Apr 02 2007
About Me
Just as every pre-processed microwave dinner comes with what is essentially a warning list of the ingrediance (harmful and otherwise) too which you are about to subject your unwitting body, so should every blog come with an adequate warning of the type of “Spin” you are likely to encounter from the author. I have yet to read a blog where the vision and values of the author were not plastered on every available subject like so many cheap concert flyers. Which is as it should be… the web gives is our modern day equivalent of the Grange, the Lodge, or the Community Picnic. This blog will be mostly about Sailing and my adventures with my San Juan 21, but it will also serve as my soap box on occasion, and in the interests of full disclosure I will now attempt to warn users of the ideology to which they may be subjected as readers.
Of course this is potentially easier said than done…how dose one describe oneself in a hand full of sentances such that an interested reader might understand the potential pitfalls too which they are soon to be subject? Maybe I will just plunge forward with the warning lable analogy I conjured above.
IDOLOGICAL FACTS
Likely contents of a LimpetRacing.com blog post… Individual posts may vary.:
40% Humorous self ridicule: Life is funny, people are funny, and if you can’t laugh at yourself just who the hell can you laugh at? Identifying ones faults, and acknowledging the less than brilliant aspects of our daily life is the first step in working to make ourselves better. I am dedicated to being better tomorrow than I am today.
30% Espouse the value of VALUE: Value seems to be a very miss-understood concept in this day and age. In particular the general population seems to have forgotten that value is a per unit metric. Complicated decisions in life and business can often be significantly simplified by understanding the value dynamics of the decision. In the case of sailing I believe the appropriate per unit metric is dollar spent per involuntary smile minute. Sailing is one of those magical activities which can make you bust a grin from ear to ear without realizing what you are doing. Each minute spent in this glorious state I call this an involuntary smile minute or ISM and this is my ultimate goal in sailing. Throughout this blog you can expect to hear me discussing my efforts to squeeze the absolute most ISM per dollar I put into my sailing efforts.
20% Face the facts: Perhaps the greatest downfall of mankind is our inexplicable ability to ignore all the facts we are faced with in favor of delusion or denial when it is for whatever reason more convenient than facing the truth. History is littered with a never ending list of examples: the sun revolves around the earth, cholera is not spread by water supply, slavery is morally acceptable, women don’t have the intelligence to vote, there will always be a market for buggy whips, cigarettes don’t cause cancer, global warming is a myth, etc. Well I for one refuse to subject myself to this most human of failures. I will analyze the data and accept the results regardless of how painful they may be to me personally.
10% Life is for adventures: Get out and do things. Life is not for the faint of heart, whether in your personal life, business, or free-time, you are infinitely more likely to succeed by doing something than by sitting on your butt doing nothing.
You have been warned! Enjoy the Site!
Andy,
Enjoyed your website. I’m now looking at a SJ21 and have been in contact with Gene Adams for advice. Hope to make it to Seattle sometime and when I do, I’ll look up the 21 fleet.
Best wishes,
John Woods
Hey Andy,
I enjoy your site. Should you wish to explore a bit with Limpet, come and sail with us on Swift Lake, south of Mt St Helens. Awesome wind and lots of clean clean mountain water. Accommodations and guest dock available.
Phloe
#2562
Hey Andy,
I’ve got a MKI that I’ve yet to introduce to the fleet. I’ve been out on the Sound and Lake Washington, but I’m trying to learn a little thing called ’sailing’. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?
Thanks for relating your experiences regarding deck re-bedding. I started mine a couple of weeks ago, and I’m waiting for the ethylene glycol to dry. Did you try that method to prevent rot? I don’t know if will have an effect as I thankfully had no noticeable rot. I just finished taping the underside tonight, as it looks ready. After that is done I just need to see Gene about a few odds and ends and I’ll be ready to go!
I will join up and race some later in the season. I have a seasoned ex-Sea Scout that likes the speed of the SJ21 and is ready to kick butt. We went out late last year up around Gedney island in a brisk wind; I had no idea the boat could haul (and heel) like that. So we will definitely show up, although I’ll be the one inside the cuddy, clinging desperately to the mast step.
Pisang
‘dang, where is that hull #?’
i ve been restoring a san juan 21. did you make your windows or find them reproduced somewhere? i would really appreciate any help in finding parts for this somewhat seemingly daunting task.
Hi there Andy
Nice last name! I have a SJ21 MKII which I have sailed and raced for about 15 years now. I was highly amaused to see another SJ21 owner with the same last name as myself. There are not that many Caples around and here are 2 that own a SJ21. Anyway I like to sail/ race more than fix, but after racing in 30+ MPH winds (hey I live in Oklahoma) and rolling the boat over 90 degrees in a sustained gust in the 37-39 MPH range (first time I have ever broached going upwind) I realized it may be time to recore the deck and rearrange the winches for cross sheeting like a J-22. The jib track was pulled up about 3/4 inch off the deck in the middle of the track; jib sheet was pulling so hard the jib track bolt/ washers/ nuts under the deck pulled right thru the balsa core and stopped at the fiberglass skin. This boat has been in some blows but always come thru, i just get a kick out of my little SJ21. I have put off repairs for several years but now its time to recore the deck and restore the boat.
Art Caples Jr.
OKC
405-755-3052
Hey Andy,
Great Blog! You always had a way with words. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe you have come a long way from your lyric writing days of “We are Spanaway, were gonna run away, with your pride, you’ll try to hide, we won’t’ let you, we won’t forget you, were bad”.
Good luck with you racing endeavors!
Jason Orchard