Video of Last Fall’s Trip South

From mid-November to mid-December of 2013, Idle Queen was underway traveling between Cape Cod and North Carolina.  Below is a video compilation from that trip.  I now have a waterproof housing for my camera after missing lots of good action due to bad weather on that trip.  I look forward to being able to film in all conditions this season.

Click here to watch the video on YouTube in a new window.

Waiting for the Weather

Dreadnought 32 Idle Queen
Idle Queen on arrival in Vineyard Haven

Those of you who have been following Setforsea on Facebook know that we are now in Vineyard Haven waiting for today’s southwesterly wind to turn around to the southeast so that we can quickly cross Block Island Sound and make some meaningful progress on our trip south in search of warmer winter weather.  I have recently been following the pattern of only checking in on the Facebook page, so there is quite a bit there that hasn’t been published here.

Hadley's Harbor
Boathouse on Hadley’s Harbor

There hasn’t been much in the way of sailing travels to write about in the past couple of months, as the time was mostly spent visiting with family and friends, but Idle Queen is now on the move again for more than just daysails.  It feels great to have the bowsprit pointed south; to be poring over charts to pick the next anchorage; and have the day’s activities again dictated by the weather.  Recently, we careened the boat to clean the prop and change zincs; beat down Buzzard’s Bay to Hadley’s Harbor, where we got stuck for two days when an Arctic front brought sub-freezing temperatures, gusty winds, and snow; and then sailed to Martha’s Vineyard where we are waiting on better weather for heading south.

Of course, Idle Queen and her gear weren’t forgotten while she rested on a sheltered mooring through September and October. She was visited almost every day to make sure that she was secure. Her sails were removed and washed, and many other pieces of gear were taken ashore for cleaning. A good portion my time was spent rebuilding the little Dyer “Midget” that I bought to have a hard-bottomed tender. Every piece of the boat needed to be redone, as I had purchased only an empty fiberglass shell, some pieces of wood, and a bag of hardware.  Read about the restoration here.

I put together a video from footage taken during a daysail this summer on Buzzard’s Bay that shows Idle Queen charging right along.  It can be viewed below, or on the Setforsea YouTube channel.

 

View From Aloft- Video of the Great Dismal Swamp Canal

Here’s a unique perspective on the Dismal Swamp Canal–the view from the top of Idle Queen’s mast.  Hope that you enjoy the latest video on the Setforsea YouTube channel!

New Video- Sailing on Narragansett Bay

I have finally had the time to do a bit of video editing and just put up a new short film of Idle Queen sailing on a beautiful afternoon on Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.

If you enjoy the videos, please subscribe to the Setforsea YouTube channel.  The quality of the recent videos is much better than the older ones thanks to a better camera and the editor finally learning a few things about proper workflow.  There is still plenty of room for improvement–something to look forward to!  Your comments are welcome here or on the YouTube channel.  Thanks.

You can also view the video directly on YouTube in a new window by following this link.

A couple of new videos

Here are another couple of videos from when I was sailing my Contessa 26, Cavendysh, on the Great Lakes in October of 2010.  These two were taken on Lake Michigan while sailing upwind under a double-reefed mainsail and small (85%) jib.  I haven’t started trying to edit the videos yet, so there is no fancy soundtrack or anything–just me talking to the camera while sailing alone in a small boat on a big body of water…

Trying something new- Videos!

Ready to begin
Cavendysh at the dock in Dunkirk, NY, just before getting underway ahead of a nor’easter.

We are now well into 2013 and I hope that the new year is off to a great start for you.

I left off quite a while ago here with pulling Sirocco for a bit of a freshen-up and routine maintenance.  Quite a lot has happened since then!  I will get busy filling things in soon, but first wanted to try sharing some videos from my trip so far.  I will put links to the new videos here on the blog, starting with this one from the first day of my trip out of the Great Lakes in 2010 aboard Cavendysh.  

This first video was taken not long after leaving Dunkirk with a forecast nor’easter bearing down on Lake Erie.  I was in high spirits while taking this video, as we were making great speed and the lake was still pretty flat.  We made good time–covering 129 miles that first day out in up to near gale-force winds.  My stomach definitely protested the boisterous conditions when it got windy and rough overnight.