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Michael McLeod

Just noticed your leaf-raking comment, Dave.

Yes. Piles of leaves were fun. Just jumping into them made it a good day.

I swear, being a kid is the next best thing to being a puppy.

James Hamilton, M. D.

Rake 'em and JUMP IN!

Rake 'em but DON'T JUMP IN!

Jim

Mark Schweickart

Dave (and everyone else for that matter) – Given your fascination with building a boat, I guarantee you will be blown away by a documentary I just saw today in my local art-house theater. It is called Maiden, and is about the 1989 Whitbread Race – 33,000 nautical miles, nine months, around the world, from South Hampton, England and back. For the first time, an all-woman crew, in a second-hand boat entered the race to achieve something quite harrowing and spectacular. (Not mentioned is how they managed to assign one or two crew-members to film much of the ordeal, but somehow some of them obviously did, which has made this documentary possible all of these years later.) Here's the trailer. You will not be disappointed if you get a chance to see this. Extraordinary. I don't think I will ever want to get on a boat again.

David Mitchell

Mark,

This sounds really exciting. I will look for an opportunity to see this if possible. Years ago, I saw a documentary on the legendary "Whitbread" - incredible!  Especailly the part where they cross the Indian Ocean, one of the roughest and longest sections of the race. My friend Roger asked me to sail around the world with him about 40 years ago. I could not leave Mary and the kids for several months and then he had to cancel anyway. He has since built about 4 boats - two for other people. (and dozens of houses ranging from $2 million to $52 million)

--------------

You or Jim asked the question, "how did he get the boat into the water from his back yard"? Yesl, there is more to explain. Roger thought of everthing from the beginning as he always does.

Roger lives on a cove. It is a tidal cove - a creek that feeds right into the May River (which rises and falls about 8 1/2 to 10 feet every six hours and 13 minutes (and some odd seconds) - which in turn feeds into Calibogue Sound (that runs behind Hilton Head), then runs out to the Atlantic. When launch day came, the boat would have to be able to slip into the cove at precicesly high tide. Otherwise, it could not float in that part of the cove. And the trees in the back yard were low hangaing large Oaks with huge branches that rested very close to the path of the boat as it slid into the water below. Then the boat would be floated out into the river and "motored" to a nearby dock on the river.

Note: there is a curious red stripe on the floor of the boat shed. In the early years of construction, tthe two hulls wre built side by side and spaced appropriately, long before the creation of the the center section. They were built upside down, and later rotated in place. But before this happened, Roger and Laurel were married and the wedding was held in the boat shed. One of the guys painted a "red carpet" for them to walk down from one end to the other as we lined both sides of the aisle standing between the two hulls - each of us holding candles.

In the second photo below, Roger consults with a friend, Francois, (black and red baseball cap) who sailed over from France in a 30-foot sailboat with his father. He came to help Roger get the final details of the launch process correct. Francios will re-appear later.

So the plastic cover and roof structure were removed. But the boat would now have to be turned 90 degrees toward the cove. I missed that day, but he had about 15 of his guys (crew from his homebuilding operation) come and help turn the boat, which took about a day. And to make it (all 10,000+ pounds - light for it's size) mobile, he had placed it on four home-made heavy duty "rollers". (those are 4 glued layers of one-inch "marine" plywood).

More to follow.

David Mitchell

To launch the boat into the cove behind the house, it had to have a ramp built to litterally slide it down the bank. And it had to be pushed (jacked, ever so slowly) forward to the edge of the ramp. They built the ramp to drop the 25 feet over a length of about 60 or 80 feet - pretty steep, but it's all the room they had. You see the beginning of some guide edges to contain the hulls as they slid down the ramp. The job of pushing teh baot forward took about 8 hours - slow and meticulous so as not to damage the hull. 

More of the process

Another view for some perspective.  And *** see my notes at the bottom of this page. 

*** This last shot I threw in for some personal fun notes. Ths guy facing us is Roger's good friend (and mine) George Heyward. George sailed with Roger years ago to get his boat from the Azores to Kinsale Ireland, and the next summer from there to Scotland, where Roger later sold that old boat. George aldo sailed with Roger a few weeks ago to take this boat up to Maine where he and his wife are now at anchor until about Thanksgiving. But here is one of the fun parts about this guy. George's great, great, great grand dad, one Thomas Heyward, signed a little document with a bunch of guys up in Philladelphia, one hot July afternoon in 1776!

And George's wife Lillian, is the graffic artist for many films shot in and around Beaufort - "The Big Chill", "The  Notebook," "The Great Santini", and others. Any store window sign, bus decal, menu, road sign etc..is her creation. I don't think she did Forrrest Gump, but some of the scenes of the childhood home (a fake, hollow structure ) were shot on property near Bluffton owned by George.

Michael McLeod

Dave.

Wow.

Wish I'd been around to write a story about this.

David Mitchell

Mike, 

It is an extraordianry story, even if you have no interest in boats, or craftsman skills. And yes, I know I carry on about him, but my friend Roger is an extraordianry person. He's from Mansfield, though we never knew each other before meeting in our Company in Vinh Long back in Christmas of 1968. He was the second, and I the third youngest pilots in our "Troop" at that time.  

He's a walk-on Varsity Swimmer at Clemson, and an unbleiveably skilled Cobra gunship pilot (you'd have had to have been there), then best maintainence officer we ever had - after he objected to a certain mission we flew - stupid night missions that ended one night when he threw a fit over the radio from his cockpit and refused to continue. After 3 days deliberation our commanders agreed with him and ended those missions. And did NOT reprimand him for his insubordination! That night on a little airfield at Sa Dec (a littel ways up the Mekong from our home base) at around 3:00 a.m. was one of the most a bizarre emotional episodes I have ever witnessed ! 

Later, he became a gifted professional musician and song writer (sort of in the "James Taylor" mode) - who cannot play his guitar much any more since he sawed off three fingertips on the table saw in his  woodworking business - something I tried later to out do working in his shop, but failed. (But his first wife made him look around on the shop floor and find them before she raced him to the hospital and have them sewn back on - by a local "magicain" of a plastic surgeon on Hilton Head). 

Then his incredible homebuilding business, after everyone around here already knew he was the best woodworker on the East Coast - and could charge an arm and a leg for it. You should see the Arthur Blank house (Owner Atlanta Falcons, and co-founder of Home Depot**), his first project, a $23 million gem of craftsmeanship and good taste. And you should see the $52 million house on Hilton Head that is NOT gorgeous!  Or Al Gore's $30 million house outside of tiny Carthage, Tenn that is the ugliest house I have ever seen! (He would not permit me to take photos of this house - he's covered with non-disclosure agreements)

** Mark made a comment about going to Home Depot - - well, Roger had a Home Depot credit card with the worlds largest line of credit  - $500,000, I think. But when he took me there to buy me some tools, it never worked because it was so badly bent and beaten up. 

Oh, and he's only read every single important book and famous author I have ever heard of - from Hitler to Saint Francis. And he's one of these people who gets up at 3:00 am and starts reading or studying, or planning his day. Kind'a makes ya sick doesn't it. 

We could not be more different from one another yet we are truly brothers (and brothers who can even have some really nasty serious arguments).

I think you will enjoy the remaining shots. I'll try to get them on here soon.

David Mitchell

I acknowledge that this stuff amy be of no interest to many of the ladies - and for that I apologize.

But I really think you might want to show some of these photos to your husbands, or sons, as they may enjoy the magnitude of this "litttle" boat project.

And I do hope Charlie Kaps, Tommy Swain, and Al Judy can tune in.

John Maxwell

David Mitchell

Jack,

I meant to see "Hopeless" but never got to the theater in time.

------------

Speaking of Hopeless - - -

*** I know we try (yes I have tried an failed a number of times) not to get political on this forum. But I was just about to go to bed when I saw something that so outrages me I can't keep silent.

You may see tonight's headline on USA Today about Chump's new U.N. secretary (I meant ambassador) appointment, one Kelly Knight Craft.

How the Senate could approve her is beyond my grasp!

- -  I happen to know who this person is. 

She is a totaly unqualified, gold-digging, husband-stealing tramp!

She is now married to one Joe Craft Jr. - her third husband if my math is correct. Joe Craft Jr. was married to the cutest, sweetest girl ever to attend Watterson High School. After almost 40 years of marriage and 4 grown kids, he dumped her for this tramp from Kentucky who realized he was the 933rd richest man in the world (according to Forbes a few years ago - before his divorce split). His name is on the new practice facility for the Universtity of Kentucky basketball team - he gave millions to build it. He has coal, oil, and real estate business in Tulsa, Oklahoma and in Kentucky, where his dad had been in the coal business for years, and got chummy with "uncle Mitch" McConnell and teh Koch Brothers. Kelly used to be the chairman of the Republican party of Kentucky, (although I beleive she began as a Democrat) and she was at the podium of the Republican National Convention several times in the past few conventions, as a secretary and coordinator of the convention itself.

N.B. She hasn't got the foreign affairs background knowledge of a billy goat and would not be getting this nomination without some political payoff to somebody, somehwere - and I think I can guess who? 

I am ashmed to say that I helped guide Joe Craft Jr. (a beginner - skier - at the time) down the slopes at Vail one day about 40 years ago, along with his wife and sister. 

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.   (This is truly dreadful news)

David Mitchell

The moment of truth has arrived. It's high tide on launch day at about 8:00 o'clock in the evening. (this is about 4 years ago now) Roger wanted to keep the launch quiet, but after 8 years and so many friends who knew about it, a small crowd would have been impossible. In fact, people had gathered behind the cottage next door (not shown), and some houses across the cove (not shown). We only realized that at the moment of launch as we heard their cheers.

First shot shows a bit of the male crowd on the deck - many of whom had worked on the boat at one time or another. Beyond is the side porch of Roger and Laurel's rental apartment and her glass studio -which Roger built at a cost you would not beleive! (in addition to their house to the left). By the time everything was ready to go, that side porch and the deck held abput 40 men, women, and children, plus a couple of pizzas, some KFC chicken, and random bags of chips, doritos plus salsa and humus brought along to feed the "masses". Good wine and soda pop flowed freely.

You now have seen the roof removed, the boat turned, and shoved forward to the edge of the deck. At this point, the boat has been "tipped" and is hanging (all 10,000+ pounds) by three ropes over the top of the ramp. (note: the red carpet from the wedding). Watching them "tip" the boat was a bit nerve wracking - but Roger (and his little Frendh buddy Francois) had made every calculaion just right. 

The second shot is my favorite of this entire series.  (and yes, they placed a light under to boat to be able to see everything clear on the ramp before letting her drop.)

And I'll put another fun note at the end of this about the guy standing at far left in that second shot - in tan hat with longish hair and grey shirt and jeans. His name is Keith.

And the tall guy on the right in grey on grey shorts is Jacob, the friend who originally sailed across the atlantic with Roger to the Azores 20 years ago. Jacob is on local Hilton Head TV often promoting Bluffton activities and is known as "the tallest potter in Bluffton". His pottery studio is here in the Old Town. 

See below about Keith. 

Keith (far left) is one of the most interesting guys I have ever met. He is an old 1960's hippie who has dragged himself reluctantly into the 21st century. He worked on the boat over the final two or three years and knows EVERYTHING there is to know about boats, woodworking, and electronics on boats. He had his own shrimp boat for years, but like most of our shrimpers down here, he gave it up. Our local Carolina shrimpers are being wiped out by cheap imports from shrimp "farms" in Vietnam, Thailand, and Brazil. Keith also plays guitar and does a few gigs with his daughter in small venues up in Beaufort (where Mary Ann lives - about 40 minutes north of here). He is one sweet gentle soul - a joy to know and to work with. His favorite passion is posting photos of crazy looking altered and decorated VW buses on Facebook. And he finds some doozies.

* At the moment of launch, Keith was nowhere to be found. He had snuck onto the boat and hid from us, so he could experience the "ride" down the ramp! 

David Mitchell

After some last minute observtions by Francois and Laurel (Roger's wife - kneeling under the boat in darkness), we waited for Roger to make the call. when he was satisfied that we were at exactly high tide, Roger let the guys release the three ropes. The ramp had been heavily greased so it slid quickly down the ramp and splashed into the cove. It took abput 2 and a half seconds. And later we discovered Keith had been onboard. We all got a chuckle out of that.

However, in the second shot, if you look close you see a red shirt in the darkness - center left of the photo.

That is Francois, who inexplicably let himself stand in a place too close where the middle rope whipped around his leg and yanked him over the edge of the deck - I mean like a rag doll !  We had all started to cheer loudly when we saw him streak over the side in a flash. Every voice stopped cheeering and we gasped. The other two houses kept cheering as they could not see what we were seeing. I think Roger and I and all of us had one second of  heart stoppage - thinking he was dead. Roger admiited so later - as did I. Francois had been thrown smack up agianst one of the large vetical upright 6 by 6 wooden bulkheads of support for the ramp, but the rope had pulled away from his leg as fast as it had grabbed him. If it hadn't, he would have lost a leg, or been disemboweled, or worse. He was sent sitting upright in the dirt with his legs wrapped around the post and his chest tight up against it. It was not tall enough to affectt his face - except that allowed for some severe neck wrenching forward.

In a moment he jumped up and yelled (in his strong French accent) My knife! I lost my knife!" You could have heard a pin drop. He had a badly bruised chestand sore ribs from the impact with the post, a stiff wrenched neck, and a serious rope burn on his one leg. From the moment we saw him snatched into the air to the moment we all breathed again seemed like forever. It was probably 3 seconds.

It is still hard for me to concieve of such an accident. Between Roger and all his planning, and Francois' knowledge of all this preparation, I guess it's better to be lucky than smart. But the boat was finally in the water. This was one of the most exciting things I have ever witnessed.

I'll post some "after" photos later.

John Maxwell

David Mitchell

Jack,

Shhhhh!

Ya didn't have to let everybody know we both have no memory.

(I thought your first guess sounded right)

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

In keeping with my desire to keep political opinions off of the Message Forum, I would like to note that I posted on the User Forum this morning.  

David Mitchell

news flash...........

ooops!   I guess the rats ate my post.

Joseph D. McCarthy

I just want you to be aware that I am going to commander this site for the next four days and turn it into a "TRAVELOGUE", or is that Travel Blog.  My wife and I will be departing EARLY, that's called Before Dawn in Military lingo, for Columbus.  So I thought that each nitewhen we stop I would recount the day's travel info.

Aren't you all lucky that I'll be to groggy to say much.

Joe 

David Mitchell

The day after launch. The boat ("Traveller") at anchor - minus the mast.

The mast you see is on the 32-foot sailboat (monohull) docked behind Roger's boat - which belongs to Jacob (the Potter) who originally sailed across the Atlantic with Roger about 25 years go in Roger's 28 foot "Cutter" (sailboat). The dock belongs to George Heyward - the great, great, great, grandson of Thomas Heyward of 1776 fame as I mentioned earlier.

Second shot - Roger sitting in the step down to the pilot house - contemplating work yet to be done.

Note: The dock is on the May River here in Old Bluffton - (Johnny Mercer's inspiration for the words to  "Moon River" (composed by Henry Mancinni). Mercer was from Savannah and had a summer home here in Bluffton for many years. Johnny Mercer only managed to write about 1,600 songs, and only eight of them were nominated for awards. Moon River won the Oscar for best movie song (Breakfast at Tiffany's) of 1961, and the grammmy for best song in 1962. If you could sit on the dock in front of my house at night you would see where the idea "Moon River" came from. During those nights when the moon is to our south, the view with the reflection off the river surface is simply spectacular!

More shots at anchor. I posted the first shot on Facebook some years back with the caption,        "The distance from the Mekong to the May River is a million miles and 40 years."

I'll post a few interior shots in the next few days.

You're up Joe. Drive safely.

Joseph D. McCarthy

At approximately 4:30 A.M. my wife and I departed heading to Salt Lake City Utah, ariving approximately 7:45 P.M. Mountain time.. A nice drive of about 720 miles.  Along the way we saw mountain peaks west of Reno, Nevada that were covered with snow.  After Reno it was time for fuel.  I had filled up the day before we left at $3,54 a gallon.  East of Reno we payed $3.07 a gallon.  I don't want to bore you we the fact that my Navigator had her nose stuck in a map rather than paying attention to the road; it took us over an hour to return to I-80 because of road work.  Further down the road there were many more mountain tops covered with snow.  Our final city in Nevada ws Wendover, followed by East Wendover in Utah.  They are divided by a main street that is also the State line.

Next we immediately came upon the Bonneville Salt Flats; Salt as far as you can see in every direction.  Then on to Salt Lake City.

James Hamilton, M. D.

Joe,

Can't wait for the next installment of your journey!  This sort of reminds me of the old CBS  series "On  the Road with Charles Kuralt". Old folks driving cross country - a true adventure! Be safe and be sure to stop and "smell the roses" as well as find some good old greasy spoons to try. Maybe even cruise some backroads if you have time and can get off the interstates. Recall that opening line in my favorite John Denver song, Sweet Surrender, that goes "Lost and alone on some forgotten highway, traveled by many, remembered by few". 

Jim 

Mark Schweickart

Joe -- whenever my wife and I travel, she too is in charge of the maps, but prefers the term nagivator instead of navigator. 

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

For anyone who is living in and around Immaculate Conception parish, you are invited to join us to pray the rosary at 8 PM tonight at the Grotto for the intentions of all those whose lives were lost yesterday in Texas and Ohio, for their families, for all of the injured, for our nation and for our Holy Mother Church. We pray to her with belief that she continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ.

Joseph Gentilini

Mary Ann Nolan, have a great birthday.  Joe

Joseph D. McCarthy

Yesterday I didn't finish adding a couple of Facts.

After leaving Wendover we came to Bonneville Salt Flats around 5:30P.M.  The outside temperature had dropped to 102 degrees.  No problem, covering myself with a blanket I was able to survive the 68 degrees that my NAVIGATOR put the air-conditioning.

The other situation was watching out for all the bears in Nevada; many of which wore their SMOKY hats.

Salt Lake City is preparing for a Mayoral election. Top item is the air quality, or lack there of.  We should ask China and Japan how to cope with the pollution.

Today it was on to North Platte, NE with a start, AFTER breakfast, at 8:00A.M..  We noticed more "Bears" on the road.  When leaving Salt Lake City you start up a winding road that leads to Park City.  The road squiggles and seems to turn on itself as it rises rapidly for about 20 miles.  Speed limit is 65 mph; many cars and pickups usually run five to ten miles faster.  Trucks are happy if they can do 30mph on the way up; conversely they hope to do the same descending.  Once past Park city the speed increases to 75mph for about twenty miles, then it becomes 80mph through the rest of Nevada.  Gas runs from $2.29 to $2.69 today.  

After we crossed into Wyoming we started noticing all the Parade routes that hadn't been cleared because of the weekend.  We saw one stretch of 5 miles, but most parade routes were ten to twenty miles long,  How did I knpw there must have been parades - the road was lined with Orange Barrels.  

We got through to Nebraska with citing only a few Antelope.  On the other hand, all the waterways were full.

We reached North Platte at approximately 7:30P.M.  Dinner now out of the way I'm going  to bed.

David Mitchell

As I have stated (ranted) before, I cannot agree with a single argument as to why any private citizens should be allowed to purhase and own any type of "semi-automatic" weapon.

My prayer would be that a few of my own spineless Repubilicans cowards would manage to pull their collective heads out of their collective rectums and pass legislation to curb this uttery stupid practice. And no one's rights under the 2nd ammendment (which I support) would be infringed - whatsoever! 

Their regular checks from the NRA may come to a halt, but they may then be able to actually face themselves in a mirror. And get somethting else - anythng else - done for a change.

I am not so ignorant as to beleive this is the whole solution. I doubt there is a 100% solution to any problem other than those in Sister Norbertine's Algebra class. But it could at least impede the "growth" of this national epidemic.   

Meanwhile, enjoying your trip updates Joe?

(ha, ha, posted this just a momment after yours and had to change that last sentence)