Welcome to Da List, Paul. Your Great Lakes voyage sounds intriguing. Did you by chance keep a journal? Would you want to share? I once sailed my Rhodes to Rhodes, anchoring with a 3-strand rode, where we rode out a a Meltemi. You on the other hand, could be a Rhodes on a Rhodes in Rhodes  etc! Tempting?
Christie Geankoplis
Xenos
Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 5, 2024, at 2:39 AM, Paul Rhodes <plrhodes29 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Ric!  
> 
> Yes, we’ve pretty much decided to do piloting and gunk-holing rather than passage-making, at least in our own boat.  However, our longest “cruise “ was in a wooden 22ft gaff sloop from Newburyport MA  to NYC, up the Hudson to the NY State Barge Canal to Oswego, across Lake Ontario through the Trent-Severn waterway to Georgian Bay (Lake Huron) and across Lake Superior to the Apostle Islands.  We spread it over 3 summers, having moved to MN. Compared to that boat, which wasn’t trailerable, the Rhodes 22 is a luxury yacht, and with a self-contained mast stepping system,  could do the journey without having the mast down the whole middle leg.  We don’t anticipate repeating that voyage, but expect to enjoy both the ability to trailer and also to pass under a low bridge if it’s in the way of someplace we really want to go.
> 
> Paul
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Nov 4, 2024, at 11:39 AM, Ric Stott <ric at stottarchitecture.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Welcome Paul
>> You’ve made a good choice as long as you have no intention of going off-shore for and extended distance or time.  
>> Although some Rhodies have cruised on long trips including the Gulf of Mexico and entire Med.., the 22 is a day and weekend sailboat in my world.
>> I had considered a mast stepped Gin pole and was about the embark on that journey when I was offered a free home made system, which although a bit funky works pretty well.
>> About 6 years ago I screwed down a temporary mahogany  pivot post near the  front of the the coach roof expecting to replace it with Starboard or some other composite - its still there and working fine.
>> I think the mast step Gin pole is a viable idea and it should work but other Rhodies might have tried it with different results.
>> The system is simple and easy to construct if you have one to model. There are quite a few Rhodes 22’s in your area or near enough to check out.
>> Good luck and enjoy your boat.
>> Ric
>> Dadventure
>> Hampton Bays, NY
>> 
>> 
>> Richard F. Stott, AIA, LEED AP
>> ric at stottarchitecture.com
>> O -631-283-1777
>> C- 516-965-