Random thoughts and rants on boat design, boat building, and other boat bits for those in the 99%...
A ray of hope in Russia, the downside of living in an idiocracy, and in the "Don't let the door hit you on your way out" department...
I'm looking forward to this film!
The Race to Alaska – OFFICIAL TRAILER from The Race to Alaska on Vimeo.
Listening to Nilüfer Yanya
So it goes...
Tugboat labor issues, stealing gifts, and in the "It's about time" department...
A scowish moment.
Like it or not, if you're serious about winning there's a scow in your future. Sadly, in terms of historical experience we'll be seeing the first scow cruisers in America in or around 2035.
Listening to five good covers
So it goes...
Polar bears, an alternative history game, and Scalzi making a whole lot of sense...
I just saw that Guirec Soudée is doing the 2024 Vendee Globe race albeit without Monique. Monique, who's getting on in years is in retirement with Guirec's family but, apparently, still laying eggs.
I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of high stakes, big money, yacht racing but Guirec Soudée with Monique has grown on me and I'll be watching his campaign closely and rooting for him to kick some ass in the process.
Listening to the Iron Leg Radio Show
So it goes...
Worrisome, a different way to approach that walk to the post office, and about that new normal...
It's funny how some thing connect within your brain. A friend and I were conversing via email about sailboat design and performance and all of a sudden I had a moment of understanding that kicked in like a two by four upside the head.
Performance is not just about speed.
Of course, I know that performance is actually the sum of a great many parts but, when is all is aid and done, it's mostly speed-centric.
Way back when I seriously contemplated doing the Mini TransAt partly as there were so few entrants from the USA at the time and because I just wanted to do a single hand transatlantic and kick some ass. Also Dudley Dix had just come up with a Mini plan that just screamed build me!
The design brief of such a cutting edge boat IS all about speed and getting from one point to another faster than the other boats in its class.
Now, twenty something years later, I can still look at the design and appreciate it's virtues but now I think of other ways to harvest the design's performance.
For instance, The Didi Mini and the newer Didi Mini MK3 would be serious overkill for local racing down here and a smaller rig would still kick some serious ass against most of the local competition and the Mini's big rig is a lot of work for just bragging rights. While the Didi Cruise-MK3 is a detuned version of the full tilt boogie MK3 with the added advantage of a lifting keel and would still kick local ass albeit in a more sedate fashion.
Which, when you think of it, is still all about performance but performance in aid of purpose rather than just having performance as the goal. A slightly different mind set if you will.
As far as my abandoned Mini Transat venture, I still regret not building the boat or doing the race but by my sums the hassle factor of doing a campaign, finding sponsors, and all of the non-sailing craziness involved just did not add up to something I wanted to do.
Listening to Jo James
So it goes...
Something interesting about ski building, what a truthful government announcement on climate might look like, and in the "Katy Porter kicking ass with visual aids" department...
So, the first of the Mini-Mini races is about to start.
Otherwise known as the Globe 5.80 Transat the one design race will begin on October 31.
Six folks sailing plywood boats across the Atlantic. Looks like fun and certainly worth keeping an eye on.
Listening to five covers of a Todd Rundgren song
So it goes...
Dorworth on Warren Harding, a book for the times, and in the "What can you say about stupidity on this level" department...
It's just about Mini time again.
Listening to Jon Pousette-Dart
So it goes...
Some seriously scary scenarios, an interesting take on farmyard pharmaceuticals, and in the "Rock Chewin' Stupid" department
Now this could really be interesting.
More info as it develops.
Listening to a bunch of covers
So it goes...
Ellen MacArthur on sustainability, marine heatwave victims, and a surprising answer to a problem...
My favorite "Mini" contender continues his adventures and gets a beer.
Listening to a novel related playlist
So it goes...
Moving fish from one place to another, some interesting numbers, and in the "Serious possibility" department...
Well look at this.
More information on a very interesting foiling scow here.
Listening to Dante Elephante
So it goes...
The question of the day, a not unexpected state of affairs, and something interesting on battery tech...
Loïck Peyron fills us in on the first Vendée Globe.
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Listening to Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon
So it goes...
A bit of needful reading, some poison pills, and in the "Why you want to be wearing a mask these days" department...
Shameful fuckery from you know who, security theatre hijinks, and in the "Poorly developed health services and infrastructure" department...
Being that, like hopefully most of you, we're hunkered down at anchor being anti-social social distancing because it's the smart thing to do for the foreseeable future. To underline that fact we woke up today with the news that the USVI now has possible cases.
Which is a roundabout way of saying that you should all take this rodeo very seriously. Stay home, don't go out unless you seriously need to, and work on the assumption that it's going to be a long haul.
For me, being that I live on a fifty-year-old boat, there are plenty of jobs to be done to keep me busy and a backlog of reading and writing that needs to be caught up with.
Speaking of which, I finally got around to reading all of the material published so far on the Mini5.80 and to be honest, I found some of it just a bit irksome.
First of all, I'll go on record that a new affordable class race based, more or less, on the Mini 6,50 would be a very good thing. That said, I'm of mixed mind where said race should be a one-design or not. On the one hand, one-design classes are a great way to highlight a sailor's skill but, on the other hand, they don't do anything for the development of boat design. I have a lot of ideas on the subject which I'll get to in another post but for the moment let's leave it at I'm fifty/fifty on this.
The one thing I do know about the reality of the Mini5.80 is it really is all about making money. Truth be told, I don't have an issue with folks making money but, after reading the available material I found myself being less enthused about the various races than I had been at first glance. Or, to be more precise, my Spidey sense kicked in.
As it happens, I have some boat chores to do but I'll, no doubt, be writing more on the Mini5.80 as more information comes my way. In the meantime, you might want to check out the Jester Challenge for what I consider to be a more interesting, accessible to just about anyone sort of race.
Listening to Ilyas Ahmed
So it goes...
A mind-boggling record for π-day, yesterday in the USVI, and in the "Coronavirus scum suckers" files...
More info on the Mini 5.80
Listening to the Dead South
So it goes...
Some cogent thoughts on COVID-19, a heartrendingly broken system, and today in the "chickenshit chronicles"...
Regarding the word "post-truth", Krugman making some sense, and over in the "Astounding stupidity" files...
So here's the route.
America's new growth industry, some needful reading, and a film you might want/need to see...
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.
Some good points being made, a little bit of hope, and a question I seem to be asking myself a lot lately...
Good stuff!
You're still here?
Listening to a Tim Buckley song
So it goes...
A depressing note, EBM on the subject of "hearts and minds" and in the "racist, misogynist, bigoted cult of personality that worships Trump" department...
I'll admit I'm sorta/kinda looking forward to the upcoming Golden Globe race in the hopes that it will give a shot in the arm to the idea that seamanship actually matters. Plus, it really should be a pretty good race and is more or less accessible to folks who actually have to work for a living and not just the same old same money wins and rich folk behaving badly affair which seems what most racing has become these days.
On the subject of eroding seamanship skills I'm actually quite impressed with the newish FastSeas routing app as it seems to do the required job for an affordable price (or free) so you might want to add it to your tool set and check it out.
Listening to Fármacos
So it goes...
