Strictly Sail Chicago 2014

B and I are excited about this years Strictly Sail show in Chicago. We plan on going for three full days so we can attend numerous seminars given by some of sailings biggest names. It will be fun to listen to the authors of several of our favorite sailing how-to books in person. It is a great opportunity to gain advice and knowledge from sailors who have logged tens of thousands of miles on the water. Some of them have actually sailed hundreds of thousands of miles. Amazing!

We went over the seminar agenda this morning to highlight the specific seminars and speakers that we considered important to us. Here are a few examples of our selections.

• Selecting an Ocean Cruising Boat by John Neal
• Lessons Learned Along The Way by Nigel Calder
• Marine Radar by Tom Igelski
• The Adventures That Shaped Our Lives by Lin and Larry Pardey
• How To Keep A Starboard Attitude While Cruising by Bob Bitchin
• Coastal Navigation With iPad And Android Devices by Thom Burns
• Assessing Your Marine Weather Self Reliant Skills by Lee Chesneau
• Voyage Planning by Beth Leonard
• Outfitting And Provisioning For Cruising by Sheryl and Paul Shard

And several more......

You just don't get many opportunities to learn this much about cruising in one place at such a low price. Besides, we get to ogle all those fancy show boats that we'll never be able to afford.

 

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I miss my music!

I just got word that the flute we ordered has shipped and should be here Tuesday. A flute, you say? What does that have to do with sailing?

Always planning ahead, I wanted something to do while Mike, bless his heart, is fixing the head, changing filters on the engine, or numerous other daily tasks. What better way for me to assist than to serenade him with a calming tune. Or could it be that I have really missed playing the clarinet or the piano while in the throes of raising children. Regardless of the reason, we decided that I needed a flute. A clarinet would not tolerate tropical weather and a piano wouldn’t fit! Besides, on a flute, I can belt out music to my heart’s content and not disturb the neighbors.

After much searching, we found a company called Sunreed in Vermont that makes transverse bamboo flutes. They are long, wide bored, open holed flutes that have a low mellow tone. Picture this: We are anchored in a scenic harbor with a glass of wine and the sunset for a backdrop. In the background you hear the deep haunting song of an F sharp flute floating in the wind.

click here to hear a sample.

 

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