And just like that

Last sunset of our sailing season in Montrose Harbor.

... the 2011 sailing season is over. Even though we sailed Further up a few weeks ago, today is the day that all Chicago harbors officially closed. We found out that the season was extended from October 15th to the 31st the day after we sailed Further up to Waukegan. We still think we made a good decision to sail her up on the 8th since we couldn't have asked for a better day for sailing. We are glad to report that WE ALL SURVIVED (Brady, Nadine, Further and Elaine)! Not only did we learn a TON of stuff about sailing, ourselves, each other and our relationship we had fun doing it. It was amazing and one of the best summers yet. We are already counting down the days until we can put Further back in the water. April 15, 2012 can't come soon enough. But until then we have plenty of projects to keep us busy for at least the next 3 off seasons.

Stripping Further

The day after our wonderful sail back up north to Larsen Marine in Waukegan to store Further for the winter, we decided to drive up to see Further in the water one last time for the 2011 season (and of course we also had to take off the sails, lines, cushions, etc.) We have to strip her before they pull her out of the water and this is also the first steps to take to prep the boat for the winter. It didn't take long at all, about 2 hours total, but it was just sad that this was REALLY it. No more sailing for at least another 6-7 months! It was nice to know that we weren't being overly cautious taking her out of the water a couple weeks before the official end of the Chicago boating season, because we weren't the only boat who sailed back to Larson that weekend. The harbor was surprisingly packed!

One last look at Further before we started taking everything off.

Removing the jib

Folding the jib

         

She looks very bare

Sails and lines are off,
now we have to remove all the
other stuff on the deck

         

          Elaine is not sad to see
         summer end

Surprisingly it all fit in the car!

 

SO much stuff!!

Last Night and Last Sail of Our 2011 Sailing Season

We decided to go all out and have a private party for Further's last night in Chicago and to celebrate our successful first season with a boat this past weekend! We took her out for a beautiful night sail and celebrated with some fancy (well, not too fancy) bubbly! As you can see, our last night was filled with fun and laughter!

The following morning we shoved off after breakfast and headed out for our final sail of the season. We were prepared for anything since it was October and our first sail down was bone chilling cold. Let me tell you from experience; five hours is a VERY long time to be cold. Well, this day was the complete opposite, the weather could not have been more perfect. The sun was out, there was not a cloud in the sky and it was almost 80 degrees out on the water!!! Beautiful, just beautiful and perfect! The winds were coming from the south, directly behind us, so we were feeling a bit adventurous and decided to try to use our pole for the first time. Well, I'm happy to report we were it was a successful first attempt! Hopefully we will remember what we did so we can do it again next season. Fortuantly after these last couple of sails, we were left with a wonderful taste in our mouths for the off season so we would be excited for the start of the 2012 sailing season.

All the boats still left at Montrose Harbor

The entrance of Montrose Harbor

The Chicago skyline shrinking in the distance

Using the pole for the first time, sailing wing on wing!

Shorts, on the water, in October?!?

Trying to hide from the sun!

Coming into Waukeegan Harbor

Safe at Larsen Marine

Sailing with Friends

Our favorite part about sailing is being able to share our experiences with our family and friends. The best way to do that is having people on the boat! We have told everyone that there is an open invitation to join us on the boat any day, any time and that our friends and family should not expect an invitation since they can assume we will be enjoying Further out on the lake as much as we can. So, if you are free and would like to enjoy Chicago from the water, just give us a call and join us! We LOVE having visitors and it makes our experience on Further that much better! Here are just some of the many memories we have with friends joining us on the boat!

                         
        

        

    

Air and Water Show

We have been anticipating this weekend since we got the boat! I have always wanted to watch Chicago's Air and Water Show out on a boat and not only was I able to cross that off my list this weekend but we were able to do it on OUR boat! To make this 'first' better and to add another 'first' to it we were able to share this experience with both Brady's and my families, this was the first time our parents have met each other!

The day started off great with bloody marys, sun and LOTS of laughter. We headed out to secure our spot while the water show was going on only to be beckoned back by the Cost Guard due to a quickly approaching storm. Fortunately we were closer to 'home' this time and had no issues making it back to safe harbor this time, unlike what happened last weekend!

Another storm heading our way

Thankfully this didn't stop the party at all, in hind sight, it probably helped to get this going a bit faster since we just moved the party to the salon! After an hour and a half, things cleared up and we headed back out to once again try to claim our perfect spot!

Day partying in full effect, rain or shine!

When all was said and done we had an amazing day out on the water with great company, good food and exciting entertainment! We are already putting together our guest list for Chicago's 2012 Air and Water Show!

Our niece Paislee excited to see the planes

Too bad she didn't make it, she was out before the show began!

In all of the commotion, our favorite Guatemalan caught red handed trying to hijack Further!

Brandon gave the show a standing ovation

Not sure what is happening with Nadine's Dad but I think we had a bit too much sun and fun!