On the need/want front...

Just another blight on the water, a kid smarter than his parents, and in the "It's not over yet" department...

Yesterday, I saw that Northern Tool had an angle grinder to chop saw doohickey on sale and I found that it instilled a certain "this should be in my tool kit" lust.

After all, it only costs $29.95 and would come in all kinds of handy when cutting things like chainplate stock, metal tubing, and pipe. Granted, it would take up some room and I don't really do all that much cutting of metal these days but it would be a nice tool accessory for those times when needful.

Of course, putting the item through the Need/Want stress test I realize that it is something I don't really need. However, I did realize that if I were to build another boat it would come in very handy. As such, the decision to get one is currently on hold till I'm actually building another boat.

As it happens, later the same day I found myself using my favorite screwdriver replacing a machine screw on my dinghy while afloat. The machine screw in question was in the splash zone of the of the dinghy and half of the time my screwdriver was in the water. Off hand, I can't think of a better way to lose a screwdriver.

Realizing that the very last thing I wanted was to lose my favorite screwdriver, I decided that I really should have one or two extras just in case. After the machine screw was replaced without losing said screw driver, I did a quick Need/Want test on getting an extra or two and the extra screw drivers passed the test with flying colors as I really do need a couple of spares.

Listening to an excellent Coverville episode

So it goes...

A needful reminder...

On the subject of BS Kabuki, Ken burns makes some excellent points, and about those NOAA "H" season predictions...

Hisse et Oh (AKA HEO) is a great French sailing/cruising forum which is always one of the first places I check on the internet every morning. Unlike most forums they (along with the JRA forums) seem to avoid the narcissistic one-upmanship keyboard commando idiocy which most sailing forums fall victim to.

But I digress...

The reason I mentioned HEO is that there is an excellent thread on the subject of folks abandoning boats because of rudder loss or failures. It's well worth reading even if you have to resort to google translate to do it.

Long time readers of Boat Bits will acknowledge that not having an emergency rudder or a dedicated plan of action and the materials to make one is a pet peeve of mine. Especially since a emergency rudder or steering system is fairly easy to cobble together and not expensive at all when you consider the added safety margin it provides as well as the astronomical costs abandoning your boat or being towed might incur.

Then again, a lot of folks are about as intelligent as a bag of hammers as the current aversion to getting a simple life saving vaccination goes to show so, I guess, you just can't cure stupid.

For those readers who don't fall into the bag-of-hammers IQ zone you may want to check out a couple of cheap and simple emergency rudder solutions that make a whole lot of sense.

Listening to a Beach Boys cover

So it goes...

On the subject of thinking about buying another anchor...

Something from the "Just plain stupid or is it a Death cult" files, EBM making an excellent point, and an American heroine in Portland...

So, new cases of Corvid 19 keep popping up down here in most southern tRumpistan with the ever-present knowledge that peak "H" season is going to get going any day now.

Yeah, you might color me somewhat nervous these days. This means that a whole lot of my thought process gets sidetracked by my pondering what I need to do now to prepare for a storm, where we're going to go when it's coming, and how to prepare for the aftermath of a storm if/when we get hit.

Having been through this sort of thing before you'd think that it would actually be easy but the added factor of being in the middle of a worldwide pandemic is something of a wild card I'd prefer not to be a part of the mix.

For instance, there are a lot more cruising boats here in Southern tRumpistan than usual due to the virus. It's just about the only place an American flagged boat is welcome in the Caribbean. The problem is that hurricane holes are too few for the normal population of the islands plus, I expect, that for a lot of the newbies here for the duration don't have much in their how-to-prepare-for-a-real-storm skill set. Those things combined could make things get real ugly real fast.

The fact is, a real storm, even if you're prepared and knowing what to do, is still a very dangerous enterprise as the tons of well-anchored and prepared boats stacked up like so much cordwood in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria attest to.

This also has me stocking up for an extra couple of months of provisions and fuel because it's not just the storm but the aftermath we have to worry about and given the current situation we'd be stupid to expect any help from the powers that be stateside this time around judging from their piss poor and less than proactive response to the virus.

Like I said, got a lot to think about.

Listening to a few Bananarama covers

So it goes...

some help with that learning curve...

Viral insanity, EBM lays it down, and a scary mosquito-borne virus you might want to read up on...

Doing just about anything involves a learning curve and some pursuits have a steeper curve than others. Take cruising for instance.

Most folk we know, ourselves included, have had a problematic first year. Which mostly translates to not really having a clue, a general suspension of common sense, and being prone to bad decisions.

Been there, done that, and got the t-shirt.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I still marvel at all the little mistakes we made at the beginning. In our case, the main culprits that resulted in that far too steep learning curve were mostly about following the hive mind, non-application of common sense to cruising advice, and in particular, thinking that throwing money at problems was a panacea when it was just the opposite.

Most of us don't really talk about that first year of cruising because who really wants to tell tales of the "Boy, I was really a stupid melon farmer way back when!" sort.

That said, boy, I was really a stupid melon farmer way back when. Trust me you don't really want to hear about it.

Which brings me to the fact that Carolyn Shearlock from over at the BoatGalley has a free course on Overcoming the first-year learning curve. Better yet it's free. The thing is, learning from someone else's hindsight is a whole lot less traumatic than learning from your own mistakes as well as being a lot less expensive. Just the thing I could've used way back when.

Good stuff.

Listening to an album's worth of Lucinda Williams covers.

So it goes...

A very simple soft shackle...

Eleven billion tons of plastic, John Scalzi making some sense, and a bit of situational awareness for the middle class...



Listening to Eva & the Vagabond Tales

So it goes...

today in the "Might be a good time to stay home" department...

A good question, some excellent points being made, and interesting stuff regarding mangroves...

Here's a little needful science you might want to catch.



Listening to Bob Weir And Wolf Bros

So it goes...

In the "Might want to dust off your sextant skills" department...

John Scalzi shares some apt thoughts on impeachment, a film to keep in mind, and a thing you might find interesting about GPS...

So, it would seem, the USSF (Space Force) is in the news and it has something to do with GPS.

More importantly, it's about tRump's Space Force being in the drivers seat where GPS is concerned.

Now, maybe it's just me, but so far I have not seen anything that tRump's minions (AKA "folks unable to organize a piss-up in a brewery") touch that does not wind up broken or in clusterfuck mode.

Seriously GPS in clusterfuck mode is something all-kinds-of-problematic for folks on boats. Which is why you might want to seriously consider having some sort of tried and true backup on your boat.

You know, just in case.

Listening to Black Pumas

So it goes

Getting those clothes clean...

Whales sharks and Mantas at risk, Dave Z asks some important questions, and in the "So it's not just me thinking the water level in the Caribbean has risen" department...

Something useful from one of the few YouTube channels I pay attention to.



Listening to Therapie Taxi

So it goes...

Some splicing goodness...

Some bad news on the USPS front, a better way to be critical, and today's word is O-C-T-O-N-I-O-N...

Voile Magazine with some clarity in the technique department.

Check it out.

Listening to a surprisingly good playlist

So it goes...

a brilliant bit of kit...

G&T with a common complaint, something regarding beef, and it would appear someone's been stealing...

This is really quite neat.

Billed as a GPS Backup Kit from the folks at Starpath it contains all of the tools you need to find out where you happen to be. Which, I suspect, is some kind of cool.

So, what's in the bag?

• Davis Mark 3 plastic sextant
• Quartz watch set to UTC, with 7-year battery, individually rated to give correct UTC on any date. (How we do the watch rates.)
• GPS Backup with a Mark 3 Sextant (the instruction guide and needed tables)
• 3x folding magnifier (to help read the sextant's vernier scale)
• Plastic sextant case with locking handle
• Douglas protractor
• Roll-up 12" ruler
• Clip and edge bar to facilitate Polaris measurements
• 2 pencils, sharpener, and eraser
• Notebook with graph pages
• 5 Universal plotting sheets
• Waterproof dry bag

Pretty much all you need to find out where you are wherever you happen to be...

How cool is that?

The sextant is actually very good (I use it's big brother). The booklet by David Burch is concise, to the point, and as fool proof as you can get. Top that off with a Casio timepiece and the miscellaneous bits (the plotter is what I plot with) that you need and, hey-presto, you have a brilliant bit of kit that won't break down or fail when you need it.

Of course, it's not quite all you need to navigate but add a compass and a means of measuring boat speed like a trailing log or a Knotstick then you're all set to go anywhere you want to.

Which is the whole idea isn't it?


Listening to Tower of Power

So it goes...

Persistence pays off...

About that Colbert joke,  why we should keep listening to Drive-By Truckers, and remember when Republican rallies were sedate affairs...

Some time back in 2014 ( boy howdy does time pass!) I wrote about my desire to find and install an old style non-electronic VDO Sumlog aboard "So It Goes" and ever since I've been trolling the various forums, bulletin boards, and the dreaded eBay looking for just such a beast.

I won't go into detail on the search but it has been all kinds of frustrating and there were moments when I nearly gave in and just gave up but being stubborn just kept plugging on...

So, let me say this about that... Persistence pays off. Which is why I'm now the proud owner of a brand spanking new (albeit 30-year old) in the original box VDO non-electronic Sumlog which only cost me $100 dollars.

Boy am I a happy camper!

I can finally lose the piece of shit frelling useless Raymarine BiData as well as a couple of holes in the boat. Better yet I can have reasonable expectations of being able to know my current speed through the water and nautical miles traveled at a glance without worrying whether the log and speed will be working.

Did someone say doing the happy dance?

That said, being a belt and braces sort of guy I'll still have  my WASP trailing log  (a wonderful gift from a Boat Bits reader in the UK who knew I was looking for one which I'll be ever thankful for) and a Knotstick if that fails. So, it's safe to say, while I may not have a clue where I'm going I'll be pretty sure how fast I'm getting there.

Listening to the Sons of Champlin

So it goes...

A very cool bit of gear...

Sailing Anarchy takes on ISAF/World Sailing (kicking some ass in the process), some situational awareness, and horrific on so many levels...

Just maybe, the best bit of sailboat tech to come out of 2015...

Yeah, really!

Listening to David Ramirez

So it goes...

What I wish Santa would bring me...

A little bit of interesting history, a lot of truth in faux publicité, and in the "lies have consequences" department...

This is seriously cool!



The problem with all the boat-friendly washing machines I've come across is they really have no real or decent rinse/spin capability which everyone knows is the heinous part of doing laundry on a boat. The Drumi, on the other hand, looks like (just maybe) it might actually do the job. It's a chunk of change but with a small load at a Caribbean laundromat costing $3.50 or more these days it would pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time and dispense with the dreaded evil trip to the laundromat blues. So, color me interested.

Listening to the Staples Singers

So it goes...

About something you really need...

Something you might want to think about, a bit of asshat humor, and in the "Wrong then Wrong now" department...

I don't, as a rule, make pronouncements of the "everybody needs to have this" sort but every boat really needs some sort of emergency rudder that works if you're sailing out of cellphone range.

Ya think?

Fact is, building an emergency rudder that works does not cost a lot or take much skill and all of the information you need is available here for free.

That being said, there are folks who just don't GROK the DIY vibe or who are unwilling to spend the sort of silly-expensive costs of having a custom emergency rudder fabricated... Luckily for these folks there is a new emergency rudder that seems to make a lot of sense called the OceanSteer Emergency Rudder.

While not exactly cheap compared to a DIY affair it is much more reasonable than a custom fabrication. Better yet it's designed to fit into a couple of flat packs so can fit into a cockpit locker or under a berth which makes a heck of a lot of sense. Definitly worth checking out.

Listening to Motion City Soundtrack

So it goes...

A pretty awesome pint glass...

Three simple fixes, a little good news, and some Moitessier goodness from SAIL magazine...

So, the other day I got a pint glass in the mail. It looks pretty much how you'd expect a pint glass to look and, as it's plastic it won't break if/when it falls down... Even better, because of some cunning plan of a bottom doohickey it's kinda doubtful it will actually fall down. Now, how cool is that?



OK, so I'll admit I was seriously sceptical but it really does work and I'm not easy to impress or convince. Color me convinced.

Can you spell B-O-A-T-F-R-I-E-N-D-L-Y?

For more information check out Mighty Mug at their website.

Listening to Thunderbitch

So it goes...

Why you might want to dust off your sextant...

A piece of the puzzle, an interesting discussion, and in the "not spontaneous combustion" department...

Over at Just an Earth Bound Misfit ( a blog you should really be reading) there's an interesting bit about the return of LightSquared to the playing field that you need to read and check out the provided links.

Since soulless greed has an annoying habit of trumping common sense these days you might want to work on your celestial navigation skills... Just in case.



Listening to Your Heart Breaks

So it goes...

a neo-luddites thought process on a needful purchase...

On the subject of a fair living wages, a depressing trend in modern education, and just business as usual...

We live in wonderful times in some ways...

For instance, West Marine dropped me their usual weekly "you need to buy stuff" email and they had a deal on a floating, waterproof, and rather impressive pocket sized GPS for $99 bucks. Seriously, that much technology in something you can put in your pocket for $99 is just frelling amazing.

Since I was on the West site I decided to check out what a good cheap plastic sextant would cost and saw that, the one I tend to recommend is priced at $199... That said, a more than decent cheapie (the Davis MK3) sextant is priced at $57.99 so, I suppose, non-electronic position finding is still a bit cheaper than electronic but just barely.

Now, personally, me being a neo-luddite and all, I find the ongoing disappearance of traditional sailing and navigation skills somewhat irksome but, since my mother didn't actually raise a complete idiot, I also see the value of a pocket sized GPS that floats and has an on board celestial calculator as one of it's apps.

So, while I won't be trading in my sextant anytime soon, I may just be investing in another GPS while it's on sale.

Listening to a really good podcast

So it goes...

Someone you might want to have bookmarked...

A couple of astute observations, some food for thought, and in the "racism no longer exists in America" files...

Being on a boat in some out-of-the-way places where you can't just go down to the local metal store and buy the needful bits it's good to have someone you can depend on back in the real world.

One such company that I use is Online Metal Supply who is based in Missouri and are purveyors of any number of needful materials for boats. The nice thing is when you call them up you're guaranteed that the person answering the phone has an IQ above room temperature. Sadly, a lot of companies these days can't make that claim...

Just the other day I asked someone in the States if he could mail something and he told me that he could not because his product was bigger than a PO Box and that he was pretty sure US Mail did not deliver to the US Virgin Islands because it was foreign... Obviously a guy a couple of sandwiches short of the proverbial picnic.

Not the case with Online Metal Supply they know how to ship stuff in a way that is fast, affordable, and will get to you in an undamaged state. Better yet, their prices are excellent. What's not to love?

Listening to the Pousette-Dart Band

So it goes...

a very good article you should read...

How to screw up science, mean scary bullies with pocket protectors, and Farly Mowat the author of  "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" and "A Whale for the Killing" has passed away...

Since we were speaking of one-hit wonders, I thought it only fair to point you to a very good article by Reuel Parker (his hits just keep coming) on rotating wing masts.

Rotating Wing Masts part 1

Rotating Wing Masts part 2

Listening to Steam Powered Giraffe

So it goes...

Somewhat short of a cunning plan...

Krugman makes an important point, this is worth a listen, what could happen next time you need some engine parts if your name is Jones, and in the memory hole induced irony department...

I've been jumping through some mental hoops trying to sort out a more-than-cunning-plan to deal with all of the STUFF we carry around on the aft of our boats these days... It gets messy if not unsightly.

Dive bottles are the most current bane to my existence. Commercial racks all seem to have a bigger footprint than I have anywhere on "So It Goes" and, surprise, most are silly expensive...

This does seem to have the right idea but it's too big/expensive and, is it just me or do the words "eight-inch PVC schedule 40 pipe" jump to mind?...

While this one is more about the right size and would work out quite well on the coachroof (or maybe not as it might interfere with the dinghy) but a lot of money for not a lot of material and something like it could be built in Starboard or ply for a lot less.

More about this project later...

Listening to Lio

So it goes...