Dear M-sailors
I hope you are all having a wonderful time sailing your Montgomery 15's
and 17's this summer and are enjoying all the new voyages you are
undertaking, and all the quiet coves you discover.
The mere thought of that makes me jealous, but having been there and
done that, I can at least call up fond memories of gently gurgling M-15
bow waves on a broad reach across Lake Champlain, or exploring the
Florida Keys with porpoises cavorting alongside your boat, the
occasional manatee encounter, while pelicans dive bomb for fish.
In late fall, when sailing season comes to an end, and your M boats have
been put away, my sailing books can perhaps provide you with a glimpse
of different types of sailing throughout Europe, and the US East coast.
It will expand your horizon with the problems we encountered, and had to
solve. Different sailing problems, from languages that change as you
cross boarders; to hand operating locks in French canals; or Swedish
nautical charts that are accurate in official waterways, but anywhere
else in the vast Swedish archipelago it is all "local" knowledge, you
mark submerged rocks with your anti-fouling paint to keep the Russians
guessing, and making it impossible for them to find their way to the
Swedish Restricted area in their midget submarines.
There are vastly different weather conditions on the English Channel
compared to the Adriatic or the Med. Each area has their own special
weather problems. Sailor beware....!
Open a beer, sit back and let us take you along on our various trips,
along with tips on how to avoid the traps that MURPHY may surprise you
with during your travels. A major one being anchoring; which is an art
that has to be learned by having lots of experience.
My four Sailing Adventure books are now available at AMAZON as
Paperback books, or as an electronic download on Kindle.
Book 1 starts in the bath tub and takes you to the ocean
Book 2 tells about sailing in Europe; buying new and different boats
because of company requested moves; Murphy strikes again! How to
evaluate a sailboat that is a good design vs. a party barge that never
leaves the marina. (30 foot boat sleeps 6! Where do you stow their
gear? Can 6 sit at the cabin table? Do you have good access to the
engine if you have an engine problem? What are the sailing characteristics?)
Sailing in Sweden, down the English Channel; crossing the Adriatic and
exploring Yugoslavian islands; and almost sailing back to the USA in 1974.
Book 3 talks about sailing New England waters; fog sailing; harbors that
are not shown on Nautical Charts, but are sailor's knowledge passed on
from sailor to sailor; a delivery trip from Rochester, NY to Staten
Island, NY with a boat our daughter's boyfriend had bought (with lot's
of problems), and finally getting fed up with the antics of motorboat
drivers, and deciding it's time for a change.....
Book 4 then discusses alternative ways to go sailing to find peace and
quiet on the water again. This is about trailer sailing; trailer
problems; ramp difficulties and solutions; and the joys of finding
almost endless new areas to explore by going to windward at 70 MPH on an
Interstate highway for a few hours.
Fair winds to all, and may your anchors never drag,
Connie
