[Fot] Kas Kastner Sailing Society

[Greg Hilyer]

And yah.
Four of those 6 (actually only part of the family boating history) incidents were being
“beaten by equipment”. 
But in the interim, I’ve been fortunate enough to be schooled by Kas!
Greg “Lunker” Hilyer


> On Aug 19, 2023, at 10:46 PM, Greg Hilyer <lunkercars at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> The charter members of the newly formed KKSS have taken our conversation off list so as not to pollute things with non Triumph stuff. 
> But I though I’d share this nun the less;
> 
> Us Hilyer’s have a long rap sheet when it comes to boats. 
> My dad and I made the front page of the Seattle Times by abandoning a burning ship (18’ speedboat) and leaving it adrift and thoroughly engulfed in flames in Kirkland (WA) Harbor. 
> A few years after that my 10 year older half brother and I took a 17’ rental daysailer out on Lake Champlain NY. At the age of 12 I said “Bruce, those whitecaps look a bit much” But since he was 10 years my elder, I differed to his superior knowledge. We got towed back in keel up and mast down.
> When I came of age I started my own legacy… Two speedboats at the bottom of Lake Washington 1 year apart to the day (Seafair Hydroplane races).
> 3rd boat the following year was a flatbottom, Corvette powered V-drive. Sitting in a marina restaurant someone came running in asking who owned the hot-rod sinking at the dock. Saved that one. 
> Our current powerboat is a 1974 Thunderbird Formula (first year for the name Formula) and I’m sorry to say I scared Connie pretty bad (and that gal don’t scare easily) by getting caught out in sudden and vicious surprise thunderstorm with zero visibility and 50mph winds in Elephant Butte Reservoir here in New Mexico. Came back from that one unscathed but very wet. 
> My most recent powerboating was at that same reservoir with a customers 600hp semi-V jet boat. Once I got it running right the owner scared me bad enough at about 65mph that I demanded he shut it down. We switched seats and the both of us were  comfortable at 90ish with me at the helm.
> All I want out of Mirage is some “smooth sailing/cruising” in the San Juan Islands in September.
> That’s not asking too much is it?
> Lunker
>> 
>>>> On Aug 19, 2023, at 8:39 PM, Mark Bradakis <mark at bradakis.com> wrote:
>>> I like Kas Kastner Sailing Society.  I haven't manned a boat of any description since way back in Indiana, over 50 years ago.  I was an Eagle Scout, and we had a small group of us that were into sailing, mostly on Eagle Creek Reservoir, as I recall.  And our neighbor across the street had a small sailboat that I would occasionally be invited along.
>>> Oh gee, I almost forgot!  About the time I got my first Triumph, a '69 GT6+, I was dating a woman who had a Hobie Cat.  That was fun!  Well, except for the time we were in a dead calm about 200 yards from shore and all we could do was look longingly at the cooler of beer sitting on shore, having nothing at all to drink on the boat.
>>> mjb.