Marlene Anne Sassaman's Blog (140)

"What the heck?" I muttered while the toothpaste oozed out of the sides of my mouth. Slowly, I eased out of my bathroom wearing a t-shirt that barely covered my butt. Curiously, I peeked into the master bedroom where a guest had been sleeping. Noticing the covers on the floor and no visible signs of a body in the bed, I tip toed toward the sliding glass door. "Oh gees" I thought in surprise. My 82 year old special visitor was briskly swimming in my pool. How invigorating is that?  What a…

I have four elongated oval shaped plastic windows that I want to replace. Having taken off a similar window from my Corsair I do not want to attempt this on my own. Finding an installer is akin to getting free quality work on any boat project. Realistically, I expect to pay a fair price. I just can't seem to find someone who will take on the job. As I will be venturing north from Cape Canaveral in 21 days I'm wondering if anyone exists up the coast. Maybe I'll come into a marina knowing a…

I have four elongated oval shaped plastic windows that I want to replace. Having taken off a similar window from my Corsair I do not want to attempt this on my own. Finding an installer is akin to getting free quality work on any boat project. Realistically, I expect to pay a fair price. I just can't seem to find someone who will take on the job. As I will be venturing north from Cape Canaveral in 21 days I'm wondering if anyone exists up the coast. Maybe I'll come into a marina knowing a…

Ahoy there guys and gals,

With 28 days until cast off I need the chart numbers for Bermuda from Florida, the Cheasapeake, and New York Harbor.

Charts that would cover from Florida to New York would be great. I have tried to order charts online but getting a clear view of what is shown on my little lap top screen is difficult. I could drive to Blue Water Books in Ft. Lauderdale at the cost of $100 just for gas (not to mention a 6 hour round trip drive). So, I'd rather not take…

Sailors playing volleyball! Who'd a Thunk? So, here I am practicing sporadic unplanned movements once, twice and sometimes three times a week with a group of folks belonging to a recreational meet up. Years ago I attended a beach volleyball clinic and though I enjoyed the 4 hour instruction I was too busy surfing and sailing to get serious about ball whacking. Previous to that I tried a more serious team approach in college but my skills kept me on the bench during the first two games so…

Re-print from an upcoming newsletter  of the East Coast Sailing Association

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/sassea/

Hm, while being distracted by the myriad of websites flashing before my eyes, I found SAILBLOG. So, I thought, why not have two separate blogs. Sure I can post the same information on both; "redundancy you say?" Permy haps, but my #1 sailing fan tells me I have to get my story told. Besides, recovering from an emotional breakdown last night, I had to take the day off of…

During my mom's final days she reminded me to be thankful I was healthy enough to go to work everyday. If it weren't for my insistence on the way I lived my life, i might have been in a better position to sacrifice my measley salary and  spend more time reading her silly stories, holding her hand, and agreeing to disagree. Mom knew, though, that for me work was my salvation. It wasn't always the money as I asserted. We both knew that. There were just some issues we chose to let…

Imagine sitting under a full moon with a gentle 7 knot breeze tossling your hair on an otherwise clear night. The blue/black sky has featherlike remnants of clouds just south of the moon. The last fisherman, the same guy who has gone out every night for the past six days, left his slip about an hour ago. This evening he has a friend on board. Across from SPRAY is a new guy to the club who also set out before dusk; no doubt to drift along the coast on this beautifully, peaceful…

Witnessing the night sky transform into daylight continues to be magical. It only gets better when the viewing itakes place with someone who initiatates a rendevous at my favorite spot on the boardwalk in Indialantic. Just north of Melbourne Beach on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway is this sleepy little town. Not known for much other than surfing and as a gateway to other beach resorts, this square mile town boasts a quiet 1/4 mile boardwalk, two coffee shops, an ice cream parlor,…

Witnessing the night sky transform into daylight continues to be magical. It only gets better when the viewing itakes place with someone who initiatates a rendevous at my favorite spot on the boardwalk in Indialantic. Just north of Melbourne Beach on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway is this sleepy little town. Not known for much other than surfing and as a gateway to other beach resorts, this square mile town boasts a quiet 1/4 mile boardwalk, two coffee shops, an ice cream parlor,…

If this is as good as it gets than I am doomed to one challenge after another. Why is it that the thrill of my new helmstation anhoring system is being replaced with the failure of my LG front loading washing machine. I figured out how to empty the water overflow filter. Cleaning it was an obvious easily identified source of the problem. Only problem is the washer still won't turn on. "EWWWWWWWWWWW" the thought of calling a repairperson makes me cringe. What if this happened on the high…

If this is as good as it gets than I am doomed to one challenge after another. Why is it that the thrill of my new helmstation anhoring system is being replaced with the failure of my LG front loading washing machine. I figured out how to empty the water overflow filter. Cleaning it was an obvious easily identified source of the problem. Only problem is the washer still won't turn on. "EWWWWWWWWWWW" the thought of calling a repairperson makes me cringe. What if this happened on the high…

If this is as good as it gets than I am doomed to one challenge after another. Why is it that the thrill of my new helmstation anhoring system is being replaced with the failure of my LG front loading washing machine. I figured out how to empty the water overflow filter. Cleaning it was an obvious easily identified source of the problem. Only problem is the washer still won't turn on. "EWWWWWWWWWWW" the thought of calling a repairperson makes me cringe. What if this happened on the high…

If this is as good as it gets than I am doomed to one challenge after another. Why is it that the thrill of my new helmstation anhoring system is being replaced with the failure of my LG front loading washing machine. I figured out how to empty the water overflow filter. Cleaning it was an obvious easily identified source of the problem. Only problem is the washer still won't turn on. "EWWWWWWWWWWW" the thought of calling a repairperson makes me cringe. What if this happened on the high…

After two days of having my sister Jane, and another day having my volleyball coach assist with tying up the nets, they are almost secure. At least if someone were to stumble and fall onto one of them, or cautiously walk across them, the net should hold their body weight. It will be another day or two or three of tying a second row to seriously secure them. Despite careful planning each net was tied on a little differently. Getting the nets organized to stretch equally in all directions was…

This entry is an excert of an e-mail response I sent to a new sailing friend from the UK. Imagine him being interested in a 35/36 foot trimaran. Yea, I am not alone. Anyway, here's the recent musing,,,

The big test will come this summer when I sail solo from Port Canaveral, Florida to New York Harbor - another 1200 mile hitch. Challenging the gulf stream, for me is pretty daunting. As my plans are to do more distant sailing I thought this would be a good way to find out if the…

Well, this week-end's distraction was special so other than wiping down the sleeping quarters I didn't get much work done. Afterall, I was invited to sail on Sam Bradfield's latest hydrofoil design. The boat is only 18 feet long and really light. Unfortunately, the breeze died off by the time we got out. Having Mike McGarry, Sam's #1 skipper and the infamous tri designer Jim Brown on board was just too compelling to pass up. The bonus for the week-end was when my tris designer, John Marples,…