Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Photos and comments on the last couple of days


March is a busy month for me with no real break foreseen until mid-April.  But it has been great as there were friends visiting from Michigan last week (and another couple coming tomorrow) and a few others who plan to visit the week after Easter.  In addition to company, this is a busy time at work but that doesn't mean I don't have fun.




 Sunday was race day and it started out terrible.  At first, the wind was dead.  We barely had enough wind to get us out of the harbor and waited around for wind to come up.  It didn't look like it would and we were bobbing around in the water fighting sand gnats that had followed us out.  Finally a little wind came up out of the north and the committee boat signaled the start of the race.  There is one thing about such low wind especially when the tides were running strong and perpendicular to the wind, no one had a problem of being over the line at start... We were in a decent position and it took us 30 seconds to make it over the start line.

The first two points were incredibly slow.  When we rounded the second point, the wind died and we ended up going backwards (behind the pin) by the tide.  But then the shore breezes came in.  We were in third and we could see the water begin to move and the two boats ahead of us take off.  Soon, our sails were full and we were on a close haul to the finish.  The wind kept up, it was never great but the other two races were enjoyable.

The club mixes up the crews and the boats.  This past Sunday I was sailing with another Jeff and Bill, both way more experienced than me.  We were on the "Harvest Moon," which has the prettiest name of all the boats but is also notoriously the slowest.  We were never last, but the best we did was third out of six boats.
Day's End
 Late last year I started taking the training to become a fire fighter with the local department.  About a month ago, I passed the test and was voted in as a firefighter.  We are a part of a larger fire department (Southside) which covers most of the county outside of Savannah and few smaller cities, but out particular department is just for the island.  We have two stations, each manned by a full time firefighter/paramedic, but the rest of us are volunteers.  Last night we took off all the hoses off one truck and tested them (five minutes at double the normal pressure).  It is a lot of work as each truck carries 1200 feet of five inch line (for hook the truck to the hydrant) and another 1000 plus feet of 2 and 3 inch line.  Taking it off is easy, draining the hoses and putting them back on take time and muscle, a project made worse with no wind and the spring sand gnats...  But we got it done and all stopped for a beer when we done.


uncoupling a 5 inch line--that's not me
You can't believe how heavy these lines are when filled!

36 comments:

  1. well, you are really settling in your new digs and it seems you are enjoying it all. Good for you for becoming a firefighter!! Maybe you'll get a faster boat next time.

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    1. I've been're on some of the faster boats and they're fun, but I don't mind the slow boat, it's just being out and enjoying the day

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  2. About a month ago, I passed the test and was voted in as a firefighter.

    Congrats! I know enough about the training to understand the huge commitment it took.

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    1. Thanks. There is a lot to learn still as I am only at level one. My next step will be to become certified as a pumper operator

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  3. nice...i have great respect for firemen...my grandfather was one...and the way they treated us when he passed...something i will always remember....

    love those skies over your boats...

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    1. Good for your grandfather... They were some nice skies and even though it wasn't great wind, it was a good day to be out.

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  4. I'd like to thank you and the rest of your team for your service. You guys rock!

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  5. Firefighter? Wow! That is quite an accomplishment. Congrats!

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    1. Remind me of that when the pager goes off at 2 AM, okay! Thanks!

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  6. Oh wow. That's very impressive. My cousin does that in Missouri. I write for a marketing firm that has a volunteer firefighter recruitment agency as a client so I've written quite a bit about it. That's some hard work! And very, very, very important work. People don't realize how much local fire departments rely on volunteers to keep residents safe and save lives.

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    1. I never knew there were recruiters for volunteer firefighters!

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  7. You are only the second person I know who volunteers in this line of duty, which is amazing! Godspeed!

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    1. I started down this path once before--but then moved out to Utah... Thanks!

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  8. Sounds to me like the Harvest Moon could use an engine. ;-[}

    That's cool about you being a VFF, I know a few who hate the fire but love the rush of doing something important. IN Detroit they are trying to determine how many hydrants are not working the estimate right now is 47% of them. Doesn't really much matter in the lawless lands unless you live right next door to the station.

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    1. Nah, but it could use a good reworking of it's bottom! I can't believe that nearly half of the hydrants don't work. That could be catastrophic here, where the hydrants are 600 feet apart.

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  9. I'm impressed. Firefighters don't mess about, if you couldn't handle it they'd be very utilitarian and say so. Consider your back slapped. Bloody well done.

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    1. For most departments, I'd be an old guy, but for this island, where 70% or so are retired, I bring the age of the dept (which leans on the geriatric side) down! But they are good at what they do and it is an honor to be a part of them.

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  10. You're a firefighter? That's awesome! Congratulations!!!

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    1. Thanks, I don't know about awesome, but it is with a good group of guys and gals.

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  11. You're a firefighter? That's awesome! Congratulations!!!

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  12. That's awesome that you've become a fire fighter. It's something I've thought seriously about trying to get into. That or an EMT or something along those lines.

    Sounds like you're having so many visitors that I could just show up and you wouldn't even notice? :)

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    1. Bone, you should volunteer, think of the stories that you could spin. As for visiting, just make reservations (we do have a "guest room with it's own bathroom located at the far end of the house, so if you are ever in Savannah, let me know.

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  13. wow huge congrats and a big thanks for helping people this way! fire fighters do such incredible work, and I'm always amazed how fast they arrive when called...we've had a few issues over the years (smoke detectors, a carbon monixide leak,) and they;re so efficient and awesome!

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  14. Congratulations on being a full-fledged firefighter. You're a multi-faceted man, Sage.
    I'd love to hop into a boat with you, and let you do all the work. Years ago, I took a class in beginning sailing. I passed the on-water exam (though I shouldn't have, I let everyone else do the hard work. When it came time to take the written exam, I fell over and took the chair down with me. The instructor mentioned something to the effect of being concerned about me. He still gave me my certification. Haven't gone sailing since.

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    1. I'll work with the wind and let you handle the paddle when the wind dies, okay? You should sail again!

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  15. That is awesome that you are going to be a fire fighter! Just be careful out there! How far are you from Savannah? Have a blessed day!

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  16. That is awesome that you are going to be a fire fighter! Just be careful out there! How far are you from Savannah? Have a blessed day!

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  17. Ah, sand gnats. Now I am not so envious of your seaside location!

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    1. As one person told me, "if it wasn't for the gnats and humidity, we couldn't afford the real estate!"

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  18. First lovely photos on the water (lucky you, no need to wait for the ice to go out!) and the sailboat photo, wow, very lovely. Mostly, super congratulations on passing and being a part of the crew! How exciting is that! Be safe and be sure to eat plenty of Wheaties I know those hoses are heavy!

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    1. It never got cold enough for salt water to freeze... (I probably shouldn't tell you that)

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  19. Congratulations on becoming firefighter. My brother is a retired firefighter/paramedic.

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