Author: luken7

An avid and passionate sailor, drummer and technologist. My career focuses around computing and storage technologies. My passion is sailing and playing drums. I love music, especially progressive jazz and rock.

Tesla to Reveal a Working Model 3 on March 31 – The Drive

Posted on by luken7

It will have mirrors. We repeat: The Model 3 will have mirrors.

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Well, my car gets previewed in ten days, the Tesla Model 3. I’m still holding out, hanging in there waiting. As it’s in the $35K range, I’m in. It will have a range of 200 miles on a single charge so mapping out the RDU-IBX passage, it’s doable based on the Google Maps image below. On a Friday evening, arrive at Prohibition in New Bern from downtown Raleigh then to O-Town for a daysail. Over to Beaufort to Cru Saturday night and back to O-Town for a Sunday daysail, then back to Raleigh Sunday evening. All that’s needed is one charge at the marina while sailing on either day. Hmmm, need to get a charging station put in near the clubhouse 😉

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Source: Tesla to Reveal a Working Model 3 on March 31 – The Drive

Hemispheres is Hauled Out, I’m Sad

Posted on by luken7

Well, Hemispheres is hauled out, needing some work done. So of course, I had to throughly clean the interior before dropping her off. You know how your mom used to say, always have clean underwear on in case you have to go to the hospital. Guess that stuck with me in an odd way.

 

Going to have the bottom done as she’s having a problem keeping the paint on in certain spots, seems to be the same areas too. That big chunk of paint missing on the keel looks like she sustained a plasma blast from a disrupter beam. Oh, and then there’s the propellor. Electrolysis is hitting it bad and here’s the mystery, the zinc is still there so everyone is scratching their heads. I need to get with the diver, maybe he just put a new one on through the shaft zinc much have gone. Well, it’s an excuse to get a new MaxProp feathering prop, the current one is old and seems to need rebuilding anyway. So what to do for the next couple of weeks while she’s on the hard? I guess it’s now kayak season 😉

 

An Excellent February Weekend for Sailing

Posted on by luken7

Well, we’ve gone from sailing in 35 degrees of weather to the following weekend being in the upper 60s. Two great daysail days. Winds were light when we started each day, then it got up there.

Yesterday we hit winds that topped 25kts before we even realized it. We were all just in that zone moving along when it came up on us. Figured it was time to reef. Of course we had the boat on her ear, topping 22 degrees heel, enough to put the lower port window under water so it looked like an aquarium.

One thing’s for sure, it’s time for new sails. Couldn’t point as high anymore, both the main and genoa are stretched out. Well those are the original sails on the boat, so they’re sixteen years old. Looking at a few sail lofts now, some local and some online.

A Cold Day On The Water

Posted on by luken7

Yes! Went out today with it being 35 degrees and winds hitting over 20kts. Think that’s a weather record for us now, we broke down into the 30’s. All we needed was the 135 genoa, running downwind and abeam consistanly over 7kts. Has me thinking again that I need a new boat with a longer waterline. Remember that the most important calculation to a sailor is (HS = 1.34 x √LWL)….

Anyway all was going great till you hear that single bump or thud sound, the boat goes off course because the autopilot said f**k it, I’m out. Right after that, the gust came, we heeled over greatly, inches from dipping the toerail (missed photo opp). So we headed back in after some great time on the water to see what broke, cracked, fell apart, whatever as we all logically calculated the amount of boatbucks this was going to cost.

Well, it seems tha the piston rotated and worked it’s way out of the buckle connected to the rudder shaft. Hmm, anyway got that back together and all if fine. Great day, great day, great day!

 

Our Winter Wonderland

Posted on by luken7

Well, sort of. We’re getting our sleet and freezing rain today and tomorrow but it looks really nice so far. Let’s just hope this goes away real quick, I’m not really into snow shovels anymore. If I see a snow shovel, I want it in the hands of someone else while I walk into the lodge holding a hot tea and brandy…

Practical 2016 Resolutions

Posted on by luken7

This year I have two straight forward and practical resolutions. First, to be genuine to others as to who I am and second, to be honest with myself as to what I really want. That’s pretty much it, covers everything.

Every year we make resolutions and every year we break them eventually. No gym, diet or other stuff this time. Not that it’s taken me 50 years to figure it out, just just a while ot hone in on it. Oh, and that bucket list of pointless, crazy silly things from time to time.

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Rush Drummer Neil Peart Retires

Posted on by luken7

As in “Loosing It”, we all knew this day would come and we all knew we were witnessing it on this last tour. Just glad that I got to see him play one more time. Just like Rush is a band’s band, Neil is a drummer’s drummer. Loved to watch, listen, learn and mimic. Bittersweet day indeed.

Neil was (is) the quintessential progressive power drummer. Complexities, time signatures and the infamous 7/8th beat. It was Neil that got me into drumming, listening to 2112, Permanent Waves and A Farewell to Kings. It got me that five piece Ludwig that ended up being a double bass eight piece kit over time. Carmine Appice once wrote in a drum magazine that the perfect rock drummer would have the power of Neil Peart, the complexity of Stewart Copeland and the simplicity of Charlie Watts. Couldn’t agree more. I remember first seeing the Exit Stage Left concert video. Broones Bane/The Trees/Xanadu portion. Watching Neil getting up and playing teh tubular bells. As a kit, that was just magical for some real. What’s a drummer doing with full tubular bells behind him, and wind chimes, and every other conceivable sound making metal.

But let’s not forget the other half of the equation. What a fantastic lyricist. Writing the words for Hemispheres (obviously my favorite song), Loosing It, Freewill, Tom Sawyer, The Trees, Different Strings, Natural Science, the list goes on and on. Seems like there’s a set of lyrics for every part of life, the ups, the downs, the good and the bad, the motivations and dare I say the spiritual. Neil reminded me that it’s OK to be a nerd, and to dream. For that, thank you very, very much. Well, off to watch R40 again…

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In an interview with Drumhead Magazine, Peart spoke about his retirement.

Source: Rush Drummer Neil Peart Says He’s Retired | Billboard

Dizzying Heights

Posted on by luken7

Went all the way to the top of the mast today for the first time. Intimidating to say the least. So what did I learn? NO matter what tools and parts you bring up with you, it’s that one item that you didn’t bring that you needed. And an overall nice week on Hemispheres.