An interesting sleep regime, some timely history, and in the “well, of course he does” department… I’m a huge fans of friction rings and their multitude of uses aboard a boat. They’re simple, bombproof, and they used to be affordable. Well, sadly, they became popular and before you could say… “We could really gouge with …
An inspired ruse, some Caribbean tourism notes, and in “how 2026 is not the year I was looking forward to” department… So yeah, the first weekend of 2026, while not unexpected, pretty much crushed my après-holidaze vibe. The ongoing news regarding the clusterfuck, pretty much meant nothing positive was accomplished. No books were read and …
Some facts you might want to check out, an AI boondoggle, and in the “wishing Denmark would do a VI buy back” department… So the other day, our propane tank ran out of gas. For those unaware of the nature of such things, it ran out half way to making my first cup of coffee …
A scary milestone, an apt situational rant, and in the “about those numbers” department… The key to saving money outfitting or cruising really devolves to the simple act of asking the right questions, doing the math, and making an informed decision. Dead simple, right? So, as it happens, I want a tablet for navigation use …
Some Caribbean news, a bad dream from Snarky Penguin, and some good news on the salmon front… So, it’s almost Thanksgiving and my thoughts bounce back and forth between the collective insanity of the world, a dodger, and what to cook for the “T” day. Too many conundrums for sure. One conundrum I’ve finally solved …
A cruising blog you should be reading, an excellent point, and in the “why you need that flu shot” department… One project I’ll do on the Islander is replace the too-deep galley sink with something shallower. Since I’m too cheap to buy a stainless sink, I’ll make one. Plywood/glass being my choice. The project itself …
A hearts & minds disaster, living in hard times, and some Caribbean news of note… My plan for today is to dig out the $100 Wen drill press again and do some drilling. This tool really ups the game in making boat bits especially when working with materials like stainless steel. Not having to go …
Sail Delmarva saying something needful, some GPS hi-jinks, and in the “just in case you weren’t paying attention” department… It occurred to me that most of my catch-up tasks of late have been working on outboards from the last century. As it happens, today’s task is a 3HP Yamaha which I’m pretty sure was built …
This, sorta/kinda, made my head explode, the struggle continues, and in the “help a senior pet” department… As it happens, I’ve never thought that the Hydrovane was a particularly good design compared to other auxilliary rudder windvane systems. The RVG or Auto-Helm, in my opinion, make a lot more sense. I base this opinion mainly …
a couple of thoughts on windvane steering design… Read More »
Something you might want to read, a special level of stupid, and in the “a better work week” department… I recently noticed that Fiji now requires folks to have an AIS transponder for anyone sailing in their waters. Sadly, I expect, this sort of thing is going to be a common requirement for a lot …
