Maybe we need a gimballed table?

Last night after dishing up dinner I popped out to do something in the cockpit and just as I was about to come back inside looked off the port side and saw about a four and a half foot wave entering the anchorage...

Next thing you know the wave is on top of us and the sound of plates flying off the table, books falling out of shelves, and various other objects going walkabout.

We had popcorn for dinner... That is, after cleaning up ribs, potatoes and suchlike off the floor, bulkheads and cats. Fun stuff!

The cause of said wave is hazy but it was most likely either a late leaving inter-island cargo boat or a sports fisherman getting in late and eager to get to the pub... Either way they should have known better.

Geez... What am I saying? Power boat folks knowing better is akin to my voting Republican.

Roll on peak oil!

Listening to a Kink

So it goes...

Something nasty blowing on your neck...

The top guy at Walmart mentions that their customers (spelled almost everyone in the USA) are running out of money... Of course, the folks who make our laws and run the economy don't shop at Walmart so maybe that's the problem.

I don't really have to go into the whole hard times bit for the bulk of the Boat Bits audience as, like most people with an IQ above freezing, they are feeling the chilly breath of something nasty blowing on their neck.

It used to be the bulk of our mailbag was all about folks wanting the "BEST" or telling us that they would not even consider going cruising in a boat unless it was a Hallberg Rassy or whatever was hip in the catamaran slot that month. Now the emails reflect a whole different mindset...

Folks writing to the blog these days are asking about just how cheap or small on a cruising boat they can go, looking for less expensive alternatives to boat gear and systems with an emphasis on how stuff will hold up or if it is user repairable... Maybe that is the silver lining to the whole economic FUBAR... That folks are looking at the cruising gig and its trappings in a seaworthy, affordable, sustainable, and DIY manner rather than the whole "we want to impress folks" vibe.

Which is to say, the readers of Boat Bits who want/need to go cruising on a blue-collar-cheapseats budget (spelled sensible) are not alone.

On the other hand, if everything I just said is just so much Rhubarbgarbage to you, you're in the wrong place and you'd be happier over here...

Listening to Toots and the Maytals

So it goes...

Hmmm... Apocalypse as the new black?

Zombie proof home design... can you spell g-r-o-w-t-h---i-n-d-u-s-t-r-y?

Well this certainly got my attention...

Cruising proa concept by James Brett...

Listening to Jefferson Airplane

So it goes...

Thinking old school...

I've been looking at my deck a lot and trying to sort out just how much room I had for the next dinghy with no small amount of banging head against my hard dodger in the process.

I do happen to have a very (shall I say it?) "cunning" plan for the  next, next dinghy (a sorta/kinda proa) but for the moment I need something to replace the devil-spawned Caribe that, by its very existence, offends the natural balance...

As always when I find myself with a problematic nautical issue, I start leafing through the works of Phil Bolger who always seems to be able to shine a light on what is needful without any of the BS that is modern consumer yachting. Five minutes thumbing through "Boats With an Open Mind" and hey presto... No more problem!

Can you spell T-O-R-T-O-I-S-E?

Back when we built the first Loose Moose we also built one of Phil's Tortoise designs as a temporary boat till we could afford a "proper" inflatable or build something nicer. The thing is, the Tortoise worked out so well that we never did build another. When we had a Bateaux Mouche try to pass us under a bridge in Paris as we passed Notre Dame destroying our towed Tortoise in the process, we simply built another and that dinghy stayed with us when we built and moved on to Loose Moose 2.  It was our dinghy throughout the Med, Africa and crossed with us to the Caribbean only to be lost in Tropical Storm Hortense not too far from the spot where we were to lose Loose Moose 2 a few years later in St Thomas...

So you see, we have some serious history with the Tortoise design...

Not everyone "gets" the real beauty of the Tortoise design because it is not as pretty as Phil's Nymph design which takes the same amount of plywood, but it trades pretty looks and nice lines for something just way too practical and compact to make sense for most folk to get excited about.

At 6'5" long and with a beam just a kiss over a yard, it is surprisingly roomy, has space akin to our current excrementous Caribe rollup, rows well, and is light enough for one person to pick up and launch overboard unaided.  Sort of makes sense...

The late and great "Dynamite" Payson tells you all you need to know about building one in his book "Build the New Instant Boats". That, along with a couple of sheets of plywood, some glue, glass, resin of choice, and a couple of days to put it together, is all it takes and voilà, you have a dinghy.

As it happens, William Atkin had a design long the same lines called the Tiny Ripple. Sort of a cool, dinghy lifeboat and, while the design is certainly worth considering, I think the Tortoise is the better of the two. That said, there are some details in the Tiny Ripple well worth borrowing when you build your Tortoise...

White guy sport...

I grew up in central Los Angeles and the schools I attended were multi-ethnic and it's something I will be forever grateful about. Fact is, I kind of miss it.

Living on a boat and cruising is a very cool lifestyle but it is not perfect and if there is one thing that makes me a tad nervous about it all is that, for the most part, it is a sorta-kinda white folks only kind of sport and lifestyle.

There are all kinds of reasons for this state of affairs, some benign and some ugly, but I won't bother to go into that territory at the moment. I'm simply pointing out that the whole cruising experience might be a little richer and more interesting if it was not quite the haole club that it seems to be...

Listening to Los Lobos

So it goes...

World Malaria Day...

Since it's World Malaria Day, not a bad time to point out that a lot of places we cruise are places that have malaria and it is NOT something you want to get...

Roll back malaria has lots of information!

Speaking of hard times...

It may have come to a few readers notice that from time to time I read the news and it makes me, well, umm... grumpy. Some have even written and pointed out that I should cut back on the politics/Mr Grumpy thing as it does not have anything to do with sailing. It does, however, have lots to do with hard times.

That said, a recent scan of the news and current commentary (depressing and gee whiz) has me looking for  some serious escapism so I read "Agincourt" by Bernard Cornwell (also a writer of sailing yarns from time to time) and it was a great read but hardly the stuff to make me feel better about the worlds sliding to hell in a supercharged jet propelled wicker basket. On the other hand, it did get me thinking about the apparent handiness of having a poleaxe or two aboard...

The thing is, politics does have a lot to do with cruising and sailing as right now we are giving a lot of thought to where we plan to hunker down for "H" season and politics (spelled taxes, fees and crime) has a lot to do with it...

In the meantime, instead of dwelling on depressing political reality (ooh yuck!) I'm happy to say I found a really cool post on adding more speakers (Small Boat Projects rocks!) to our cockpit to share my collection of Captain Beefheart with folks brave enough to anchor nearby...

Listening to Trout Mask Replica

So it goes...

Another cool design from Chris Morejohn...

I have been a fan of Chris Morejohn's designs for like ever... His Hogfish Maximus continues to hold the top spot on our next boat short list but the catketch of a couple of days past reminded me of another Morejohn design along the same lines.

As you can see it is a junk schooner and while the junk rig has many admirers it also has a rather vocal group who really hate it... The funny thing about both of these groups is that most of them have zero experience with junk rig in an up close and personal way... Just something to keep in mind.

For the moment, just accept that there are quite a few sailors with junk rigs who are very happy campers...

Now this thirty-four foot shoal draft (2') boat has a very livable interior for a couple, lots of stowage space and it will sail well enough to get you wherever you want to go in safety and comfort. The fact that it is an easily built boat of common affordable materials (spelled plywood/epoxy/polyester) and rigged with free-standing masts (spelled flag/light poles) means that you can build the sucker and be cruising with some spare change in a reasonable amount of time. There is a LOT to be said about an affordable, easy, and fast to build boat.

If I were to build the Hogfish Maximus I'd ask Chris to pencil in this rig but I would not run it as a junk but opt instead for a balanced lug sail as it would both perform a bit better and be simpler and cheaper than the junk sails. Using Matt Layden's roller furling system for the balanced lug rig would make life very simple...

Listening to Weezer

So it goes...

a good friday...

A very cool design and not a wire in sight...

I have a question for you...

When was the last time you flew on an airplane whose wings were held up by wire rigging?

Keep that in mind while we discuss a boat design...

Roy over in South Africa is on something of a roll putting together lots of kits for folks to build boats with. Apparently if you want a kit that can be cobbled together with a computer and an automated cutter he is THE MAN!

His latest offering is a Cat Ketch off the Lavranos design board and like most cat-rigged boats makes a lot more sense than most folks think it does.

Many so-called experts (folks who wear sailing gloves, refer to themselves as "Captain", and think "yachting caps" don't make them look foolish), will go on and on about unstayed masts not being "proper" or "seaworthy" and expound on the "proper" way to rig a boat is the silliness called the Marconi rig.

Sadly, the fact that we are even having to have this conversation, speaks more about the fact that idiots abound and P.T. Barnum knew what he was talking about rather than it does about yacht design.

Simply put, technology long ago sorted out how to make things stand up or out without wire as the wings of a 747 attest to and if you believe otherwise, I expect you are not getting a whole lot of frequent flyer miles.

Building a cat-rigged boat makes a lot of sense in terms of budget (standing rigging is a huge chunk of a boat build budget) and for those of us who do not do round-the-buoys racing, the need for into the wind windward performance is simply not a needful thing...

Personally I like cat-rigged boats because they are quiet and all that wire makes for a noisy night. Once when we were anchored in the Canaries and having dinner on another boat we felt the need to leave early thinking we were in a full tilt boogie gale and once we rowed back to our boat we realized it was just what their boat sounded like in 15 knots... No need for panic stations!

Anyway, back to Roy and a very cool design and he has a lot more info to show you...

Listening to the Texas Tornados

So it goes...

Huh?

 

More about it here.

Maybe it's just me but it seems that NOAA deserves every penny in its budget and if cuts must be made might I point out that Senators and Representatives could always take a pay cut...

Kinda cool...

Waves for water...

Good folks doing the needful...

Whatever works for you...

We get a lot of emails here at Boat Bits Central that start with the words "Is it OK?" and just to save folks a lot of time and energy I'll give everyone the answer... and the answer is Yes!

The thing is, you can pretty much do what you want because this should be about doing your thing and while I have joked about yacht police in the past but there really are no rules... I'll repeat that.

There are no rules!

If you want to sail away in a multihull it's OK! Maybe Classic Plastic is your thing, not a problem. Want to spend lots and lots of money and show folks how hip you are Go for it! Want to circumnavigate in a twenty foot boat made out of plastic coke bottles... Why the hell not?

If it works for you it works!

Which is not to say your choices will not have repercussions, folks (and that does include boatfolk) can be judgmental in regards to income levels, social strata and all the other means of putting people in categories... Life is like that and as much as we may try, you can't sail away from that stuff.

On the other hand, if you happen to be cruising on a CAL 20 for very little money you will come into contact with other like souls of similar mindset, just like the folks who need to be super hip will find themselves hanging with other super-hip wannabees... All part of the herd mentality thing.

But it gets better... In time you find folks that don't really care that you are on X or Y budget or have a Pretentious 44 or a Tired Plastique 33 but are simply of like mind and interests and it works out in the end.

If there is one consideration to keep in mind it is simply to try and be true to your own personal path and keep safe in the process...

It's OK!

Listening to Quicksilver

So it goes...

The iconic cruising family...

The other day I overheard a conversation about cruising, politics and Captain Ron... It got me thinking.

Now... On the whole I try to steer clear of thoughts deeper than my current boat projects, song lyrics, or cunning plans to catch fish but the iconic nature of Captain Ron and what it says about us cruising folk has had my three remaining gray cells in a tizzle all week.

For many, Captain Ron is as close to cruising reality as many will ever come and for those who actually do cruise will quickly find that it is a lot closer to reality than they had ever dreamed. Life and films have an interesting way of changing places and mirroring things...

Kurt Russel's title character gets the lion's share of people's attention, and well it should, as an insane cross between his Snake Plissken and "Rudy" Russo roles it's hard not to pay attention, but for me the real meat is the Harvey family and their learning curve.

Of course, it's just a film and light entertainment but it does have its share of serious home truths of which the most important is simply not to take things too seriously...



Listening to the best Talking Heads cover ever!

So it goes...

Oil spill, what oil spill...

Well worth reading...

The not so good old days...

Being someone who has been doing this cheap-seat-sailing-gig for longer than I care to admit, every once in awhile I need to remind myself that there are no shortage of improvements to life at and on the sea...

For instance, some years back James Wharram suggested that a great way to put catamarans together was to lash them. At the time, Wharram was met with a certain skepticism (spelled frothing at the mouth thuggery) by many folk who felt they understood how a boat was meant to be built. As a builder of one of his designs that happened to be lashed together, I can attest to the fact that building a Wharram at times allowed you to know just how Dr Frankenstein and his monster felt being confronted with all those angry villagers waving pitchforks and torches.

Yeah, so much for the good old days...

In the present time, once shocking ideas have become rather common place and rigging or using rope as a structural component is no longer considered a crime against nature and, while not quite mainstream, just yet do not get the local yacht police looking for their pitchforks. The downside is that a lot of this acceptance is not about function but that someone has derived a means of charging for these new/old ideas and if there is a profit it has to be OK.

I have had several readers ask my thoughts on soft shackles as they seem to be on something of a breaking wave of hipness (and rightfully so I should add). My respone is that they do make a lot of sense if used where needful and can save weight, increase performance, and save money in one fell swoop... Providing, of course, you do not lose your head in the process.

According to my Sailrite catalog (really a must have on anyone's sailboat) I can get good quality bronze sail hanks for around $8+ a pop and with a minimum of care they will last like... forever. Colligo makes a "Softie" shackle for the same purpose for around $29 which of course is way lighter and stronger but at that price, unless it also makes my morning coffee and cleans up the cat's litter box, those $8+ bronze hanks start looking awfully good.

Then again, if you happen to be of a DIY mindset soft shackles have something of an allure as for a little over $2 worth of 3/16" Amsteel Blue and a bit of labor while you listen to Warren Zevon (my personal choice for music to splice by) gives you an affordable soft shackle and somewhat calloused fingers... All the tools you need can be found here at the L-36 site!

Of course, the real empowerement to the exercise, is that once you realize you can make your own shackles for not a lot of money you find all sorts of ways to use them from lashing blocks to the boom to a means of keeping the iMac from banging around in a seaway. Even better is now that lashing stuff together is hip no one is going to make fun or form unruly pitchfork and torch mobs... Way better than the good old days!

Good stuff to know...

I have to admit that being connected to the internet while at anchor is no bad thing...

For instance, today I checked out a truly awesome bike build at Black Mountain, learned that being circumcised is all the proof I need to prove citizenship to get on the ballot in Arizona if I were feeling the need to run for president, and that more than likely I will enjoy reading "Soft Apocalypse" by Will McIntosh...

Even better, I learned something about downwind sailing from a website mentioned on The Interview with a Cruiser Project.

Life, as they say, is good (albeit edging towards the absurd with that news from Arizona)!

Listening to Neil and Vivian

So it goes...

China as a destination?

Sail-World.com has more info...

Enjoying the moment...

I'm in a happy place today...

That said, I doubt that happy place will survive today's FUBAR politics and a speech waiting in the wings. But for the moment you can color me in that happy place called denial...

Part of the reason for my general ungrumpiness is that, for a change, I like the new film production gear being unleashed at the NAB show and how well some of it will mesh with some of the ongoing sailing/cruising film projects we are working on. Apparently someone has been listening to my wish list.

Another factor in my not being overly pissed off this mornin, is the sun is shining, projects are nearing completion, and we are looking at getting back into proper cruising mode rather soonish.

Plus I've got a new zombie book to read...

Life is good!

Listening to the Pretenders

So it goes...

What is hip...

I really like carbon fiber and Kevlar and have been using them since I started building white water kayaks back in the 70's... What may surprise you is the reason I like them is that if used with a certain amount of thought/common sense they can make boat-building a lot cheaper.

Sadly, far too much of the time carbon and Kevlar are used in silly ways to no great advantage. Kurt Hughes over on his blog recently had an excellent post on the subject.

One of the projects on my to-do list is a Kort nozzle for my 5HP outboard. While I could make it out of carbon (spelled serious overkill) it really only needs to be built of a more pedestrian glass fiber though I can cut the cost down by adding a bit of carbon to the mix which is how, to my mind at least, carbon and other tech materials come into their own.

Listening to Tower of Power

So it goes...

Anyone going to Strictly Sail Pacific?

West coast readers attending Strictly Sail Pacific in Oakland should be sure to drop by and see what Electric Yacht has up its sleeve and see for yourself that there is a better way than burning diesel at silly prices...


Just saying...

A comic book you need...

A surprising number of boat folk and electronic repair people I've come across are not really up on how to properly solder stuff. Sort of surprising that soldering is such a key skill where electrical stuff is concerned.

Help is at hand!

It's here and it's free... How cool is that?

Too much stuff...

I'm working on my second cup of coffee and surfing the sugar rush that two glazed donuts create while trying to sort out the mess that is my desktop...

The news as usual is dire... I see that a lot of families, more than likely, won't be flying down to the Caribbean (or anywhere else) for charter yacht vacations if they get a look at this, apparently Michael Moore was right about Wisconsin, and Big Pharma makes even the greediest marine tradesman look like Mother Teresa!

But hey, the sun is shining, I'm caffeinated, sugared to the gills, and it's NAB week so my attention is not so much on news but interesting film-making gear I can't live without.

Speaking of film... Teresa and Ben are planning to make a film and you can help!


In the meantime, I've got some serious business with some carbon fiber and epoxy...

Listening to Reel Big Fish

So it goes...

No dead dolphins or turtles here...

Ever wondered what Transocean was going to do about that little accident in the Gulf?

They gave themselves bonuses!



BP taking care of business as well...

Not that pretty at all...

Kerry over on the charter trimaran "Promenade" took some pictures that really strike home the need to make sure that your ground tackle or the mooring you are parked on are up to the job...

Listening to Mr Zevon

So it goes...

The trend continues...

Guatemala just got more expensive...

What goes through the mind...

Yesterday while putting the still-deflatable deflatable back into the water (I've apparently slowed down the leakage to an acceptable level but somewhere there still lurks a leak to be found) and getting ready to run and do errands, I discovered the outboard was simply not going to start...

I've never been much of a fan of internal combustion engines at the best of times but when they need repairing it is pure unadulterated hate. So color me not in the best of moods...

Luckily a Tohatsu 5HP is not a hard motor to work on and running through the various possible causes can be done without removing the motor from the transom, no rocket science involved...

An hour later, we were all sorted out having taken off the carb a couple of times, dismantled it once, replaced the spark plug before we discovered that the problem was bad fuel, purged the system and hey presto we were once again mobile if somewhat smelling like I had taken a bath in gasoline.

I do find that I get a sense of clarity when doing jobs I really dislike and a few profound thoughts and musings...

...What's that about the Chinese banning time travel stories... I would not have to be doing this if a had a proper rowing dinghy... Hmmm, that boat that just anchored has an old style Windpilot self steering gear, cool... Is Spam and Velveeta really such a bad thing...

Listening to Weezer

So it goes...

Too pretty to get wet...

Tim over at.... the name escapes me (Crab Traps Illustrated?)...is blurbing yet another deck-jewelery/bling-bank-account-vacuum disguised as anchor.

Kinda nice anchor actually... Not anything like that piece of crap...

I really like this...

This is exactly the sort of thinking I'd like to see more of department...

High tech gaff cutter ÉTOILE HORIZON over at the ever excellent 1001 Boats.

Listening to Natures Way

So it goes...

Looking forward to it...

"The Bus" Trailer from Damon Ristau on Vimeo.

Thoughts on print and the human condition...

Mountain Gazette has been one of my favorite magazines for ages. In fact. I was reading it before it was MG and was Skiers Gazette. Which seriously dates me...

MG is something of a moving target and you never quite know what's in store when you open up an issue. Even when they handle what could be the same old same article about Telemark skiing, it's seldom what you expect it to be. This is a good thing and, just maybe, something the yachting press might want to take a look at from time to time to see how there is more to journalism than regurgitating press releases and recycling old stories over and over again. Then again, can you imagine getting an issue of a yachting magazine and getting a Hunter S Thomson for Sheriff poster folded into its pages?

If I have a problem with sailing and cruising it tends to involve the misconception that you can run away to sea. That buying or building the right boat and spending a lot of money on gear will allow you to sail away from the problems that plague the world, our personal lives and relationships...

Sailing away does not work like that.

Which explains why so many get the boat and do the needful and a year after they depart they find themselves wondering why the world has not improved. They still have a mountain of personal problems and  they still can't connect with people in a way that resonates.

The same old problems just with an ever changing view from different anchorages and acess to cheap rum.

Which is why it would be nice on occasion to pick up a cruising rag and find a story you thought was going to be about sailing rigs and find yourself reading something that turns into a love story, a comedy, or just maybe, some serious fear and loathing. Sometimes looking into the human condition would be no bad thing for sailors looking to purchase a new rig.

The book I recommend to anyone who asks which book is the best primer for sailing/cruising is "The Captain Nemo Cookbook Papers". It's not really a how to sail, cruise, or a book about boat projects, but it is an enjoyable if somewhat absurd riff of sorts and should bring people who read it a smile or two. The reason I recommended it is if folks get the humor they will be able to adapt to the floating world, while those who don't get it, more than likely won't.

Listening to Spirit

So it goes...

A favorite design... Or, a wingmast in your future?

I really like small boats...

Small boats by their nature are going to have a simplicity of function and systems that make all kinds of sense. This translates into less expense in a big way and as everyone knows I am big on the whole less expense ting!

Take a look at Eric Sponberg's Delft 25 to get an idea how it should be done...

At less than 26 feet and with a beam of 8 feet it packs a fairly roomy interior without any overly "cunning plans" that seem like a good idea but in practice something less so.

It has a conservative rig, well if you can call any rig with a carbon fiber wing mast conservative... In truth, this sort of wing mast really is, and once you have priced out all the bits you find that it is not really any more expensive (if not cheaper) than the same old same aluminum mast.

I also like the fact that this boat built as designed is unsinkable as it has enough foam in its wood composite structure to assure it will maintain positive buoyancy...

Building the boat is pretty easy and won't cost you more than it should as all the bits are easily available and doable. Something that cannot be said for a lot of plans as not all designers seem to understand the building side of things.

The thing is, with a boat like this everything is simple (as it should be) and the end result is a very seaworthy and affordable boat...

Very, very cool boat!

Listening to Michael Nesmith

So it goes...

Go check out Proafile...

For some seriously tasty proa goodness...

A workable PFD...

Life jackets or PFD's are something of an issue on cruising sailboats...

Truth is, most of us don't wear them unless conditions get heinous and some of us are inclined to avoid them even when conditions warrant their use as trying to work encumbered is sometimes a safety issue in itself... The bottom line is that a PFD only works if you happen to be wearing it and not a lot of good in a locker.

I've been looking at a lot of PFD's lately as I've become more and more disenchanted with inflatable products which, for me, seem even more uncomfortable than their non-inflatable brethren in terms of chafe but have still been the PFD of choice on "So It Goes" simply because they are easier to work in. Another reason that inflatables are less than my first choice these days is when I did the yearly inspection and test on our last set of inflatables (visual inspection, manually inflating, and letting them sit for a day). They failed in such a way that made me realize that somewhere since the last test all of the adhesive seams had ceased to exist. For part of the year we had been wearing PFD's that were not functional but looked in excellent condition.

To put it mildly... I don't like that sort of surprise!

Which makes the new crop of sea kayaking and kayak fishing PFD's very attractive as you can tell at a glance that they are workable and not going to fail with no rocket science involved. Better yet, a lot of the kayak fishing life jackets are designed with the idea that you need to do things like cast a lure or paddle and that means that you can actually do stuff like grind a winch or other sail related travail.

Right now the Calcutta by MTI is at the top of my list for new PFD's for "So It Goes". I like the pockets, it's got a tab for my strobe/PLB and the built-in sheath for a pair of pliers is a lot more useful than you might think... While not perfect (it could use some reflective patches) it's as close as I have come so far to a PFD I'd wear more often than not.

On the other side of the coin, no matter how good your PFD is, the best means of staying safe aboard is to stay aboard and not find yourself in a spot where you need a PFD. Lifelines, tethers/jacklines, and being careful are your primary safety systems and PFD's are, at best, a last resort best avoided...

Bad or worse...

One thing about tasks such as repairing a dinghy is it gives you some uncluttered thinking time...

Luckily politics has been on something of a back burner the last couple of weeks but I did note that Obama is just about to get into running for office mode (color me unexcited) and that the other folks, not unlike lemmings, seem to be cliff bound in their antics for who gets the GOP bid (Brilliant at Breakfast has a really good but scary rundown on who's who in the running...).

Sadly, the best I can say about the upcoming 2012 presidential race  is that it's going to be a bad or worse choice... Sort of like deciding on a babysitter and only having a choice between an axe murderer and a child molester, which in a sane world would not be a choice at all, but this being 2011, I suppose the best you can do is to choose the lesser of two evils.




So it goes...

Deflatables woes...

It's warm with a little breeze and the water is crystal clear so I should be out doing something fun...

What I will be actually doing however is fixing my Caribe (spelled spawn of the devil) deflatable.

I've always hated this dinghy... Its roll-up design is such that the various bits are in constant motion and they rub together which creates friction and friction creates leaks. Made worse, of course, by the fact that all of the designed in friction points are in the most inaccessible and hard to repair areas of the dinghy...

If that's not enough to make me have evil feelings where the dinghy is concerned, the floor panel seems to have its protective scrim developing a leprosy-like malady...

The thing is, not so long ago Caribe made the best inflatables and RIB's around. Funny how things change.

Listening to Ray Wylie Hubbard

So it goes...

Well worth reading...

Brilliant at Breakfast has links to three MUST READ posts needful in these hard times...

A film I hope to be able to watch in the not too far distant future...

I get a little nuts whenever I hear the word "indie" used in the same sentence with the word film... Not that I don't approve of the concept but because the term has been co-opted by the industry.

Now, here is a real example of something that really could be a great film in the landscape of same old same and trite zombie genre...



Of course, to be really independent they have to raise money to make the film from real people (and while some might say that Boat Bits readers are far from normal they do qualify as real). Learn more about the project here and if you feel the need to part with the price of a movie ticket to help... All the better!

Great minds thinking alike...

Some time back I mentioned how much sense this guitar made for a sailboat bound guitarist with not a lot of storage space and the need for a better than travel guitar...

Bob on SV Eolian seems to think it makes a lot of sense as well...

French bits...

Antoine, a sixties French rocker and teenbeat heart-throb who turned his back on fame and fortune to go sailing...

and still doing it...

Steampunk bits...

Zombie bits...

Why not "International Politics and Zombies"? It can't possibly make any less sense than what passes for current political and economic thought processes by those running things...

The fact that the world is a few sandwiches short of a picnic is a given and what passes for reality has the sort of feel I'm sure the guy who ingested thirty hits of LSD could tell us all about.

Meanwhile, a guy (Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) who makes $174,000 a year complains that he has a hard time making ends meet and I'd feel for him except he's one of those guys who keeps telling us teachers, firemen, cops, and other union type folks who make a lot less should cut their pay... Watching him I start to feel all warm and fuzzy about the idea of a zombie apocalypse...

... And then there is Libya.

Yeah, so zombies are needful in the grand scheme of things as carnage and gore filled mayhem is just about the only thing that you can use to talk politics and world worries one step removed from the FUBAR reality we find ourselves in.

Plus letting your inner apocalypse (zombie or otherwise) dweller out can be fun... I mean seriously, how can you resist a machete fueled sling shot?



So it goes...