Norfolk, VA
To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.
We took Hannah out on Red Ranger in 15-20 kt of wind, with waves of 3-4 feet. This was our first trip in conditions that were more than "light breeze" or "gentle breeze" on the Beaufort Scale. We bounced around a bit; had quite a bit of trouble tacking; and …
Saturday was the last day of the 2010 USODA Layline Nationals. Kids left. The place went back to being a sleepy little marina in rural Virginia.
While the Optimists were coming in after a day of racing -- we went out. The wind had died and the best we could do …
The 2010 USODA Layline Nationals are this weekend (and next weekend) in Deltaville VA. The US Optimist Dinghy Association (USODA) is the national class organization for Optimist sailing in the United States.
There were boats everywhere in our marina. And we're not the only marina hosting racing.
Jackson Creek was …
My father went on a "booze cruise" on the True Love on Seneca Lake.
http://www.schoonerexcursions.com/index.htm
It's a classic John Alden-designed Schooner dating from the 20's.
Looks delightful. He reported that it was well-maintained and well-handled.
The well-handled, lead me to start looking at a Coast …
Sailing is fun. Teaching sailing can be fun, too. Once you get past the worrying part. And once you get past the culture shock.
For the last 9 years, I've been helping my friend David teach sailing at Skye Farm Camp. They've got about 10 Sunfish of various vintages.
This …
The word "fair" has several meanings. It seems to mean "honest" or "equitable", "adequate" or "acceptable". You have to get way down the list of definitions before you get to the nautical sense of "fair".
Sailors use the term to mean "smooth" or even "helpful".
When we look at phrases …
Here are some pictures of Cricket.
Pam and Ben have been at the marina for several weeks. They're cruising more-or-less full-time.
They've been refitting Cricket while we've been working on Red Ranger. They've been there full-time, however, so they've gotten a lot done in a short period of time.
Their …
Finally.
Getting Red Ranger ready seems like a long, uphill slog. The reality is that it hasn't been all that bad. But it seems painful by comparison with other pursuits. For example, after you close on a house or buy a car, you can use it more-or-less immediately. Clearly, a new …
The look like pulleys, but sailors call them blocks. The one in the middle looks okay in this picture. But it is actually broken, also.
They're part of the mizzen mast. One helps put some purchase on the mizzen sheet. The other two help put some purchase on the running …
Boats have bilges: it's where water inside the boat collects to be pumped out. Modern "fin keel" boats barely have any bilge. Classic designs -- like Red Ranger -- have deep bilges.
We have a Manifold of Bilge Pumps to manage the bilge.
What's important is to try to keep the bilge …
Part of the Red Ranger Mission Statement is "Using the smallest carbon footprint we can" which -- when you think about it -- is too narrow.
In the Red Ranger song, we sing (in 6/8 with a rolling feel)
C C F F
And She'll see just as much of …Moving on.
Two masts means two sessions with the crane operator.
Rigging Phase 1 was done on the hard. They positioned the mast and mostly reset the stays and shrouds that secure the mast.
The inner forestay isn't correctly backed under the deck. The mast isn't yet blocked into position …
There's nothing that induces joy so completely as a job that's done right.
Case in point. Through Hulls and Bilge Pumps.
Through hulls are a serious issue. In Unbelievable and The Pace of Change, I described some through-hull upgrades. Plus I had to free up all the bronze through-hulls; see …
There's nothing that induces despair so completely as a job that cannot be done.
Case in point. The "Air Keel" in the Achilles Dinghy, Scout. This was a cause for despair.
To keep a boat tracking reasonably well, it needs a keel. Power boats have a keel that is degenerated …
There's nothing that induces despair so completely as a job that cannot be done.
Case in point. The windlass mounting. This was a cause for despair.
To handle the immense anchors (and attached chain), you need some mechanical advantage. This is what a windlass is for. We have a lovely …
One golden rule of boat safety is "never lift anything heavy". One version of this rule is "never lift what you can drag, never drag what you can roll, never roll what you can leave". See Jan Adkins' Moving Heavy Things for classical advice on avoiding heavy lifting.
On a …
Documentation is officious nonsense; there is a lot of documentation. What -- precisely -- is the point of a "Documented" vessel? Primarily, the USCG agrees to recognize our name. They agree so strongly that they assign a number as a surrogate for the name. That's right. The privilege of documenting your vessel's …
The "Five F's" include Flood, Falling Overboard, Fire, First Aid, Famine. Let's wring our hands over flooding. This is a subject which can make one very distraught. It takes some work to be optimistic.
Red Ranger has a number of holes in the hull. All of which are fairly serious …
Part of boat buying is The Survey. Part of the survey is to identify and disclose any "issues" with the boat. One of things our survey disclosed that "Foredeck exhibits excessive moisture and deterioration of core material from bow to aft of windlass and houser, repair and install better backing …