RVs.

On our first tack the jib sheet wrapped itself around a forward cleat perhaps in revenge of an immobile sailing brain forgetting to add a stopper knot on its bitter end letting it run free from the laughing block.  (Yes, the block was laughing, I’m sure of it)

We won’t talk either about the throw cushion and fender, both of whom left the boat for a swim without permission, warning or proper paper work.   They didn't get far.  It seems our man-over-aboard drills have paid off.

Later, anchored off the Gulfport pier, the HideAways settled in for a winter afternoon nap.   The capt, not often accused of planning ahead, stretched out on a variety of throw cushions employed poorly to soften the fiberglass cockpit while the-one-who-plans-everything wisely relaxed in her comfy berth below.  

In defense of the capt, sleeping in the cockpit has the advantage of the close proximity to Nature.  Imagine yourself anchored off a tropical shore on a global warmed January afternoon just a short distance from the beach, a white sandy one at that.

 A refreshing breeze gently rocks your boat under impossibly blue skies as kayakers investigate a nearby sunken wreck which seems closer now.  You awake to the ever so sweet fragrance of orange blossoms. If you have been to Florida in the spring you know how intoxicating these blossoms are – A true southern comfort.

Wait a minute… Orange trees don’t blossom in January!

The thing about orange trees though is that they grow on land. If you happen to smell them while asleep on in the airy cockpit of your boat you dream of running aground in an orange grove.  The two concepts clang together in such a manner as to wake the unsuspecting mind of a corroded sailorman. Great panic and confusion ensue not helped at all from an unnoticed change in wind direction.  A panicked glance below reveals an open package of wet wipes residing on the galley which some fancy smanchy ad man had doused in orange blossom scent.

Ahhh the life of the sailor – A perfect way to relax in the Florida winter.  Even the skeeters are smaller as we see in the video below-



SMALL BOATS ROCK!!  

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Christmas Boat Parade

One of the finest traditions we have discovered living in the south is the Christmas Boat parades that begin in early December.  Usually organized by neighborhoods or boating clubs these events range in size from canoes and kayaks on the Hillsborough River in Tampa to huge yachts on Tampa Bay.  Our favorite is organized by Boca Ciega Yacht Club in Gulfport Fl.  To be fair it should be noted the HideAways have been members of the sailing club for nearly the last two decades.

HideAway All Dressed Up
All boats are welcome to participate.  It is not a competition like many of the others.  Prizes are awarded but they are usually dinners to local restaurants.

The real reward is the chance to be a rock star as you motor close by throngs of your screaming fans shouting the seasons greetings.



The parade route takes you on a tour of  Boca Ciega Bay visiting the cities of St Petersburg, Gulfport and Southern Pasadena including several other boating clubs and residential areas.


The proceeds of your entrance fee, two or more toys, go to Gulfport's Operation Santa project.  A fine way to begin the Christmas Season.  This year's parade is the subject of our latest video below.  It's a long one so put another log on the fire.


SMALL BOATS ROCK!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

New Loose Footed Main Sail Report

After a dazzling array of obstacles, broken brakes, mashed outboard gears, not to mention a lingering strength sapping illness, the HideAways finally floated to the end of “A” dock to spend the last hot night of the Summer Sweat Season.

 The early morning air fanned by No-See-Ems so big you could see em, chased the bug bitten crew onto the polished mirror surface of Boca Ciega Bay. Muttering the mantra “Light air is a fine way to test a new sail-yes it tis”; HideAway ghosted along under main alone keen to successfully tack sans jib. Before someone points out that such a maneuver is not difficult clearly has not observed our many failures to accomplish this skill. Over the years you see, any crew who tends jib on HideAway instinctively knows to back it without encouragement from her Capt.

  HideAway tacked smartly and without a whimper of complaint from her wide-eyed crew then sailed unattended for nearly a mile before another tack was executed.

 Sunday brought with it a spot of cool, fast air and a whole flock of Boca Ciega Yacht Club racing boats to share the bay. The monthly club race is billed as informal and certainly is not considered serious racing. If two sailboats on the same tack are judged to be racing then what happens when a dozen or so boats join in  the fun? About that bridge I have for sale….

HideAway's New Main Sail
Since HideAway had not officially signed up for the race we instead steered a parallel heading sufficiently far off the race course as not to interfere with the real racers. Under standard jib and full main the HideAways threaded their way through a zoo of anchored boats, keeping well clear of a sunken sailboat near the Gulfport FL pier. She made herself proud keeping up with the fleet. Something not dreamed possible before the new main sail. 

Racers are funny sailors. After they finished their race every one of them set course for the clubhouse leaving HideAway alone on the bay to enjoy a fresh sea breeze ordered up to test the main. Voila! Another first; in all the years of sailing HideAway never once have we felt the joy of real acceleration. Instead of just heeling over and slogging along a burst of genuine speed could be felt. What a fun concept!

 To be fair the new loose footed main is four inches taller than the old one and certainly holds shape better. We ordered two reefs installed in the sail then realized later that the first reef is not nearly as severe as the single reef of the old while the second reef leaves just a scrape of power flying. Since the first reef is shallow perhaps a second reef could become the norm. It may serve to leave the standard jib up longer before changing to the storm. A decided advantage. The job of changing our hanked on jib has never been agreeable and always more exciting than necessary.

 Made by Doyle Sails in St Petersburg, Fl our new loose footed, double reef main sail is a most welcome new crew.

 Small Boats Rock!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

The Manatee Springs Mullet Movie

A perhaps disturbingly small number of curious folks have been inquiring, nay, demanding to know just what the Mullet Myrtle actually looks like.  The Mullet Myrtle as you surely recall lurks in the depths of the only channel into Mullet Key Bayou at the mouth of Tampa Bay.  She is quite famous playing catch and release of the unwary sailor's keel.  At least that is the most probable explanation of the rash of recent groundings in the bayou put forth by her many victims.

After hacking through a contagion of  housing developments, strip clubs – er- malls of the urban jungle that is Florida in modern times, the valiant HideAways finally found some illusive mullets cleverly hiding in Manatee Springs doing what they do, which isn’t much when you think about it.   

It should be noted here that the Manatee High Council was invited to participate in the following film however it would neither deny nor confirm the presence of mullet in their namesake spring.  The Manatees plainly want nothing to do with the scandalous Mullet Myrtle who, according to the MHC, is responsible for the recent Mullet foray into Manatee Springs witnessed by the HideAways.

Meanwhile a spokesmullet from the Mullet Association of Manatee Springs stated that while the MAMS has not met with the Mullet Myrtle personally, it fully supports her efforts to annoy the humans who believe that Mullets are only at their best when smoked.  

With no interest in fairness the HideAways confess that smoked mullet and ice cold beer on a hot summer day is right up there with Tupelo Honey on the list of Florida Delights.   But please don't tell the Mullet Myrtle as we plan to return to Mullet Key Bayou one day soon.