On saving money while avoiding toe fungus...

LitBrit shares a thought, Fabulously Jinxed makes a point, and Mountain Gazette goes heretic...

Talking to a friend the other day, I realized that the last time we had been in a marina was in the Canaries a whole bunch of years ago. There are actually a couple of reasons for this.

One, and this might surprise you, I'm sort of cheap. Being cheap means that paying for stuff that is un-needful is something of a no-no...

The second reason is that I have yet to stay at a marina where I found the experience enjoyable... Sure showers that run forever are kinda cool but being shoehorned in between boats, facing in a direction that defies any attempt at ventilating the boat without going out and buying an air conditioner, and having to listen to your neighbors squabble about this and that. Well, it is just not a happy-making experience in my world...

Of course, not being marina fodder does have its downsides... While having a rum on the foredeck I sometimes feel kinda bad about not making rich people richer (I am after all a compassionate kind of guy). I've also noticed, since I quit using marina showers, I no longer come down with the various athlete's foot fungus from hell that seemed to be part and parcel of the marina experience which in turn has deprived various medical services and pharmacies of a serious chunk of my hard earned money (I'm pretty sure my not staying at marinas has kept at least one doctor from getting that new BMW in a timely manner) and to be truthful, I kinda miss that glow in the dark vermillion and purple mold that used to grow under my toenails...

Listening to Drive By Truckers

So it goes...

Pennies on the dollar, the appeal of old winches...

George Buehler makes an excellent point in his book "Buehler's Backyard Boatbuilding" that you don't really need winches but since non-fashionable winches are available for pennies on the dollar you might as well have LOTS (and they even make great paper weights) of them...

Now, the thing about winches is that they are such a simple concept that the difference between what is hip and what is not has nothing to do with function as my elderly Barient 26's and Barlow 24's still kick serious butt and will continue to do so further into the future than I expect to be around. Sadly, I can't say the same with the new pair of Harkens I bought on sale (and still paid way too much) which are going to be used as halyard winches...

The Barients/Barlows are stainless and bronze, dissimilar metals are not a factor, and they are built to a spec that is simply not considered profitable anymore. The Harkens, on the other hand, are certainly hip, but when you take them apart you notice, that while they have a certain elegance of design, longevity was not a big factor in the design brief. I expect about three years from now I'll be needing to replace them and knowing that I'll be keeping an eye out at nautical flea markets for some less fashionable winches to have in reserve for when they begin to fail...

Listening to the Drones

So it goes...

What does something cost?

As always, in the cruising world, budgets are an ongoing discussion but I notice that, more often than not, there is little talk of value in the process...

Cruising on a $500 or a $5000 a month budget really does not mean anything unless you can factor in some kind of value reference or quotient.

For instance, I can buy water at the dock for 12 cents a gallon, up the street at the market I can get water for 60 cents a gallon from a machine (bring your own bottle) in the parking lot, and if I go inside the store I can buy water for $1.29 a gallon (and for the moment we won't stray into the insanity of designer water territory). I guess I should also point out that it rained yesterday and I could collect rainwater for free...

Let's face it, a gallon of water is a gallon of water but how do we define the value if the price spread is so varied?

I figure that where I am the current value of water is somewhere around 9 cents a gallon based on that number being somewhere between rainwater and the cost readily available at the dock.

In the past I have gone on about the need/want thing but, to stand on its own, a stool needs at least three legs and if you add "value" to need and want you have a very stable platform to start sorting out what a budget actually is.

Just because something costs more has nothing to do with its value...

Listening to Dawn Landes

So it goes...

Thunder and lightning...

The TSA has something of a public relations landmark, Kevin Kavanaugh of the Asbury Jukes is sadly no longer with us, and we seriously have our priorities all screwed up when the cost of air conditioning for U.S. troops in MidEast more than NASA budget...

We had something of a thunder and lightning fest last night as a tropical wave rolled over us. Today it's gray, wet and I'm taking the rest of the day off!

I have to finish this post before I get to eat my waffles...

Kurt Hughes makes some great points about epoxy, over in Georgia the smell of rotting fruit tells a story, and yet another reason you don't want to visit Florida they have food terrorists!

As everyone knows I'm a huge fan of the Fein Multimaster (as well as various clones) for boatwork but not a big fan of the silly prices on the various blades and accessories. Recently I have been using the Harbor Freight blades and while they work OK, they do not quite have the "edge" that I took for granted with the Fein... That said, they are a lot cheaper!

The blade I use on my Fein more than any other, the 3 1/2" flush cut from Fein, has a list price of $42 (ouch) but since the various clones have come on the market I've noticed you can actually find them discounted (Amazon has it for $18.99) from time to time...

On the other hand, the Harbor Freight reasonable facsimile, comes in with a list price of $8.99 and while it does not quite have the cutting performance and small fault in design (it's made it two pieces welded together and my current blade seems to be slowly coming apart) the difference is so close that you might as well roll with the HF and save some money.

Listening to "Good Thing"

So it goes...

and since we were speaking of the zombie apocalypse...

Those who have been waiting for The Walking Dead volume 14...
It's here!

Zombie madness, or just call it denial...

A reader asked the other day why the zombie content on a boat blog... Why indeed?

Well, it has a lot to do with the fact that zombies...

... are not nearly as gut-churning scary or likely to happen as the future presented to us by Chris Hedges (author of "The World As It Is": Dispatches on the Myth of Human Progress) in his recent article "Endgame Strategy".



Scary reading/listening for a very scary world...

Listening to Great Big Sea

So it goes...

Skin boats make sense because...

Seriously cool...

Its a work day in the sunny Caribbean...

ProaFile tells us about a cool cat, a neat hack for those really into the whole varnish thing, and why eating chicken is both dangerous and political...

Me? I need to do some serious fiberglass surgery and Fein Tool mayhem! So hopefully more this evening when the dust has settled.

Skin boats just make sense...

Benjy over at WoodenWidget has been busy designing yet another very cool folding dinghy for the spatially challenged...

Looking somewhat like a more refined Origami mated with a coracle, the Fliptail would make a whole lot of sense as a second dinghy for a boat without a lot of storage space and it rows/sails and powers with the best of them. While I'm more inclined to row mine when I finish building it (yeah I can't resist this design), seeing how it performs with a 3HP outboard is truly impressive...



A very cool boat!

Need/want and watermakers...

Lefsetz on the passing of the Big Man, North American Sailor plays catchup and ponders what our French cousins have known for years, and Jimmy Carter makes a whole lot of sense...

The response to yesterday's post on water frugality was, while not exactly surprising, a little depressing. Apparently, I've got it all wrong and the answer is not a sensible use of water but instead the purchase of a big honking watermaker.

Throw money at it...

I won't bother to go into why that's a bad idea (the throwing money at things) because if you have been on station for any length of time you'd already know that here at cheapseats central we never ever think throwing money at things is a good idea and if you have indeed missed that point... Well the words "bag of hammers" does come to mind.

As it happens, I don't have an issue with the idea of a watermaker aboard "So It Goes" and have flirted with building my own and am the first to admit I keep a a keen eye on used gear boards for a good deal on a used Power Survivor 80 (for my money it is just about the perfect compromise between power use and capacity and fits in with our rather frugal water need perfectly)...

So, while open to the idea of a watermaker and even willing to spend a bit of money if needful, but whenever I do the need/want calculation it always bounces back that as much as I may want a watermaker I simply do not need one.

So, by all means, if your desire to have a watermaker passes your need/want test, I don't see any reason not to have one... It just never does for me.

Listening to Ray Wylie Hubbard

So it goes...

Water water everywhere...

Drought in the US of A, Zeus the cat ponders, and a book on the "Red Market" might keep you up nights...

This morning on the news I heard a report that the drought in Texas was so bad that they were going to ration water at a drastic and unheard of level of 700 gallons per day per household. They also said that this was in conjunction with a ban of such uses of water as filling swimming pools or watering lawns...

Now, I'm sure, that for folks in Texas trying to make do with only 700 gallons a day is thought of as something of a hardship but as a person living on a sailboat in the Caribbean the idea of using 700 gallons of water a day is something of a WTF conundrum.

On "So It Goes" our average everyday water usage (when not making long passages) is somewhere around 3-4 gallons a day and this seems more than adequate to provide us with what is needful in terms of drinking, cooking, cleaning up, and showers...

Of course, I can see how it would be easy to use a bit more water, but over the years we have developed a water frugality (like most boat-folk we know) to the point that wasting water is just so abhorrent an idea that even when the tanks are overflowing short showers and non wasteful use of water is the norm.

Which brings us back to those folks in Texas who are suffering and having to get by on 700 gallons of water a day... How does someone living on land make the transition to a cruising or sustainable lifestyle when so used to living far beyond their needs?

Folks interested in going cruising or living aboard, as a group seem obsessed with increasing their tankage or adding watermakers (at least those who write Boat Bits on the subject) mostly because they have not sorted out that living on a boat is different than living on land. Instead of adapting to their new environment, newbies seem rather intent on adapting their new environment to their same old same land based bad habits...

Listening to John Fogerty

So it goes...

The world a bit less...

Silly expensive or cheap stuff that works?

S.V. Estrellita is becoming quite the resource for budget info, one of my favorite aid groups Waves for Water could use the cruising community's support, and L38 says some important stuff about Mexico, the US of A and economies (warning if you are a teabagger it will make your head explode)...

Just a second while I savor the mental picture of heads exploding...

Today's project list involves moving some winches around and servicing them while I'm at it. I actually like stripping down a winch and keeping them working at their best. Partly because I can sit in the cockpit while I do it and listen to music on my Shuffle as the world goes by and partly because a well lubricated winch makes sailing a lot less work...

Now some folks will tell you that you have to use a super expensive winch grease to get the most out of your winch while others say that you can use old bacon drippings... Me, I take the middle route and use a cheap grease designed for boat trailers because it works just as well if not better than the silly expensive "winch grease" . A $5 can will last you till the price of gas comes down to a dollar a gallon and that my friends, is a long, long time...

Listening to Laura Love

So it goes...

Awesome...

Maybe a little more expensive than it could be at $100 (face it if this was climbing gear it would cost $15), but this just makes so much sense for a variety of uses I had to share it... Folks with small milling machines take note!

APS has them!

Tools that work in the zombie apocalypse...

Progress is a wonderful thing and I appreciate it as much as the next guy... But, every once in awhile it is no bad thing to spend a few moments thinking "old school".

Here's a question... Where are you going to get your cordless tools serviced or replaced during the late stage zombie apocalypse?

I'm currently having something of a difficult time with my DeWalt batteries as they simply will not hold a charge. As a result, I'm in the market for a new cordless circular saw and a drill/driver. To be honest, I'm just a little sad that my over a decade long relationship with DeWalt is about at an end. At the moment I don't have a clue what will be replacing the DeWalts in my tool bag but the ongoing breakup has given me ample time to reflect on just how we use tools aboard boats...

The thing is, yesterday's version of the modern cordless drill/driver is still around and works so well. I remember, way back when, I resisted the lure of cordless electric tools because nothing available at the time worked nearly as well as your basic brace and bit.

A brace and bit used as a screwdriver develops an amazing amount of power and having planked up the side of a 90-foot hull driving a couple of thousand bronze six-inch screws in the process hardly even raised a sweat...

Of course, nothing beats a brace for boring holes in wood projects with an auger bit, and unlike the spade bit must folks use, they are not dependent on a speed threshold and a full battery not to screw up a project.

Since I'm pimping old style tools, I should also point out that 99% of drilling needs on a sailboat's various and sundry projects, can be done just as well with a good egg-beater style hand drill in place of a cordless, and they always work!

So, while I do plan on replacing my DeWalts soonish, I am not in any great hurry as I've come back to realizing that the brace and bit makes as much sense and I don't have to begin my day making sure my batteries are charged or have to stop a project in full momentum because I've used up all my batteries...

Listening to the Chambers Brothers

So it goes...

On not being a social pariah and budgets...

Since my blathering on budgets seemed to strike a chord...

Something to keep in mind is that what you spend cruising is really your own business and no one really cares. Once you get away from the boatyard bullies, cruising forums, pimpage of the marine press, and actually get out cruising, there is bugger all peer pressure telling you to replace your perfectly good chart plotter with the new model because it's newer and more expensive...

This, dear reader, is a goodly thing!

Of course, this is going to bother some folks...

Let's say you spent all that money to have the perfect hip cruising boat, dressed yourself in designer cruising togs, and outfitted with all the best and costly electronics that the gizmo god Panbo has ordained... Only to find when you are with a bunch of cruisers at a potluck that the guy in an old plywood Wharram, wearing shorts ($4.99 Kmart), and an old t-shirt (found on the beach), whose modern marine instruments are an old Walker log, a $50 GPS, and an elderly handheld VHF, is treated as your equal if not your better...

Which is not to say that different social strata do not exist in cruiserland... Those who feel the need to eat out every single night tend to posse up, heavy drinkers of the social sort collect drinking buddies, the proud grandparents seem to need like minds to share their cornucopia of snapshots, and serious readers and film buffs do like to trade... There are many and varied social groups and pairings in the cruising fleet but so far (and that entails a couple of decades of immersion), I've yet to find social grouping by designer chic, hipness, or rampant consumerism in the cruising fleet.

OK... That last statement is not quite correct in a sorta/kinda way... The cruising rallies, while not cruisers exactly, are very much of the hipness and unbridled consumerism ilk. Sort of the gated community version of cruising, they tend to be somewhat incestuous and as a result don't play well with others. Since they do not mix with or affect us lesser non-rally folk they simply do not count in the real world that is cruising...

Listening to Dobie Gray

So it goes...

A couple of notes on budgets...

Over at Cruisers Forum they continue (on and on and on) to hash out the $500 cruising budget as well as a new thread on the Published costs of cruising...

The thing is, that while both threads have a certain "entertainment" value, they are nearly useless if you are actually interested in learning the secrets of cruising on a real world budget. Partly this is beacause there is no "secret" to being frugal and that most of those going on about how you can't get by on less seem to be more about defending their consumerish behavior than dealing with the actual question in hand.

So, as something of a fan of frugality, I'll go out on a limb and say that the $500 a month cruising budget is certainly a valid concept or goal BUT it does come with a cost... You have to become clever and take care of business (TCB).

Less clever folks, those who sail on the current "HIP" cruising boat  (the Hallberg-Rassy last time I looked) for instance, certainly don't have what it takes to cruise on $500 because they are too busy being hip, recovering from epic overnight passages with spa vacations, and bragging about their $600 espresso makers to even think of doing the TCB ting except for the TCB of self-promotion.

Which is not to say that the HR folks do not have a valid cruising style but simply that they don't have the needful drive to be comfortable with a $500 a month lifestyle. What's more is that trendy people spending lots of money at trendy businesses is a needful thing for the Caribbean economy so it is all a win win as far as I can tell. The reason I mention these folks at all is simply that a lot of people confuse this style of cruising as the norm and as such it seriously distorts the picture.

Being on an extreme budget means that you can't simply throw money at stuff and that everything you do spend money on has to pass the need/want and does this make sense test. When you consider it, that is not really a hardship or even doing without for most of us, but simply a slightly more sane way of living.

Two examples...

Friends of ours recently had a couple of hatches made for their boat and are somewhat unhappy and just a little amazed with the whole cost of the project once the dust has settled. The hatches are OK but the morphing of $25 worth of wood into a nearly $1000 bill for the finished hatches was something of an eye opener and I'm pretty sure they won't be repeating the process again, but more than likely, they will be getting Fred Bingham's "Boat Joinery and Cabinet Making Simplified" and doing their own wood butchery in the future...

Sadly the current state of the marine trades (rape, pillage, and plunder) makes doing the DIY thing much more likely to produce a happy making outcome than bringing in a "pro". 

Over the last couple of years we have noted that the old standard 15HP outboard has become something of a dinosaur in the cruising fleet as more and more folks have been downgrading to 5HP and smaller... Discussing the smaller HP engines with various other folks who have downsized, I have yet to hear anyone complain that the new smaller motors are slower but have heard again and again how the smaller motors are much more frugal on gas and what a great thing that is. In our case, moving down to a 5HP cut our fuel consumption by 75% (at today's gas prices here in the Caribbean that amounts to a savings of $81 a month!). Fact of the matter is, I'm looking forward to finding a four-stroke 4HP for even greater utility and savings. 

The thing is, aspiring to the $500 a month budget is simply a series of small decisions with the common goal of a better life for a bit less money, and not at all about giving up stuff. Well within the reach of all of us providing we are willing to evolve a bit in the process and TCB. 

Listening to BTO

So it goes...

My money is on this guy...

Serious Doofus of the year award material!

Monday morning...

As always, the war on live-aboards continues, why you might not get a joyful reception when you sail in to Haiti, and Clarence Clemons has had a stroke...

Sigh...

On the brighter side, it is a beautiful day here at anchor and various projects are close to fruition. This is no bad thing as I can get to the next set of projects (including the oft-promised plans for the DIY self-steering gear that Boat Bits readers keep asking about) and I get to do some serious fishing!

Speaking of self-steering... For Boat Bits readers on the east coast in the vicinity of the Isle of Long, Sailing Montauk is doing some very neat classes/workshops on such needful things as self-steering, real navigation with a sextant, and suchlike. Check it out!

Listening to the E Street Band

So it goes...

FYI... Coleman Sterling Engine fridge/freezer

Just a heads up regarding the last post...

Coleman is no longer marketing the Sterling Engine portable Fridge/Freezer but it can be found at Global Cooling along with other models that are very boat friendly.

For those with an existing ice box and not looking for a portable the SC-JS05 makes all kinds of sense.

Hope that helps...

Status quo...SNAFU!

Seems like Zero to Cruising has the fridge blues, the boat anchored next to us is making expensive engine/transmission noises, and the cost of fuel keeps going up...

SNAFU seems to be the order of the day!

Aboard "So It Goes" we've tried to opt out, as much as possible, of systems that are more prone to the SNAFU norm.

Our propulsion system is a good example... Our move to electric propulsion is a lot more about a simple, less prone to failure answer to the problem, rather than being "Green". That said, being less polluting and closer to being a sustainable system is a huge bonus...

I've mentioned before about our choice of fridge system (if you're curious you can read about it here) and that, like our choice of electric propulsion, was simply us opting out of the norm because everyone we saw doing "normal" marine refrigeration was having problems and, dear readers, life has too many problems without having to pay big money for more...

Of course, our choice of refrigeration and propulsion systems are not without their critics. The most vocal being diesel and refrigeration mechanics whose, correct me if I'm wrong, income is dependent on internal combustion engines and marine refrigeration systems not working and needing costly repairs. When you think of it, a better engine or fridge would put them out of business so they have a vested interest in the status quo... SNAFU!

Listening to John Stewart

So it goes...

Well worth watching...

Teresa Carey of Sailing Simplicity  speaks at the TEDx- Traverse City...

Buffalo Springfield...

The Lefsetz Letter riffs on the Buffalo Springfield... 

Some boat camera details...

Tech Dirt says something interesting, the skies are safe from toy hammers, and Steve Audio makes a point...

Face it, nothing says GO CRUISING like reading the news in the morning!

We've just added another dinghy/POV cam to our film-making quiver here on "So It Goes" and we are looking forward to putting it through its paces.

The GoPro makes all kinds of sense as a clamp it to a stanchion, stick it on the end of a boat hook, or fly it from a kite if the urge strikes HD video waterproof camera.

Sort of a modern day Eyemo...

We bought the "Surf Hero" as a starter system but added the tripod mount and handlebar/seatpost mount (perfect for attaching the camera to stanchions) and that pretty much covers all foreseeable mounting needs for "So It Goes", the dinghies and any surfboard/kayak needs we might have.

We will also be glassing in a number of FCS X2 Plugs in various locations around the boat (hard dodger, interior, the end of the boom, masthead, and various deck locations) to give us a plethora of bombproof mounting locations... The only downside is I still need to come up with a clever mount for my speargun!

Fun stuff!

Actually we like this camera so much we have plans to add several more to our quiver in the very near future.

Listening to Melissa Etheridge

So it goes...

Orlov talking sailboats...

... And making sense!

They keep raising the bar...

Stupid...

Actually, as it happens, I'm something of an expert on the subject of stupid, being that I'm certainly not as bright as some, live on an old boat, and am currently anchored in an area that has more than its fair share of hurricanes during hurricane season...

I get that...

But, even I have to admit, I'm humbled by those folks we have elected into office as they have raised the bar in the stupidity game so high it is really hard to keep up (though I do my best).

Face it, no matter how hard I try or how cunning I get in my quest for yet another bonehead tilt at futility, how the hell can you compete with something like this...



Truly fucking epic!

Listening to Kitty, Daisy & Lewis

So it goes...

Must read...

The Quest for Wind and Waves makes all kinds of sense...

Would the designer of your boat be a happy camper?

I just finished watching the DVD of "The Walking Dead" and it was every bit as good as I'd heard it would be...

Too often, when folks decide to make a comic, book or whatever into a film they lose touch with the source material, screw it all up and excise the very thing that made the original so attractive. Luckily the production team of "WD" did the original proud. That said, you'd be doing yourself a real favor to first read the first Walking Dead graphic novel...

The two versions of "Walking Dead" can actually teach us a thing or two about about the zen of what makes a good cruising boat as well...

All too often I see people attracted to a boat design and then do everything they can to make it into something else. Sadly from where I sit 90% of what people do to boats in the guise of improving them is of the one step forward, two steps back scenario.

I like to think that if Bill Lapworth were to see "So It Goes" he would see the sense in the changes we've made in the boat and if there has been one mantra involved when changes have been made is "What would Bill Lapworth think about this?".

Designers of boats design as they do to a purpose, and in the heat of the moment, it is easy to lose touch with what that purpose is. You feel you need more water stowage so you add tanks and lose a chunk of your waterline, you feel you need even more fuel stowage and you throw 350 pounds of jerry cans on your deck and wonder why the boat is not keeping up with the Bendytoys. Since your light air performance is off you motor more and all of a sudden you are looking at cunning plans to be able to carry even more jerry cans of fuel or thinking that a trawler is really a viable option in a world where diesel fuel is over $5 a gallon just around the corner.

So, whenever the urge strikes to change or add something to the boat just ask yourself if the designer would be happy/unhappy with the change... Or, better yet, ask yourself what the boat wants.

Listening to David Bowie

So it goes...

999...

What can I say? The world around us is going to hell in a jet propelled wicker basket and the apparent last line of defense of our so-called civilization are fools, incompetents, and people of limited vision with not a real backbone among the lot. Those few with even the hint of a spine seem busy shooting themselves in the foot (or sending nude photos to folks) that they hardly even count... We are so fucked!

It's raining here... again.

Hey a little rain is OK, but this is the sort of deluge that breeds boatbuilding projects in cubits, howling at the moon, over indulgence in demon rum, or worse. Not really the time to be writing the 999th installment of the Boat Bits Blog... Yet here I sit thumping on the keyboard while my god-forsaken-spawn-of-hell Lewmar hatches do what they do best (for those without up close and personal knowledge of Lewmar hatches that would be leaking).

It's kind of scary when you think about it that we are up to 999 posts... To tell the truth, I never thought Boat Bits would still be a going concern after 666. I've lost track of the numerous times I've decided to abandon the blog project only to reconsider because readers keep writing and saying that as weird as it might be from time to time, they find it helpful or even enjoyable, and as twisted and insane as my readers may be it certainly feels good to be needed...

So, what's in store for the next 1000-1999 posts?

Damned if I know, but I'm thinking it's not all going to be pretty... and yes dear readers, there will be zombies!

Listening to Dwight

So it goes...

The wifi signal from hell...

Boatwork to be done and I have the wifi signal from hell.

More soon come...

Be honest...

Being that I am a curious sort of guy...

How much do you use your engine on passage?

An angel on my shoulder and the devil at my back...

Brilliant at Breakfast asks a question, Home Depot does something right, and Lloyd shows a car I could seriously lust after...

Oh yeah, it's "H" season...

Truth be told, the season is actually a great time to be in and around the Caribbean as there are fewer tourists, the hordes of "bareboaters" are absent, and it's more... Well, the word "Caribbean" does come to mind.

This season, the plan is to sort out all of the various projects (design, writing, film, and boat), do a lot of diving, surfing, fly-fishing, and work on my Spanish...

Listening to Fifth on the Floor 

So it goes...

PFD's, the saga continues...

Since the powers that be (spelled USCG) appear to want to require PFD's to be worn at ALL TIMES on various types of boats and watercraft, I find myself being of two minds...

On one side, folks wearing PFD's is no bad thing and I'm sure it would save a few lives in the long run... Really hard to argue that. That said, simply keeping us off the water entirely would save even more lives... Just saying.

On the other hand, USCG approved flotation devices are, as life saving devices go, pretty crude and less than user friendly. Take a close look at your standard type 3 PFD... Hardly inspires confidence does it?

Sadly the USA has lagged far behind other countries in PFD design as bringing a new better PFD to market is such a devious, expensive, and absurd quest through a nightmare of bureaucratic idiocy that it's almost impossible for a better PFD to reach the market. For the sort of PFD we could be using, check here...

Most of the readers here may be too young to remember when the USCG fought tooth and nail to keep that newfangled product "closed cell foam" out of PFD's in favor of kapok and cork, however, most readers will remember how inflatable PFD's took years to come to market in the USA because the USCG would not adopt what had been in common usage successfully worldwide (as well as in the US military) for years. Face it, a bureaucracy that has a history of keeping better products out of our hands does not inspire a warm and fuzzy feeling.

So, my take is I'll start wearing a PFD 24/7 when and if they come up with a better PFD that makes sense...

In the meantime I look forward to seeing the Kabuki of the USCG trying to enforce PFD's on every surfer in the US of A... That is going to be fun!

Listening to Kristin Hersh

So it goes...

A note on the zombies apocalypse 1981-ongoing...

For any of those who doubt that we are in the zombie apocalypse this says it all...

Thrift is the new black...

Something often left out of discussions regarding cruising on a sailboat during the current zombie apocalypse is that of "style".

Well yeah, there is that one blog which is only concerned with style, hipness, and the coloring and re-coloring of hair...

So, just to bring a certain level of hipness to surviving the ZA on a sailboat in style, or to be more precise, bring fashion down to a level that boatfolk can actually deal with, may I offer some helpful hints...

As it happens, I've always been partial to facial hair but sometime forget just how much personality can be brought to the table when needful... For some hints, take a look at these dudes. Throw an Aloha shirt on any of those guys, give em a rum drink and not only would they fit in at Bomba's full moon party, but they'd score!

Of course, knowing a little history about Aloha shirts is mandatory to get full advantage and be cutting edge. Just a warning but Aloha shirts (or the wearing of them) tends to be competitive so best to get all the help you can.

Shorts are de rigueur, but all shorts are not created equal... For ages, Columbia Sportswear have been the shorts by which all shorts were judged. Keep in mind that, whatever brand, white shorts are akin to social suicide.

Speaking of social suicide, pretty much any clothing that says "sail" or promotes a sailing product is verboten unless it was FREE or you stole it. It also helps to at least pretend you are on a budget so if anyone ever asks you where you got something or what it costs, explain that your Harken shorts were only fifty cents at a thrift shop for wayward cats. Thrift is so much the "New Black".

Last but not least, if you have any doubts about looking right here is a quick test...

Do I look like a tourist?

If the answer is yes you're in trouble!

Listening to Green Day

So it goes...