Morgan Invasion 2006

Linda and I had a great weekend at the Morgan Invasion 2006.   The trip down was uneventful and the trip up was also uneventful.  We arrived at the launch ramp on Davis Island about 0930 and decided it would be a good idea to walk a little to get the kinks out before we got busy raising the mast. The Davis Island Yacht club is just a short walk away and we looked over the docks to get a feel for where we would be tying up when we came in. We sailed a bit in front of the Davis Island Yacht Club a bit getting used to the new 120% jib as we watched Morgan sailboats coming in for the event. It was almost 3PM when we tied up to the dock to be greeted by Les Lathrop. The evening was filled with meeting the many Morgan crews that were arriving. We found one additional crew about supper time and got acquainted. Lois Smith was an experienced sailor and provided some great info on getting ready for the race the next day.

Saturday arrived with winds blowing more than 20Kts. Linda and I do best in lighter winds but with a crew of three we headed out early to get ready for the start. The first thing was to reef the main. We put up the 120% jib because it was the smallest I had. We got a pretty good start and rounded the first mark with Morgan 24's all around us. The M24s that had more crew and 150% jibs up started pulling away from us at that point. We trailed behind the whole day with only one boat behind us most of the way. Moondance passed us at the last mark when our jib sheet shackle popped loose and we lost a little time getting the jib back under control.  The day was described by our crew member Lois Smith, as like a "Disney ride", and I kind of agree with her. She was great crew and besides being able to handle any of the sheets or the helm, she helped a lot as a navigator and tactician. The dinner, & awards that night, were a lot of fun and the costumes were great. Got to get a costume ready for 2007. .   It was a very fun weekend and we found the Davis Island Yacht Club a place we would love to come back to, if invited. I plan to return next year and hope to make the trip a little more pleasant by spending a couple of weeks down there instead of just 2-3 days. 

We motored over to the Davis Island Boat Ramp about 1015 PM on Saturday night and pulled out on the high tide.   Worked great since the wind had faded to below 10mph by then.   We slept on the boat, lowered the mast about 8:00 AM Sunday morning, under the watchful eye of Allen Davidson & Chris Arnold, both of whom wanted to see the mast bridle & gin pole arrangement I use to raise and lower the mast.   Because of the rising cost of coastal slip storage they both are looking at trailer launching as a cost saving measure. As we pulled out of the ramp area we noticed some squealing noise as we pulled away but it went away as we accelerated. All the way home the squealing would come up as we stopped for gas, etc but not while on the Interstate. When I got home, I found the cause of the noise. Universal joints on the truck. I replaced them ASAP and was thankful they held out for the drive back to Middle GA.

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Bob Horan