Posts by casualfox9

mistyhound2 said:Can you list everything they actually did to him, like all the diagnostic tests? You already mentioned his blood work, but what else? I assume he had an X-ray... what else was there?

X-rays, an EKG, and honestly, I'm not entirely sure of the full list; he spent several days undergoing various tests.

So, my dad hasn't been feeling well lately, and it's honestly becoming quite distressing to watch. 😢 The real issue is that his doctors seem completely stumped; he’s already gone in for a second round of extensive testing, yet they haven't managed to pinpoint anything specific.
His symptoms include:
- Pain in his neck, back, ribs, and occasionally his muscles... it's hard to describe because it constantly shifts. One day it's just his neck, then it moves to his ribs, or sometimes it hits everything at once—or nothing at all.
- The pain flares up intensely during sudden movements, but once he settles down, it almost entirely subsides.
- The intensity is significant. My father is an incredibly resilient man who has always handled discomfort without a word, but this time it's different; he's actually groaning in pain, and even just turning over in bed is a massive struggle for him.
- He has a history of stomach issues, but lately, he's experiencing extreme bloating immediately after eating anything.

Medical findings: So far, the only things the physicians have identified are a slightly dilated aorta and a hiatal hernia.
He has undergone two complete sets of blood work, and every single result has come back perfectly normal.

There was some suspicion regarding a pinched nerve, but unfortunately, nothing has provided any relief.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thank you.

Balkanijan Pig said:Surely a person wouldn't just rent a sailboat without ever having stepped foot on a boat before... besides, they’re supposed to have a license... though honestly, those permits seem to be handed out left and right... at least for small boat operators. How much does it cost, anyway? Can you rent a sailboat if it's under 7 meters or what's the limit?

hahaha, you have no idea the kind of people who go out and rent sailboats😁 😁 precisely, either they've never been on one or they were tossed around like a ragdoll during their first trip...

People rent these boats without having the slightest clue how to even raise the sails🙂 then they just give up after the very first attempt and spend the whole time running the engine, usually causing absolute mayhem at some marina, crashing into docks, needing a tow, and so on.😁

Balkanijan Pig said:I’m just wondering... I’ve been looking at some sailing school websites. They offer a one or two-week beginner course, followed by an advanced module focused on solo sailing. Then you move on to skipper training...

Don't you think it's a bit reckless for someone to head out on their own after just a week of training? Even getting a driver's license takes much longer than that. 😁

In my opinion, spending about four weeks in structured courses should be sufficient for the average person who starts with zero knowledge of boats or maritime navigation. Of course, if there's someone else in your crew who already has some experience on board, that definitely makes things easier.

If every single person renting a boat had completed at least one solid week of proper instruction, the water would be a much safer place. 😁 😁

Is anyone planning on heading out to Central Park for some sailing these days?

What absolute madness at Central Park today! The sky is pitch black and the wind is howling like crazy 🙂))) just gliding through the Laser 🙂 and catching some flips here and there 🙂

Is anyone else out here sailing Lasers at Central Park? 🙂 It was an absolute blast today—the wind was absolutely howling, though unfortunately, everything just died down right around 5 PM...

Ish the Disney said:I started out sailing Optimists, then moved up to Lasers... did a bit of dinghy racing on older keelboats... but honestly? I’ve completely fallen in love with Hobie Cats. 😍
Hobie is hands down the best sailing rig I’ve ever had the pleasure of testing, and man, being a trapeze sailor is an absolute blast. You’re standing up there, catching the wind, and then—bam—you're wiping out everywhere. I’ve definitely picked up my fair share of bruises and scrapes along the way, but honestly? That rush is just incomparable. 👍

If only I didn't have a jealous husband and a hot hobby partner standing in my way, I could actually get out and do this a lot more often. 🙂

The sailing enthusiasts just don't have that true windsurfing spirit. Don't get me wrong, spending seven days out on a chartered boat during the summer sounds lovely, but nothing compares to the rush of being out there on a windsurfer. It’s just a different league entirely. 😵

Have you ever tried riding in a hurricane? What's the actual difference compared to a Hobie Cat?

Ariel said:Has anyone actually tried out the Fireball?

I haven't had the chance to take one out myself, but I did catch a glimpse of one at a club in England a few months back. It’s a charming vessel—the hull design looks a bit unconventional, but man, does it fly once you get going. I recall the racing scene being quite intense back in Canada, though things seem to have quieted down lately, which is a real shame.

By the way, this 505 blog just popped up:

Yo momma... said:It’s a truly worthwhile initiative... 🙂
I’ve been scrolling through some used International 505 Class listings lately, and honestly, I’m just floored. You’re looking at $600 for a boat and trailer that’s clearly seen better days? It’s absolutely ridiculous. 😲

Anyway, International 505 Class RULA!

And since you’re claiming the 505 is for people who find the 470 too heavy... have you ever actually tried racing an Optimist when you're a 180-pound guy in his late twenties with two glasses of wine in your system? 😁 Juri is an absolute beast on the water! 😉

So, after spending six months scouring the market for an International 505 Class, here is a rough breakdown of what the current pricing looks like:

New boat available: priced between $11,000 and $17,000, fully rigged and ready to sail.

If you’re looking for a competitive boat—specifically number 8400 or anything newer from '93 onwards—you should budget somewhere between $4,500 and $7,500. That estimate includes the sails, the trailer, and all that extra gear.

If you're looking at an older boat from around '92 that comes equipped with decent sails and rigging, I’d say you should expect to pay somewhere between $1,600 and $3,300.

If you're looking for something built before '85, that should be perfectly fine for sailing, though honestly, it all comes down to how well she's been maintained. You're probably looking at a range of $550 to $1,600 depending on the condition.

Just for a laugh—I’m looking for something older than an 80s model: somewhere around $550, trailer included.

You can pick up boats at a significantly lower price point in the United Kingdom than you would in places like Germany or France.

Yo momma... said:I agree.
But honestly, it’s interesting how lately—especially over the last few years, ever since this new class of nouveau riche pretenders became the role models for kids all across the country—it seems like "REAL" sailing is strictly limited to cruising on keelboats, mini-tonners, & stuff like that...
Maybe I'm off base, or maybe I haven't dug through the forums enough, but where is competitive racing? Where are the 470s, or the New York Yankees? Where are the beauties like the Finn and the laser ???
If SOMETHING counts as sailing, then it is competitive sailing.

I'm actually trying to get a 505 class started here in the States for a crew that's a bit too heavy for the 470s... Hoping we can get five boats on the water soon.

casualfox9 said:😍 I’m dreaming about some apple cider and island hopping, maybe even hitting up Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket 😍

But seriously, why does it always seem to happen right in the middle of finals week? 😁 👎 Where are you guys heading in July?

We usually try to use our vacation time around holidays so we don't burn through our annual leave too fast. 😁

We’ll probably head out during the first two weeks of August, doing a loop from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back... nothing is set in stone yet, though; we're still looking for a boat.

If you want to get down to San Diego, you can catch a ferry on the 505 route almost every weekend.🙂

blueharbor42 said:I feel like I might be getting ready to dive in myself very soon! 🙂 You’ve completely fired me up with all those stories and photos from the last few months. 🙂 👍

Listen, you either have to embrace the infection entirely or just freeze up and stop sailing altogether. 🙂 There is simply no middle ground on this matter. 😁 😁 On June 18th, we’re putting together an incredible culinary excursion. We’ll be heading out from Miami, and along the way, we might stop by Apple or even hit up Palagruža. It’s going to be quite the trip. 😉

Enough bickering about Bavaria... anyway, is anyone here actually interested in sailing the 505 class? If you want to get a feel for what this class is all about, check out this video:
http://www.int505.fi/teamleiras/505promo_web.avi

We need to get 5 boats registered here in the US to officially establish the class...

Richard Perez4 said:😎

To be honest, I used to sail a Laser, but I haven't been out on the water in about two years.
Last summer, I headed down to San Francisco, but we were actually out on a friend's TikTok. It wasn't exactly a racing vessel, so the whole trip ended up being more about our own ridiculous antics than actual sailing.
That same friend also owns an Optimist 😁 ,and I actually had a bit of a mishap with it recently.
Since last summer, I’ve barely touched a boat, though I am planning on picking something up for this upcoming season.

Lately, I've been feeling quite nostalgic😁 .
When my schedule finally clears up, I really ought to make a run over to the club.

Do you happen to have any old Lasers for sale that aren't leaking?🙂 I need something for Central Park 🙂

Is it just me, or does absolutely nobody on this forum actually sail? I’m not even talking about those massive commercial vessels; I mean the smaller classes—the Laser sailors, the 470 crews, and all that. Is there really zero interest in that here?

John Thomas2 said:Excuse me, but as far as I’m aware, the window to pay the installment is between the 5th and the 10th of the month. Anything paid before the 5th just gets applied toward the previous principal balance.

Actually, that isn't correct. According to my specific contract and the monthly statements I receive from the bank, the payment window is anytime from the 1st through the 10th of the month.

Who on earth is running things at JPMorgan Chase? Are they actually insane?!!!!!!!!!!!

Has anyone else dealt with this nonsense from JPMorgan Chase:

I have a scheduled payment due for my Visa card installment—specifically, 5% of the total charges, due on the 10th of the month. According to their own rules, I need to make sure that payment is cleared between the 1st and the 10th. If I pay early, it just counts toward my principal balance, which is fine.
If I pay late, obviously, I get hit with interest and penalties.

So, I get a notice today claiming I missed this month's installment. I check my online banking, and sure enough, I made the payment on the 2nd—well within the required window.
But apparently, JPMorgan Chase’s incredibly stupid processing software hadn't received the transaction data from Visa by that specific date, so the system just dumped my payment straight toward the principal instead of the installment. Once Visa finally sent over the charge details, the system looked back and decided, "Oh, looks like he didn't pay his installment." ARE THEY KIDDING ME? Who even designs these systems? TOTAL MORONS!!!!!!!

It wouldn't be such a big deal if this were a one-time thing, but the exact same thing happened last year. I paid on the 5th of the month and got hit with the same warning, plus fees for the notice, interest, and all that junk... I went down to the branch, they promised to fix it, but nothing happened... not even a simple apology...

TODAY I ACTUALLY LOST IT and yelled at some poor woman at the branch office; I’m genuinely curious to see what kind of fallout I'll face for that....

Has this happened to anyone else??? Is there a single competent bank left in America, or are they all just complete idiots????????

Nicholas Doyle2 said:Are there even any locals interested in visiting places like this? It seems like everyone here just moves to the big cities and spends their vacations at the beach or in some major Western European capital!
Do foreigners
actually visit this kind of tourism in our neck of the woods?
How profitable is it really to run something like this? What does it actually take to get into agritourism—aside from all the paperwork and forms?
How common is this in California?

Question:
Would you rather spend seven days in the spring out in the countryside, hiking through nature, riding horses, eating lamb, and all that, or would you prefer seven days at the beach during the summer?
And would a two or three-hour drive to reach untouched nature be too far for you if you were just looking for a weekend getaway?

Absolutely! Just tell me where I can find a great weekend spot with amazing food, horseback riding, and maybe some fishing. That sounds way better than a full week away.