Alcyone Sail Training

It is January of 2009, so it must be time for the family update. At the
end of this month we will have spent a year living in a house. We are
all enjoying the luxury of life ashore. Walking down the docks to check
on Alcyone this last month in the icy-snowy weather, we were
wondering how we used to manage. It probably helped that eight,
snowy, cold Port Townsend winters Alcyone and crew spent in the
tropics. We spent a few moments wondering how prepared we were in
the house if we lost power or water in the winter storms; but then
figured we could always move back on the boat, and we would be fine.

This summer we spent chartering and doing some youth sail-training
trips in local waters. We all enjoyed sailing in local waters again,
visiting friends, and going for some favorite hikes. Darby was our crew
this last year, and she did a great job. Darby not only is becoming a
great help above and below decks; but having been raised on the boat,
she is an expert in having fun and is great at making sure that
everyone else does too.

Our first trip was the Old Gaffer's Race charter in May. It was a
great first trip, beautiful weather, great crew, and an exciting race
that Alcyone won! The race started with light winds and strong
current, Alcyone took the lead, and as Kit Africa put it, "We had the
victory bottle of rum all but finished," then that elusive wind went
away and the Alcyone crew sat and watched as five boats caught up
and sailed on past. Finally, the wind filled back in strong enough for
Alcyone's longer waterline to kick in and she freight-trained by the
lead boat just before the finish.

Alyce spent most of her summer as a member of the US team
participating in the 2008 Atlantic Challenge. It is a bi-yearly event
where different international teams compete in seamanship, rowing,
and sailing races on Bantry Bay Gigs. Last year the competition was
help in Finland. Alyce spent five weeks on an island in Maine training
for the event and then two weeks in Finland. The US team came in
third, the Russians took first, and the British took second. She had a
great time.

In August Alyce made it home in time to leave for a Desolation Sound
trip. It is a bit of a push to get up their, about 150 miles north of PT;
but as always, we enjoyed the warm water, beautiful scenery, and
great exploring once we were there. We took to having morning and
evening swim calls, and added in excursions to the lakes during the
day. The PNW has some of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the
world; the extra bonus of warm water in Desolation Sound makes it
pretty near perfect.

In October we did a big haul-out on Alcyone, stripping the starboard
hull, reefing out and re-caulking topside seams, doing some refastening
and then making the boat beautiful again. We got really lucky with the
weather, and the week before Thanksgiving we managed to get her
back in the water with eight coats of paint on the newly re-caulked
side. Two years before we had done the port side; so now she is evened
up, and we are glad that that project, at least, is behind us.

We made it down to California for Christmas. We drove, leaving two
days late because of the weather. It was an adventure driving trip, ice,
snow, wind storms, we had them all. It was great visiting Leslie's
parents, and Jeff and Bridget (Jeff- Leslie's brother and Bridget-ex
Alcyone crew/teacher from the 200-2002 trip). They have two girls
now, Ramona is almost three and Nora is eight months old. We
celebrated Christmas on the 26th and enjoyed some warmer weather
before heading north once again.

Now we are back home. School is in full swing. Alyce is done applying
to colleges, has gotten accepted into the three that she applied to early.
She gets really excited when they accept her. Soon she will have to
make a decision about where she wants to go. Both girls will be
starting on the Sailing Team, and Sugar is busy figuring out how to
coach. This fall he and the girls got a 505, a go fast racing dinghy, he
crews and the girls skipper. There is a lot of learning going on.