Dear Friend of CHARIAD: Wonderful seeing so many of you last Saturday night at the CHARIAD Launch Party. At least 40 Friends came to Richard Sides home in Marblehead – probably more. Lots of stories, laughs, new friendships, renewed friendships and incredible food and drinks. CHARIAD is having her first race this Saturday. The weather looks great for an inaugural race. The crew has been practicing and we are taking [...]
Dear Friend of CHARIAD: The mighty CHARIAD swims again. She was launched for the 2016 sailing season this past Thursday. Each of us marks the progression of the year in different ways. For me, gathering the CHARIAD crew to go to the boat yard marks the transition from winter to spring. Launching the boat marks the transition from spring to summer. April is still on the calendar. The seasons have [...]
Dear Friend of CHARIAD: What wonderful sailing this weekend. Could not be a better time to be on the water and what a wonder group of interesting folks to spend the day with. I am copying a couple of people who wanted to come but could not make it and I don’t have emails for a couple of folks who did come. Please share. We sailed into Gloucester Harbor and [...]
Dear Friend of CHARIAD: I have had so much going on that I have not been able to keep you up to date with a very exciting sailing year for CHARIAD and the CHARIAD team. Here is a quick update. Headline: CHARIAD finishes Last in 1st Race & 2nd in 2nd Race. When a casual friend learns that I competed in a sailboat race, the next statement is “Oh, did you win the [...]
Dear Friend of CHARIAD: We have our seasonal rituals – Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July. April is a ritual month for me. Boat work Crew recruitment I have to share one last image for our Friends who are not in Boston. The temperature is mostly in the 40s and we had a lot of rain last week. Most of the snow is gone though there are still piles everywhere. This car [...]
Dear Friend of CHARIAD: Official snow fall record in Boston was broken on Sunday. We have had 108.6 inches of snow so far in the 2014/2015 winter season. In the era of Global Warming, Boston has had more snow that ever recorded before. Since Boston is the Center of the Universe – actually Cambridge if you are on that side of the river – this is important. Lyman Opie built [...]
Dear Friend of CHARIAD: This is the time of year when the days are getting longer – daylight savings time just started – and we tell ourselves that the warm days of summer and sailing must surely be near. We try to visualize gliding across a sparkling sea driven by soft afternoon winds with a cool rum drink in hand. With all of the snow, ice, frozen pipes, no [...]
Dear Friend of CHARIAD: Tomorrow, Friday, night CHARIAD races from Marblehead to Provincetown. This will be our first real race – meaning we are actually racing for the whole race. We went out this past Sunday for a long race to the entrance of Boston Harbor and back but were not able to fly the spinnaker on the 8 mile leg back because of a mechanical breakdown with the [...]
Dear Friend of CHARIAD: I just got word that the Marblehead July 4th Fireworks – scheduled for tonight July 5th – has been cancelled. The tug pulling the barge from Boston is still confused about what day is July 4th. Perhaps the extra pint at the Black Rose had something to do with the confusion. The CHARIAD BBQ is still on. And Marblehead’s beautiful harbor illumination is still on. [...]
Dear Friend of CHARIAD: The mighty CHARIAD arrived in Marblehead Harbor on Wednesday. You may remember the Severe Thunderstorm Warnings being broadcast late afternoon. That is when we arrived. We averaged over 7 knots over the ground in 25 knots of wind from the SW. No – we did not put a spinnaker up. Hurricane Sandy Repairs Completed All of the final repairs from hurricane Sandy almost two years [...]
