A billion dollar suck up, a surprising cover of Louie Louie, and a book some folks seem to need… An interesting DIY wind vane, self-steering gear which seems to be based loosely on the Hebridean. For what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure that the Hebridean just might be the best wind vane, self-steering gear available …
John Scalzi on how to prove you’re a US citizen, something about Native American education, and Daniel Ford says what I’ve been thinking… Part of the appeal of an electrical auxiliary system is that it’s simple, easy to put together, and inexpensive. Well, compared to marine industry pricing. But, keep in mind “Marine” electric propulsion …
A film I want to see, an important point you can take to the bank, and in the “Holy fuck how stupid can you get” department… I had planned to post something about the charter business today but that will have to wait for the weekend and, hopefully, it will be worth the wait. In …
Something I did not know about landfills, an interesting read, and some Cosplay Barbie news… The June issue of Caribbean Compass has an interesting article about crossing the Atlantic west to east entitled Crossing the Atlantic, an Electric-Powered Passage: Part II. It’s worth the read. However, I have a few quibbles with the methodology and …
Some Caribbean history, a podcast of note, and in the “just like a really bad movie” department… As someone who keeps a weather eye out for the cost of self-steering gears, I find the current resale value of the Navik gear somewhat surprising. Not that long ago, the average price of a Navik ranged from …
Wendig on AI, Neil Young making sense, and in the “WTF Texas” department… As I’ve oft mentioned before, I actually like working on boats. Well, let’s say most of the time. The parts where being a big guy working in tiny spaces is a sorta/kinda bummer. However, the boat work I most enjoy is when …
A needful read, EBM asks a question, and in the “anticipatory nature to fascism” department … Some days I just want to scream. One of the not needful at the moment projects on my list for the Islander is installing a mini-bowsprit or ‘prod’ to make flying a gennaker or spinnaker simpler. Of course, I …
A good point, corruption run amuck with a dash of Star Wars, and in “The Boss is right” department… So, here’s a dinghy that really caught my attention. It’s the plywood/glass Barket 2.3 from Faursail in France and it’s a pretty awesome dinghy. Rips right along with a 4HP outboard and I hesitate to say …
A letter worth reading, some interesting science, and in the “a woman with a plan” department… Just about everyday I find myself confronted with new gear that someone wants me to buy that I don’t need. Today it was Sailsense. I’ll admit, at first look the idea of an automatic logging system seems attractive. Of …
A needful read, regarding AI/audio books, and the stupid, it burns… I’ve never been a fan of the Hydrovane self-steering gear as I feel they are overly expensive and prefer trim tab auxiliary rudder systems. That said, this guy seems to have built a hydrovane type gear for somewhere around $50. Which, judging from the …
