The only thing I know for sure is that I don't know it all...

How to destroy an education system, a place for folks who have read "A Canticle for Leibowitz", and some serious Dynex rigging goodness...

Since we were speaking of education...

I've been building boats and doing various boatwork a lot longer than I care to remember, but for those who need a hint, I got my first boatwork paycheck when Ford was pardoning Nixon... Jeez!

I mention this because while I have been around the block a time or two, I'm still learning how to build and work on boats and getting good at something is always a continuing process.

Which is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to getting my copy of "Building Badger: & the Benford Sailing Dory Designs" because I'll learn something from reading it.

You might enjoy it as well...

While I have no plans to build a Benford Dory (though they are nice and seaworthy boats) anytime soon if ever, I have no doubt that there will be a nugget or three to mine and that will be useful on "So It Goes", the next "Loose Moose" or some friend's boat who is looking for a clever fix to some building/modification/repair issue... You see, learning stuff always pays off because it keeps you thinking and growing.

I run across a lot of people who really do not value education at all these days, folks who know the price of everything and the value of nothing, and who think that learning is something you did way back when you were in school. Of course, people who think like that also tend to think a lot of silly ideas...

Then again. what do I know?

Listening to the Beach Boys

So it goes...

an anchor, or two or three...

Why hurricanes and earthquakes happen (not), Crooks and Liars tallies up the cost of the only growth industry left in the US of A, and Lefsetz riffs on Brian Wilson...

Over on the SSCA forum there has been an ongoing discussion on the merits/foibles of using a tandem anchor rig  (two anchors on the same rode) and, like all things anchor related, there is no shortage of opinion.

With all this talk of hurricanes recently, we have had a lot of folks asking about the ground tackle we use on "So It Goes" for storm situations. Since yet another storm is wending its way towards us, it might actually be a good time to do so.

Our normal working anchor on "So It Goes" (a CAL 34) is a  20-kilo (44#) Brittany with 200 feet of 5/16" high test and a heck of a lot of 5/8" warp behind the chain...

Yep, a lot of anchor for a small boat...

We also have a Northill folding aviation anchor with 40' of chain, a 15-kilo Brittany with 100' of chain + warp, and another 15-kilo folding fisherman with 40' of chain. Truth is, I'd really like to add a 44-pound Bruce to the quiver as well and I am keeping my eye out for one at various nautical flea markets.

Since "So It Goes" does not have room for a 100-pound dedicated "super storm" anchor we have to make do with an alternative system and this is where the tandem anchor thing really works out...

Most folks adverse to the idea of tandem anchors cite the fact that they are hard to deploy, easily fouled, and don't really work as reasons to simply get a really, really big honking anchor, or worse, put your faith in one of those next-gen anchors.

Since we actually use a tandem anchor for storms, I can say with some hands-on experience that while they can be a pain to deploy, they are not really problematic in this regard. They also are no more prone to fouling than any other anchor setup if deployed correctly and work as well as a really big honking anchor (again, if deployed correctly).

For our tandem set up we use our 20-kilo Brittany with an additional 30' of chain and then our folding fisherman anchor. Since this is a storm-only setup the hassle of deployment/retrieval is no biggie however you do it, but since I'm a lazy kind of guy I've found a trauma-free method you might be interested in...

Since I ALWAYS dive on my anchors (and my neighbors' anchors more often than not) and since I'm going to get wet in the overall anchoring process, I simply put the second anchor together underwater. We deploy and set the Brittany as usual and then before I dive on the anchor to check it I put the fisherman anchor and its chain in the dinghy and, once I'm happy with the Brittany, dive the chain down and shackle it (don't forget to mouse the shackle!) to the tail of the the anchor then drop the fisherman anchor where I want it... Taking up the slack and making sure that the anchor is engaged with the bottom is done while diving on it again. It may sound a little complicated, but the whole operation takes less than ten minutes and while this method may not be for everybody it works finestkind for us.

If we decide to put out more anchors, we deploy them with the dinghy and place them at 120 degrees (more or less) from our main/tandem anchor to allow for wind shifts. That said multiple rodes out from a boat in any condition are a recipe for much mayhem, consternation and headbanging. The extra anchors should be able to be dropped at a moment's notice (have a fender ready to buoy it) if they should become problematic.

Listening to The Dustbowl Revival

So it goes...

A few pennies here and there and you can save some serious money...

A little Proa Madness, the price tag on what it costs to sow hate, and yet another storm wending its way towards someone somewhere...

Since I'm in the process of testing a new wind generator I thought it would be nice to install a dedicated power monitor to the circuit so I could get some serious feedback in terms of how many amps and amp hours it provides along with the voltage at various wind speeds etc...

Now being on a boat, one is tempted to look at marine meters or suchlike if for no other reason to establish a base to compare better stuff to...

Now, a lot of readers are aware that we have a Xantrex-free boat and that, as far as I'm concerned, it was a happy, happy day when we excised the last bit of ill-performing Xantrex gear off "So It Goes", but since it is the usual suspect in things energy related I always check to see what it costs... In this case, a whopping $243 at discount.

Looking around, I find a much better unit which would handle almost everyone's energy monitoring needs on a boat in the Doc Wattson digital meter over at Power Werx for just shy of $60...

This is however somewhat overkill for my needs for a dedicated energy monitor for a wind generator so I checked for something cheaper and found the little sister unit "Watts Up" to the Doc Wattson on Amazon for a kiss less than $50...

Looks like just the thing!

Listening to an Eagle's cover

So it goes...

a thought or two on bargain hunting...

A different kind of Security Theater, looking into what makes an LED light tick, and boy am I in the wrong business (anyone know where I can pick up a Bris knife?)...

I've been meaning to get a second sextant for "So It Goes" and had been planning to buy one of the cheap Davis Mark 3's (it does the job). Being Mr Cheapseats, I just don't see a pressing need to spend $800 or so when something for $50 does the job.

Which is not to say a nicer sextant would go unappreciated, as we do like fine tools aboard "So It Goes" but we appreciate function and value just as much... So, if the Mark 3 does the needful why spend more?

Now, on the other hand, if you could get it for even less...

You may have gathered if you are a regular reader here, that while I hate spending more than is needful, nothing brightens up my day when I find myself spending less!

Which is why I'm so happy with my new sextant, a Davis Mark 15 which retails around $200 but I lucked out and found it at the local animal shelter thrift shop for $10... Even better, it included a new set of dividers and parallel rules along with a cruising guide to the Leeward Islands and a handful of other useful nautical bric-a-brac...

I mention this rather tasty score because too many boat folk throw money around like the proverbial drunken sailor. As a result, are too often impressed by new and shiny expensive toys when what they actually need might be lurking at the garage sale down the block, flea market at the marina, or that thrift shop that helps care for unwanted puppies and kittens...

Just have to keep your eyes open!

Listening to Spirit

So it goes...

a note or two on progress...

More on the war against lemonade stands, Crooks and Liars make some good points, and free health and dental insurance for tourists in Panama...

As it happens, I've been thinking a lot about Panama of late...

Today's task from the never-ending list is sorting out the new pole for the wind generator I'm testing and (hopefully) actually wiring the sucker up.

On the "Buford" self-steering front, I've sorted out the last problematic part in making it tyro-friendly so that project is coming along nicely...

Life, as they say, is good!

Listening to the Texas Tornados

So it goes...

Some thought on hurricanes and veneers...

With profits like these maybe taxpayers should be helping out someone else, a very positive take on the fact that we are all going to die, and are hackerspaces and makerspaces the new salons and coffee houses of today?

Irene... you remember Irene right?

The advantage we have down here in the Caribbean (as opposed to New England) is that we know hurricanes are real and can seriously fuck up your day. For instance, the anchorage I'm anchored in has the Lion Fish infested sunken hulks of half a dozen boats that did not survive one hurricane or another... Just one reminder that hurricanes happen (the others are simply too numerous to list).

Being in the Caribbean, we also quickly become aware that when it comes to hurricanes and survival situations everyone is mostly on their own as the various folks who police the waters are the first to haul their boats or hightail it to someplace safe and those who will show up to help in the aftermath are greedheads not doing it out of the goodness of their heart but looking for a quick and big monetary score...

Not painting a very nice picture am I?

Of course, there are exceptions but they are few... When we were on the beach after Hurricane Omar the excellent volunteer rescue folks on French St Martin dragged "So It Goes" off the beach for free (as they did many, many others) while just a hundred miles away on another island that had been badly hit it was all about extortionate fees to pull people off.

Cruisers often do help other cruisers (some of the time) but it is often a surprise to folks cruising on boats that local liveaboards, who may have once been cruisers, are seldom helpful or even welcoming when a storm is coming down the tracks...

So, when all is said and done, you have to depend on yourself... Not the powers that be, not the local marina or marine business who look on you as simply a cash cow instead of a person, or even folks who seem to be just like you but are not.

Hurricanes and disasters are good teachers and a lot of it is that they bring out the best and the worst in people and cut through the micro thin social veneer that allows us say we are "civilized".

Friends of ours are currently in the path of Irene and our thoughts are with them. But like us, they will hope for the best and deal with the worst because it's all part of the gig.

Listening to John Stewart, who would have understood this post better than most.

So it goes...

Yet another cunning plan...

Horse's Mouth has an interesting post (warning no wahine content), something well worth reading, and the new WoodenBoat has an article about Phil Thiel's designs...

Today I have some work to do on a new recently purchased wind generator I bought on something of a whim.

The wind gen in question is low output (and for those interested in such things seriously CHEAP) and the thought process behind installing it on "So It Goes" is to prove a point (or not prove) to myself on the whole bigger and more expensive makes/does not make sense conundrum.

Yep, another cunning plan...

The worst part of the operation is I have to take everything out of one of the cockpit lockers and pull some wire in an enclosed and way too small space for my 6'5" body...

So hopefully I'll have some results in the not too distant future.

Listening to Sister Hazel

So it goes...

Thoughts on a drowned engine...

A great resource for highly evolved sailors, one of the single greatest mustaches in history, and, sure save a few bucks who needs earthquake detectors anyway?

Having just had a major storm pass over us, it was nice to see that "So It Goes" was mostly unscathed... but there is always something!

So, after picking up the extra anchors we had put out and suchlike we had some errands to run and jumped in the dinghy to do them only to find that the outboard was not starting.

Apparently, while we thought the dinghy had weathered the storm well, the outboard had spent some time underwater (my guess is the dinghy had flipped and then flipped back) because when I pulled the spark plug to check it, at least a cup of water poured out.

Have I ever mentioned I hate working on internal combustion engines?

Of course, fixing the engine is no big deal and, as anyone cruising the Caribbean will soon find out, bad fuel is such a common occurrence that pulling your carb and cleaning out the jets quickly becomes second nature after you have done it a few times...

Just another cruising skill.

Listening to Drive By Truckers

So it goes...

A very, very cool new design...

As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of the work of Philip C. Bolger who was easily one of the brightest lights around in boat design. Of course, being a man with an open mind who spent a lot of time outside the box (and most people's comfort zones), he had as many detractors as fans...

I liked Phil's work because it made sense and worked. Some of his designs are as beautiful as anything you'll ever come across on the water and some of them were elegant in their simplicity and as functional as a WW2 jeep or a VW bug...

Both our Loose Moose's were designed by Phil and the fact that he is no longer with us is something that saddens me to this day. The man left a void simply too big to fill...

But, the thing is, great minds sow seeds, and while it might take some time for those seeds to grow, a lot of Phil's ideas and influence are beginning to crop up here and there in everything from mega-yachts to boats designed for real world people with real world budgets. As someone who has seen this slow growth it is just a little funny how certain design aspects on our Loose Moose 2 which scandalized various so called experts on design are now pointed to as cutting edge and vast improvements when found on super luxe boats as the Wally's (just as an aside, can you imagine naming a luxury boat series a "Wally"... was "Dork", "Doofus", or "Dweeb" already in use?) and other boats.

Another designer I have long followed and admired is Roberto Barros (now known as B&G Yacht Design) who has always showed a design sensibility that made all kinds of sense. While you can trace a lot of influences in the design catalog, all of the designs are very much a Barros.

The newest design from B&G the POP 25 is something of a head turner as it contains about as much livable space in a 25-foot envelope as is possible in a pretty nice looking exterior that will sail and keep you safe.



Designed from the get go as an easy to build, affordable and livable cruising boat, it sports a lot of thought and brains. How many cruising boat designs do you know that have electric propulsion designed in from the start and make use of the weight of batteries as a percentage of ballast?

Something other designers should take note of is this design is affordable... something very important in these hard times.

I've been looking at this design for a couple of months now and I have yet to find a flaw in the thinking that went into it... This really is an awesome boat.

The only thing that's missing is (it seems to me) that the POP 25 could use a big brother... Say a POP 35 (I'd certainly buy a POP 35 design and build one).

Not everyone will understand what makes this boat so exceptional... Bolger certainly would have, and I like to think that a lot of Boat Bits readers will as well.

Listening to Ashford and Simpson

So it goes...

in the eye of the storm...

Well Irene (a seriously skanky lady) dropped by, hung around, and then headed off towards more fertile fields for mayhem of one sort or another...

 Me, I'm going for a swim and then kick back and take a nap (not a lot of sleep yesterday).

So it goes...

A little visit from Irene...

Hey folks, Irene is visiting today so you might want to go over and check out some cool Skipjack stuff over at the Horse's Mouth or maybe some Proa goodness with the Proa File...

So it goes...

Getting up the mast...

A no shoes/shirts/problems interview with Dmitry Orlov, a classic plastic rescue/rehab project worth keeping an en eye on (I know I will be), and Odda Sea has been busy, busy, busy...

While shopping for possible hurricane provisions yesterday, a recent arrival on a Newick tri we bumped into by the dairy case asked me about climbing  gear for climbing the mast and what I used and it occurred to me that some Boat Bits readers might have an interest...

These days I use a pair of Petzl ascenders (I've always liked Petzl products) and they make a lot of sense for going up a mast. They also have a variety of uses around a boat as when you get down to it they are really just a portable clam cleat and, if you think of them in that light, they become a tool with great possibilities.

Using ascenders for climbing a mast is quite simple but I'd seriously suggest spending a few hours at your local climbing wall to learn how and to get comfortable with the process and what it entails. When you graduate to using ascenders to climb a mast, do make sure you sort out a top rope with an extra halyard and have somebody you trust to do the belaying.

If I were to buy a pair of ascenders for the boat today, I'd take a long hard look at a very simple, elegant, and inexpensive ascender that Petzl has called the Tibloc. For around $30 each they make all kinds of sense and I like them enough to put them on my list of things to add to my rigging kit...

Just a heads up, but EMSis currently running a 20% off sale on climbing gear through August 31st if you use the code CLIMB2011 is that cool or what?



Listening to some more Don Nix

So it goes...

A hole in the sky...

I guess kick-boxing is no longer the sport of the future, on the truth being stranger than dystopian fiction, and Krugman uses the word "awesome".

This is the point during "H" season where I start getting seriously pissed off...

The hard part of "H" season is not actually about the storms but the uncertainty of exactly where a storm is going to be and when it will actually be or not be a storm. Throw in the relentless nature of tropical waves pumping off of Africa like Lucy's adventure at the candy factory and you have a serious recipe for STRESS.



Now 97L looks like it will slide by us as we are currently just on the edge of the isobar that it seems to be using as it's superhighway to mayhem and, with any luck, we will just get a lot of rain and 30+ knots of wind... Not so bad. Today's decision is where to ride it out and the iffy factor is if the isobar slides north so will the storm and give us, maybe, more than we bargained for.

Of course, those tropical waves are just going to keep pumping till after Halloween has come and gone so even if 97L goes by like a little lamb the next wave or the dozen after that may be kicking some serious butt...

Three months or so of this sort of thing drives people to drink, yell at strangers and otherwise behave in an anti-social manner (akin to living in NYC or Paris) and, correct me if I'm wrong, but most of us on boats plying the Caribbean came here for less stress and mayhem than back home...

So, color me a bit pissed off... Pissed at the weather, not happy with the world situation, and really pisseed off at myself for deciding to ride out yet another hurricane season  in the monsoon trough that is my little corner of the Caribbean.

There is one little ray of light in this otherwise dark and depressing saga... a couple of days ago we saw a bunch of Royal Terns who are always absent for "H" season (being a lot smarter than me apparently) so I take this as a sign that they know something the meteorologists and I don't...

Listening to the ever great Don Nix

So it goes...

Death of a thousand cuts...

Waves for Water keeps on fighting the good fight, a must read if you don't want to start paying $35 (or worse) every time you need to mail a letter, and why does this ad for a car make me think about the core difference between sail and power boaters?

The other day I was reflecting on something Jay Fitzgerald said about the whole sustainable thing and as always, he seems to make a lot of sense...

Use less.

A lot of us on boats get hooked on a vicious cycle of thinking we need more and as a result you find folks on small boats with energy demands and production that would keep a medium-sized village going, and every last one of them seems to want MORE...

On "So It Goes" the biggest draw on power is our three Apple computers which surprises people as most assume it is the electric propulsion. You might want to reflect on that for a moment.

Electrical budgets are a lot like monetary budgets... We tend to budget for the big stuff and at the end of the month wind up getting poleaxed by the little stuff we did not quite think through or keep track of. For instance, if you decide to buy something that costs a couple of hundred dollars you give it some thought and work it into your budget. While on the other hand, you don't quite factor in the $3.50 cups of coffee at Starbucks and at the end of the month a couple of cups of coffee a day add up to $210... How'd that happen?

With power systems on boats it is always the little things that get you because they add up. That little muffin fan in my composting toilet that has been running 24/7 for over two years while only drawing milliamps does add up and combined with the fridge at 2.5 amps per hour plus the ipods and... and... and... and all of a sudden twin wind generators, four 100 watt solar panels and a 6KW genset start seeming like a really good idea.

Or then again, maybe you could simply use a little less...

Listening to Southside Johnny

So it goes...

Not one of my better days...

Second thoughts about fish in a can, folks with a composting head might want to look at this anaerobic digester stuff, and finally an SSB install guide for real people...

Being that it is National Rum Day, I'm at something of a loss at what to write today, but then again, I'm at something of a loss most days when it comes down to the whole "what should I write about" schtick.

Life would be a lot easier if I were an actual gear blog as when the muse is not with me I could simply pimp and reprint some press release about some un-needful products for boat folk to waste their money on. Underwater LED lighting systems, boat soaps, and color coordinated dock lines spring to mind.

Of course, I could always play the outrage card and bitch and moan at the silly high price mark ups of 300% or more if it happens to be sold in a store that caters to folks on boats... But doing that seems to be a lot like banging your head against a concrete wall and today I want to keep my head clear for National Rum Day...

Listening to John Lee Hooker

So it goes...

The project list just got a lttle longer...

Krugman says some important stuff about Texas, Vigor offers some good advice, and Adafruit points us to a great op-ed on ideas...

I've been thinking...

Yeah, I know thinking is something of questionable activity these days (apparently soon to be made illegal in some states) but it sometimes does come in handy.

Case in point, I've been reading way too much about single speed bikes (the new hip thing for those cyclists who need a quiver) as you simply can't get away from them on the cycle circuit. A lot of my dissatisfaction with the idea of single speeds is the common thread that going to a single speed (and I won't even begin to go into the nether regions of things Sturmey-Archer) is that you can use a belt because chains and derailleurs apparently are such a hassle. Just for the record, there are no plans in my future to ever have a single speed.

As it happens, a friend was telling me how neat the new Native Watercraft Ultimate kayak was and that it sported a Propel drive...



Folks may also remember I'm a big fan of the Hobie Mirage drive and how I wish more folks would design dinghies around the drive (right now there is only one that I know of). Part of the reason for the lack of designs is that the Mirage is not well suited to boats that have a lot of rocker and it has occurred to me that the Propel drive or a DIY version might be more readily adaptable...

So, we were talking about thinking... right?  As it happens, while I think a single speed bike with a belt drive is dumb as a box of hammers, I do get a tingle when I look at the Propel drive while thinking DIY thoughts along with dinghies and off-the-shelf bike parts.

Houston, we just added another project to the list...

Listening to BTO

So it goes...

A quiet day in paradise...

Firedoglake said something important, Lawyers, Guns, and Money is right on the money, and a very, very cool quiver...

It's quiet here today. Quiet is no bad thing! Some of the storm projections for invest 92L had it sitting right on top of us about now, and while I'm sure I'll be complaining about how hot it is with no wind and all later in the afternoon, it is nice that 92L is someplace else and 93L has gone disparu...

Life, as they say, is good...

Listening to Laura Love

So it goes...

The "H" season two step...

You know, there's that Scottish/Chinese curse that goes something like... "May you live in exciting times..."

Now, I'm not really big on "exciting times" and I have a whole lot of projects that go on hold every time we get an invest/depression/tropical/"H" ting looking like it might be coming our way...

For instance, the new "Buford" self-steering design is almost ready to roll with just a couple of details left to do that would make it even easier/cheaper for home builders and I expect quite a few readers here are interested in me keeping my nose to the grindstone on that front as they want to build an inexpensive steering gear and, more than likely, would prefer me to be sorting out that instead of getting ready to run for cover in Bugtown.

I get that... and trust me, I'd much rather be working on the Buford design rather than prepping for yet another possible storm. The new mantra is Buford soon come!

Listening to David Bowie

So it goes...

A quick question...

Have any of our readers had good luck with a water jet or laser cutting firm for alloy parts?

After the storm...

Some awesome boards from Wooden Board Day 2011, a very cool project for those of us who like our drinks fizzy, and as bad as things look the Long Now blog points out that a lot of stuff is getting better...

Being that it's "H" season we tend to follow the possible weather on a regular (though some might use the word obsessive) basis. Right now, as I write this, two potential storms are barreling across the Atlantic in our general direction...

Invest 92

Invest 93

There's always a lot of talk about how to prepare for a storm but very little information on preparing for the aftermath of a big storm. If you are unlucky enough to get hit by a hurricane the aftermath can often be worse than the actual storm and trust me, it is something you want to give some serious thought to.

For instance, down here in the Caribbean we take certain shortages as something of the normal state of being... Just recently, here on St Croix, there was no cat litter (of the clumping sort) available anywhere on the island. Before that it was toilet paper and last time we were in St Martin the McDonald's had run out of Big Mac buns... It's all part of being at the ass end of the supply chain...

When something as nasty as a hurricane comes along it is hardly surprising that shortages and suchlike get even worse, and when you throw in the fact that communications go down and such things as ATM's don't work... Well, it does tend to get messy and not in a good way.

So, throughout "H" season we tend to keep the boat well stocked, water tanks full and a reasonable amount of dollars on hand just in case it takes a couple of weeks to get back to normal after a storm.

Listening to Jackson Taylor and the Sinners

So it goes...

The view above the rut...

Krugman paints a dire picture, interesting backstory to "Turkish Song of the Damned", and, with a little thought, I'm sure this could be of great use on a boat...

Then again, to make something useful on a boat that is not the same old same, often involves thinking a little outside the box or sticking your head out of the rut you find yourselves in. Not always an easy task, as most folks are not even aware they are in a box/rut and when they do get a chance to look outside said rut/box find that peer pressure to crawl back inside somewhat intense...

So, what would Boat Bits readers (demented certainly but not rut or box bound by any means) come up with  a use or application for this electroluminescent goodness?

Just asking...

Listening to John Sebastian

So it goes...

My current Teva rant...

One sentence speaks volumes, that fracas in London, and, just maybe, I should reconsider a folding bike...

A reader wrote the other day and referred to Boat Bits as an "anti-gear blog" which I find somewhat happy making... Though, truth be told, I don't think it is quite accurate as we actually like good gear. We simply do not trust the marine industry further than I can carry a Westsail 32 up a hill on my back.

There is a difference...

Speaking of gear though, I'd like to mention that Teva is now on my "will buy only on my next ice-climbing vacation in Hades" list. The reason for their inclusion is that I just had two pairs of very lightly used Teva's (Hurricane sandals and Churn water shoes) delaminate... and by delaminate I mean failure of almost all glue joints!

Now, here's a thought if you are going to sell sandals for $50 and water shoes for $80 or so that are glued together you might consider using glue that lasts more than a couple of months!

Just for the record, I also have a pair of Nike sandals whose soles came off less than a week after buying them and my last two pairs of Columbia Sportswear sandals both failed in the same way... I think I detect a bit of an industry trend!

Of course, I'll be able to glue the soles and various bits back on the Teva's with half a tube of 5200 and a lot of swearing, but when you pay this kind of money for shoes you really should not have to...

Ya think?

Listening to the Lovin Spoonful

So it goes

Something you should read...

Michael Moore with an important little history lesson, 1001 Boats shows us another pivotal sailboat design, and something about labels over at Mountain Gazette...

Meanwhile, Jay Fitzgerald (author of Sea-Steading and a guy who knows a lot about yams) made a really excellent point about something over on his Sensible Simplicity site. You all should really go over and read it.

Yes, right now!

Listening to Dave Mason

So it goes...

Things to do...

Some stuff the recent brouhaha in Washington should have taught you, the trend towards a Maker world is no longer a rumour, and Captains Dead has one of my favorite albums...

I'd write more except I have to go and make some waffles, do some laundry, and then knock a couple of projects off the to-do list.

Such is life on a boat!

Listening to more Wailin' Jennys

So it goes...

Almost bought a new boat the other day...

The other day someone emailed the blog and asked me if I thought that $50,000 was too little to spend for a boat to learn to sail on. I won't bother with my reply but the question did get me wondering about a couple of things...

I learned to sail on a Sunfish (back when Shonisaurus were the catch of the day in Avalon) because my dad picked one up as a leftover prop from a commercial shoot. A lot of my friends have learned on other various and sundry small craft, and in my mind nothing beats a sailing dinghy for learning basic sailing technique.

That said, I can understand the desire to get a "real" boat to learn on but then I often have really stupid desires...

But it did get me thinking about the cost of used boats, so I did a few searches and found so many scary cheap deals that I was seriously tempted to buy a second boat as I found a sister ship to "So It Goes" on Craig's List for $2000...

I do realize that a 42-year old CAL 34 for $2000 will have an issue or two and require some serious TLC to make it cruise ready, but even if you had to gut the interior, put in new bulkheads/interior/dreaded beam, replace the motor/rig/what have you... it still comes out a deal. Fact is, I'd prefer a boat of this age to be a complete rebuild project than doing it on the installment plan as we have been doing with "So It Goes"... Working through stuff is a heck of a lot easier than working around stuff!

Of course, I don't need another CAL 34 but having one would allow me to do a lot of testing of systems and having a control "stock" boat to compare it to... Wouldn't that be great for testing various rigs, or what? Imagine being able to apply real science to something like the junk or balanced lug rigs... Just being able to put the windward performance issues of the junk rig to rest once and for all would make it a worthwhile investment.

Truth is, since the boat is in San Francisco, I won't be getting it but if it were down here in the Caribbean or even on the East coast I'd be hard pressed not to jump on it (it would also be perfect for a DVD project I have in mind) in a New York minute...

Listening to the Wailin' Jennys

So it goes...

Which would you rather pay for...

Over at Cruisers forum there is a thread entitled "$105/Hour Too Much for Boatwork ?" and as things go over at CF the question is never answered but everyone has an opinion or a snarky comment...

What do I think? Well, to steal a quote from one of my favorite films... $105 is too fucking high!



Since the job in question deals with rigging, a few books and DVD's will provide 90% of the knowledge you need to do your own rigging and you'll have to provide the remaining 10% which is simply common sense...

Brion Toss (AKA Mr Knot) is something of a one stop shop for things of an educational nature pertaining to rigging. His writing is both entertaining, clear and he keeps everything simple while still showing a lot of enthusiasm for the work at hand (which I might add is contagious).

"The Complete Rigger's Apprentice" is a must have on your boat's bookshelf, as is "The Rigging Handbook" which, between the two, will give you the needful information to work on your rig or rig it from scratch if the need arises.

I'd also throw in his "Inspecting Your Rig" and "Tuning Your Rig" DVDs as needful resources. They are both excellent and I keep finding them of value every time I watch them. For those unused to working aloft, Mr Toss also has a DVD dedicated to "Going Aloft" which I wish I'd had a chance to watch way back when as it would have saved me a lot of work and no small amount of pain over the years.

It just occurred to me that if you were to buy all of the Brion Toss titles mentioned you'd spend less than that rigger was asking for a single hours' labor and travel expenses... Kind of makes you think!

Listening to John Sebastian

So it goes...

Growth just left the building...

Worth a watch...



Listening to Dave Mason

So it goes...

Don't panic...

Gin and Tacos explains what just happened in Congress, if it will work in space chances are it will work on a boat, and Joe the Zombie continues to rot...

Since we were just speaking about parables and the last few days have been all about  "H" ting mayhem, I'd like to point out a very good cruising "how to" book that, in point of fact, is not about cruising at all...

Douglas Adams was a bright guy who also happened to be funny, or is that a funny guy who also happened to be bright? Either way, he wrote a bunch of interesting, entertaining, and insightful books... His most popular being the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series.

While not found on the shelves of your local marine bookstore (though it should be) the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" offers a lot of help to the aspiring cruiser charting new uncharted territories who have a lot more in common with Arthur Dent than most would care to admit.

Sailing and cruising has no shortage of "YELLOW" moments, absurd calamities, and irrational situations... It's all part of the day-to-day drill for most of us, whether it's dealing with customs officials or other powers that be, cruising culture, and marine tradesmen who seem to resemble Vogons more and more whenever I happen to come across one.

The bottom line is that whatever situation you find yourself in, the Hitchhikers Guide will have it covered... Well, as long as you have a towel handy and

Listening to the still much missed Judee Sill 

So it goes...

Waffles...

A few words on climate change, an interesting breakdown of “Panglossian Disorders”, and some thought on the coming replicator economy...

Tropical storm Emily is passing to the south of us, and while we have a hellacious roll in the anchorage I'd rather roll like the proverbial pig than spend the day in the mangroves feeding mosquitoes and worrying about Dengue fever...

So, all things considered, not a bad day at all. Even better, there are blueberry waffles to come and who can argue with the goodness of waffles?

Listening to the Chambers Brothers

So it goes...

Yes, it's quite insane...

... I think it hurts my brain.

                                      Jimmy Buffett

Mr Buffett certainly got it right where living in the hurricane zone during hurricane season is concerned.

Yesterday's plan was to run over to the mangroves... but watching the storm develop/not develop and the different computer models move away from what appeared to be a direct hit, has us sitting here waiting for the Hurricane Hunters input on the 11:00 forecast before we decide to run or not.That said it is still way too close for comfort...

Can you imagine what it was like pre-NOAA, pre-Hurricane Hunter, and pre-weather satellite? You'd be sitting here both blind and deaf to the approaching storm thinking that it was just another nice day in paradise.

Sadly, a lot of folks in Washington think such things like NOAA weather and the need for GPS satellites are simply not worth the cost. However, from where I sit on a small plastic boat 501-miles from an approaching storm it makes all kinds of sense.

Listening to Mr Buffett

So it goes...