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.
Many boats are hauled out and winterized in the fall. In the frozen north, it's essential to prevent damage to all systems with water in them; specifically, freshwater, heads and engine. But in Middle Peninsula — Deltaville, VA — haul-out seems to be optional. Some days are a bit too chilly to …
Davits for lifting the dinghy seem like such a good idea. And such a bad idea.
We've chartered many boats, and towed many dinghies. A towed dinghy has problems. At night, in calm waters, it can clunk against the hull. Stuff grows on the bottom. It's tempting to thieves.
Davits …
This is one of those "Can you really do that?" topics.
Our foredeck hatch leaks. We can replace it with a nice Vetus or Lewmar hatch. Or, we can have just the lens replaced by Atkins and Hoyle or Select Plastics. Gerry (of The Incredible Hull) suggests replacing the entire …
The blistering heat of summer is behind us. The job list has nothing ranked "top" priority, or "pre-launch" or "critical". We're down to "improvements" and "nice-to-haves".
Further — and this is the important part — we're thinking about making a 100nm trip to Annapolis for the annual Whitby-Brewer Rendezvous in West River …
For the last -- I don't know precisely -- year, maybe two years, our dinghy has been sitting in the gravel parking lot, or over on the dinghy rack with other lost or abandoned dinghies. The lost dinghy collection is one of those forlorn marina things. Deflated inflatables. Puddles of dead leaves …
A chartplotter is insanely sophisticated. Installation of this high-powered computing device was shocking. Shocking. I had studied my wiring carefully to try and figure out exactly how to replace the old -- simple -- Garmins with this new, complex chartplotter.
The Standard Horizon CP300i has a complete GPS system (itself very complex …
It felt like a graduation day. Everything really worked the way it was supposed to.
The most important thing was a certain lack; a missing gall or burr; an absence of nagging worries.
On Sunday hosted the Previous Owners, Bob and Patty. Their life together -- marriage and three kids -- is …
Making final decisions can be hard. There's a fair amount of "buyer's remorse" from simply making the decision. And it's a religious kind of experience. A chartplotter represents a search for truth in a world of uncertainty. We're seeking confidence that we're doing the right thing. Really.
I started by …
Most folks only get to make one Sailrite Stackpack. We get to make two. Which -- if you like to sew -- might be a delight. We started small (with the 12' mizzen). Then we had to tackle the 16' main. Moving up meant a great deal of problem-solving. More than we …
Two of the Essential Questions are "Where are we?" and "Where are we going?"
Other Essential Questions include "When will we get there?", and "Will there be lunch?" After all, sailing is all about eating in new locations. But you have to get there before you can enjoy your lunch …
Most folks only get to make one Sailrite Stackpack. We get to make two. Which -- if you like to sew -- might be a delight.
The first of anything is a learning process. New materials, vast size, different engineering of the various fabric components. A lot to learn.
The Stackpack process …
Ordinarily, one doesn't care much about this. Until, of course, the current cut of the sail becomes a problem. Then we have to modify things. It's not a big job, and I took a few pictures to show how it works.
Also, we made a few mistakes, which helped is …
Sunday, we loaded the truck with stuff, ready to install the Sailrite Stack Pack cover on the mizzen. Two 10' pieces of 3/4" PVC pipe. Check. Stack Pack kit. Check. Tools. Check. Plan for managing the assembly process. Check.
The pipe is important for supporting the top of the …
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 …
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 …