Thirty People attend our Epoxy Fiberglass Seminar
We thank everyone who joined us for this educational event. Thirty people attended. It was an opportunity to meet sailing friends in the dead of winter and learn about epoxy and fiberglass repairs. To see a sample of what they learned check out our latest fiberglass repair by clicking here. We have more winter educational activities coming up soon. Our Coastal Navigation class begins on February 8 and our Paint and Varnish class takes place on Thursday night, February 20. If you have questions about these events or wish to sign up, please contact Sarah at 785-841-SAIL (7245).
Kansas City Sailing at the America's Cup World Series - Way Cool!
We're back from the America's Cup World Series (ACWS) and there's so much to report. We spent five days aboard Crusader, our 38′ Catalina in San Diego, with Rich and Brandi Wells and Barb and Earl Cameron. As I previously reported we were one of only twelve boats marking course boundaries. Each day we were assigned a different position and on most days we were close enough to see AC crews hard at work beating, reaching, running, rounding marks, passing other boats, being passed, and eventually winning and losing.
Rich took great pictures that you can find by clicking here. And I tried my hand at video recording that you can find by clicking here. Take a look at these. They're really fun!
More news...
Kansas City Sailing welcomes Catalina 38 members!
From the time I was a small boy I dreamt of owning my own sailboat.
My first sailboat, purchased when I was around 14 years old, was a homemade wooden castaway purchased at a yard sale. With a couple of good friends I worked on the unnamed vessel for months before launching it at a local lake. At the moment it was splashed I recalled that I didn't know how to sail. But as it turns out that was the least of my problems. Before I had time to board my pride and joy disappeared into the depths of the lake - in water shallow enough to expose a majority of the mast. That was the last time I saw that sailboat.
I temporarily gave up sailing that day. But of course my abstinence didn't last forever. Years later, after entering college, I still had the bug. I located a place to rent sailboats while completing my residency in Kansas and found myself at a local park (with a lake of course), on an Alcort Sunfish several times a week. Through dozens of capsizes, accidental jibes, and other mishaps I was smitten. Sailing was destined to be my life's passion.
Between sinking my first boat and purchasing my Catalina 38 I must have owned dozens of fixer-uppers. In fact, many joked that I should own a boat shop - a true prophecy. Fast forward to 2001. My career as a college professor was going well and I had the great opportunity to attend a meeting in San Diego. But instead of being riveted to the meeting I was fantasizing about sailing. (Did I forget to mention that I was in San Diego?) So after escaping from one of the sessions I found myself walking the docks. Before I came to my senses I was talking to a broker about the "coolest boat I'd ever seen" with a "For Sale" sign on it. Yes, you guessed it - a Catalina 38. In no time I signed papers that put me into my first real yacht... and years of debt.
But, needless to say, it was one of the greatest decisions of my life. Freudian Sloop II, my first C38, became a great source of joy and a great teacher. Initially I spent as many hours working on it as I did sailing. And that wasn't because it was "broken". It was because I was in love with FSII and wanted to give it all the love I could. So one thing led to another and, thanks again to FSII, I was pushed over the edge and opened a local sailboat shop. That was almost 10 years ago and now six people work in the shop, and I share the joys, thrill, and exhiliration of sailing and working on sailboats with friends, family, employees, and customers.
So our shop, Kansas City Sailing, is a resource for all things sailing. Our slogan is "Everything for every sailboat and sailor." We sell sailing gifts, apparel, standing and running rigging, deck hardware, fiberglass repair and other maintenance products, and much more. And we give extraordinary service, discounts, and typically free shipping to customers all over the country. It's especially rewarding to work with fellow C38 members (for obvious reasons!).
We sell through our online store, e-bay, and from our brick and morter dealership (besides Catalina we also sell Hunter and Laser Performance sailboats). If you don't find what you're looking for or the price doesn't seem right just give us a call. You have my promise that we'll take good care of you. And of course if you don't find what you're looking for - or you have further questions you can contact me at bruce@kansascitysailing.com or my cell (913-579-5039).
Kansas City Sailing Blog. We have started a blog for sailors who want to stay in touch with other sailors. This blog is designed to be educational, entertaining, and fun. Register as a subscriber and share your questions, thoughts, ideas, wisdom, knowledge, and opinions. We're determined to make it worth your time. Click the Blog link on the left side of this page or go directly to kansascitysailing.com/blog. Even if you don't wish to participate in the conversation immediately, please register so you can start listening in.
Our online store. We've opened our online store, www.KCSailingStore.com, to accommodate our friends from far away lands (e.g., Missouri, Topeka, and beyond). We'd love to have you visit and let us know what you think. As always we'll keep our prices competitive, but not so competitive that you'll stop visiting us in Lawrence! We plan to provide free shipping whenever feasible. And of course please let us know if you need anything we haven't listed. We'd love to accommodate you.