May 2002
Subject: Update from the First Mate
Hi
y’all,
I’ve
taken it upon myself to write this issue of "Windigo’s Travels". It
seems that Kevin has ‘another’ job writing that takes a bit of his spare time,
so the Travelogue composition has befallen on me this time. [o.k., so Kevin
helped a bit . . . got to put his 2-cents worth in at least the editing]
Kevin
is having a great time at his job as Facilities Maintenance Manager at Spring
Hill College [www.SHC.edu]. He puts in some long days but really derives a lot
of satisfaction from it. He definitely has found the right job for him. I am so
proud of him and always those "hidden" talents. I’m kind of envious
of the many perks that come with the job such as the free lunch (remember he is
a growing boy), asked to golf in tournaments, has his own cell phone & golf
cart (lazy), access to the college gym for workouts & shower, and the list
goes on & on! Yes, my job as security guard at the chemical plant has it’s
perks too like… like…; yeah, breathing in that great air that is filled with
toxins from the plant; searching those "lived in" semi’s for weapons
and meeting new people like the drivers that haven’t left their trucks in over
a week; and then working outside in the 90 degree weather in that GREAT dark blue
polyester uniform. Sometimes things just aren’t fair! But I do have to say that
he does suffer a little by riding his bicycle 12 miles each way to work
everyday and I ride 7 miles each way 3 days a week. Ha Ha. [This kind of
suffering I love! KL]
Well,
we’ve moved our home to yet another marina. This one is called the Sundowner and is brand new
and a lot cheaper than the other two. Not many people here yet but we got to
pick the slip we
wanted and it seems quieter and there’s a bit more security in place which of
course is important to me. There are a couple of alligators that live in the tidal marsh
right next to the boat – if that doesn’t keep the undesirables away at least
it’ll reduce the stray cat population.
We
have had a very busy schedule in March & April but totally enjoyable.
First, my son Adam came for his birthday and spring break from college. He only
had one request and that was to get some sun so he could impress the girls when
he returned to school. Well we only had one day of sun, which meant he had to sunbathe all that day so
he looked like a lobster with a big smile on his face when he left. During the
same time the "Men
in Gray" (Mark, Brian & Eric Genisee) came to visit which is
always a good time. Then a week later the Weigels from West
Allis came [they used pre-recorded "Beerman" episodes for a couple
weeks]. We took everyone sailing and hopefully they had as much
fun as we did. We finally got to do the tourist thing like visiting the
battleship and submarine museum, eating Po-boy sandwiches and a visit to Fort
Walton Beach, FL. This is just something I noticed while sailing with little
ones; the younger they are the better they can sail/steer the boat! Never
thought that I could be intimidated by a five year old (good job Carley!).
We
have been going
out 3 to 4 times a month with friends we
have acquired locally, too. The weather is starting to really warm up into the
90’s with intense sun & humidity, much different than Wisconsin even on
it’s hottest days. I hate to see when summer gets here! For now we sail in long
sleeves and wear big straw hats to keep the sun off ears & face.
Speaking
of sailing, I succumbed to ‘male’ peer pressure and let Kevin race our home in
another sailboat race. This one was sort of neat – it is the largest sailboat race in
North America. This year the Dauphin
Island Race had 250 entries. We had steady 15-knot winds for both the big
race on Saturday and the ‘Return Race’
on Sunday. Very pretty
Return Race with spinnakers flying all around. Kevin is getting pretty good
at hitting the starting line at EXACTLY the right moment. Good thing Windigo
weighs 24,000 pounds and is not really competitive (I really do not want to
race it) – it is certainly seaworthy in high winds and rough seas, but NOT a spry
racer. And racing with just the two of us
means Kevin is the spinnaker-man, the mainsail-man, the jib-man, and tactician.
I can help out at the helm and performing specific tasks, but Kevin needs to
tweak the sail trim to get every tenth of a knot out of the wind. Seeing he
concentrates hard on the task at hand, he only does one at a time. It takes a
bit longer than the six-man racing crews, but by the finish line we are at
maximum efficiency! [He also manages to get another knot of speed at the helm.
Whatever.]
Oh
yeah, the "other" writing job: Kevin is working a steady gig for
Sailnet.net, an online sailing web center with a store, discussion groups,
monthly articles on every aspect of sailing, and a ‘Ask the Experts’ section.
He has written a series on the mysteries of "Bonding
& Grounding Revealed" or some such dramatic crap. I guess it is a
rather controversial and deep technical subject – PERFECT for Kevin! The first
‘episode’ is at:
http://www.sailnet.net/collections/articles/index.cfm?articleid=hughes0001
so
everybody has to go read it. [Kevin ‘edited’ that in here.]
Well
I guess I saved the BIG NEWS ‘til last. Kevin went to New Orleans last week and
successfully completed the seven modules of testing for his 50-ton Master’s
USCG Captain’s license. He is a card-carrying Documented Merchant Marine now.
With sailboat and towing/salvage endorsements. This is absolutely the last
straw – his ego is LARGER THAN EVER! Actually I’m very proud of my Captain, and
will obey his every command . . . right after he takes out the trash and puts
his stinky shoes out in the cockpit . . .
So
we are here in Mobile for quite a spell now, y’all should come & visit to
go sailing!
Our
address is:
Capt.
KL & Karin Hughes
S/V
WindigoIII
Sundowner
Marina
4910
Dauphin Island Parkway
Mobile,
AL 36605
Kevin’s
work:
Capt.
Kevin L. Hughes
Facilities
Maintenance Manager
Operations
Building
Spring
Hill College
4000
Dauphin Street
Mobile, AL 36608
Cell
phone number:
251.510.4535
big
shot article on internet:
http://www.sailnet.net/collections/articles/index.cfm?articleid=hughes0001
and
of course, the Windigo Travelogue Catalogue:
