In less than one hour

[Michel]

That short clip shows why I love to sail a small boat. I can be ready to go in a very short time and capture some pretty nice moments, thing that is a lot more difficult with a big sailing yacht. Of course my boat is kept in the water.

That sail was less than one hour and was time well spent.

http://youtu.be/UToXs20w7zE

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Nice.

That's why we went back to a Mud Hen. I can hook up to her after work. She's always kept ready to go with the gear under a tonneau cover.

The local lake is a 20 minute drive away. Twelve minutes after pulling into the ramp parking area we're backing down the ramp and launching. No shrouds, I can raise the mast in the tabernacle one handed and pin it in place with the other (on the trailer or on the water), the sail rides on the spars supported by the boom gallows when lowered.

Makes a one or two hour sail after work practical and enjoyable.

We've kept our larger boats 70 to 160 miles away at marinas. That was pretty enjoyable as well but not something done on the spur of the moment or when a few hours of good weather open up.

[Michel]

Your boat is a degree closer to freedom! I could not do the same with my boat. To much work to rig even if she is not a big boat. (18.5 foot) I am lucky to have a place in the water at about 15 minutes walking distance from my home.

I would love to see a boat like your's in action but it seems that there aren't any in my region.

[Charlie P. (NY)]

They're passing rare hereabouts as well. I imagine unheard of on our West Coast.

We had one BDC (before digital cameras) so I haven't many images and no video at all. Hope to remedy that next summer.

Here's a sister-ship (except he has added complication and shrouds with a headsail). The bimini (we have one as well) does nothing for performance but it sure is a blessing on a hot day. There's also a Porta-Potti under a hatch in the thwarts forward. That might not endear me to your local gendarmerie. We would remove ours when sailing Lake Ontario in our previous Mud Hen. Odd you can have a bucket but not a Thetford Porta-Potti.

http://youtu.be/B93m1bmrAwQ?list=UUewSz ... 5V1_fH9IGg

[Michel]

I love to watch sailing videos! Looks like they are very good sailers.

About the potties, we have the same bizarre laws here in Quebec! Try to understand their motives!

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Believe me - I understand bizarre laws. I'm from New Yawk State!

But I fully understand the thoughts behind it. I manage a municipal waste-water treatment plant and understand the need to save people from themselves. We'd all die of cholera or hepatitis if left unregulated.

And anyone who fertilizes their lawn near a river watershead - shame on you!

[Art Haberland]

Mud hen looks like a fun boat.

So what are the rules on a "waterless" toilet like a nature's head? I have one ready to go for my sprite, but I would hate to have to leave it behind if I decided to trailer up to the Great lakes for a couple of weeks

[Charlie P. (NY)]

In US Territorial Waters (of Lake Ontario) you can't have a mechanism for overboard discharge (mascerator/"Y" valve, etc.) connected to a holding tank unless it has been sealed or permanently disabled; and you can't be directly plumbed for pass-through to a through-hull.

In Ontario (CAN) waters any toilet has to have a permanent connection for discharge only through a deck fitting. So, you can have a Porta-Potti IF it is permanent and is plumbed through the hull/deck to be pumped out. I don't know if that is nation-wide for Canada.

I think that's the case, anyway.

A wood bucket is only illegal if you toss the contents over the side. Any Great Lake that touches NY is a No Discharge Zone already, I believe. We never had problems within the US waters of Lake Ontario for having a Porta-Potti aboard. But then we were never boarded. On our 34 we were only equipped with a holding tank and the macerator pump was in a storage locker (new & unused and not connected with any hoses). We only kept it in case a future owner wanted to go to salt-water.

Section 312 of the Clean Water Act sets out the principal framework for domestically regulating sewage discharges from vessels, and is implemented jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard. “Sewage” is defined under the Clean Water Act as “human body wastes and the waste from toilets and other receptacles intended to receive or retain body wastes”, and includes graywater discharges from commercial vessels (as defined at 33 U.S.C. 1322(a)(10)) operating on the Great Lakes. Under section 312 of the Clean Water Act, vessel sewage is generally controlled by regulating the equipment that treats or holds the sewage (marine sanitation devices), and through the establishment of areas in which the discharge of sewage from vessels is not allowed (no discharge zones).

So even that wood bucket is a violation of the Clean Water Act if you dump it.

Whether balancing on the rail is covered will be between you and the nice people in the Coast Guard vessel along side you at the time.