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Page 6 Konza Sailor February 2007 |
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Meet Sharon Ketelsen |
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those perfect days with good friends or family can't be beat. WORST SAILING EXPERIENCE: The first day we launched our Catalina 27 at Tuttle Creek early 1980's and we had four children besides our two little girls with us and our little dog. We had just bought her in Annapolis and cruised the Chesapeake for a while. We launched at the Spillway ramp. (We won't go into the ordeal raising the mast the first time with the engineers a-frame system.) As we made our way across the lake to BVYC one of the little kids went below and shouted, "Cookie has pottied on the floor." I flew down the companionway. No stupid dog was going to mess in my new boat. I stepped into inches of rising water. I shouted, "Steve, this is no dog problem. Do something fast, we're sinking." Small children were put on the stern in their life jackets. The two larger children were put at the manual bilge pump and bailing. Steve was trying to find the leak. Long story short – a hose had come on in transit and was siphoning water out of the lake and into our boat. Once the hose was attached we simple had to bail out the 12" of water that had risen above the bilge into the cabin. Scary! Once at the mooring, we settled in and I started dinner on the Princess alcohol stove. We ended up with flames every where, melted shoes, etc. We survived that day and went on to sail that boat years and loved it. Those kids are all mid-30's to early 20's and still talk about that experience.
FUTURE: Outfit the Catalina 30 for great lake and coastal cruising, perhaps some island cruising, maybe even Mexico and Caribbean cruising, continue cruising our favorite place-Tuttle Creek |
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NAME: Sharon Ketelsen FAMILY: Husband Steve, retired Electrical Engineer, Nuclear Instructor Daughter Shannon married to Jim McNamara and have four darling and adorable children Daughter Shae married to Mike Dalke and have two darling and adorable little boys LEARNED TO SAIL: By osmosis accompanying Steve as he got more and more into sailing. Started in early 70's with a Snipe on Branched Oak Lake while living in Lincoln. Sailed that for a year. Would actually sail from Fancy Creek to Carnahan each weekend no matter what the weather, day or night. I hated the dark floating stumps-scared me to death. Bought a new Aquarius 23 and joined the Fancy Creek Yacht Club. Learned fast while sailing that boat because all the husbands were young and crazy racers. Used to win the races with the Aquarius that was a much slower boat (supposedly) than all the others. CURRENT BOAT: Catalina 25 BEST BOAT:- Crusader Class Sparkman Stephens designed 32 foot steel sloop built in Holland. It had a huge flush deck and we once sailed with 32 guests on board. It had a gin pole arrangement for lowering and raising the mast so it could be done easily in the canals of Europe. It was a very roomy boat designed for off-shore cruising and comfortable living. We were going to move to the sea. Sailed it one year on Perry from the PYC. It had a dark blue hull. One comment from a fellow club member: "I was sailing and looked up and thought 'my God' the Navy has come to Perry'." BEST SAILING EXPERIENCE: I loved the couple times we have cruised on the Chesapeake, Mobile Bay and out of San Diego. Sailing Tuttle Creek on |
