Hello

Hey all, cool forum

I live aboard my CM 30 "River Gypsy". I am originally from Iowa. My girlfriend and I left our home port on Oct.23rd traveled down the Mississippi River and the Ohio river and the Tennnesse river and are currently sitting at port in Tennessee on lower Kentucky lake. I will be shoving off here before too long headed to the state of Mississippi.

Welcome!

Where is the final port you are headed to? Sounds like a trip of a lifetime for some people. I would love to do such a journey. I am 60 miles from the missouri river in Omaha Nebraska. I have not studied any charts to see where it would lead to, or how long a journey to the gulf would take.

Sounds like a great time. Post pics, we would love to see some.

I also own a CM 30. I have not seen mine yet, bought it sight unseen up in Canada. Waiting till spring to go fetch her.

For me, can you tell me stuff about your boat? I put my hands on one once, dry-docked. I did not climb on her. I am very much interested in anything to do with the model of boat I purchased. I have only a few images, and descriptions. I long for more information.

How does she sail, how does she rest at night in a 4 mph breeze? Anything you would like to share.

Is yours the stern engine cabin, or at the front of the cockpit? Keel or shoal?

Mine is a shoal, and I am glad for that. No deep water for me, and I read the tiller is less reactionary on the shoal version. Less high performance and a little easier to sail alone.

Again, welcome. Great avatar!

Welcome River Gypsy,

Great to see you found us. Like to hear more of your adventures. Especially interested in your living aboard as we plan to do that starting this summer.

What part of Iowa were you in? I was in north central for a time. Have been in southwest Wi the last 13 years, CM still frozen up there.

Cool driftings, Ev

Well, first off, thanks for the great welcome.
I really have no final port in mind. Just kinda driffting for right now. We sold everything we had before we left. Not saying we had a lot. But what we had we sold. I have a 19 year old daughter that is off doing her own thing and my girlfriends kids are all grown as well so we really have nothing tying us down to anywhere in particular. I have family in MS and Florida and she has family here in Tenessee. Muscatine, Iowa on the Mississippi River is orginally where I'm from, well a small town about 12 miles north actually. But Muscatine is my home port. I bought River Gypsy in April of 09' from a fellow in Detroit, Michigan. The only sailboat I've ever had. Except a 18' Hobbie Cat. She has a 9.9 Yamaha outboard pushing her. Yes it has an engine well. She has a finn keel. I'm not sure what the displacement is. I know when I was on the rivers along the way down here I really didn't have much problems. I use a danthforth anchor, I'm not sure what the poundage is. The anchor came off my old boat, a 18' Cresltliner. I'd guess probably 25 lbs. And I've anchored in some nasty weather. I mean nasty nasty weather. In a 4 Mph wind at anchor you won't even know your on water. Anchoring is all common sense though. I grew up on the river, and in all kinds of boats. There is no secret to anchoring other then to watch your depth and your surroundings. One night I was anchored near Illinoise somewhere below St. Louis and I thought I had a great spot. There was a storm blowing in from the west so I got on the Missouri bank behind a wing dam. The wind was picking up so I threw an aft anchor for just in case kind of thing cuz I was swinging quite a bit. Anyway I bedded down around 8 o'clock and at around 3:30 am I thought I heard something. Now keep in mind that when I'm at anchor I've made a habit of waking myselft up about every other hour depending on the weather, to check my anchorage. I spotted ahead of me saw nothing but lumber everywhere!, a log jam busted loose upriver of me and was bombarding my boat. I spent the next 3 1/2 hours dodging logs. What a long night. I had one about 40' long that missed my boat by about 5'. That was spooky. So I guess my point is that no matter how well your anchored just keep an eye out. As far as the sailing goes. She handles really well I think. The fastest I've ever sailed her was 6.5knots wich I would think is pretty fast for a house. I mean this is my home so I'm not really into how fast I am going as long as I get there safely. I've never had problem single handing this boat. There was a 150% rolling furl that came with the boat, but the clew was ripped, and the jib lines were tied off about a foot above the rip. So not having much money I figured it would be cheaper to buy a used 110% hank on jib sail and make my own stay line. So thats what I did. She rounds up nicely. The heaviest winds I've sailed her in was a 20mph wind. I got hit with a 35mph gust that bout put her toerail in the water. But other then that she's her fastest at about a 15-20 degree heel. I tried to upload pictures but I'm doing something wrong I think. I can't get them to upload. Probably because my internet connection. I'm on a laptop with mobile access. Gary maybe I can email you the pics and you can post them? Anyway looks like a wrote a book here. I wasn't really planning on that. But I got more stories if anybody is interested. LOL

Pics: Are they on line somewhere now?
You can copy them from any place on the net, and paste them in a post


Try it with your avatar. Right click on it, choose copy, then right click in your post and choose paste.

Did you watch the video on how to post images from your computer?

I would be glad to post images for you, if they will not load from your computer.

You guys have more guts than most of us. I could cut loose, and go, but it seems I am tied to my business.

hey Gary,
I sent you some pictures from yahoo. I'll see if I can get one posted in here. I tried to watch the video but for some reason it said that it was a private video and wouldn't let me watch it. 'puters who needs em'

I changed a setting on the video, it should play for you now.

I will look for the pics you sent!

River Gypsy, my wife's family is from Burlington so I have been to that area alot. Hiway 61 runs two miles from our home in Wi so easy trip. Always stopped in Muscatine when melons were in season. Wife, her brother, cousins, river rats to the core. Guess that's why she is up for all my crazy watery schemes.

Nice story, great to hear that you are out there living the life. And it's on a CM. Great to hear what they CAN and ARE doing.

Storms are bad enough but on a river they have an extra edge. Current, flash flooding, floating and flying debris. Have been through a few on the Wisconsin River in various craft. I think the current helps make anchoring "common sense" as you say.

I applaud your having sold everything. We tried that last summer and failed. 600sq feet of stored stuff left, going back this summer to get rid of the rest. Might end up building a small vacation cabin to keep the heirlooms and a few collectables.

Share more stories or info anytime. Does she seem to handle the extra gear and liveaboard stuff well?

Cool driftings, Ev

Hey Everett
Yeah ya can't beat muscatine melons. I assume your talking about Hoope's Melon shed. If your not then the next time your throught there in the fall you should stop in. I wasn't sure at first about the extra gear. I'm heading out in the morning to Fulton, Mississippi, so I'm kinda busy today getting everything stowed, but if I get a chance I'll post some picts of the inside. I convertered the hanging locker on the starboard side to a food pantry. and on the port side I converted the bunk to my electronic station you could call it. My at port stuff so to speak. Microwave, puter, tv. and I cut doors into the storage space under the bunk for canned goods and extra storage. But as far as sailabiltiy I haven't really seen much differnce. She is a bit slower of course but thats ok. Like I said this is my home and if I wanted to get there in a hurry I wouldn't have bought a sailboat. I really like the CM's if there was one thing that I would change though it would be the width. 8' is kinda like being in a canoe in rough water, bumping it up to 10' would be better for living aboard, but I'm not complaining, just commenting. I've read a few articles downgrading CM's, but I'll tellya what, this is a tough boat. She's seen alot so far and is holding strong. I would really like to a CM 32' ketch. If I ever buy another boat it would be a ketch rig. The just look so cool. But for right now I wouldn't trade this boat for anything. She's "other" best friend. Anybody ever watch the movie Serinity? there is something that he says at the end that really holds true..
"You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home."
I truly belive that no matter what boat you have, long as you give her what she wants and needs she'll give everything.
Well I need to contuing on stowing. Fair winds and I'll come back to this forum when I sound at a harbor again.

If Hoope's is on 61 that's gotta be the one. I have to ask, do you know of and like/dislike Sterzings chips. My wife intruduced them to me as best in the world and I have to agree. We have spent a small fortune having the shipped to us.

Back on topic. Good to hear that she doesn't mind the extra provisions. I feel the same about overall speed. We would have bought a J boat if we wanted to race from port to port. And I too would like a bit more beam. However, and this is just what I have read as we haven't had ours out yet, a narrow beam is supposed to harden up nicely at a certain angle of heal, and have better righting capabilities to that point. And when it's time to trailer we just hook up and head out on the hiway, no permits. As our jobs are nomadic this feature is going to be a huge bonus. Boats are all about compromise.

Like the hanging locker conversion. Love to see the pics when you get time. Ours is on the work list, not sure how we want to configure it yet.

Haven't seen the movie but will look it up. I believe in that sentiment and hope that Gone understands why we had to leave her frozen to the ground while we slipped away to this warm location w/out her. I have always been there to brush/scoop each snow fall from her. Perhaps that is why it has been so mild there this winter? We will make it up to her this summer and vow that this is her last cold winter. I told Gary he should put a picture of a CM actually sailing as the header above. It has been cool to see Gone every time I come to the site though. Thanks Gary.

Have a safe voyage River Gypsy and check in when you can.

I wonder where River G is today?
I will send them an email to see what they have been doing.

Their CM30 is a MKII. Pretty rare! Not many around.