Do the math.

Our friend Jim from Colorado saw the photo of me on my R6 last Saturday, and knowing my DOB, he came up with this formula.  Cathy and I both thought it quite hysterical. 

 

 

A track day in June Florida heat.

I finally got that day at the track I’ve wanted for so long.  It was a long wait and as always, a lot of work to make happen. 

Arranging to get the rented pick-up truck in the middle of a busy Friday afternoon. 

Then getting my riding gear, tools, tire warmers, and spares out of our storage unit. 

Then the bike, the ramp and wheel stands out of Jeremy’s garage.

 I was up at 3 AM Saturday morning for the three plus hour drive north to Jennings FL.     

There’s a tropical storm in the Gulf.  It was predicted to bring a lot of rain to the Tampa Bay area.  The chances of rain farther north were less than here, but still a worry.  When I arrived at the track I found it was dry, but very foggy.  I wasn’t sure how this would affect the track day schedule.  I walked around the pits and saw other riders preparing to ride.  I heard the PA system making announcements as if business was going on as usual.  I got registered to ride, began to unload the truck and set up my pit area. 

The fog kept the sun from raising the temperature, but the humidity was very high and I was sweating just from unloading.  I knew it would be brutal in my riding gear.  By the time of the rider’s meeting the fog was nearly gone. 

I expected this track day not to be a very busy one.  It’s so late in the season.  This track shuts down for the months of July and August.  It’s just too hot then.  Another reason this track day would be relatively quiet was this weekend is a CCS race weekend at Palm Beach International Raceway.  Most of the fast guys would be there racing.  Knowing this, I was still surprised at how few riders showed up for the Intermediate and Expert rider’s meeting.  There were only nine of us.   I and only  one other rider had registered as expert.  Normally Intermediate and Experts ride in separate session, but as there were so few of us, our sessions would be combined.  Our session would be first up, before the Novice riders’ session.  

When I got out on the track it was still overcast, and I could feel the moisture still in the air.  Tiny droplets formed on my visor.  I always take my first track session easy.  I want to feel how the bike is working.  I hadn’t ridden it since the end of February.  I need to reacquaint myself with the flow of the corners too.  This track is quite technical.  Half way around on my second lap another rider came blasting around the outside of me on a slow corner.  This was obviously the other Expert rider.  I thought to myself, he’s feeling very confident for first session on the track, particularly with this moist air and a cold track.  I let him go, intent on my own process of confidence building.  Half a lap later I saw him again – this time on his feet, having just gotten up after crashing off the track all by himself.  From his location and the dirt on the track, I could tell his bike had gotten way ahead of his brain.  At the next corner the red flag was displayed.  The track would have to be cleaned up, bike and rider removed.  That was the last I saw of that rider on track.     

I was ready to go again when the track went green.  My confidence and speed were on the rise.  Since there were only two groups that day, Novice and Intermediate/Expert, we were getting more sessions in than is usual for a track day.  The sky cleared and the air was drier.  I was getting good heat in my tires.  The bike was working well.  My lines were getting better and faster.  But God it was hot!  I could feel myself sweating and tiring after just four fast laps into a session.  I sat one session out to rest and cool off in some shade.  Sessions I rode in were almost entirely on my own.  There were so few riders.  I’d see one or two each session.   I’d see them a couple corners ahead.  Soon be on them.   Since they were Intermediate riders I was cautious finding a line around them.  They might do something unexpected.   I’d go past and not see them again that session.  Not like riding with Experts at all.  Experts would hook up and stalk you; find a way to pass you back.  That’s when the fun really begins.  With the one other Expert out of the action, there was no one to ride with.  No one to make me ride hard to chase down or ride close to at speed.   And, it was so god awful hot!  This wasn’t being fun.  I knew the afternoon would be even worse.  At the lunch break I loaded up and headed home. 

Back in St Petersburg it’s raining like a monsoon.  I will enjoy a quiet day.  I need to unload the pick-up, and go with Cathy to hang shelving in her latest new office.  There’s some work related correspondence I need to get out, but otherwise I’ll be here hanging out with the cats, watching AMA racing from Barbur AL.

 

 

ASA Members Week

Last evening we wrapped up a week of seminars, clinics and sailing with ASA members from across the States. It was a terrific time. I got to meet and sail with many fun and interesting people. I was sad to say goodbye.

Skipperroy.blogspot.com

How it is

I’m struggling to find a starting point.  This past month, since moving into our new place, has been such a blur.  These past couple of weeks, since taking on a new management role at work, have kept me running just to keep up.  It’s all great, but it’s an evolution; it will take time to come to terms. 

Cathy’s is over in West Palm Beach with her mom this weekend.  Just as well since I’ve been working such long hours.  Today is a little lighter for me.  I don’t need to go in for a while yet.  I just caught the last 15 minutes of the 24 hour race at LeMans and saw Audi sweep the podium with proto-type hybrid cars.  Later today is the MotoGP at Silverstone, which I’ll watch on the DVR after I return from the marina. 

I am so overdue for a track day!  I’m thinking I’ll try to get away to Jennings next weekend for 2 days of riding before summer heat becomes more oppressive. 

Long ago, while working for LaVida Yacht Charters in St Thomas, I developed the ambition to become an operations manager of a charter yacht base.  But the charter companies I worked for through the 80’s and 90’s were small, family run operations, and while my role in their business was important, I was never going to be the manager.  In the late 90’s I tried to get my own charter company going.  It nearly happened – a trawler charter boat operation based in Rodney Bay, St Lucia.  But my investor left me at the chapel door.  That was the beginning of the end of my time in the Caribbean. 

Now, so many years after all thoughts of that ever happening, I find myself where I wanted to be - managing a charter yacht operation.  Not in the islands, but in St Petersburg Florida - happily married, a lovely home in a lively little city, a fleet of nearly 20 sailboats to look after with the help of 4 employees, and an R6 race bike to play with.   I feel incredibly blessed.    

Blessed, but very busy.  There is paper work I could be doing right now.  I will need to get down to the marina soon.  There’s a ASA national level week-long event going on here and Sailing Florida is playing a central role.  I was out sailing yesterday with 8 out of town ASA members.  I’ve got other captains covering those activities today so I can take care of some regular charter operations.  

But I shouldn’t really say “regular”.  What’s going on is solving problems stemming from a lightning strike on our 2012 Catalina 445 while it was out on charter.  I’ve got to help get the clients that were on that boat moved to another boat.  It’s a bit of a mess.  Fortunately, no one was hurt, but this has really put us in a bind.  That boat was scheduled for several weeks of charter in the near future.  But now it must go to the boatyard for a complete electrical survey and probably extensive electrical rebuild.

House Warming Party

It feels like it has been weeks since I last wrote.  Perhaps it has been.   I’ve been too busy to keep track of time.  Too busy to take time to write.  Too busy to run as regularly as I like.  Too busy…

The Open House Warming Party we hosted here last Saturday was a hit.  Getting there was like crossing a finish line.  It was a race to finish the final touches of decorating the condo.  People began arriving right on time while Cathy and I were still setting out drinks and hors d'oeuvres.  And once the calls from the call box began, the calls kept coming.  Others arrived without a call – people who lived in the building.  Soon our space upstairs was filled.  I went around mentioning to people that the two young guys who work with us at the marina, Sean and Kevin, had set up a keg of beer on the balcony off of our bedroom on the lower floor.  Soon a second party formed down there. 

 

Memorial Day Weekend

The plan was to take the entire long weekend off, rent a pick-up truck, load up my R-6 race bike and all the gear that goes with riding it, then drive up to Jennings for two days of tearing around the track   It's been three months since I last rode and I've been itching to do so.  Holiday Monday I would spend at home with Cathy. 

 

I did rent a pick-up truck for the weekend, but the rest of the plan did not happen. 

 

Instead of driving to the track on Saturday, I was at the marina all day taking care of charter operations.  Such is the continuing level of business activity at Sailing Florida.  There was simply too much going on for me to be away.  Instead of going to the track I used the pick-up for trips to our storage unit to sort and bring home boxes of clothing, kitchen items, and miscellaneous things that have been packed away for more than a year.  It was not our first choice for how we'd spend our long weekend, but it seemed necessary and I had the pick-up truck to get it done. 

 

Moving boxes from storage to the truck, then from the truck up to the condo - in summer humidity and heat - was tough work.  That's how we spent Sunday and the holiday Monday.  After unpacking and sorting through the contents of all those boxes, we made several trips to the Good Will donations drop-off.  It was a lot of work, and it wasn't fun.  But now our belongings from the Portland condo are now here in the St Petersburg condo.  We have dozens of framed photos and pieces of artwork to hang yet, but most of the rest of our stuff is organized, or nearly so.

 

Last week we sent out invitations to our Open House Warming Party on June 9^th.  I think we might soon be ready for the event.     

Settling in.

It's been a long time since I've had time and energy to write.  This past month has been brutal.  Demands at work as well as all the finishing touches to the condo renovation, packing the old apartment and then moving had both of us feeling like our lives were a constant stream of effort.  We've been going full speed for so long that it's difficult to remember a time when we weren't.  But here we are now, our first Sunday morning in the new place, and while the art work and pictures are still in boxes and there are empty boxes waiting to be taken away, I'm sitting in a room that is otherwise feeling near-ready and home-like.  The balcony is two floors directly above the pool and courtyard.  Beach Drive is a block and half block away.  Tampa Bay and the marina where I work is a five minute walk. 

 

It would be nice if I could take the entire day off.  Sit around catching up on some of the motor-racing on the DVR.  Later walk to the movie theater to see a film.  But there are still several small projects waiting for me around the condo, and this afternoon there's a four hour sail on the Catalina 39 that I volunteered to do - easy money.

 

I'm beginning to feel settled here, but there's also a level of curiosity about what the future holds.  It feels like we're now staged for a new chapter.  Cathy's position with NOAA has evolved to a place where she is secure but still faces many challenges.  My position with Sailing Florida has evolved - and so has Sailing Florida.  The following perspective came to me last week – in the time I've been with Sailing Florida (just over a year and a half) the charter fleet has doubled in size.  That's a remarkable fact.  And the growth hasn't stopped.  Just this week we brought a lovely little like-new Catalina 309 into the fleet.  Next month we're to take delivery of a 2012 Hunter 50.  In September we'll get the 2013 Jeanneau 53.       

               

The week ahead – I'm teaching ASA curriculum Monday through Thursday.  So far Friday is clear and it would suit me well if it remains so.  I would use it to take my time getting myself and my R6 ready for a long overdue weekend at the track.  It's been three months since my last.  I'm planning a pre-dawn Saturday departure for the drive to Jennings, up next to the Georgia border.  I'll do my best to tear up the track on Saturday and Sunday, then return home Sunday evening.  After this month it will probably be too hot to contemplate putting on leathers and helmet.  I'll likely not do another trackday until the fall, after the trip to Europe in September. 

 

 

    

Today is move into our renovated condo day.

It has been a huge effort to get to this point, but I believe we are well prepared. One last morning walk around the lovely grounds of our soon to be vacant apartment.

Skipperroy.blogspot.com

An email sent to my boss - the owner of Sailing Florida

Capt Dave,

 

My wife Patti and I just completed your ASA101, 103, 104 class with Capt Roy, and we wanted to let you know what a tremendous experience we had! Capt Roy is extremely knowledgeable, personable and a true pleasure to work with. He helped us gain the experience and confidence we were looking for and we would highly recommend him to others.

 

Starting with 20+ knot winds on our first two days on the water, Capt Roy instilled confidence in us from the start.

 

As my wife said, "Capt Roy took me to the other side of my comfort zone, and I enjoyed it"!

 

Sincerely, Patti and Greg

In the new home stretch

This week I'm taking time away from the marina to finish the remodel on our new condo.  The contractor is now done with the big items – the new kitchen and bamboo flooring throughout, both of which look great! 

 

I've finished the two new bathroom vanities, countertops, sinks and plumbing.  I'm now working on installing all new electrical devices.  Next will be all new door hinges and knobs.  Then install new window treatments and put together new book cases.

 

We haven't yet started to pack for the move, and we move one week from today. 

 

Yikes!.