June 5th, 2010

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Saturday June 5. In Hoorn

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

It took two hours to sail from Monnickendam/Marken to Hoorn. Two weeks ago I was here, by car, to take the laptop into the shop. I believe it took my twin brother and I at least 6 hours in 1956 to sail his rickety craft from Hoorn to Marken. I had a perfect breeze and I could lay Hoorn, hard on the wind, in one tack.

Mass here is  not till 11 a.m. and the weather is supposed to turn to possibly heavy showers and even thunder storms are predicted for Sunday afternoon. So, I now plan to head out early, particularly since I am the outside boat in a wide raft up here. I can then stop in Volendam or go to mass in Monnickendam. This is the first time that I am just going out for an afternoon sail since the summer of 2004. Since 2005 it has always been part of the circumnavgation. With the exception of the club races with the Schinkel last weekend and last September.  

I am in the inner harbor and sailboats, with an occsasional power boat, are rafted wall to wall. It resembles the Victoria inner harbor at Swiftsure weekend. I may need to be on the move from now on to send and receive e-mails. Yesterday, there was a brief period in the marina in Monnickendam where I could actually send e-mails but then it got even worse to where I cannot send nor receive and the internet access is blocked as well. Their HotSpot service is totally useless.  

My stereo is hooked up and working. For thirty years I managed to do without. Now I cannot imagine why.