on decision fatigue...

 

Not the oceans I dreamed of sailing, a book on my must read list, and in the "What's the cost of fish going to be?" department......

The whole sailing/cruising gig is fraught with a minefield of decision making situations that can induce stasis or worse. For example just the number of decisions needed to outfit a sailboat for cruising is enough to make your head explode.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Back when, when confronted with outfitting a cruising boat the available selection of gear was pretty sparse and, when combined with economic reality, the selection process was dead simple. Back in the early 90s outfitting Loose Moose 2 we did not have the cornucopia of instruments and systems at the time there were only two GPS units within our price range and while I lusted for the Magellan the Trimble cost less so that decision was made.

We wanted a simple depth/speed instrument and I don;t recall there being a lot of choice within my price range and we could get the B&G Focus at discount through our boat building coop. Pretty much that was how it worked for almost all of the fitout and I don;t think I spent more than a couple of days musing on what was needful to allow LM2 to cross oceans with.

Now, of course, it's a whole new ball game as there's a plethora of gear and choice vying for one's attention. Just looking at whats available in terms of chart plotters you could spend weeks sorting out the various systems pros and cons of the available units. Which, when you consider that most of the products all do the same thing very well, is kind of nuts.

When buying a small chart plotter for "So It Goes" I bought a "Last years model" at a giveaway price and while it does not talk to any of my other instruments it still works finest kind. As it happens a while back I bought another chartplotter/fishfinder for cheap as it was less expensive than a repeater for the cockpit would be and while I have not got around to installing it yet the combined cost of the two excellent instruments is a fraction of what most chart plotters cost.

A reader who writes me fairly often told me recently that he'd written a spreadsheet to wrangle all of the information he needed to sort out his electronics purchases.  Now, while I admire his attention to detail, I'm not sure the time invested is saving him any money or getting him a better set of instruments when all is said and done. Though he won't make a decision until he can input the data for the new products at the boat shows.

The fact is that a lowly fishfinder/plotter for $300 contains all the instrumentation anyone actually needs with the exception of a speed through water (SOG is OK but does not quite give you all the information you really need) and a compass.

And, that's just instruments. Combine the time involved and stress to make decisions on for all of the various systems and miscellany that goes into a cruising boat and you're getting into throwing a circuit breaker territory (AKA stasis).

The trick is to get with the simplify program and minimize.

While having nothing to do with cruising boats this video has everything to do with cruising boats.

Listening to John Hiatt

So it goes...

Three good video channels you might want to watch...

Some very good advice, some timely public service ads, and in the "It's real and it's happening" department...

How to Sail Oceans: A single hander on an engine-less gaff cutter shows you how it's done.

Atom Voyager: A video channel by a two-time circumnavigator on the Pearson Triton of the same name who is the ultimate guru for those of us who aspire to turn classic plastic into simple, safe, and comfortable cruising machines.

Sailing Blowin' in the Wind: A new channel with a lot of promise featuring a family of six living and cruising on an engine-less Ericson 28.

Listening to an album's worth of Elvis Costello covers

So it goes...

on enabling a problematic side of cruising...

Something worth watching, a very good point about riots, and a needful read for the perspective of privilege...

On the night that Obama won the election in 2008, we were sailing between Sint Maarten and St Thomas listening to a radio program from St Kitts on the early night watch. I was happy to see out the end of a war-mongering presidency and excited by the idea that a president of color would be a much-needed thing and help put down the ongoing thread of racism that poisons the American dream.

In point of fact, that night I was a very happy camper. That said, the DJs in St Kitts were downright ecstatic and doing the happy dance over the fact that the US of A had just elected a black man and that in their eyes a better day was soon come. So, I listened to Obama via St Kitts give his acceptance speech, and fiddled with the self-steering gear. It was a great night.

Well, unless you've been in hibernation, you're more than aware that a black president did not so much bring about that better day. Racism was a lot more deeply entrenched in the American psyche than I thought and instead of withering away as I expected it became stronger, more in your face, and dog-whistles became bullhorns.

The worst part for me is I saw this bloom of up-front racism manifesting itself in the cruising community. Cruisers saying things in public that were cringeworthy and hateful both about Obama and anyone that was not white or shared their religion. One day standing in line waiting to do customs & immigration, a couple of cruisers began talking to another cruiser on how inept and stupid the ladies working there were and how things would run better if they just used monkeys. Of course, the folks having this excretable conversation were speaking loudly enough for the various officials to hear and I am in awe at how the officials continued to perform their duties while being confronted by such blatant assholery.

Not too much later in Sint Maarten, a well kept American-flagged Bendytoy came into the lagoon and anchored with a middle-aged black couple onboard. The next morning on the morning VHF net another American boat got on the radio and informed the net that there was a black couple on the boat so it must be stolen, in the drug business, or criminals of some sort so be aware. The couple in question happened to be a surgeon and a college professor from Chicago.

Judging from what I see in the cruising community is that it's pretty much a whites-only affair and folks of color are not exactly welcomed with open arms.

This is not to say that all cruisers are racists but there is a big enough chunk of folks who are to be problematic. While I hope the majority of cruisers are not racistly inclined, the fact that cruisers often choose to ignore racist behavior to avoid confrontation and embarrassment. Ignoring racist behavior just empowers and enables it.

Any wonder why you don't see a more diverse racial mix out sailing or cruising?

Just saying.

Listening to an Iron Leg radio show

So it goes...

A good read...

Privatizing the oceans, complicit in the lie, and that short walk of shame...

 Here's something you might want to read.

Listening to some apt music for the times

So it goes...

How things change...

Regarding theft on a grand scale as the normal mode of doing business, what an asshole thinks is funny, and Chuck Wendig with something you need to read...

It occurred to me that, for a lot of us boatfolk, "Social Distancing" (otherwise known as being anti-social) had a whole lot to do with why we took up living on boats in the first place. Funny how being anti-social is now considered a positive survival trait.

Listening to the Holophonics 

So it goes... 

What is tiny anyway?

The wrong man for the job, a Caribbean earthquake, and something on the subject of mass extinction...

The other day I came across someone going on about how difficult it is living in a tiny space (spelled s-a-i-l-b-o-a-t) and as I'm currently writing about how to make a 26-foot boat more livable over at VolksCruiser I thought it worth checking out to see how someone else might be handling the same set of issues.

As it happens, the tiny space in question was actually a modern 42-foot sailboat.

So, not expecting to find any tips, solutions or cunning plans on making a small living space more livable from that source but it did get me thinking.

Being an old fart, who's been doing this gig for more decades than I prefer to dwell on, one thing I've learned is that the bigger the boat the less inclined it is to have a great use of space.

Two of my favorite production designs are Philippe Harlé's Tonic and the Sangria NV/Fantasia from Jeanneau because they both had an incredible use of space in a small envelope. The Tonic at 23' and Sangria NV/Fantasia at 27' were both innovative and comfortable cruisers which had interiors that might surprise some for their size or, if a Dr Who fan, bring up thoughts of TARDIS.

Which brings me back to that 42-footer and terms we use to denote size these days. For me at least, I categorize sailboats along these lines:

• Small (20-29 feet)
• Medium (30-39 feet)
• Large 40- 49 feet)
• BFB (50 or more)
• Tiny (19 feet or less)

Admittedly, I do come from a time when the average cruising boat out cruising was somewhere around 30 foot, the $500 a month cruising budget was a reality, and a candy bar cost ten cents. But, at least for me, when I hear someone referring to their boat as "tiny" I expect it to be something like Yann Quenet just crossed the Atlantic in and not something over 40 feet.

Listening to Rodrigo y Gabriela

So it goes...

Just stop signs on the roads I like to travel...

A somewhat troubling read, doing a good thing, and some photos from the NASA Juno probe...

Apparently some folks require rules.

For some odd reason, every once in awhile, folks write me and ask for a rule because, apparently, some misguided readers think that where boats are concerned...

1. There should be RULES.
2. RULES are comforting to some.
3. A guy who writes a Blog with a moniker like Boat Bits is going to be a repository of said RULES.

Which is sort of funny because the whole idea of RULES has a lot to do with the reason I do the boat gig and to paraphrase an often paraphrased line from a great movie...

"We don't need no stinking RULES"

Which is all just a roundabout introduction to the answer to the question someone asked me the other day...

"What's the rule on anchor weight to length ratio?"

Fact of the matter is that there is no rule. That said, my advice on the subject is that the bigger the anchor the better as long as it's not so big that you can't handle it without some form of power assistance. In my case that translates roughly to an anchor of around forty-five pounds with a mostly chain rode.

As far as I'm concerned, rules are just stop signs on the roads I like to travel but, the fact is, that we all have a variety of personal and physical limits that we should pay attention to. Not so much rules but just a bit of knowing one's own limits and applying some common sense to the equation.

Listening to Café Tacvba

So it goes...

Why Westsail cruisers were such happy campers back in the day...

Stealing from cancer research to put kids in cages, on coding the signal, and on a hopeful logical note...




Listening to a playlist of rock solid classics

So it goes...

and in the "The boat did just fine" department...

On the subject of editorial intervention, something interesting about universe building, and in the "Don't worry your pretty little head about it" department...

Some good news and something to think about.

Listening to the Artisanals

So it goes...

Something you might want to follow...

Some more disturbing news at NOAA, a bit of economic scariness, and a $700 million dollar study to answer a question that any teacher already knows...

OK, I'll admit it... I'm just a little bit more than sorta/kinda excited about the Golden Globe race that starts tomorrow.

For starters the participants are an interesting group sailing some able but long in the tooth designs which could make it all kinds of fascinating as it plays out.

And, yes dear reader, I'll be keeping a close eye on the tracking map.



.

Listening to the Mattson 2

So it goes...

A neat little boat...

Krugman gets it right, a campaign ad of note, and a warning to be taken seriously...

This is a very cool boat.

Mark Smaalders sure designs nice boats.

I'll just add that one of the most memorable and enjoyable moments I've ever had on a boat was in France talking with friends, drinking hot spiced cider, and eating fresh-out-of-the-wood-burning-stove bread in a similar sized gaffer while it snowed outside. Yeah, I really like this boat,

Listening to Frank Waln

So it goes...

A film you might have missed...

A very timely question, something from the "Can't even organize a piss-up in a brewery" department, and stuff everyone should know about plastic in our oceans...


Following Seas Trailer from Araby Kelley on Vimeo.

Listening to Loma

So it goes...

Something you might want to know about...

Very well said, the stupidity it burns, and in the "Just follow the frelling money" department...

La Longue Route 2018.

More a pilgrimage than a race. What's not to love?

Listening to Flow Tribe

So it goes...

regarding my waterline...

Regarding public lands, far away Icarus, and in the "not nearly far away enough" department...

So, as the latest NAB show has come and gone leaving me with the urge to upgrade cameras, I was investigating used prices of some the cameras I need to get off the boat to make room for a couple of new ones. It's amazing just how fast gear depreciates these days.

It's also bloody depressing.

Pretty much the same goes for marine electronics as well. Which reinforces my opinion that the only time to get boat gear is when it's already discounted to the max. Marine electronics and suchlike don't change all that much from year to year which is sorta/kinda nice compared to film and video stuff which works on a far more disruptive model.

In the event that anyone is looking for an elderly GoPro, a pristine Nikon D90, D200, or a Panasonic DVX100 drop me a line as I could really use the locker space aboard "So It Goes".

Listening to Sly

So it goes...

Some jobs...

A new voice of interest at L,G, & M, words on a wall, and a point well taken...

Some jobs on boats can be the stuff of nightmares. For instance, what's on today's menu of tasks involves a big honking sander, a stack of forty grit, and a small enclosed space... In other words, a real horror show.

Of course, what I'd like to be doing is working on my latest guitar build (an electric 12 string) or some such project that does not necessitate several hours of shop vacuum cleanup to deal with the aftermath.

That said, some jobs are needful and, as much as I'd love to do anything else, you can only put off stuff for so long.

Listening to BTO

So it goes...

The ongoing fight to have less...

Food for thought from Hugh Howey, Krugman with some interesting commentary, and EBM with a few helpful hints...

My email box is overflowing today with come-ons  for stuff to make my life aboard all kinds of better. So much stuff, in fact, that if I were to buy all of the Black Friday offers I'd have to purchase a bigger boat because "So It Goes" would simply sink with all of the added weight.

Of course, I'm pretty sure West Marine could sell me a periscope...

So, when did sailing or cruising become more about consuming and spending rather than about sailing and cruising?

Nuff said.

Listening to Nerd Magnet

So it goes...

on embracing the crazy...

An important question, current odds, and child labor in the US of A...

Today began with a deluge of biblical proportions. Of course, being that I had planned to plane down and shape the new laminated boom, it was not exactly the sort of weather I was hoping for.

Doing any sort of work on a boat at anchor is just going to be a problematic affair so you learn to work around the many and varied obstacles. Or, you just go batshit crazy.

Just make your choice.

That said, it is somewhat traditional for folks in the real world to consider those who live on boats "crazy" anyway so, I expect, no matter what I do crazy is going to be part of the description and I can deal with that.

Listening to Ha Ha Tonka

So it goes...

a quick note on over three decades without a single issue in dealing with the USCG Documentation office...

Someone you may want to pay attention to,  cat armor, some good points being made, and what happens when you give bad people a green light...

I keep hearing about just how screwed up the USCG Documentation process is with laments of folks waiting months to get their renewals and suchlike. On the other hand my personal experience has been just the opposite and over the last 30-years or so I've never once had any issues at all. Considering almost all of those experiences were from a variety of foreign locations that really is impressive.

Hmmm.

We just did this years renewal using the online system and  in less than two weeks we had the new Documentation paper in hand down here in the Caribbean. Now does that sound like a screwed up system to you?

I'm not saying that some people don't have problems with the USCG and I'm sure they screw up from time to time but, sometimes, if you're a person who constantly has problems you might want to check whether or not it is the USCG at fault or just that you may just lack the ability to fill out forms correctly.

Just saying...

Listening to Philip Lewin

So it goes...

Breakfast was a little late today...

Winston a storm of note, a rather costly experiment in austerity, and just what does it say about us when a front-runner for president is enamoured of war crimes and atrocities...

So, this morning when I should have been writing this blog and having my second cup of coffee, a shitty green power boat waked us. The result was a good portion of the clean breakfast dishes wound up on the floor in pieces... Lots and lots of pieces. That said, I did keep the pancake batter from doing a Jackson Pollock on the port side of the boat.

Color me pissed off.

Of course, one expects this sort of thing from follicly-challenged folks who make up for penile deficiency with excessive horsepower boats, conspicuous consumption, and infantile boat handling skill sets.

Karma, I expect, will get around to taking its toll on the asshole sooner or later...

On the other hand, since we're speaking of wake-making assholes, there really is a special place in hell for those cruisers with Caribe RIBs and fifteen HP outboards who plow through anchorages pulling evil four-foot waves. You know the ones...

Listening to SHEL

So it goes...

a quick note on what it takes to be happy...

About that so-called "Persecution", a little situational awareness, and some old good advice...

I was reading an old cruising log the other day detailing a family's cruise from the UK to the Med then on to the Caribbean and back to the UK and it reminded me just how much cruising has changed in the last thirty years.

They didn't have electronics of any sort. Not even a radio. Lighting was kerosene as was the stove and there was no ice box with the more perishable provisions being simply kept in the bilge.

Their boat (an Eventide) was all of 26-feet for the four of them with not so much an inkling of mutiny...

Oh yeah, they also seemed to be having a great time in the process.

Listening to Kevin Kinney

So it goes...