You Know How I Know You're Gay?

"I beg to hear your wonderous stories..."

So, thanks to our good buddy Chuck (THE Lisa Chapin's boyfriend), I've got an incredible opportunity coming up on July 1st. If you're a big fan of "40 Year Old Virgin" and "Asia" you'll get the above reference. I thought it only fitting, considering San Francisco's "Pride Parade" this weekend. I'd hate to see the tan lines on those ass-less chaps, but I digress...

Anyhoo, as some of you may not know, Chuck is the head engineer for a bunch of Clear Channel radio stations out here. On Wednesday night Yes & Asia are going to be on Rockline. These are some of my all-time favorite bands, and I've been listening to Rockline for 25 years, since the days of KSHE-95 Real Rock Radio in St. Louis, MO.

He's going to take care of all the technical stuff like piping it from the studio in SF to New York, then simulcast it back to 107.7 The Bone, one of his radio stations. I'll try not to be a blithering idiot and pester them with trivial minutae. I can't promise to not have them sign a t-shirt for me with a Sharpie.

Thank you Chuck, I hope this is the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial collaboration between your technical expertise and my willingness to do just about anything to hang out with the band.



"You're leaving now...
There's no denying it...
It's in your eyes..."
It really comes as no surprise...

Summer Sailstice

So, Lisa and I took "A Vela", a Hunter 38 from Sausalito to Clipper Cove (separates Treasure Island from Yerba Buena) for the Summer Sailstice at 0700 Saturday morning. BTW, Kim might be working on their website next year. We did the SailTime-SF thing, which is why we've been killing ourselves to get the boat detailed over the last week (Lisa did 3x the work. It was a relatively small show, compared to Strictly Sail, but we had some good leads. Lisa hosted a cocktail party after the show which was a HUGE success.

Besides the SailTime leads, we made friends with Pam, Jim DeWitt's daughter. She is also interested in custom framing.

I glad-handed with the guy that taught my captain's class and my future boss at Club Nautique (they were giving sailboat rides all day). I also met a couple who had been sailing on Stockton Lake in Missouri the previous week. They sent sailing on the very first Slovenian sailboat produced in that country that was imported into the US. I told them I was very interested in the story to publish as an article in Sail Magazine. They have already contacted me saying they have passed my contact info onto the boat owners.

Sunday, Kim and I went to the NorCal Pirate Festival in Vallejo. It was pretty small compared to TexRenFest, but pretty cool. It's only their 3rd year. We got to chat with the models on PirateMod.com. Kim and I will be purchasing our t-shirts and pirate license online.

Sunday night, we had Chris & Karen over for Thai and to discuss our pending trip to the British Virgin Islands this Fall. It looks like we're glomming onto the vacation they won at the boat show. A week on Virgin Gorda, followed by a week on a 32 footer in the BVI. I'm hoping we make it to Anegada this time. In the mean time, sailing lessons will continue. Oh, Chris says he's got a friend who won a ketch in Sausalito in a lawsuit settlement.

ASA Certifications

So, today I finished my final round of classes to become an ASA Certified Instructor for Lisa and SailTime - San Francisco. Yesterday was a presentation on tide books, followed by teaching docking on the boat, followed by an old USCG Six Pack exam (which was pretty tough). Today was a presentation on Mediterranean Mooring (Med Moor), followed by actually doing it on the boat while instructing the students on the process, followd by a 20 min lecture on diesel troubleshooting while pointing at a Volvo Penta. After that, back into the classroom for an exam. I had to get 90% or higher on all exams to maximize my certifications.

As of now, I can teach 101 (Basic Keelboat), 103 (Coastal Navigation), 104 (Bareboat Chartering), and 105 (Advanced Coastal Nav). SailTime sometimes holds these classes in the British Virgin Islands on their "Novice to Captain" trip. Hopefully some Caribbean time will come out of this. I couldn't have done this without the unwavering support of Lisa and Kim. Thanks!

Up next, US Sailing certifications! Yeah!!! All these classes are making it difficult to get business cards printed up...

I've Been Framed!

So, I sent Kim to pick up some glass at the Framer's Workshop, a nice, 30 year old framing shop in Berkeley. The glass is for the new frame I made for her Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival poster we got last Fall. I was in the shop cutting the backer board for it when my phone rings. She's at the Framer's Workshop and has chatted up the owner about my woodworking. The lady needs a local, dependable source for custom, Craftsman-style picture frames (Dard Hunter) who can deliver in less that six weeks for less than $300-$400. Kim finds out that they're a Motawi tile deaaler, so she tells her about the Greene & Greene frame I made after we visited the Gamble House a couple of years ago. The lady expresses her interest in talking to me, so Kim runs home, picks me up, we grab the tile frame, and we head over there. After about 20 minutes, we shake hands, and I've got a homework assignment. I've got to make four different styles of picture frame corners (the kind you see velcroed to the wall). We'll see how it goes from there. This could be a pretty lucrative side job. I jokingly told Kim that now that I'm making money sailing and woodworking, the only thing left is to become a porn actor and I'd have the ultimate trifecta.

After that, we ran over to Live Oak Park for the annual Arts & Crafts fair. We got Yoshiko Yamamoto to sign one of her prints for us.

After that, I had to run home and finish studying. I'm taking ASA 203/204 this weekend (Basic Coastal Cruising & Bareboat Chartering). Hopefully, after this next round of certifications, I'll be able to help Lisa with her SailTime school. Wish me luck!

While You Were Out III

So, we put some stuff on the mantel after the finish cured. Notice the ASS Hunt trophy (a major award) on the right...

While You Were Out II

So, Kim went to band for the last time this season, so I took the opportunity to hang the new mantel. It's the first major woodworking project since the accident. I can honestly say that turning the table saw back on was an exercise in willpower. Anyhoo, I think it looks pretty good. It's my own design from ideas that I got off of LumberJocks.com. The finish is Danish oil - Red Mahogany. It gives it a nice, rich, look with just a hint of red. The wood is quartersawn white oak that I had earmarked for the night stands (the project I was working on during the accident). I'll get back to that after I knock out some smaller projects and get my courage back up. We're going to put our ASS Hunt trophy, and a couple of other knick-knacks on it. I hung it with a french cleat so it's easy to take off the wall. I think I'm done in the living room for a while. Next stop, Kim's frame for the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival to hang over the piano. It's one of the only blank spots on the wall left.