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Madsu

A Small Bit of Long Weekend Sunshine

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The Victoria Day Long Weekend was a bit of a write off here in the Lower Mainland.

However, we played our cards right for an afternoon sail – we found the perfect weather window in an othewise dreary and wet weekend.  And we had a lovely breeze to make the wait worthwhile.

This shot is actually a still from a new video camera I’m using.  It’s a HeroHD mini from GoPro, and so far I’m really impressed with the quality of the video and the images.  I didn’t treat this picture at all – it’s exactly the way it came out of the video stream.

The HeroHD also shoots stills, but because it has a nifty waterproof case, I’m using it as a video camera on the boat – and I’ll be posting some of my experiments over the summer.

Madsu Meets the GoPro from robert ouimet on Vimeo.

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Madsu

Beating Both Ways

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Spring sailing in Howe Sound can make for some interesting day trips.

Today I headed out into a freshening inflow (southerly) and worked my way along Bowen Island toward the Straight of Georgia.

An hour-and-a-half later, the wind pulled a 180 and I found myself on the same point of sail, going the opposite direction.

Madsu was really comfy with a full main and the 100% jib up.  We were doing a smooth and steady 5 knots both in and out.

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Madsu

Poor Man’s Nav Station

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Madsu’s a fine little pocket cruiser, and I can’t honestly say I feel the need for any more navigation help than I currently have.

The GPS is an immense time saver.  I could probably do with a slightly nicer looking time piece, but it all works out just fine.  At the end of the day, I can pop the board out, and put everything away, out of the weather.

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Madsu

A Little Squall

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A little squall is making its way towards Howe Sound from the Straight of Georgia.  It was just  a little one, but I did manage to head in before I got wet.

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Madsu On The Water

Low Tide

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We’ve some some really low tides this weekend – .4 metres on today (Saturday) at the afternoon low.

This rusted out pile is usually well covered with water – today it’s clearly covered in starfish.

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Madsu

Reefed and Ready

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I had a lovely mellow sail in Howe Sound today.

It was windy when I got down to the docks, but a few small fixes to various bits on the boat kept me from leaving for an hour or so.  The wind had died down substantially by the time I got out, but with a single reef in the main and Madsu’s 100% North Sail jib, we were doing about 4.5 knots and nice and flat.

I shook the reef after about half-an-hour when it was apparent the wind wasn’t about to pick up – though I stayed with the small jib.  The wind did pick up a bit and with some high cloud I had to put a sweater on and actually wore my wool hat for the last bit.

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Madsu

Summer is Now Here

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It was a lovely afternoon to be out in Howe Sound.  The wind freshened through the afternoon, and I beat out against the southerly inflow.  When it came time to turn back and head in, the wind was brisk and Madsu flew along at 6 plus knots on a broad reach (reciprocal course to the one I was on when I took this picture).

Shorts and bare feet today means summer is here.

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Madsu

Shake Down Cruise

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We aren’t setting any speed records, but just enough wind so I can get everything hoisted and check that I put Madsu back together properly.

When I haul out in the fall, I unstep the mast and remove all the standing and running rigging and any hardware that’s not bolted down on deck.  It’s a bit of extra work, but the gear stays clean over the winter and it also gives me an opportunity to check all the gear closely.

In the spring when I launch, there’s always one or two small bits I’ve forgotten in a gear bag – so a light wind day for the shake-down cruise is welcome.