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 ago are finally completed. The repairs and re-painting of the cockpit and deck have been done. The bottom paint was completely removed and new bottom paint sprayed on. The boat really looks great.
Last Saturday, we completed almost all of the Spring Boat Work in one day – a very hot day. This included polishing the bottom, cleaning the hull, teak oiling all of the wood and assembling all of the rigging, mast and control hardware. An enormous feat!
I am attaching a few images from the repair work, the after view and our return voyage to Marblehead. I am including an image of Rich Wilson’s new round the world single handed boat – Great American. She was in the harbor when we came in.
After some practice sails, CHARIAD’s racing season will get underway. A little late, but I am thankful to finally get back on the water.
July 4th Fireworks and CHARIAD BBQ
What do we do on July 4th when July 4th happened yesterday?
The July 4th extravaganza on the Boston Esplanade was staged last night with all of the fireworks shot off just before the spectators fled a storm front and torrential rains. As a further demonstration of the disappearance of reality from our lives, the Boston Pops Orchestra stopped their pre-fireworks performance because of the approaching storm. The fireworks were shot off. On television, they re-broadcast a previous Boston Pops show to make it seem like everything was continuing as planned.
Today is July 4th. Now what do we do?
Well – July 4th in Marblehead is tomorrow – Saturday, July 5th. There will be a huge fireworks display on the harbor. The CHARIAD tradition has been to have a BBQ on the boat on the evening of the 4th and watch the fireworks on the harbor.
Some of you have asked if we will have the July 4th on the boat gathering. I did not want to plan for the party until I knew the boat would be in the harbor. I am also sure some who would come on the boat have made other plans at this point.
So here is my offer/suggestion. Let me know if you would like to come to the BBQ/fireworks Saturday evening starting at 7 PM. If there is enough of a quorum, we will make this happen.
Please Remember: If you want to eat it or drink it – bring it. Plus some to share.
Parking in Marblehead will be difficult. So come early to get settled and enjoy the beautiful town and all of the activities.
Several of you have told me that you had not seen a recent update on CHARIAD and our community. I did not want to bother you with the drawn out story of getting the boat repairs done. I have taken advantage of several non sailing spring weekends to do away photography that I would not have done if the boat was in the water. You will see some of the images over the next few months.
I hope July 4th finds you having fun with your family and friends. Do take a moment on this day to reflect on how fortunate we are to live in this country in spite of the challenges we face as a country and as individuals.
My best.
Rick
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