Site Preparation!
While I might have been able to get away with just sticking the boat in the yard, I did not want to take the chance. This spring the boat sunk into the ground about 6 inches because we had such a wet, cold, long spring that followed a very snowy, cold winter. 
The site we chose to put in a gravel parking area had to be leveled, and there was a pine tree that needed to come down too. It was ant infested, as well as cracked near the base. It had also been struck by lightning at least once, as evidenced by the scar running its height. Taking the tree down was quick, and cutting it up with the chain saw was fun and fast. What took the most time was digging out the stump. We could have cut it off at ground height and left it, but we were concerned that it would then decompose and leave a serious divot in the graveled area. Since the plan is to park the boat right where the stump would have been left, it seemed prudent to dig it up and remove as much as possible. In the process I ended up covered in pine shaving, sap, mud, sand, and probably some petrochemicals as well. Don't take that the wrong way. I am a little boy at heart, so playing with tools (read: toys) is fun, as is getting dirty outside in nature. Like father like son, I suppose. While I was working on cutting and splitting the tree, my dad started digging up the yard to level it. Once he got the topsoil layer off, he gave me a go with the backhoe in digging out the far corner and transferring the subsoil (mostly sand) towards the driveway. I think he may have gotten a little bored standing around, so he got the other tractor out so he could continue to play with his tools/toys!
Sailing, One Way or Another!!
To reinforce my sailing addiction, my dad has been working on some of his sailboats. The one on the left was a father's day present to him about 10 years ago. It is just a simple 2 channel RC boat. The boat on the right is a Detroit/Michigan School boat, a one-design boat that is built in Michigan high school shop classes. This one is one that my dad used to chase around the pond when he was a kid. It is not a remote control (RC) sailor yet, but those plans are in the works. Currently it uses a self steering mechanism, so you just set the sails and rudder tension and let her rip!
This hull is one that I have been working off/on for a while. I started with a few layers of hard foam insulation roughly cut, stacked, and glued together. I then cut out a section for a keel stringer (support beam that runs a length of the boat). I have been slowly adding layers of glass and epoxy to the hull when I have worked on other projects. Since it is apparent that I am not going to get to sail my big boat this year, and maybe not for several years, I decided that it was time to finish this bad boy up and see how I did. I will keep most of the foam in the boat for flotation, should it become swamped. I do not want to have to go diving for it. 
In the meantime, I have to figure out what I am going to be doing for radio gear. I have an old airplane RC transmitter, and I think I can just change the crystals in it to ground frequency to comply with RC rules and regulations. I am not 100% sure on this, so I think I have to get in touch with the manufacturer to see if this will work. If not, then I may have to buy new radio gear, which is expensive, and I really don't want to go that route. More updates to come as the projects continue!!!!
