It’s about time for me to take this fine vessel on her first little cruise… to Long Island to see Dream Theater. Their latest album is one of their best… Check out this video. Yeah, I like Prog Metal. I play drums… feels like another life… but I miss it.

So the plan is vague, but I need to be down and safely anchored the morning of August 8th to catch this show… 9th row center tickets! I have some options, and it’s only a 2 day trip if winds are favorable. Where I anchor will depend on the weather, tides and my whimsy. I have a friend in Watch Hill Id like to visit. Cuttyhunk is supposed to be a sweet spot, and there’s always Block Island… I’ve been there a few times already, but it’s convenient. I’m thinking of anchoring on the North Fork for the gig. It’ll be easier for Adam to pick me up there… the south shore/Hamptons area is a bitch with traffic on a summer weekend. So Cutchogue or Matituck, look like good options. After the show on Saturday, I want to go visit some friends in Sag Harbor and Montauk for a few days, then I’ll head back to the Vineyard to install the wind generator and prepare for the longer trip to Maine, a sort of second shake down… in preparation for the sail south this fall/winter.

The Monitor windvane is rebuilt, $500 later in new parts. I had to do a few things 2 or 3 times to get the spacing just right. It’s a tricky little bugger, and there’s lots of parts. I wonder how that Pardey style vane steers by comparison… sure seems simpler. I have one in a garage in NH waiting for me…. just need to drum up the courage to drill the holes in the rudder and mount it next time I haul out. Selling the Monitor would be easier than the Freehand — I think the Freehand can only be used on boats with a boomkin… perhaps only the BCC? The Monitor bearings were easy to install once I figured out you can use shaving cream to hold them in place. The folks at Scanmar have been great, I called them about 10 times to ask dumb questions during both tear down and rebuild. Sure is nice to deal with a small company, and get to know them on a first name basis. It’s a quality outfit for sure.

One more day-sail this coming weekend with the Monitor installed, it will be my 6th sail on the boat. I had a good sail (5th) last weekend with a cute Bulgarian girl (she’s hidden behind the mast in this pic). Managed to sail off and on the hook without using the d-sail at all. That felt nice. I did skip the stays’l, and it was much easier, yet she sailed just as well. She’s getting more comfortable, I love the way she sails.