The aging of man!

If any of our readers have taken the time to wonder what the aging process can do to the appearance of a man simply look at the photo and scan from left to right. We start off looking good and end up acting great. It just takes time.

How To Age Gracefully!

100th Running Of The Chicago To Mackinac Race!

This weekend is a very big event at the Chicago Yacht Club. It marks the 100th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac web site (www.chicagoyachtclub.org/racetomackinac)



This has been a big event for us for the past nine years as this is the 10th consecutive year that my son, Shane, has been racing in this event.



I was fortunate to be able to join him a couple of years ago and then also be with him as we brought a racing yacht back to Chicago after the race. My very good friend, Mike DeGeorge and his son were also on the MacBack trip.



Shane's sector starts at 12:20 this Saturday afternoon. This will be a busy week for him as he prepares his gear, boat, crew and supplies for the race.



The boat is owned and captained by Clark Pellet of Chicago. The Admiral and I have had a great time sailing with Clark and his crew and they placed 2nd in the Mac race last year.



You can track Shane's progress this weekend as he will have a transponder on the boat. He will be sailing to Mackinac Island on Saturday-Monday July 18-20, 2008. The boat will be equipped with a transponder to illustrate real time location in juxtaposition to the fleet and other boats in our section. The section is the J105 section. Yacht: Sealark Sail Number: USA 349 Captain: Clark Pellett Type: J105



Click Here For Race Tracking



The crew of Mary Rose wish Blue Sky - Deep Water - Fair Winds to the race crew of Sealark!



Get plenty of rest this week - you will need it!

New Panel And More.

The "to do" list seemed to grow faster than we could get items crossed off. Well it finally seems as though the list is shrinking. We have made a final list of items that must be accomplished before we leave this fall for a 1 - 2 month extended sea trial in the Caribbean. The wiring is now complete. Recent improvements include, several new DC outlets (auto cigarette lighter style) so we can plug in chargers, a 12 volt trouble light and any thing else that need 12 volt dc power supply. I built a new engine gauge panel and installed new Murphy mechanical gauges for greater reliability. See Photo. New fans, for comfort, were installed in the v-berth and the galley. We can use the fan in the galley as a exhaust fan to get heat from cooking out of the cabin. A very handy engine compartment light was installed to help make inspections easier. I cleaned and painted the engine and completely re-wired the engine. See Photo. The new cabin lights are installed. They are really sweet. Each light has a high and low setting in both red and white. The red is a must for night sailing to keep from damaging your night vision ability.





The big items remaining are:


- new extended double rail pulpit


- new stern enclosure to support wind and solar energy generation


- security alarm


- new laminate on galley and head counters


- finish the wood and bright work on the cabin top and companionway


- install new potable water lines


- install new fuel take and revamp fuel supply system





This list will be completed by November to ensure a safe and comfortable sea trial and winter vacation. We will keep you posted on progress.

Well, the blogspot is not letting me upload photos right now so I will place the photos on later.

Father's Day Break

Yes I know it is a bit late for a dad's day post but I am just getting caught up on the blog. I need to do a better job of regular updates.

We took a break the week of Father's day to get some much needed R&R. As you can see from the previous post, The Admiral's son and family came for a visit. After Brandon's visit we drove to the panhandle of Florida to visit my Shannon (my youngest daughter), her children (Alex and LeeAnn), and Shane (my son) and his wife Cristina. Diana (the children's mom) and her mother, June were also there for a few days. The place was beautiful. Four stories tall and right on the beach. I think I counted 6 bedrooms and maybe 4 or 5 bathrooms. We had a great time and spent most of the time in the ocean and pool. We played some serious "Texas Hold'em" and Alex cleaned me out in short order. LeeAnn is a marine lover and was always on the hunt for crabs, jelly fish and yes SHARKS! She loves SHARKS! She is going to be a great sailing mate and SCUBA diver buddy. Shannon used the time for a much deserved rest and I fixed a "big o daddy breakfast." Eggs, bacon and yes it was complete with biscuits and gravy. We ate our meals on the patio porch facing the ocean. It was a wonderful time and I appreciate Shannon inviting us. Shelly (my oldest daughter) and Jeff, the elder son, were unable to attend this famfest. Hope they can make the next one. We drove the long way home and took our time enjoying the nature coast of Florida. We even saw two black bears by the road in the national forest. It a was much needed mini vacation and very relaxing. Well enjoy the photos and more to come.