# Why I love living on an island.



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

The weather. Nothing beats it. This is part of my commute this morning:

"Risk of Coastal Flooding..."


----------



## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

Why I love living in Arizona.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

desertman said:


> Why I love living in Arizona.


Must be boring with the weather being basically the same all the time......

I need seasons.


----------



## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

I'm in central Arizona and we do have four mild seasons. We even get snow in the winter. Usually melts in a day but sticks around up in the mountains making for a spectacular sight. Arizona is anything but boring, it's hard to pick a favorite place. If it weren't for the summer heat we'd be living in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. It's only an hour's drive and we spend a great deal of time there even in the summer. So I guess that would be our favorite place. I wouldn't be "Desertman" if it weren't.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

desertman said:


> I'm in central Arizona and we do have four mild seasons. We even get snow in the winter. Usually melts in a day but sticks around up in the mountains making for a spectacular sight. Arizona is anything but boring, it's hard to pick a favorite place. If it weren't for the summer heat we'd be living in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. It's only an hour's drive and we spend a great deal of time there even in the summer. So I guess that would be our favorite place. I wouldn't be "Desertman" if it weren't.


I need snow. There is nothing like sliding through a corner in the stuff. Now if only those that don't know how to handle it would stay off the roads..... I see too many SUVs and 4x4s stuck in the drifts because they think that magically they have better brakes and steering than other cars. Their only advantage is better traction, which helps with steering, but only if you're hooning..


----------



## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Make no mistake, Phoenix gets rain at times, lots of rain. 

My favorite video on the news, is when a motorist goes around a barricade and gets stuck in a low point in the road, the water is up to the top of the tires, and a helicopter needs to come in and do an extraction. 

A few years ago, it was a Hummer that got stuck in water and the owner was on the hood waiting for the helicopter. In AZ., we have a "Stupid Motorist" law. There's a good reason for that law, as we have a lot of stupid motorists. Most seem to congregate in the Phoenix area.


----------



## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

paratrooper:


> Make no mistake, Phoenix gets rain at times, lots of rain.


Yeah, like last summer especially in Mesa. I stay out of the Phoenix metro area, only went through it once to get to the Apache Trail. Took the 101 loop around it out to Apache Junction.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

A few years ago, we were building a boat for an English guy - the boat boss was English, it was mid-winter, and one Monday morning we got 6 inches of fresh snow. Everyone arrived at work on time (6:30 am) and carried on happily (while bitching about the weather, sure). The Boat Boss (project manager, in real terms) showed us the English headlines for that morning. "An inch of snow on Bodmin Moor - Army 4x4's and helicopters called in to rescue 500 stuck motorists."

Laugh? We cried.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

Here's a snowy one from earlier this year. The back roads at the beginning are un-plowed, but it's only 3 or 4 inches... The little Fiat loves snow.


----------



## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

SailDesign:


> I need snow.


I like the way it is out here, it pretty much only sticks to the grassy surfaces and up in the mountains and melts on the roadway so the roads never get filthy. I hate getting my vehicles dirty especially full of road salt. Sometimes after a snowstorm you can go outside without all that heavy winter clothing, a sweatshirt is adequate. The beautiful blue sky, crystal clear air contrasted against the snow covered mountains makes for a spectacular sight indeed. It's never dismal, dank and dreary for days on end such as in the northeast.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

desertman said:


> SailDesign:
> 
> I like the way it is out here, it pretty much only sticks to the grassy surfaces and up in the mountains and melts on the roadway so the roads never get filthy. I hate getting my vehicles dirty especially full of road salt. Sometimes after a snowstorm you can go outside without all that heavy winter clothing, a sweatshirt is adequate. The beautiful blue sky, crystal clear air contrasted against the snow covered mountains makes for a spectacular sight indeed. It's never dismal, dank and dreary for days on end such as in the northeast.


If I hated getting my car dirty, I'd never leave the house...


----------



## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

SailDesign said:


> Must be boring with the weather being basically the same all the time......
> 
> I need seasons.


Not me. If I never saw snow again, except in movies or on TV, I wouldn't miss it. Never was a big fan of it when I was a kid and certainly not now. Give me the warm weather... summertime in the South. I'm just not far south enough... yet.


----------



## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

SailDesign:


> If I hated getting my car dirty, I'd never leave the house...


Fortunately lousy weather is not so much of an issue out here. However, if not garaged and left outside the sun can do a number on paint and interiors out here, but nothing rusts. I never get any of my vehicles wet or wash them with a hose, just dust them off with a "California Car Duster", and I'm good to go. Water if left to dry quickly in the sun leaves "water spots" in the paint that are a bitch to get out. No thank you! I put too much time and effort in restoring my antique cars to ever want to subject them to the elements. I paid too much money for my truck to subject it to them either. It's a 2001 and looks just as good as the day it left the showroom. Being self employed and not having to commute allows me to use my vehicles in nice weather only. Vehicles and guns are "my thing" and I am a fanatic when it comes to both. Watching that video made me cringe.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

SouthernBoy said:


> Not me. If I never saw snow again, except in movies or on TV, I wouldn't miss it. Never was a big fan of it when I was a kid and certainly not now. Give me the warm weather... summertime in the South. I'm just not far south enough... yet.


You're just getting soft, Dood.


----------



## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

SouthernBoy:


> Not me. If I never saw snow again, except in movies or on TV, I wouldn't miss it. Never was a big fan of it when I was a kid and certainly not now. Give me the warm weather... summertime in the South. I'm just not far south enough... yet.


You ought to come out to central Arizona. Where I am summer is in the upper 80's low 90's during the day, at night it's in the 60's. There's very little humidity and you don't get eaten alive by mosquito's. We might get 3 or 4 snowstorms per season and it's usually gone in a day, most people except for fools like me never even clear their driveways or walkways. Last year we got an inch in early December the rest of the winter was bone dry.


----------



## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

SailDesign said:


> You're just getting soft, Dood.


Nah. I just never really cared that much for snow as a kid and definitely not as an adult. I love the warm weather when I can just put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt or golf shirt and be comfortable and happy. Not a fan of the change of seasons, either. Mind you, I am a happy and outgoing person by nature but like anyone, I have my preferences.


----------



## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

desertman said:


> SouthernBoy:
> 
> You ought to come out to central Arizona. Where I am summer is in the upper 80's low 90's during the day, at night it's in the 60's. There's very little humidity and you don't get eaten alive by mosquito's. We might get 3 or 4 snowstorms per season and it's usually gone in a day, most people except for fools like me never even clear their driveways or walkways. Last year we got an inch in early December the rest of the winter was bone dry.


I love the Lowcountry which is the Southeast coastal area. Particularly South Carolina. Warm Southern breezes, soft Southern accents, and honest Southern charm. Yep, works for me.


----------



## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

desertman said:


> Why I love living in Arizona.


I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand
Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand
Life is good today. Life is good today.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

BackyardCowboy said:


> I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand
> Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand
> Life is good today. Life is good today.


Have to have salt water nearby - have never lived further from the sea than about 15 miles, and that wasn't for long...
Tough to draw boats for a living if you live inland.


----------



## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

SailDesign:


> Tough to draw boats for a living if you live inland.


Especially if you live in the desert! You can draw them alright, but you'll have a hard time trying to use one.


----------



## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

BackyardCowboy:


> I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand


You can do that out here, got plenty of sand, you'll just need a wading pool and a couple of gallons of water.


----------



## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

desertman said:


> SailDesign:
> 
> Especially if you live in the desert! You can draw them alright, but you'll have a hard time trying to use one.


Then he'll design a Prairie Schooner for you.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

BackyardCowboy said:


> Then he'll design a Prairie Schooner for you.


Just put some wheels on this little schooner.


----------



## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

BackyardCowboy:


> Then he'll design a Prairie Schooner for you.


That'd be great until you hit some rock formations, boulders or cactus, we've got plenty of those too. The desert out here for the most part is anything but flat. Maybe if he jacked it way up off the ground and added some suspension? Oh, hell I'll just have to get an ATV.


----------



## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

BackyardCowboy said:


> I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand
> Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand
> Life is good today. Life is good today.


We got into the low 70's today. Still not as warm as I like, but I'll take it.


----------



## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

SailDesign said:


> Have to have salt water nearby - have never lived further from the sea than about 15 miles, and that wasn't for long...
> Tough to draw boats for a living if you live inland.


I spent the first the first 12 twelve years of my life in the summer months at my grandparents' home in Shady Side, Maryland which was on the West River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. They had five boats from 55 foot and 35 foot cruisers to a small wooden rowboat (we called it the Little Bateau). My oldest cousin used to build small hydroplane boats that he raced as a teenager in his early 20's (he has over 120 trophies). And one of my uncles had a small sailboat.

The house was on an acre of land on a point with a concrete and large rock breakwater. What a beautiful place. This past summer I contacted the current owners and asked if I could come by and walk the property. They agreed with this, with some checking of course, and my wife, our oldest daughter, and I had a wonderful two hours on a Saturday afternoon in July. We were taken around the house (first time I have been in that house since 1958) and the property. I took them pictures of the place dating back to 1932. So salt water is in my blood.

My wife and I got our first boat in 1986; a starter you might say. It was a 19 foot Bayliner bowrider with trailer. We kept her for three years then sold her and bought a 27 foot Sea Ray 268 Sundancer. Had her for six years and had a wonderful time with her.

We're boatless now. Probably won't get another one until we go further south.


----------



## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

SailDesign said:


> Here's a snowy one from earlier this year. The back roads at the beginning are un-plowed, but it's only 3 or 4 inches... The little Fiat loves snow.


How do you know the guy was driving a fiat? I couldn't tell the vehicle make


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

pic said:


> How do you know the guy was driving a fiat? I couldn't tell the vehicle make


Coz it's my car, and I was driving. Simple, really.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

SouthernBoy said:


> I spent the first the first 12 twelve years of my life in the summer months at my grandparents' home in Shady Side, Maryland which was on the West River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. They had five boats from 55 foot and 35 foot cruisers to a small wooden rowboat (we called it the Little Bateau). My oldest cousin used to build small hydroplane boats that he raced as a teenager in his early 20's (he has over 120 trophies). And one of my uncles had a small sailboat.
> 
> The house was on an acre of land on a point with a concrete and large rock breakwater. What a beautiful place. This past summer I contacted the current owners and asked if I could come by and walk the property. They agreed with this, with some checking of course, and my wife, our oldest daughter, and I had a wonderful two hours on a Saturday afternoon in July. We were taken around the house (first time I have been in that house since 1958) and the property. I took them pictures of the place dating back to 1932. So salt water is in my blood.
> 
> ...


Any boat is better than none. My only working boat right now is one I drew for Johnson Boat works (Minnesota) about 21 years ago. UI finally tracked down the prototype fr a low price, and it is sitting in my back yard now waiting for Spring. No motor, but she moves along OK. 

Officially it was a Rodger Martin Yacht Designs project, but I was the Chief Designer (and only, at that time) for the company. There is a LOT less string to play with on mine, and that's how I like it.


----------



## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

SailDesign said:


> Coz it's my car, and I was driving. Simple, really.


One hand on the wheel, one around his wife's shoulders,and the other on the camera.
Typical east coast driver


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

BackyardCowboy said:


> One hand on the wheel, one around his wife's shoulders,and the other on the camera.
> Typical east coast driver


GoPro mounted up behind the mirror - becoz East Coast drivers.


----------



## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

The thing that bothers me about boats, is that they're all subject to sinking.


----------



## BackyardCowboy (Aug 27, 2014)

paratrooper said:


> The thing that bothers me about boats, is that they're all subject to sinking.


All you need to do is drill a hole in the bottom to let the water drain back out.


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

About that Johnson Boat Works design job:
You didn't finish the drawing! You left something important out: Where's the transom?

You expect me to sail that thing? In a following sea, I'd get all wet!
(Well, maybe it wouldn't matter: Jean says that I'm all wet already.)


----------



## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

SailDesign said:


> Coz it's my car, and I was driving. Simple, really.


You are quite the "techno guy", very good!


----------



## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

SailDesign said:


> Coz it's my car, and I was driving. Simple, really.


Is that you with the Cowboy hat? Very cool
:smt023


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> About that Johnson Boat Works design job:
> You didn't finish the drawing! You left something important out: Where's the transom?
> 
> You expect me to sail that thing? In a following sea, I'd get all wet!
> (Well, maybe it wouldn't matter: Jean says that I'm all wet already.)


Why put on a transom and allow the water to collect? It slopes back well enough that any water drains out in a hurry. Plus it weighs less without it. 

Also, you'd be going faster than that following sea to begin with. One of these was clocked at 23 knots back in the day.


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

...About that schooner design:
It looks a little like a Chesapeake Bay skipjack, or, if it's really narrow, a "log canoe."
Yeah, I know that a skipjack has equal-height masts, but the side view is very reminiscent of one.
I also remember seeing a much larger version of that general design sailing down Narragansett Bay, carrying day-trippers; so I guess it's native to the Northeast, too.
I think that my skipjack reminiscence has to do with the almost-vertical bow and the set of the jib boom.


Twenty-three knots! My island-beater truck won't even do that!
And our ferries max-out at about 16.


----------



## Cait43 (Apr 4, 2013)

Must have been a genius that decided to build a road that close to the water...........


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> ...About that schooner design:
> It looks a little like a Chesapeake Bay skipjack, or, if it's really narrow, a "log canoe."
> Yeah, I know that a skipjack has equal-height masts, but the side view is very reminiscent of one.
> I also remember seeing a much larger version of that general design sailing down Narragansett Bay, carrying day-trippers; so I guess it's native to the Northeast, too.
> ...


There's a lot of skipjack in there, but also a lot of East Coast schooner - think Eastport Pinkie or some of the other down-East schooners. Dad sketched something like this in , umm, somewhere around '42 when he was 16 or so. I found the sketch with some other drawings and decided to blow a little shape into it. He was in the middle of reading Chapelle's "the Search for Speed under Sail" at the time, and there were a lot of little sketches like this.

You have Island Trucks there, too?


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

Cait43 said:


> Must have been a genius that decided to build a road that close to the water...........


Best place for it. nice view on the other 364 days of the year.


----------



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

SailDesign said:


> ...You have Island Trucks there, too?


Some of us either keep a "beater" on the island and something nice on the mainland, or a "beater" on the mainland, _etc_.
They do that because they commute frequently, and walk-on ferry fare is about 1/4 of the drive-on fare.

We don't leave the island much, so the ferry fare isn't an issue. Our occasional medical trips are tax-deductible, and we do only two or three Costco runs each year.
So I have an "island-beater" 4WD, 1985 Mitsubishi Montero for mud and snow, and Jean drives a halfway-decent 1991 Nissan car.

A retired Seattle-opera singer was so enamored of the skipjack (or "bugeye") design that he had one built for him, up here in a Seattle shipyard. Now he lives on our island, and he uses the boat to give tourists a high-dollar sailboating thrill (and also to pay for his long-term retirement).
His skipjack is lovely to look at. It's narrow, with sharply raked masts and gaff-rig main sails, a jib, and staysails. It boasts the required centerboard, so it sails well with mere inches of water under its keel. One of his thrill-tricks is to sail around the little island just off of our island's main village...at low tide...over an obvious shoal. He hasn't grounded yet.
For all of its sail area, he can run it solo, while his ladyfriend serves clam chowder and cocoa to his paying customers.


----------



## SailDesign (Jul 17, 2014)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Some of us either keep a "beater" on the island and something nice on the mainland, or a "beater" on the mainland, _etc_.
> They do that because they commute frequently, and walk-on ferry fare is about 1/4 of the drive-on fare.
> 
> We don't leave the island much, so the ferry fare isn't an issue. Our occasional medical trips are tax-deductible, and we do only two or three Costco runs each year.
> ...


We're a little easier with the bridge and all, but there are plenty of Island Cars that the local PD has asked to remain on the island. I love small towns. 

The bugeye sounds fun. Nothing beats scaring the punters.


----------

