Cruising With Cloverleaf

GARMIN MYSTERY MAPS

2011-06-25T15:58:00.007-04:00

As an addendum to my previous post, GARMIN CHART PLOTTERS, HAVE THEY LOST THEIR WAY, I thought I would post some pictures of exactly how these charts look, what I call the Garmin mystery maps, to illustrate the point I am making. The purpose of this is to bury Garmin with complaints, so maybe they will do something about it. A pity to ignore a great piece of equipment because they seem to have forgot how to make a navigation chart.

Do you recognize any of the names on the chart? I don't. This is the main port of the whole west coast of Florida, Tampa Bay and further south. This is the main cruising area of the west coast of Florida. Here is an example of how a normal map would look.

I am sorry the pictures aren't as large as I thought, but you can still see Tampa Bay plainly marked, and below that Sarasota Bay and further south Charlotte Harbor and Punt Gorda, the places you would be looking for as you plan a cruise of the west coast. I am sure the names Bird Key or Whiskey Kay, or Perico Island, would mean as little to you as they do to me.

Get on the ball people and write to cartography@garmin.com. If you want more illustrations, I have more, just write and ask, but believe me when I say, this same thing is true of any place you look.

Dolphin Encounter 2

2011-06-24T14:47:00.002-04:00

Tom Hethrington, the "shooter" of the dolphins playing under our bow, tells me this is a later edited version.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqYhnbgWgRc

M/Y " Cloverleaf " Dolphin Encounter

2011-06-12T09:03:00.003-04:00

Refrigerator for the Cruising Boat

2011-06-04T19:47:00.008-04:00

Our refrigerator/freezer on the Cloverleaf, like the Cloverleaf, is 21 years old. We have owned the boat for the past 11 years, and it has been 11 years of constant appreciation for this super piece of boat equipment. It is a Sun Frost, designed and mostly sold to people who live "off the grid", people, like boaters, who must supply their own power to run electrical appliances. It is not the most beautiful of refrigerators, or one full of great gimmicks, so what makes it so perfect? It is its minimal power drain. We run the Sun Frost off our batteries, and it adds no extra time to our generator charging time, which runs from almost nothing on the days we are traveling and our alternator on the engine charges the batteries, to about two to three hours a day, when we are sitting at anchor. The unit is air-cooled and uses between 60 to 90 amps per day, depending on ambient temperature.

It is when another boater comes aboard and complains about the hours and hours a day, sometimes half the day or more, that he must run his generator to keep his refrigerator happy, that we really realize what a gem we have. We have had to replace a few minor items, like the gaskets around the doors, and recently a glass shelf that Dave broke while cleaning. It is not self defrosting, and we had to make our own "drawers" using inexpensive plastic storage boxes, but these are small trade offs for the freedom of not running the generator any more than we would, if we just had an old fashioned ice box.

You can find Sun Frost at www.sunfrost.com or write to them at info@sunfrost.com

Hope this information will help you choose refrigeration you can live with, on your motor boat or sailboat.

GARMIN CHARTPLOTTERS: HAVE THEY LOST THEIR WAY?

2011-05-14T09:45:00.002-04:00

GARMIN CHART PLOTTERS: HAVE THEY LOST THEIR WAY?

I have owned a Garmin Touch Screen Chart Plotter since late 2007, and thought it was god’s gift to boaters. No more, since my original was switched for a newer version recently, when I had locking up issues. I want everyone who has a Garmin, or everyone considering buying a Garmin to look at the pre-loaded charts and see if you see what I see. If you see what I am going to describe, then be forewarned before you buy, or if you own one, complain vigorously to Garmin, and maybe this once fine product can be turned back into a proper chart plotter. If you are only planning to cruise inside the Intercoastal Water Way, you will have no issue, but for those of you planning offshore hops, or long range planning to islands in the Bahamas, there are serious issues.

Let me describe overall what I mean, and then in some detail. When I look at a map, one that covers anything from the whole coast line of Florida, or from Florida to the Chesapeake, I would expect to see major cities on the coast, and major harbor entrances. For instance, going up the coast of Florida, Key West, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Ft. Pierce, Jacksonville, Fernandina, all having first class entrances, should be named. When you zoom in another level, more of the minor entrances, still reasonably safe, should be named. The closer in you go, the more detail it is possible to put on the chart, the more harbor entrances of lesser quality can be detailed, along with smaller towns, bridges and their details, until you get down to the information critical to those traveling the waterways. But lets stick with the major maps, the ones I have issues with.

I will pick just a few places to illustrate the point I am making, starting with Palm Beach and Lake Worth Inlet. Starting at the 30 mile scale, which shows the whole east coast of Florida from Miami to Jacksonville, both on the chart in the smallest letters possible, you are also given, Delray Beach, Pine Island, Kid Creek, Landing Strip. That’s it folks for a whole coast with four more major entrances left unindicated.

At the 20 mile scale, from Miami to 230 NM north you now see, Miami, in small letters, Ojus, large letters, Boca Raton, large letters, Lantana, even larger and in all caps, Everglades I. and Munyon I., in large letters as is Corset I., John’s I., Troust Creek, small, Tortoise I., large, then Cocoa, all caps, and Titusville-Cocoa Airport. Nothing else is indicated from there north to Jacksonville, written in very small letters.

At 12 miles, zeroing in on the Palm Beach area you still have Lantana, in caps, and Munyon I. north to Corset I.

At 8 miles Lantana has disappeared, instead you have Boynton Beach, in caps, Airport, then five miles north of that, Palm Beach International Airport, then on the coast in small letters some details on a red bouy and a red and white marker. North of that is Munyon Island.

At 5 mile scale, Lantana is back on the map, still in caps, Hunters I, Palm Beach Internatinal, and then Little Munyon I.

At 3 mile scale, going 9 miles north and south of Lake Worth Inlet, still unnamed, you have, Bascule Bridge, 33 Ft. at Center, in caps, West Palm Beach, in caps, Tarpon I, , and then small notes, such as Foul, Dump sites anhorage area, Wks PA.

You cannot check on these notes by zooming in since there are more and more of the I signs indicating info, and so often, what is on one scale is omitted on the next. Note the place names, which come and go.

At 2mile scale, going from 5 miles south to 5 miles north, you have Everglades i. , medium size, Royal Park Bascule Bridge, Flagler Memorial Bascule Bridge (at Center), all in caps, Lake Mangonia, small letters, then the notes at sea surrounding the entrance, still unnamed, Wks PA, North Palm Beach Waterway, very small, and Signs.

A mark with LW shows at the 1.2 mile scale, and the name Lake Worth Inlet finally shows in very small letters at the .5 mile scale but not near the inlet. The name shows, right in the inlet, at the .3 mile scale.

If you go to the west coast of Florida it is the same story, islands you never heard of which will come and go at different scales, and the only recognizable name is Sarasota. Tampa Bay, great and mighty Tampa Bay, or Tampa/St. Pete, Naples, Charlotte Harbor Ft. Meyers, Marco island, don’t show up until you are in a very small scale. You have to go to the 2 mile scale to find the names of Tampa and St. Pete, It is worth going in step by step on Tampa Bay to see what I mean.

Even the Bahama islands will leave major islands unnamed, like Long island, Crooked Island or Acklins Island. Pigeon Cay is the only identifier on Long Island at the 30 mile scale. I suspect this wide spot on what looks like was part of the salt pan dyke system was some one’s idea of a joke. The major town, Clarence Town is not named until the 800 feet scale, and Salt Pond, the other major settlement is never named, although Salt Pond Cay is, and Thompson Bay makes it in in small letters at the .5 mile scale.

If someone could make sense of this for me, I would appreciate hearing. Why one area is given multiple names, but not the initial important one you need, I will never understand. Final example, Final example, Port Royal Sound, a major entrance is marked at first Otter Island, then Hunting I on the 30 mile scale. Then it becomes Morgan Island on the 20 mile scale, then Lemon I. and Bay Point on the 12 mile scale, then Morgan, Hunting and Lemon I. are all on the 8 mile scale, Beaufort County Airport shows on the 5 mile scale, so you get a cue of where you are, Port Royal Sound finally shows on the ,8 mile scale.

Please protest to Garmin for me and for your own sake, if you want one of the best, most inexpensive chart plotters, but loaded with proper maps. As cruisers, we don’t need local airports before harbors, or islands reachable only by kayaks or canoes. If you only do the ICW, as I said before, this is not an issue, but if you are a stranger in a strange land or planning off shore jumps, it sure is.

A COLLECTION OF THINGS WE'VE LEARNED

2011-01-25T11:45:00.002-05:00

BOATER BEV’S BLOG

A COLLECTION OF THINGS WE’VE LEARNED

It took a long time for us to realize that running our boat at normal cruising speed, seven to nine knots, in shallow water, under nine feet, not only caused a distinct rumbling sound, serving as an excellent depth sounder, but caused the back of the boat to sink, so our swim platform submerged. We found it was common knowledge among tug boat captains, but it was a slow learning process for us.

For those of you who bring an anchor into a hawse pipe, and the anchor must be brought up and face the right direction to house it, rather than try to lean over with a long pole poking at it to turn it about, just back up as you bring it aboard, and it will automatically turn facing the way you need it.

Here’s how to clean your anchor quickly, when it wants to bring a big sample of the bottom aboard with it. When it comes off the bottom, and has come up a few feet, give it a quick drop. This assumes you are in clear water where you can see what is happening, and you are not moving. If any thing remains on the anchor, backing will help clean it, without banging it on the hull. Of course you must have a wash down on the chain as it comes aboard, and it still pays to stand by with a hose in hand. Best of all, if your boat didn’t come with an enclosure that keeps the dirty water from running down the deck, you can often build your own, and cut some scuppers in the toe rails at the low point of the blocked area, so the dirty water runs overboard.

Don’t mix metals in your twelve volt wiring, such as using a stainless washer on your battery terminal bolts. Use a copper washer to match the copper wiring. If possible, use copper or bronze bolts on the battery terminal. This is really important with your major twelve volt wiring, not so much with the minor wires, although you may lose some power. Check for the extra heat generated, with your infrared thermometer.

Buy an infrared thermometer, if you don’t have one. Any good hardware store has them. They have multiple uses, such as measuring the changes in temperatures in your water and oil in your engine, and your exhaust temperatures. Remember the water temperature in your engine will change, as you go from area to area with sea temperature changes.

Get all the manuals for all your equipment. Know who made the components. Most equipment you buy, from your engines to your watermakers are assembled of other manufactures equipment, not built by the name of the company on the item. When you need a replacement part, it can be quicker and always cheaper to buy from the manufacturer of it, or a major parts supplier such as Grainger, rather than the company who assembled the item. Be sure you have aboard a Grainger catalog, a West Marine catalog, and a Defender catalog.

With very few exceptions, never anchor with two anchors. The exceptions are anchoring in a tidal sluice way, where you place one anchor upstream and one down stream, or if in a heavy gusting situation where your boat is being batted from one side and then the other, and the motion is miserable. This happened to us just once in thirty two years. Last exception is a very tight anchorage, where those around you have two anchors out. Best is to avoid these places, the risk is too great. Most times when we see someone anchored with two anchors, we know he, or his anchors, are not to be trusted, and we move away.

Get some means of communicating with your partner that is hands free, to be used when anchoring or going into a slip. We bought the combination microphone and ear phone set, the first ones at FAO Schwartz, the second set at an SSCA Gam. The two sets were the same equipment, but the first ones were half the price. Both have proved invaluable. Best part of the second set is the soft case that came with it, which keeps the off switch from being moved to on accidentally. Doesn’t help if we just forget to turn them off

It is important to have your name on your boat so it can be read, by either a boat along side of you or astern, if you want other boats to communicate with you. This is really necessary in passing situations. It doesn’t help if it is on the stern and then you put your dinghy blocking it. It doesn’t help to have these pretty varnished name boards with the lettering in gold, only okay for someone strolling by your boat while it’s tied to a dock. Forget fancy lettering, just get that name big and bold, two places, on the stern and somewhere on the side of your boat. The test is, can it be read by anyone a decent distance off.

Next important thing is to have your radio on and where you can hear it while you are traveling. All this is really vital when you are traveling in close quarters like on the waterway, and it might save your boat someday when someone is trying to warn you of your proximity to danger. This happened years ago off Long island in the Bahamas when John McKie from his perch overlooking an eastward reef could not reach the boat heading for it. There is no excuse these days not to be able to communicate right from the cockpit, but I can’t believe the boats who still do not respond to calls.

Last resort to communicate your intentions in a passing situation is to use the horn. I can almost guarantee that when I do, like give a one toot, meaning I am putting my bow to starboard, the boat in front of me will move to starboard himself. Learn your passing signals and signal back to show you understand. I hate to use horn signals because of that, I hate going past someone at full tilt, but if I cannot get their attention, I have no choice but to pick the side I want, maintain a speed that gets me past as quickly as possible, and hope they don’t do something incredibly stupid. If you want a slow pass, you have to slow down yourself, and you have to be able to hear the request.

I have said this before, but it’s been a number of years. If you want to really sail your sail boat, you must have a downwind pole for those wonderful downwind days. If you can’t wing out your jib, or really effectively pole out that downwind sail, you will be rolling around with just a main or just a jib, not making enough speed to get where you want to go. Sails set on both sides of the boat keep you from rolling and keep you moving. If you want to sail upwind, you must get a well cut sail, use new technology like full battens, and learn how to set your sails. Get some sail boat racer, or a sail maker to go out with you and help you get the maximum potential from your boat, for those lovely light wind days. Know how to reduce sail on those days she’s really honking, so you’ve got the speed but can still be comfortable. You are not just a trawler with a high antenna. if you paid all that extra money for a sailing rig, learn how to use it. Too much effort? Save the money you would spend on a sailing rig, and buy a trawler, more space, more comfort, and the extra money buys you fuel.

If you really lust to live aboard for long stretches, away from marinas, make sure the other part of the crew shares your enthusiasm, and they have what it takes to keep them comfortable. They must be able to go to bed at night knowing their chance of dragging is all but nil. Twice in ten years is once too often. Keep them warm and dry, keep them out of extreme weather unless they are really up to adventure, let the one least comfortable make the decisions of when you go, and where you go. Both people must have the tools they need to make their jobs easier. A well equipped galley for the cook, the latest in navigation tools for the navigator, everything the chief engineer needs to keep things running, ways for everyone to communicate, room for the fun stuff, like books, music, and sports equipment. I’m learning life goes on without TV, since ours died, and maybe even better. The boat must have power, who wants to live without lights, refrigeration, or hot water for long periods of time? Figure out what each person must have or can learn to live without before you commit to long term cruising. Sometimes one person must have their time away from the boat, or they don’t want to make the long passages; you would be surprised how many boats are out there cruising for years, but making the accommodations so each stays within their comfort zone.

We have learned that equipment keeps improving. We all know that it is hard to keep up with the advances in computers and cell phones. The same is true of so much of our major equipment. I wish we had never spent the money we did trying to maintain our old windlass, and having the two years of aggravations we had in the process. At its best the old one was half the tool the new one is. Same was true of our old generator; years of putting up with soot and smell, and repeated failures to find all the money spent trying to keep the old one going might as well have gone immediately into replacing it. The only time we were smart was when we listened to someone older and wiser tell us we didn’t have the time to be messing around with an old main engine, and we replaced it after the first big failure. We’ve had ten years and about 40,000 miles of trouble free running. We are about to replace our autopilot, probably designed 15 to 20 years ago. It’s beginning to have some faults, and we know a new one has got to be so much better. Beside, getting parts for older equipment no longer made only works for antique restorers.

Get rid of everything you aren’t using, or are carrying because someday, you might need it and maybe it will work. Usually it won’t. Nothing makes living easier in tight spaces as getting rid of the clutter. How many small boats do we see carrying a small hard dinghy, the one they never use, and a small inflatable they do use. Better one good inflatable, and one good storage method- out of the water. Unless you really make long offshore passages, you don’t need extra sails. Keep the ones you have well maintained, check them out with a sailmaker every year, treat them right. Give the clothes you haven’t worn in years to someone who needs them. Don’t keep foodstuffs you aren’t using around for long periods of time. It isn’t that they get bad, though some do, but they lose their food value, just like old medicines can lose their efficacy. As Dave always says when asked by someone what their needs, “A dumptser.”

The learning process never ends, I am sure a month from now or a year from now, I could add a host of other things, which I will try to do, if I can remember.

2010-12-25T15:19:00.005-05:00

NEW ANCHOR WINDLASS

After three frustrating years of anchor windlass problems, involving money spent at marinas when we normally would have been anchoring, and money spent trying to fix the problems, even taking the boat to the door step of Ideal Windlass in Narragansett Bay, we finally got smart and put the money and effort where we should have in the first place, and bought a new Maxwell Windlass.

Any anchor windlass is going to get a major work out with our life style, which means moving constantly, usually a new anchorage every day or three, and anchoring as many times at it takes in any one spot to satisfy us that the anchor is truly and properly set. Our anchors weigh 200 pounds each and the chain is very heavy, and the boat is even heavier, close to seventy tons, so our windlass must be a workhorse.

We looked for a model that fit as closely as possible our existing holes in the deck for our hawse pipes, where the anchors are pulled in and the chain goes over the roller and travels forward to the holes where the chain runs down into the chain locker. This is contrary to how most systems are run, so we had to check out everything. We also wanted to deal with a company that was not just a one man operation, a lesson learned form our past experience. Doesn't matter how good the product is or was, eventually the one man can't keep up.

We met the salesman for Maxwell at the 2010 SSCA Gam in Melbourne this November, and his product looked like a good fit both for our existing structure, and had what we desired, a separate horizontal gypsy for each of our different sized anchor chains, and a rope windlass to sit on top of the housing of the horizontal motors. His firm, Florida Rigging was based in Riviera Beach Florida, and we decided to go Cracker Boy Marina there, and let them do the installation. Having someone experienced with the product is bound to save time and money.

While we waited for the windlass to come, we shipped off our anchors and chain for re-galvanizing. That went slick as can be, and saved a lot of money over buying new chain. So what is the outcome?

We are pleased punch! The speed of deployment and retrieval is so fast compared to the old windlass, 44 seconds instead of 2 minutes for 50 feet, that the job seems over before it's really begun. The re-falvanizing has eliminated most of the clean up. Now if we can just have a couple of trouble free years. so I can relax like I did for the eight years of infallible service, (add this to the 10 years it worked for the previous owner) we had with the old Ideal. I think this is also an example of how most all our equipment improves over the years, and if you can afford to replace any of your old stuff, chances are you will be glad you did.

PICTURES ON TOP- NOT WHERE I WANTED- ARE OF THE DECK PREPARED, THE WINDLASS BEING LIFTED ABOARD, AND DAVE AND THE INSTALLER FINISHING UP THE JOB.

2010-08-23T18:45:00.005-04:00

SURVIVING AND ENJOYING A MAINE CRUISE

I seem to be alone in this, but Maine is not one of my favorite places to cruise. I have always had three objections:

1. The water is too cold for comfortable daily swimming. Since this is my favorite form of exercising, swimming is important to me.

2. Fog. I have never enjoyed the adventure of groping through the fog, and now it is even more stressful.

3. Lobster pots. While I enjoy eating lobster, weaving between the swarms of pots that now exist, means there is no relaxing, no chance to enjoy the scenery, just total concentration on what is immediately ahead of you.

Why go to Maine at all? You may be the one among the multitude that falls in love with the scenery, the uniqueness that is Maine. You may want to spend a cool summer and not battle the heat. You may enjoy the challenges of navigating in fog and dodging the obstacles. You just might want something different. Why do I go? Because so many friends are cruising there, Because my son and family, which includes my youngest grandchildren spend two weeks there every summer. Because the local people are simply wonderful, and I do love lobster, especially when the price is so right. I certainly suggest you give a Maine cruise a try if you have never been, and here are my suggestions for surviving the challenges that can make it all too much if you are like me.

THE COLD WATER. It's cold for sure, has averaged 62 degrees most of the time we have been here. There are differences in locales; far up the rivers or n shallower pools, you may find warmer water, water that makes it up to 68 degrees, my lower limit. Have a wet suit of some type if you are totally determined. Find a resort with a heated pool, like Linekin Bay Resort, where you can anchor and pay a day fee, or take a mooring, if you prefer. Not too many places like this, but they do exist, enquire around. Substitute walking in the comfortable weather as your major exercise.

THE FOG: The first law for cruising in foggy country, if you are a wuss like me, is AVOID WHENEVER POSSIBLE. The weather in Maine is mostly fine, mostly light to no winds, never too hot, but fog can form. Listen closely to the forecasts; when you hear those words patchy fog or fog possible, stay put, or move during the part of the day that they are not calling for fog. Prime rule for surviving the Maine cruise and enjoying it, is be flexible, and do not have a tight schedule, so you can wait for the sunny days to travel. If you do get caught, and sooner or later you will, have a radar, and know how to use it, have a fog horn and have your radio tuned to 16, so you can broadcast your position, and listen to those who are giving theirs. Plot your course as far off the beaten path as possible to avoid the majority of traffic, skip the wiggling through the island obstacle courses that can be fun on a clear day, and try to plan your passage to stay as much inland as possible, since it may be clear there. Go slow, have two of you at the helm, one running the boat, the other the radar man, with his, or her eyes glued to the radar set. If you go ashore in the evening, leave plenty of lights on in the mother ship, know what direction you took going to shore, and have a compass in the dinghy if you find yourself groping your way back. A radio is a good thing also. Nothing beats just waiting out the fog, plan your cruise so this is possible.

THE LOBSTER POTS: If you enjoy lobster where the price is right, then you have to have a positive attitude toward most of the pots. I see no excuse for placing them in a channel going under a bridge, or a narrow, tricky passage, but they are usually there. So start by protecting your boat. A long keel with either a small space between the back of the keel and the rudder, or a shoe that runs from the keel to the rudder post will prevent most lines from getting wound up in your prop, the worst scenario. If this does happen to you, I've been told reversing may back the line off. Don't know for sure, never happened to us so far. If you have stabilizers, put something in front of them to keep the lines from getting between the stabilizer and the hull, and then keep the stabilizer in standby if possible. This has worked for us. We did catch pots on our stabilizers three times in the past. This year our score is zip. Thirdly learn to use your binoculars to look ahead, and figure out where there is a clear channel, though it may be narrow, or the area with far fewer pots than others. Sometimes this is along the shore, sometimes it is close to a course around a buoy that everyone must round, and sometimes you simply get out of phase and can't find anything but a web of pots. That's where you press on regardless, and hope for the best.

A big change in cruising Maine from our first time thirty years ago is the impossibility of anchoring in so many places, because of the proliferation of moorings and pots. Study your guides, pick brains, use internet sites and identify where you can anchor, if that is your preference, or where there is a possibility that you can get a mooring, or a marina berth if the pocketbook allows. It really helps to do some planning. It seems to be a routine to take any empty mooring, and if the owner comes along, you relinquish it. We don't do this. You never know what size boat the mooring was designed to handle, and how well it has been maintained. Granted it is calm about 95% of the time at night, which is why most people get away with this.

So back to the planning board, the backbone of your survival tools for your Maine cruise. If you want to anchor, know the places where anchoring is no problem. If there are places you just must go to and can't anchor, make sure you can get a mooring or a slip. Plan your cruise to stay longer in fewer places, so you have plenty of time to wait out bad conditions, and less time spent traveling. It is not the joy of relaxing and appreciating the scenery it once was, so make what is is, work for you. Join a group cruise of some sort. We were part of two groups, and participated in two rendezvous. The planning that goes into these cruises multiples your enjoyment, and the sociability can't be beat. We would never have known the pleasure of seeing the Maine Botanical Gardens, or enjoyed an evening at the Acadia Theater at the head of Soames Sound, or found some of the great restaurants we did, if someone else hadn't done their homework. If we come back next year to join friends and family, I will enjoy it more knowing what to expect and how to plan where we will go and how to keep the frustrations to a minimum.

CRUISING INTO THE GOLDEN YEARS: PART TWO

2010-05-11T10:53:00.000-04:00

CRUISING INTO THE GOLDEN YEARS: PART TWO

Compensating for Health Issues

Okay, we are on the downhill slide, but think of these as your “coasting years”, like with sledding or skiing, coasting, going with the flow, can be the easy part. You just relax, take the bumps when they come, but don’t stop going. You do have to dress for the weather, choose the easier path, and keep you equipment, i.e. your body, in as good shape as possible. All these things are related.

One of the things we do as active cruisers, always on the move, is practice “catch me if you can” medical care. We would drop in to see our doctor, and I can’t tell you how many different doctors in different places, tell him or her we would be in the area for anything from a week to a month, and let them give us a hurried up exam to make sure the sword of Damocles wasn’t hanging over our heads. If you are a likely candidate for a heart attack or stroke, something that would leave your partner or crew in a potentially dangerous situation, you want to know about it, and choose where you cruise differently, (the easiest path). You want to tend to things you can help, like joints that may make you more prone to falls, and for sure you want to get really serious about how much, and what you eat and drink. This is the voice of wisdom learned a bit too late. Be very serious about this; my favorite self help book on the subject, Mindless Eating.

As you grow older, and if more things crop up, you will have to give more time to taking care of yourself, just like you do your boat, as it ages. But like the boat, know what your doctor is recommending you take, why, and what are its downsides. You are your own best defense, against bad work on the boat and bad advice from your doctor, especially if you aren’t on the scene for the follow up exams. It isn’t his entire fault when you are asking him to do things in a hurry. If things get more serious, you may have to cruise with a short leash, but it doesn’t mean you can’t still roam the world, just not all at once. The cruising life is by its nature about as healthy a life style as you can choose.

You have to think of medical issues even harder the further you go from home waters, especially if you go foreign, but as Dave loves to say, “You don’t fall off the edge of the world when you leave the United States.” All over the world you will find medical care on a par or even better than our own. If you are on Medicare, or insurance that will only cover you in the USA, you will find yourself weighing the decision of which costs more, a standard check up somewhere else that may be less than your air line ticket, or pay for the ticket and see the kids and grandkids at the same time. If it is an emergency, requiring long time care, it is very nice to have bought DAN insurance, an acronym that stands for Divers Alert Network. Look into what they have to offer, in terms of transporting you back, or what else might be out there. You have to think about these things, and be prepared for more things possibly going wrong; just think of it as part of the adventure. To quote from Ulysses again:

How dull it is to pause, to make an end,

To rust unburnished, not to shine in use! 

I know you are familiar with “Use it or lose it”, and it’s true of our minds, our bodies and our boats.

Choosing the Easier Path

To get back to choosing the easier path, where are you going to cruise? I don’t think too many of you are thinking of motoring yourself around the world, and chances are very good, you shouldn’t. But that does not mean you can’t see the whole world. That is the function of yacht transporters, like Dockwise, or Yacht Path, to get you to those far off places, that are so fascinating, where you can see a whole other part of the world, while still staying in more protected waters, needing only short passage times. To me, short used to be 48 hours; last year I decided 36 hours was a long enough stretch. We can travel three hundred miles in thirty-six hours. A lot of territory can be covered in these short chunks, more than is required in most of the great cruising grounds. That is what defines great cruising grounds, lots of places to explore, close together, minimal passage time between protected anchorages or harbors. We crossed the whole Med with just two overnights. We could get all the way to Trinidad without any passage being as much as twenty four hours, and only a few of those or do it the easy way; ship it down and come back with the seas behind you. Years ago a book was written about doing just that called Isles to Windward, the author, a great sailor, but still looking for that downhill sleigh ride.

As we get older and everything seems to take more time, a very simple day can be exciting enough. We can keep the tire out of the re-tire-ment years. Unless we have company, we often lie in bed until eight, listening or watching the news, (our favorites, Morning Joe and NPR, then a leisurely breakfast, usually on the back deck, admiring our container grown flowers, and reading aloud a chapter in a book. Right now it’s one of our David Sedaris books, the second one this month. By ten we are ready to go to work on whatever projects are at hand. Today was a writing day for me; it was an all day Labor Day for Dave changing the watermaker membranes. Yesterday it was a second round of coffee with old cruising buddies, and then some simple projects, and a lovely snorkel on the reefs on the outside of our island anchorage. The day before that was a minimal work day, fixing the wash machine for Dave so I could get some laundry done, and then a long afternoon’s lunch in a new and lovely setting ashore with a group of sailing friends, old and new. Each day has been a joy, in a quiet and relaxing manner. Mix these up with company weeks, weeks with children and grand children, and old friends, 18 people so far since the beginning of the year, when days are much more adventurous, seeing and doing whatever is interesting, wherever we are. Then there are the longer distance traveling days, the days spent playing motorboat captain and crew as we travel our usual couple thousand miles a year, and then the time spent exploring areas new to us.

In hindsight we realize we had a great winter just staying at the marina in Florida last winter, in spite of the health issues that kept us there, and the cold weather that made even using our heated pool impossible. There is just so much on offer in a larger, vibrant community, when just walking beaches hunting shells has lost its luster. No matter where we are, on a boat, life is always interesting.

DRESSING FOR THE WEATHER

By dressing for the weather I mean, keeping yourself comfortable. Another favorite Dave expression is, “To me, well dressed is warm and dry.” I covered a lot of this in section one, the need for heat of some sort when it is cold, and air conditioning when it is hot. Your tolerance for weather extremes goes way south, as you should, when you grow older. You know how you used to make fun of the old ladies saying they have to change seats in a restaurant because they feel a draft? Well now, we are they.

We get by comfortably on our boat with a reverse cycle air conditioner, and a couple of heat cubes. Most times we are at anchor so if it is a hot, sticky time, we save our generation time, usually two to three hours daily, for the evenings, when we can keep the bugs out, (especially no see’ums) we get the boat cooled down and dried out, and often with the edition of fans, this will keep us comfortable most of the night. Most times when we have needed heat, like our winters aboard in the Med, we have been in a marina with power, so the reverse cycle worked great to give us a quick shot of heat in the early morning, and then our heat cubes would keep us warm enough during the day. The point is, if you aren’t comfortable, you are not going to enjoy the life style, or you will not want to live aboard full time. This is a perfectly acceptable option, and actually the choice most people make. Even my mother would never give up her condo ashore to live full time on their boat. It was her safety net.

Keep in mind the devastating effects of too much sun. Sunscreen, hats, sleeves and pant legs, (they also protect from bugs) are your friends. Also awnings, and mesh sunshades covering whatever windows they will work on, and as drop down shades on your covered decks. Please remember to put UVA and UVB blocking film on your large inside windows, even if they are tinted. You can’t believe the difference this can make, in terms of protecting you, your furniture, and just keeping you cooler.

Choose your clothes wisely. Keep them simple, preferably not needing dry cleaning or ironing. If at all possible, have a washer and dryer aboard. Impossible to calculate how much time and energy that will save you. Choose clothes that can be layered up and down, and as few as possible. The space you can save in a hanging locker can be used for that washer /dryer. Don’t forget to have aboard that one item that will take you to a funeral, a sudden meeting, or anything else where you won’t have time to shop but must make a nice appearance. Unlike shore life where you don’t want to be seen in the same thing over and over again, the same people will rarely see you over and over again, and they won’t care anyway. Forget the foul weather gear you associated with sail boating. You are going to be steering from inside some sot of shelter, whether up or down, and if up isn’t protected now, make it so.

Protect yourself from insects. Their bites may make you very uncomfortable and also spread some nasty diseases. Have screens for all openings, use bug repellant where you must, learn some tricks for keeping them away, like burning mosquito coils when you want dinner on the back deck, or burning a bit of coffee in a saucer as a deterrent to bees. Amazing how well this works. If you like to get in the water as a daily form of exercise, and you are going to be where there are “stingers” in the water, get s fully covering nylon suit, or “skin”. Mine unfortunately is not quite thick enough, and the nasty flies that like to attack me can bite right through it. I would also look for a lighter color, mosquitoes and flies like darker clothes.

Most of what I am saying applies to boaters of any age; it’s just even more important when your tolerance levels, and your energy levels go lower, and everything requires more effort. You are cruising for adventure, for a chance to see and experience and taste new things, and don’t forget, for the FUN OF IT. If you have to give up all the things that made life easier and comfortable back home, you may quickly lose the fun of it, and this is even truer in the golden years. Keep compensating, the Golden Rule, for what you’ve lost, so that you can keep on cruising, keep on enjoying, keep on living.

CRUISING INTO THE GOLDEN YEARS

2010-05-01T16:35:00.001-04:00

CRUISING INTO THE GOLDEN YEARS

Who says there is a time limit to when you can start or must stop cruising? It’s like anything else in life, if you feel like doing it, if you are willing to compensate for whatever handicaps age has brought you, you can go cruising. You can do it well and comfortably, you just have to make the right choices.

First thing is to be realistic about the changes that living long years have probably dealt you. In the words of my favorite poem, Ulysses by Tennyson

Tho' much is taken, much abides; and though 

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are; 

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will 

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

You are not going to be as strong, or as agile, or as indefatigueable, you are not going to see as well or hear as well, you will not tolerate extreme heat or cold, or too much sun. You want and need more of your creature comforts, so how do you compensate? Just like you don’t sleep on the ground in a pup tent anymore, but can still enjoy being in the great outdoors traveling in an RV. Forget you were passionate about sailing, unless you have a full time crew, or an occasional berth on someone else’s boat. I went into detail about this in an article in PassageMaker magazine, but it boils down to your inability to handle a mast that fell over and is trying to punch a hole in your boat, or going up to the top of the mast to change a necessary light or repair a halyard, or scrunching into the essential mechanical places that always need maintenance and repairs. If you do scrunch and bend and spend long periods on your knees one day, you are going to be shot down for the next three. If you already own a sailboat, you can compensate by motoring, which is what so many sailors do anyway. My good friend Ruth, whose husband is ninety says, “Just think of us as a trawler with masts”. But what I am saying is, if you are buying a boat, BUY YOURSELF A MOTOR BOAT!

In cruising, it doesn’t matter how you got to paradise, and the great cruising grounds are truly paradise, it’s the fact that you are there. You could have sailed all your life, and loved nothing more than the “wheel’s kick, and the wind’s song”, but there is a life, a cruising life, a messing about in boat’s life after sailing. Most of us on trawlers are a case in point. You will have more space, at a time in life when you need more space, you will have more of the creature comforts, when these can become necessities, you will have a dedicated engine room, and don’t cheat on the size of the engine room or cram it full with more than you need in an engine. Remember scrunching days are over. You will not have to risk your life going out on deck to reef a sail in adverse conditions when your sense of balance is less than it once was, you won’t have to be wet, or cold, or too hot, or swatting flies. Instead, you will sit in your dry, heated or cooled pilot house, turning on the wipers if it rains, all your controls at your finger tips, and life, your cruising life, goes happily on. When it’s dinner time you won’t have to dumpster dive into your top loading refrigerator, and when it’s bed time, you won’t have to hoist yourself up into a small bunk, or crawl over your partner if your lucky enough to still have one. Your engine room will be easy to get into, around and about and out of, as you do your daily checks, and you should be able to see all sides of your engine. Granted, you will have more of all the goodies, meaning not just a nicer life style, but more things to maintain and fix, but it will be so much easier to do.

I hope I have convinced you, that if you are into the ‘golden years”, over 65, to think only of what kind of motor boat you are going to get. I know at 65 you can be quite capable of the sailing life, but if you look ahead, by 70 to 75, it will be difficult, and changing to another type of boat at that point is really tough. Don’t think a motor boat is necessarily simple. Generally speaking, you will have more mechanical features, meaning more stuff to learn how to use and to maintain, although the maintenance does not require strength and agility, just keeping your mind nimble.

Now what kind of boat will you buy, or what should you do to your present boat to compensate for those years? Let’s start with the second question first., what to do with what you have, to keep you cruising, because these are the same things you may have to add to any new boat you buy.

1. Simplify: Dave’s usual answer when asked. “What does my boat need?” is short and sweet, “A dumpster.” Don’t make your boat a repository for everything you might possibly need someday. A cluttered boat, cluttered lockers, and cluttered workspace, only makes it difficult to move around, to find anything when you need it, and to keep your boat ship shape. You probably wear less than half the clothes you have aboard, use less than half the towels and sheets, have more books than you can read in a year or two, extra pots and pans that seldom or never get used, and enough food to keep you going for six months. Get rid of what you are not using, get rid of everything seldom used that will make it easier to find what you do need, and easier to keep clean and organized. Really assess your spare parts and tools; whittle to the essentials. Fan belts and hoses have a shorter life span than you think in a hot boat, don’t carry a life time supply. Assess what can break that will put you out of business, and have that aboard. In other words, carry what you need to get to the nearest port that has supplies or a Fed Ex, or a rental car. Chances are you will have no long off shore passages, you will not be alone in some deserted island, (try and find one these days), those were dreams of younger years. Don’t burden yourself as if you were going to be.

2. Handholds everywhere. Put a grab rail everywhere you find yourself gripping at a wall, or at nothing, trying to gain some support. You may be able to do a balancing act now, even though that is always dangerous in a boat, but we are talking about carrying on when you won’t be able to get out of that dinghy bouncing around off the stern of your boat, without something to easily grab onto on the mother ship, and even to help you maneuver inside the dinghy. Look at my pictures of my “Granny Rail”, in an earlier blog. We even have a grab rail outside the head compartment to steady us as we swing onto and then off the seat.

3. Get some simple exercise equiment, from bicycle like pedals you sit in a chair to push, to a simple to use swim ladder, rubber bands, even a dance tape you can keep up with. I used to use two canes, then went to Nordic hiking poles, after my second knee replacement and now the light of my life is a walker with four 8 inch wheels and a seat, and a carrying basket. Suddenly I can walk places again, enjoy going sight seeing and shopping, and being the “mule” who hauls home the groceries. We put as much as we can in the basket on the front, and tie one of our big canvas bags loaded full, on the seat. Amazing what I can carry now with ease, when I had trouble just making the walk in the past. You need what ever it takes to maintain physical movement, because like most people in the golden years, it’s a couch potato life.

4. To make sure you enjoy the couch potato part of it, I highly recommend a TV and some sort of a dish. Try to limit how much time you spend, never give up a social hour, or a chance to explore, or doing necessary or creative things to watch the tube, but it does compensate for the movies we never get to the theaters to see, and the news and weather, and all the other great programming that is out there. This, with computers for e-mail, Face book, and Internet, cell phones, sattelite adio and Single Side Band Radio, (less important than it used to be)you will keep in touch with the modern world. You’re going to know more than you need to know, maybe even more than you want to know, but I still suggest, if you don’t already have these things, get them.

5. Make sure your lighting is improved, not just more energy efficient, but more light. Did I tell you your vision will go downhill along with everything else? We just compensated by putting a long florescent tube above the area where our favorite chairs sit in the main salon. We can now read with ease any time of the day or night. Speaking of chairs

6. Get yourself some Lazy Boys, or any kind of chairs that allow you to rock, recline and put your legs up. This last feature gets more important if you find your legs swelling, which is so often another gift of the golden years. You do what you can to compensate, remember?

7. Protect yourself from too much sun. Put ultra violet blocking film on your interior windows where you spend your daylight hours. Ditto blinds; they will save you and the furnishings. Put sunshades you can lower to screen your outside living area, and a bimini top, permanent or retractable if you have open outside seating, upper or lower.

8. Upgrade your navigational equipment, or if you don’t have some of the newer gizmos, get them. We don’t have one of these magic viewers that let you see at night, but then traveling at night breaks my cardinal rule, “never, never sail at night, always keep the land in sight.” I break the rules a few times of the year, but never plan night time entrances unless to a wide open harbor with no hazards, like Great Sale Cay in the Bahamas, where the radar will show me what I need to know-other boats. I used to use nav programs, but since using C-Maps with their own built in program, and now my touch screen Garmin, which is simplicity itself, I find my old Max Sea incredibly difficult. Get new equipment, you know how rapid the improvements come down the line, keep up with the times. On my wish list is one of the new generation radars that show targets that are up close, (the ones you are more likely to hit) and possibly replace the ten year old auto pilot. Unless you stay very close to home, like never leave the ICW, get an AIS.

9. Unless your mattress is totally comfortable, get a new one, of either memory foam or one that incorporates a layer of memory foam into the top. If you have stools you sit on, make sure they have a back. Get rid of throw rugs that have any potential of being trippers, and if you have a hatch in the floor to access you engine room, be certain it is blocked off when open. Open hatches are as dangerous as missing man hole covers. A fall in the golden years is to be avoided like the plague.

10. Check over your appliances. If you don’t have a washer and dryer, find a place and put them in. Also a water maker unless you spend a lot of time in marinas. Actually spending time in marinas is another compensation to help carry on cruising into the golden years, but one we haven’t turned to at almost 80. One day we will.

11. If you are really having problems doing everything but really want to continue the cruising life, make a guest cabin into crew’s quarters and hire crew, maybe just for longer passages, maybe to deliver the boat, and maybe just to make life easier. I will never forget the Hatteras we saw in Ft. Pierce, with a walker and a wheel chair sitting on the dock next to it. Good on them, I said. What ever you have to do to carry on, if it is your desire, do it.

I am sure there are more things, there are always more things, but this is a s far as I can go now. I will carry on in my next blog, about what to look for if you are buying, and where to cruise, and dealing with medical issues.

Keep enjoying, keep looking up, as the star gazer likes to say.

MEN AND SHIPS ROT IN PORT

2010-02-15T15:21:00.000-05:00

MEN AND SHIPS ROT IN PORT

We had a friend who you to say this in deep sonorous tones, that lent an air of veracity to what at the time just seemed funny to us. A lot of years have since

drifted by, a lot of water has passed under our keel, and I am now facing the rotting in port part, and realizing how true it is.

This year we took a break in our normal never stop moving life style, and instead of just rushing into Ft. Lauderdale for instant maintenance on our selves and our boat, we decided to give everyone, the boat yard and the doctors, time to really do their thing. I’m now convinced that you give either one long enough, you let the boat sit still long enough, and the list of things to fix never grows any shorter. And are we really ever any better for the heavy maintenance? I guess we could say yes to many things.

We don’t think Dave will have to worry about prostate problems in the near future, after traveling for years with the equipment and the knowledge of how to take care of a shut down if that occurred in some remote anchorage. I have had to face up to some age and weight related issues that have led to a healthier life style, and I hope a few more years of being able to keep wandering on both our parts. The boat finally has a proper windshield wiper blade and a heavier duty motor to drive it, our transom lockers have been sealed so hopefully we won’t pick up a load of water when we push hard enough to sink the stern, and we are also hoping some of the paint problems from our Turkish paint job have been finally fixed. The dinghy got some minor adjustments to its ten year old body, like a new towing plate in front and a new internal gas tank, plus the awkward handles that stuck out much too far, and made a smooth landing almost impossible for me, have been replaced. We love our old Carib, and haven’t seen a layout in its size we like any better, so keeping it in great shape seems worth the effort. Niftiest new thing, Dave is most proud of and I most appreciate, are his newly designed door handles for our forward facing wing doors, that make those doors easily have a positive seal, and should last the life of the boat, instead of needing replacing every year like the old Perkos.

So in many ways things are better, but I know, when we start moving again, in just a few short weeks, all sorts of problems will rear their ugly heads. Sit still in one spot long enough and the gremlins move aboard, or so it seems. That’s just another way of saying, “rot in port.” You could also use the old truism, “Use it or lose it”, and that’s true for the bodies as well. So ladies and gents, if you love your boat and love the boating life, keep on moving, as long as you can. Don’t ignore the maintenance, but an amazing amount of things can be done, especially if you’re good at fixing things, on the fly. Either West Marine or Fed Ex is everywhere, and so are good people to help, if you do a little homework. Ditto for good doctors and dentists, not as good as having real follow up care with the same person, just a small price to pay if you want to be a sea gypsy. Keep telling yourself, “MEN AND SIPS ROT IN PORT, even if you don’t tealize it, and keep on moving.

DOOR HANDLES

2009-12-16T14:01:00.001-05:00

After suffering with countless sets of door handles on our forward facing, dutch stye wing doors, which could never be closed tightly enough and were always blowing open or closed, Dave finally decided to make his own. He wanted the type that pulled shut and tightened against the weatherstripping, that you 'dogged" down, that had the capability of locking and he wanted imporvement on the piece that secured the top of our dutch door to the bottom. the one we had would jiggle loose, and the old handles would eventually break down, and refuse to either open or stay closed. He is so proud of the beauties he designed, and had the men at Cable Marine cut out and polish for him.

THE MIAMI BOOK FAIR

2009-11-16T13:56:00.000-05:00

I don't very often write about where we have been or what we are doing, but for this I will make an exception. It is that time of year when so many of you boaters are "heading south", and so many of you end up in Miami or someplace close by. I am urging you to give consideration to the Miami book Fair, as a must stop, on you way to where ever. Unfortunately, this year the dates coincided with the Seven Seas Cruising Association's annual Gam in Melbourne, but I am hoping this won't happen again.

I have always loved the Gam, and the one we attended in Annapolis, in October was superb. I always credit the Gam with giving us the impetus to go to the Med, one of our life's happier decisions, but are we sorry we missed it this year? Not on your life. Will we go to the Book Fair again next year? You bet!

Our only disappointments were Barbara Kingsolver and Orhan Pamuk, who basically read from their books, and we decided, unless you are truly funny, like Wally Lamb, and Susie Essman, reading on in a droning voice is a quick inducement to sleep, at least for me. But everyone else, from Al Gore, (standing ovation), to Ralph Nader, Sam Tanenhaus, Don Senor, Chris Hedges, Norman Podhoretz, Gwen Ifill, and the dozens and dozens more, gave us something to think about, something to laugh about, something to cheer about, and something to worry about. The world is full of great writers and deep thinkers, and this was a feast of so many of this year's best. Dave's comments as we left each all day session on the week ends, was, he didn't miss hearing another Bob Smith talk on diesel engines one bit.

I would love to go into details about each and every session, but I think you can find it on U-Tube. Sooner or later it will appear on C-Span's Book program on the weekends. For my grandchildren and their mother's, try to see Susie Essman reading the first chapter of her book, What Would Susie Say?, about how teen agers know it all, eye roll, eye roll, and then how the roles are reversed. I don't know if it is as funny just being read, because she is a master comedienne, so if it comes in a talking book, get it. We feel that way about Wally Lamb's latest, and he does do the talking book himself. I also want to read Al Gore's latest. That along with Friedman's book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, may give you a different perspective about what is possible, nay necessary, for our country's energy needs, including some of the downsides of nuclear you may not have thought about. Actually I want all my family and especially the youngest to read this book. it is the world they are inheriting, and if they don't get the generation in power to do something now, they are going to be inheriting maybe more than can be fixed.

Google the Miami book Fair web site for details, you will be amazed at what was included. Vendors selling street food from around the world were on site, along with hundreds of booksellers, from new to old and every genre.

Best thing about all of this, was a five dollar admission fee, ten if you are not a senior, on the week end days, and other than the big names that spoke during the weeknights, for ten dollars a ticket, which also bought you a drink and appetizers, the rest was free. Even parking was free. There were people who drove down from many parts of the state. They hired buses, or came as a group, staying overnight at a local hotel like Holiday Inn, on the doorstep of Miami Dade College. So all of you who live anywhere in the vicinity, put in your next year's November Calendar, to get the information on the Miami Book Fair. For the big name speakers, you must apply for tickets, (on line) which are free, but the room only seats about a thousand people, and they do run out of space. If you come by boat, anchoring by the Miami Yacht Club is very handy, a walk for the vigorous, or a short taxi ride for us lame ducks. Maybe some sort of deal could be made with them to use their dinghy dock for this occasion, without paying a fortune. When something this great is on your path of travel, it is a pity to miss it.

SSCA, I hope you try not to schedule on the same weekend next year. The week before would be perfect. For those who may not know, Seven Seas Cruising Association welcomes all boaters, or wannabees, or has beens, to join or even just participate in any and all affairs. Check out their web site, http://ssca.org/

THE C HOOK, A MUST HAVE

2009-10-26T17:58:00.005-04:00

THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR US

We call this a C hook, and it saved our bacon again today. We were anchored in an out of the way side creek off the Waccamaw river in South Carolina, out of touch with the world, when we tried to raise our anchor on this rainy cold morning, only to bring up a massive tree stump hung on the anchor chain. Dave tried knocking it off with the boat hook, then driving with it and lowering the chain again, nothing worked. Ta-dah, trumpets blare, C-hook to the rescue. I wrote about this before, but didn't have the pictures to show you what it looks like. We bought this in Turkey, but you can make your own. Dave simply grabbed the chain with the C, hooked the heavier line around our windlass and cranked it up so the stump- larger than he could have bear hugged -was about four feet out of the water, then let the line slide quickly on the winch which, was enough to shake the stump loose. Most times, when he has another anchor he is trying to get off ours, he hooks it on the offending anchor line, ties the heavier line on a cleat, then trips the smaller line, and the other anchor drops loose from ours. It sounds simple and it is simple, but I can't think of any simple way it could be done without this little miracle gadget.
DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!

FLASH, SERIOUS ANCHOR TIP

2009-10-17T17:36:00.005-04:00

DON'T BE A DRAG

Our very best tip about not dragging, is BE SURE YOU HAVE PUT OUT ADEQUATE SCOPE! This can't be repeated often enough or emphatically enough! What is adequate scope? You could use the formulas of three to one, seven to one, etc, but I say use this only as a guide line. It is not a religious imperative, and don't forget, when you apply the formula, add your bow height above water to the depth, AT HIGH TIDE to get the suggested amount. Deep water, you can reduce the proportion, shallower water, increase it. If wind is predicted, or a chance of wind, I can't believe that anything under 100 feet, even in the shallowest water, is not leaving yourself vulnerable. Bigger and heavier, put out more, anchorage too crowded, get out and find someplace else. Doesn't matter if you are the dragger or the draggee, the damage can be the same. You are safer in a more exposed anchorage, where you can put out the maximum, than to be in a tight place surrounded by other boats, all with limited scope.

Enter the anchorage, take a serious look around and choose the spot that keeps you clear of other boats if possible. Having the best protection is not as important as having a well set anchor with maximum scope. Drop the anchor, put out the amount you need to set it best, (every anchor has a different length at which it digs in best) and make sure it is set by slowly increasing the RPM to what you know is necessary to dig that anchor in. How do you know what this is? Get in and look at the anchor after it is set; if it isn't perfect, have the person left on the boat turn on the motor and again take up the RPMs slowly and keep pulling until you have achieved what you want. Note what the RPMs were and you have a base line. Did you ever watch a live sand dollar bury itself.? It slowly wiggles itself , almost just vibrates itself, and it literally wiggles itself into the sand. Your anchor will do the same thing, if it is a burying type. Some anchors simply pull up a mound to a size that they can pull up no more, and you are held, but you know that if there is a major wind shift, they will need to repeat this from the other direction. Which is why you want to allow yourself some dragging room. If you start your anchoring life in conditions where you can't get in and see the process, than pull on it with enough intensity that the person on the bow should see water coming by at a brisk rate. From there it is experience, if you never drag, especially when others around you do, you are probably doing it right. Every time you drag, you should KNOW you did something wrong. Once it is well set, then put out the scope you will need to keep you there, even in storm conditions.

Ask yourself, how many times you have dragged in the last year, the last five years, the last ten years. If you can't remember each and every time, (because there should be so few incidents) if it is more than a couple of times, even in ten years, you are doing something wrong. Dave says if you drag even once, you have failed anchoring. Even in squall conditions, unless 8 out of 10 drag, you better not blame the bottom. Compare your anchor to someone near who didn't move, compare the type and weight of chain, compare scope and technique. Figure out what you are doing wrong, so you will get it right, and go for years without incident, and so you don't have to run to a dock every time wind is predicted.

A HATCH FOR ALL WINDS

2009-10-06T11:49:00.004-04:00

This unique boat hatch is truly for all seasons and all winds. As you can see, it is a large round hatch made of Lexan, which is strong enough to stand on, easy to open and close and has never leaked. but what makes it so unique, is the ability to swivel it in any direction, to match the direction the wind is blowing over your boat, which may not be from the front of the boat when it is tied to a dock, or riding to the tide, and not the wind. You can even face it backwards, to extract air; what ever works best for the conditions. To raise it, just loosen the fitting as Dave is doing in the picture, raise it to the desired height, and tighten up the fitting. Yo change directions, put your fingers on the small fitting you see in the top of the picture, pull it loose from the wall of the hatch, swivel it where you wish the hatch to face and put it back in place. It is ridiculously simple and amazingly useful.

As you can see from the upper picture, we have five of these hatches, two in the galley, two in the forward cabin, and one in the forward head. We can snap on plastic covers to keep out sun when no one is staying up forward, and we have mosquito netting that quickly snaps on all the hatches. This is not manufactured by any maker, although I think they are missing a chance in a lifetime, but we would be glad to give any further information for those wanting to make their own.

MARINA BAY IN FT. LAUDERDALE

2009-10-03T17:22:00.001-04:00

A marina not to be missed if you plan to spend any time in Ft. Lauderdale, is Marina Bay. It is located in the upper reaches of the New River, beyond the I-95 bridge, where 95 intersects with Highway 84, making getting anywhere a snap. It has new floating docks, a country club like atmosphere, with a gorgeous heated swimming pool, (essential in the winter time), hot tub, indoor lounge with coffee always available, handball court, small exercise room, internet room, and even a small theater where movies are shown. The restaurant on site has what I think is the greatest hamburger to be had, with indoor and outdoor dining. It is surrounded by new condos that are all rental units, which makes it handy when your boat is out of the water in a nearby boat yard, to rent an apartment, and walk to the boat. Rates are reasonable compared to any comparable marina, like the ones near the beach, and long term rates, particulary in the summer, and this is considered a safe marina by our insurance company, are really reasonable. To me, the only downsides, are the long trip up the New River, so I wouldn't choose it for a weekend, and the soot in the air, which is a problem all over that part of the coast. I can live with it, because it is such a pleasant place to be, and handy for shopping, medical, and boat work, all things we do while there. It presupposes you rent a car, and again, the helpful staff at the marina will point you in the direction of an affordable rental car. Do think of it, especially if you are going to be tied up for any length of time.

2009-09-30T16:21:00.006-04:00

BOOKMARK THIS LINK

I found a web site full of invaluable information, especially on how to communicate from a boat. The creators, Jeff and Karen, are the kind of cruisers you want to meet, so if you see them on their boat, aCapella, give them a hail. Meanwhile, take the time to find the web page, and save some time to take in all the information there is posted.

http://www.activecaptain.com/

Take a look, you are bound to learn things about communication from a boat you never knew. And if you have dogs aboard, or want cruising information on the east coast, you will have found a home.

THE PERFECT CRUISING MOTOR BOAT

2009-09-07T15:57:00.008-04:00

THE PERFECT CRUISING BOAT

Is there really such a thing as the perfect cruising boat? Yes, if you have a boat that fulfills your needs, and you love her, and you are not thinking about another boat, you have the perfect cruising boat---for you. Is there a boat built that would be perfect for everyone? Absolutely not! Couple of examples: Mary and Joe want to make that Great Circle Loop that everyone talks about. They want to buy a boat, ready to go, that will allow them to do this one long trip, and sell her afterwards. Of course they go to the used market, best source of a ready to go boat, at a price that will be easy to unload when the passage is over, since it will have already taken that big dip. They choose a boat that meets the depth, and most importantly, the height requirements. They don't need stabilizers, massive storage space for food, but the ability to keep warm and cold, and keep the bugs out is important. A turn of speed, while still being fuel efficient, meaning a light weight, well designed hull, would be a priority. They will always be in civilization, so they need only the most necessary spares, a dinghy can be their life raft, good dock lines and anchoring gear are still important.

Fred and Alice, on the other hand, want to cross an ocean; they want to be real passage makers. They carefully shop both the new and used market, since they plan to keep the boat for many years, and they don't mind taking that new boat hit. They want stout, safe, and comfortable, for all the varied conditions the ocean can throw at them. The boat must have some stabilization method; they must have massive storage for food, fuel, spares, and a good life raft. They will want room for extra people, since most insurance companies require you take at least three for an ocean crossing.

Then there is Hank and Sarah, who live near a big city and just want an affordable weekend cottage. They may never leave their marina, maybe an occasional picnic cruise so the kids can go swimming. If they are social, they need lots of entertaining space, if it is for a personal get away, just big enough for them will do. Only enough equipment to get from boat yard to marina, and some very short hops; anything more, including giant powerful engines, is a waste of money.

Different boats, for different blokes.

I know you have read all this before, but it needs to be repeated over and over again. Fit the boat to where you are going to cruise, and how you like to cruise. Every night at a marina, fuel always handy, restaurants and grocery stores all about, that's one kind of boat. If living at anchor in remote places is your dream, that's another kind of boat. Buy the boat that fits your needs now, and in the immediate future. If your plans are to retire in eight years, and cross the ocean at that time, but right now you are cruising the Chesapeake, where you live, then buy and enjoy that nice Chesapeake Bay boat that will get you about faster, so you can cover more territory, in the short time frames you have, while still working. When you start crossing oceans, full displacement, slow speed is the only way to go.

We call our boat a "perfect liveaboard cruising boat". Key word here is liveaboard. The boat is our only home, other than a few things left in storage at our son's home, she must carry all our clothes, books, gadgets and gillhickies that we feel are essential for comfort and pleasure. We still had to cull. Too much "stuff", can ruin any boat. When people ask Dave what their boat needs, he most always answers, "A dumpster". If you can't store it, and retrieve it easily, if your lockers are so jammed pack you don't know what is at the bottom of them, and you've got as big a boat as you can handle, get that dumpster.

We fall into the category of liveaboards who want to spend most of their time at anchor. We are mainly in warm climates, we are often away from shoreside amenities, and we figured our longest off shore passages would be one to three days. We had dreams of cruising the Med, but any ocean crossings would be done using one of the yacht transport companies. To sum it up: If you want to cruise long distances in short steps, keeping yourself within fairly reliable weather windows, and spending most of your time at anchor, do the following:

1. Get as large a boat as you can manage, both physically and financially. You pay dearly for the extra size, maybe not in purchase price, but in every other way. But the benefits are greater comfort underway and at anchor, and plenty of storage space if the boat is your only home. If guests are rare, have only one extra cabin that serves another purpose, such as an office, or hobby room, with something that converts into a bed.

2.Look carefully at how the boat ventilates, at anchor, and underway. If the main cabin is forward, where the best breeze will be, make sure the noise level is tolerable. If you are mostly going to be in a marina, this is a non-issue. Have an air conditioner, just making sure it runs quietly, and the extra electric costs are okay with the budget.

3. You will be much safer, (from the sun's damaging rays), and more comfortable when the spray is flying or its cold, if you can steer from inside. If she is a semi displacement boat she will lift her bow as the speed goes up; choose one with an enclosed upper station. 4. Having the labor saving devices a woman is used to, is as important to her, as your engine room is to you. Everybody will be happy there is a washer/dryer aboard, especially if you like having company. When our kids come, they travel light, and the machines are running constantly. I also love my built in vacuum, and having every thing in the galley I would want in a house ashore. One of the big annoyances, a chest type refrigerator and freezer, like I had on the sail boat, is a thing of the past, thank goodness. 5. Don't be afraid of a steel hull. It will give you a lot of peace of mind. I have hit the bricks twice, once when the new engine, not properly tuned, quit as we were coming around a tight corner in the New River, and I slammed into a concrete wall; once a rock reef in Maine, that I hit so hard, it lifted the bow. No damage to report. The new coatings are fantastic, but you do have to check for any bad spots, and fix what you find. With all her insulation, the boat is so quiet, and sits so well that I'm constantly fooled in windy periods, thinking the wind has settled as I get up each morning, only to see it is still blowing stink.

6.The boat is rigged so that one person can do any chore. Dave can easily drop and raise the dinghy from her nest on the upper deck. Raising and lowering the anchor, navigating, driving the boat, all these tasks can be done alone. It would make a fine boat for a single hander.Even the passarelle, a fancy name for a gang plank, can be raised and lowered by one person.

7. Make sure you can board the boat easily, whether from high docks, floating docks, the dinghy, or from the water. Steps, ladders, a passarelle, if you are going foreign, and lots of grab rails are essential. We have a variety of ways to get aboard. Along side a fixed dock with usual tidal range, we go out the middle or rear side openings using a folding ladder with grab rail on the dock, and a set of hanging steps on the boat, one or the other or both, depending on tidal range. With floating docks, we generally go out on the back deck and down the nice wide steps, onto the swim platform, and off. Everywhere I go, there are either banisters, or grab rails. I stress this, because I can't tell you how many boats I have been aboard that have stairwells with no room for a grab rail. That was number one reason for crossing so many boats off my list, the other big reason, not being able to see the back of the boat from the steering station. The swim platform is part of the hull, which makes getting aboard from the dinghy easy and safe. Picture the trouble you can get in when conditions are rough, and the bolted on swim platform wants to rise up and crush your dinghy under it. From the swim platform, with its outside shower, we can also enter directly into our shower, through a rear door. This not only keeps wet bodies from trailing through the boat, but makes unloading the groceries from the dinghy a snap, and it is vital to our ventilation.

8.If you are going out onto larger bodies of water, and your boat is slow, you will need stabilizers for comfort. Be sure the boat has them or can have them put aboard, or think of the newer, but possibly still pricey, gyroscopic method, which has to be the cat's meow. It works even at anchor.

9. Dave feels so much of our love affair with our two boats, was having the incredible luck of getting boats designed by great naval architects. Bill Lapworth didn't know how to design a slow sailboat, and Jim Krogen didn't know how to do an uncomfortable motor boat. Talk to any owner of a Lapworth or Krogen designed boat, and you will see what we mean. So look at the designer, with some idea of what he was trying to achieve, and does this fit with what you are trying to achieve.

10. If you plan to anchor, look hard at the anchors and anchoring gear. No such thing as too heavy, no such thing as too much chain, but be sure the windlass can handle it. Don't forget all those dock lines and fenders for marina times, and at least one extra long floating line for towing or tying to shore.

11. You want all the latest gear when t comes to chartplotters, (the plural is deliberate), depth sounders, (ditto deliberate), radar, autopilot, and radios. A radio at each steering station, a portable VHF, and one in the dinghy, although the portable will work for this, and don't forget the Single Side Band radio. Cell phones and at least one that is unlocked, so you can buy local SIM cards if you go foreign. I suggest you look at www.activecaptain.com web site, for every thing about communications. One of our latest additions, well worth the price is a rear mounted video cam. I'm so grateful for it every time I back into a dock.

Once you own the boat, the list of things you need may overwhelm you, and I have hit only the major ones, trying to give you an idea of how to look at the boat and how much more you are going to have to spend, if the necessary stuff isn't there, or is out of date, or inadequate. Don't think the builder, or the guy who commissioned the boat really knew that much about what works and what doesn't, or was thinking about how you are going to use the boat. Get educated yourself.

Back to the starting premise, there is no perfect cruising boat, everything is a compromise, but do the best you can to buy what is perfect for how you are going to use it, and what you can comfortably afford. Dave adds, "Leave your ego at home."

MEDITERRANEAN CRUISING-USING AN AGENT

2009-09-07T15:51:00.002-04:00

AGENTS, ANGELS IN PARADISE

So we are on our dream cruise, we are seeing our "newer world " in the Mediterranean, but let's face it, certain elements pertain to all cruisers everywhere, what I call the nitty gritty. If you are on an owner operated boat, the same tasks face you, shopping, cooking, cleaning, fixing and fussing, that face you what ever your boat and where ever you cruise. The big difference is, doing them in another language, another culture, and always in another strange port. We tend to do only the immediately important things on days we are passage making, or on days we go off touring, or when we have guests aboard. Sooner or later, we must pause and play catch-up, such as we are doing here in Malta. It is all part of the cruising package. If you are a boat owner, you know how things fail. If you are thinking of becoming a boat owner, be prepared to find fun in the fixing, or get a boat with a captain, or learn to utilize the shore support, in the form of specific boat yards, or agents, who will find the help you need, and see that the jobs get done.
Using an agent is new for us and in a country where English is the second language, like Malta, maybe not as essential. But oh how much he, Darius Goodwin, took the burden of organizing, of hours we would have spent on the phone, or running here and there by foot, bus or taxi, away from us. We got his name from a cruiser we met in Italy, who explained, that for a price, usually a percentage of what you spend, the agent will save you a lot of time, and a lot of hustling. How right he was. We called Darius at RLR Ltd., while still in Sicily, for information on how and where to ship spare parts. He said DHL was the best in Malta, and they were hugely efficient. The parts arrived before we did, almost overnight. He arranged for berthing, and was in the harbor by dinghy to lead us to our spot along the wall on Manoel Island, when we arrived. He then whisked Dave off to customs, helped with the clearing, delivered Dave back to the boat, and made a date in the morning to go through our list of what we wanted to accomplish. He arranged our fueling, by tanker truck right at our slip, that next day, duty free, with the customs man standing by, and took both of us on our shopping forays, me to an excellent grocery store, and Dave for pumps, fittings, nuts and bolts. We could have left the next day, certainly a tremendous time savings, but we took two extra days, one for fixing the stabilizer fin with the broken fitting, and one for a tour of Malta, which he also arranged. Tomorrow he will deliver our jerry cans of gas for the dinghy, saving Dave some heavy carrying, clear us out, and we will be on our way, quickest, easiest turnaround we've ever had. With the great savings in fuel prices, about a quarter of what we would have paid in Italy for the thousand gallons we needed, well worth the passage down here.
So now we have discovered a way to simplify our lives when time is short, or we don't want to struggle with a foreign language, and I am sure we will use the services of agents in the future. There are agents in Italy who own or control a lot of the marina space, and also have men who will help you find what you need from taxis to spares. Using their services will allow you to reserve space in marinas that are always tight, you will know ahead of time that you have the space, and you don't have to make all the phone calls, or faxes yourself. I am thinking specifically of J. Luise and Sons of Naples, and next time we pass through middle Italy, I would use their services. Then we could probably have had space at Sannazzaro Marina, instead of rocking and rolling at anchor outside. They also have an office at Porto Touristico de Roma. Not necessary for all, certainly not necessary if the budget is tight and the time frame is not, but it sure worked for us.
As an addendum, without an agent in Athens, we never would have got space in a well located marina, when our generator failed. We didn't need his help for the fixing, but he was Johnny on the spot when we needed a diver to find our anchor when another yacht tore it loose. We also used Gino Marine for all our arrangements in Turkey, from clearing in, berthing, to getting plane tickets home, (over the phone while we were still in Greece), to arraigning tours, and doing cosmetics. We have since discovered that agents, maybe called by another name, are there to help you in ports in the U.S. also. If you are a stranger, in a strange place, and pressed for time, and uncertain as to where to go for what you need, getting an agent can be very good solution.

Late summer, 2003

MORE BOAT FOR THE BUCK-BUYING YOUR DREAM TRAWLER

2009-08-30T18:22:00.006-04:00

MORE BOAT FOR THE BUCK

In past years we have been to various cruisers rendezvous and we have always welcomed people aboard to to have a look. Although she bears a famous name, Krogen, for her designer, she wasn't for sale, and you couldn't buy a boat like her, because she was a custom boat, in other words, unique. What we were trying to impress on people were the wonderful bargains available in the used market, for the one of a kind boat, the boat that is never advertised in the show case ads, the boat without name recognition, which usually reduces the potential buyer market to just a handful. Most people go out looking for a specific boat, new or used, like a Camano 31, or Nordic Tug 37 , or a Krogen 42, or a Flemming 55, and the magazines are full of showcase ads for all of these boats. But many top notch designers, design only custom boats, or some custom boats along with the advertised production models that may, or may not bear their names. To order your dream boat to your specifications would be a wonderful thing, but you are going to get a bill for Big Bucks For Your Boat. I am saying do the opposite; look for that custom boat in the used market, where her lack of name recognition usually makes the price very attractive indeed. It is liable to fall below the price of a well advertised new boat of half the size and half the features. In good hands, that older custom boat may have been maintained to a quality that makes her as good as new, sometimes even better, and the owner knows little or none of this cost will be recovered at the end. He keeps her up to snuff, because he is enjoying her, because he loves her, because that is the kind of boatman he is. This is the real bargain you are looking for, the more boat for the buck! Don't be fooled into thinking that the cheap boat that looks like a wreck and probably is a wreck will be a great bargain; she will eat up your time and money faster than you can count it.

How do you go about this? First rule, everyone's first rule, is to decide where you are you going to use this boat, and how are you going to use this boat right now! Boats for the tropics are built one way, for the colder and wetter regions another. Boats planning to do waterways must look at all the height, width and depth restrictions. You must be very honest with yourself, and answer, "Where am I going to use the boat now.?" If you know for certain, in the immediate future, one to two years, and maybe three at most, you are going to be changing your cruising grounds to something quite different, you must throw that into the equation; anything beyond three years becomes quite iffy, and shouldn't keep you from buying the boat that is perfect for right now! If you live in the North America's North West region, you have a whole host of well built, custom boats to choose from, but most of these were designed with cold, deep, waters in mind, where keeping the boat warm enough takes precedence over keeping her cool, and shallow depths that are a reality of the east coast's Inland Waterway, or the Bahamas, may make such a boat totally impractical. Do your homework! Be brutally honest about the chances for future plans coming true. This includes looking for that boat suitable for crossing oceans.

To be truly sea worthy in ocean crossing situation, certain features that make a boat grand for full time living as a coastal cruiser, especially in warmer climes, will have to be ignored. I am thinking of multiple large openings, dangerous off shore, but essential for comfort where the breezes blow hot. I am thinking of large open spaces that make life a pleasure in normal cruising mode, but again can be dangerous in long offshore passages, where you go beyond the range of accurate weather forecasts. The offshore passagemaker also excludes the light, fast boats built for speed. These boats can be the most comfortable when they are up on a plane, but when the seas get rough and tough, and they have to slow down, watch out. Usually a fast boat doesn't have the fuel capacity for long distances, but again, here is where that custom boat can become a winner. John Doe went to his naval architect and said, " I want a boat that can cruise the whole world in comfort, and safety. it must have the latest in stabilizer technology, so that like the fast ferries, we can maintain speed in almost all conditions. I want large picture windows, and either you design a super quiet generating system so we air condition all the time, or they must open, which means you design some sort of acceptable storm shutters, for ocean crossings.. I want some good speed potential, so I know it must have hugh fuel capacity, a very stiff hull, and will probably end up being a size that will require multiple crew members." Such boats do exist , and when they hit the market, chances are they will be real bargains. Such purpose built boats will have small demand, but if the purpose fits your purpose, and you are comfortable with the purchase price and the ongoing expenses, then go for it. More likely to fit your budget, is the grand boat for everyday cruising, and let the yacht transports take care of the ocean crossing part. Do the math on what it costs to ship versus the cost of a true ocean going vessel, and what you may give up in cruising comfort, for safety crossing oceans, and you may save yourself some more money.

Price is directly related to size, and size is so vital it is usually the first figure mentioned in any ad. Do not be waylaid into buying more boat than you need because the price is so attractive. The bigger the boat, the smaller the market, so if you can really benefit from the size, and afford to maintain her, this can become your chance of a lifetime. If she is bigger than you need for where you are going with her, (back to Rule One) and if you can't really afford comfortably to pay her bills, from extra marina costs, to extra insurance costs, to extra everything costs, she will become a millstone around your neck. If you can't maintain her properly, she could become life threatening. How do you figure yearly costs of a boat? Old rule of thumb was ten to fifteen percent of the cost of the boat per year, should cover all costs, including berthing, fuel, insurance, up grades and maintenance. Applying this rule, don't use the cost you paid for the boat as a used boat, especially if she was a bargain of a lifetime. Use the approximate replacement cost of the boat. After all, if she is a sixty foot boat, her dockage fees will still be for those of a sixty footer, her fuel useage will be the same as when she was new; n mmo one charges you less for anything because you got a bargain. Charges still relate to size, so don't buy more of a bargain than you need, or can afford.

Most of us look for boats close to home. Makes sense; we are usually going to use the boat close to home, we are comfortable talking to the people in the area, we can quickly learn something about the builder, and usually the designer, and if locally built and designed, we stand a good chance it will suit our immediate needs. We can "kick a lot of tires" that way. The use of the internet, or a good boat broker, and watching the ads in the magazines opens many doors beyond your neighborhood, and with that special custom boat, you need to have access to other doors. In fact another suggestion for you bargain hunters is to look in certain key parts of the world, where the passage maker may have arrived, and wishes to go no further. The Panama Canal Zone used to be such a place. All over the world there are boats, who because of their owners , ,illness or death, or sudden "change of plans", as the ads so often say, are on the market. Maybe it is in a territory where locals are unfamiliar with the designer, or the potential of the design, maybe there is no one to actively market the boat, and if she doesn't have a name that can sell itself, you will have a bargain in the making. It can be even more of a bargain if it is located in an area you wanted to cruise in the first place. I think having a good broker who can network, and is familiar with the ins and outs of buying procedures outside your home territory can be well worth his commission

Now for a little personal information, so you will have some idea of how we reached the conclusions we reached. First of all, we sold our previous cruising boat, a forty six foot cruising ketch for a third of her insured value. She was typical of the boat owned by people who loved her, and wanted her to always be equipped with the latest improvements, and kept in perfect condition. You know you will never recover the cost, just like you never recover the cost of a house that far outptices her neighborhood, but it meant everything to you. We are making the same "mistake" with our present boat, if you can call keeping her up to snuff when you live aboard full time a mistake. If you love your boat, you take care of her to the best of your financial abilities.This is why I urge you to buy the best maintained boat , rather than the cheapest, it will be by far the better bargain.

When we told our good cruising friend , who had swallowed the hook and become a boat broker, we were truly ready to move from a sailboat to a motor boat, he responded with a description of a boat he wanted us to see. It was a custom Krogen, a name that we only associated with a very unique sailboat we liked, it was sixty one feet, much bigger than we thought we needed, and it was a steel hull. The conversation went something like this:

Us: "Bob, it is bigger than we need, we aren't interested in a steel hull, and it is more money than we think we need to spend."

Bob: "It has just a single engine, something you wan,t that can be hard to find, and the owner had it designed to "live on the hook", the way you like to do."

Us:" We really don't want to waste your time Bob"

Bob: Come down anyway, (to Miami) and we'll have our end of the season dinner together, and you'll have a look. If nothing else, it will help give you ideas".

Looking at the boats in the boat show in the fall was the clincher. The truth of what a larger power boat would cost, especially in the new market, made the used boat look like a bargain. I also never saw another boat that had the all around visibility the Whistler. her original name had, which gave me some hopes in my being able to get it into a slip, and out again., Too many of the boats had stairwells not easily negotiated by someone with creaky knees. Very few of the boats at that time had refrigeration and batteries, fuel capacity and water making capacity to make living away from a marina, without a constantly running generator, a possibility and a joy. The more we looked, the more convinced we became we had passed the deal of a lifetime. With heavy hearts, we called Bob and asked, out of curiosity, how much did he sell Whistler for. He said, "Would you believe, I haven't had an offer." We couldn't believe it, but we were overjoyed. Now we not only had a chance to buy our dream boat, but we had a bargaining position. And that is how we became the owners of our present pride and joy, more boat than one could ever expect for the price, and that is why I say, if you want more bang-or boat- for your buck, search out that custom designed, one off, whose first owner's dream was the same as yours is now. What about the extra size, and the steel hull? We love every inch of her, there is room for everything we could want to bring aboard, including having as many as six extra guests in comfort, and feeding and drinking "boatloads" of people. Her apartment sized galley makes big time cooking easy. Twice now the steel hull has been a life saver, once when our new engine failed during her shakedown, and I rammed a cement wall in the New River, and another time when I took a buoy on the wrong side, one of those situations where the colors reversed suddenly, and I ran up on an underwater stony ledge. Bless that steel hull; I no longer fret about hitting possible floating debris and being holed, and if we ran into the situation of being fired on like the two steel hulled sailboats coming up the Red Sea recently, we too might have the bullets bounce off of us. It does take extra maintenance, as Bob told us it would, but it's a small price to pay.

Here's wishing you the same luck we had in your pursuit of your dream boat, and looking in the used custom boat market may help that dream really come true.

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK-BUYING YOUR DREAM BOAT

2009-08-30T18:22:00.000-04:00

MORE BOAT FOR THE BUCK

You have finally reached that point in life where a boat is in the offing, but not a schooner, as in the poem. You've already made the decision for a motor boat, which is why you are reading this magazine. But the decisions seem endless; size, one or two motors, fast or displacement hull, new or used, galley up or galley down, and even where to look, but these are not the choices I am going to address. Instead, I want to steer you to a particular class of boats, one on which almost no advertising dollars are spent, one with little or no name recognition, unless it is for the designer or yard that built it, and that is the custom, one-off motor boat. Of course i am talking about previously owned boats. Building a new custom boat can be the most expensive way to go, and I am trying to steer you onto the most boat for your money, more boat than you ever dreamed possible within your budget.b

We have had our boat at Trawler Port and Trawler Fest, and in both cases, left her open for the public to view. Although she bears a famous name, Krogen, for her designer, she wasn't for sale, and you couldn't buy a boat like her, because she was a custom boat, in other words, unique. What we were trying to impress on people were the wonderful bargains available in the used market, for the one of a kind boat, the boat that is never advertised in the show case ads, the boat without name recognition, which usually reduces the potential buyer market to just a handful. Most people go out looking for a specific boat, new or used, like a Camano 31, or Nordic Tug 37 , or a Krogen 42, or a Flemming 55, and the magazines are full of showcase ads for all of these boats. But many top notch designers, design only custom boats, or some custom boats along with the advertised production models that may, or may not bear their names. To order your dream boat to your specifications would be a wonderful thing, but you are going to get a bill for Big Bucks For Your Boat. I am saying do the opposite; look for that custom boat in the used market, where her lack of name recognition usually makes the price very attractive indeed. It is liable to fall below the price of a well advertised new boat of half the size and half the features. In good hands, that older custom boat may have been maintained to a quality that makes her as good as new, sometimes even better, and the owner knows little or none of this cost will be recovered at the end. He keeps her up to snuff, because he is enjoying her, because he loves her, because that is the kind of boatman he is. This is the real bargain you are looking for. Don't be fooled into thinking that the cheap boat that looks like a wreck and probably is a wreck will be a great bargain; she will eat up your time and money faster than you can count it.

How do you go about this? First rule, everyone's first rule, is to decide where you are you going to use this boat, and how are you going to use this boat right now! Boats for the tropics are built one way, for the colder and wetter regions another. Boats planning to do waterways must look at all the height, width and depth restrictions. You must be very honest with yourself, and answer, "Where am I going to use the boat now.?" If you know for certain, in the immediate future, one to two years, and maybe three at most, you are going to be changing your cruising grounds to something quite different, you must throw that into the equation; anything beyond three years becomes quite iffy, and shouldn't keep you from buying the boat that is perfect for right now! If you live in the North America's North West region, you have a whole host of well built, custom boats to choose from, but most of these were designed with cold, deep, waters in mind, where keeping the boat warm enough takes precedence over keeping her cool, and shallow depths that are a reality of the east coast's Inland Waterway, or the Bahamas, may make such a boat totally impractical. Do your homework! Be brutally honeest about the chances for future plans coming true. This includes looking for that boat suitable for crossing oceans.

Price is directly related to size, and size is so vital it is usually the first figure mentioned in any ad. Do not be waylaid into buying more boat than you need because the price is so attractive. The bigger the boat, the smaller the market, so if you can really benefit from the size, and afford to maintain her, this can become your chance of a lifetime. If she is bigger than you need for where you are going with her, (back to Rule One) and if you can't really afford comfortably to pay her bills, from extra marina costs, to extra insurance costs, to extra everything costs, she will become a millstone around your neck. If you can't maintain her properly, she could become life threatening. How do you figure yearly costs of a boat? Old rule of thumb was ten to fifteen percent of the cost of the boat per year, should cover all costs, including berthing, fuel, insurance, up grades and maintenance. Applying this rule, don't use the cost you paid for the boat as a used boat, especially if she was a bargain of a lifetime. Use the approximate replacement cost of the boat. After all, if she is a sixty foot boat, her dockage fees will still be for those of a sixty footer, her fuel useage will be the same as when she was new, no one charges you less for anything because you got a bargain. Charges still relate to size, so don't buy more of a bargain than you need, or can afford.

Now for a little personal information, so you will have some idea of how we reached the conclusions we reached. First of all, we sold our previous cruising boat, a forty six foot cruising ketch for a third of her insured value. She was typical of the boat owned by people who loved her, and wanted her to always be equipped with the latest improvements, and kept in perfect condition. Being a production boat, her sale value was based on BUC Book prices. It's like owning an expensive home in an area of low cost housing. You will never recover the cost of the house..We are making the same "mistake" with our present boat, if you can call keeping her up to snuff when you live aboard full time a mistake. If you love your boat, you take care of her to the best of your financial abilities, especially when you really are aware that " you can't take it with you." This is why I urge you to buy the best maintained boat , rather than the cheapest, it will be by far the better bargain.

Us: "Bob, it is bigger than we need, we aren't interested in a steel hull, and it is more money than we think we need to spend."

Bob: "It has just a single engine, something that can be hard to find, and the owner had it designed to "live on the hook", the way you like to do."

Us:" We really don't want to waste your time Bob"

Bob: Come down anyway, (to Miami) and we'll have our end of the season dinner together, and you'll have a look. If nothing else, it will help give you ideas".

We came, more for the social evening, because we truly were not interested in a steel hull, a prejudice developed from my father's influence, we really didn't think we needed 61 feet, and we were totally unrealistic about what a motor boat of a size larger than our sail boat to accommodate the growing size of our numerous offsprings' families, would cost. Of course we fell in love with her, but we weren't to be dissuaded, since she was the first boat we looked at. Another big issue we had with the boat, was the unique round hatches, which could be lifted and swiveled in any direction, to maximize airflow, an invention of the original owner. We were afraid of taking a wave,which might sweep them open. We talked about the boat all summer, poring over the plans, and one day I woke up and thought, "Why am I worrying about taking a wave on the foredeck. In our twenty some years of cruising the sail boat, where we threw ourselves in front of almost everything the Bahamas or Caribbean could offer, we only took on blue water twice, and all we had to do was reduce our speed to stop it. Now we are older, and a lot more cautious, our chances of this happening are almost nil. Forget about it" . Twenty one thousand cruising miles later, we are glad we did.

Looking at the boats in the boat show in the fall was the clincher. The truth of what a larger power boat would cost, especially in the new market, made the used boat look like a bargain. I also never saw another boat that had the all around visibility the Whistler. her original name had, which gave me some hopes in my being able to get it into a slip, and out again., Too many of the boats had stairwells not easily negotiated by someone with creaky knees. Very few of the boats at that time had refrigeration and batteries, fuel capacity and water making capacity to make living away from a marina, without a constantly running generator a possibility and a joy. The more we looked, the more convinced we became we had passed the deal of a lifetime. With heavy hearts, we called Bob and asked, out of curiosity, how much did he sell Whistler for. He said, "Would you believe, I haven't had an offer." We couldn't believe it, but we were overjoyed. Now we not only had a chance to buy our dream boat, but we had a bargaining position. And that is how we became the owners of our present pride and joy, more boat than one could ever expect for the price, and that is why I say, if you want more bang-or boat- for your buck, search out that custom designed, one off, whose first owner's dream was the same as yours is now. What about the extra size, and the steel hull? We love every inch of her, there is room for everything we could want to bring aboard, including having as many as six extra guests in comfort, and feeding and drinking "boatloads" of people. Her apartment sized galley makes big time cooking easy. Twice now the steel hull has been a life saver, once when our new engine failed during her shakedown, and I rammed a cement wall in the New River, and another time when I took a buoy on the wrong side, one of those situations where the colors reversed suddenly, and I ran up on an underwater stony ledge. Bless that steel hull; I no longer fret about hitting possible floating debris and being holed, and if we ran into the situation of being fired on like the two steel hulled sailboats coming up the Red Sea recently, we too might have the bullets bounce off of us. It does take extra maintenance, as Bob told us it would, but it's a small price to pay.

Here's wishing you the same luck we had in your pursuit of your dream boat, and looking in the used custom boat market may help that dream really come true.

THE GET HOME ENGINE

2009-08-30T17:39:00.002-04:00

Our boat, a single engine displacement trawler, bought with eight years of age on her, was designed with a get home capability, by belting a 25 horse power electric motor, driven by the 33kw generator, directly to the drive shaft. This delivers more than four knots of forward motion in calm waters; we have never tested her in rougher conditions. I was glad we had the capability when the engine quit quite suddenly after one of our more boisterous passages, just as we entered the reef strewn bay at Rum Cay in the Bahamas. We immediately dropped the anchor, got secure, but with a lot of roll. We called the marina, where we had dinner reservations, and explained the situation, and while we all agreed it was probably a clogged fuel filter, they offered to lead us into a spot among the reefs, where we could more comfortably attack the problem. We explained the pitfalls of this system, no speed control, no reverse gear, just an on or off, full speed and coast to a stop situation. Another difficulty was communicating from the commander (me) at the wheel, to the master (Dave) in the engine room, when to engage, and disengage the power. All went well, including the tactic of turning the wheel hard over a couple of times to hasten the slow to a stop procedure, once we got within striking distance, literally, of the reef.

It is possible this problem could be overcome, by putting a manual transfer switch on the bow thruster motor, so I could use that control at the helm station to engage the get home motor in forward, reverse, or neutral. Both motors are the same size, it should work, but since we have only used the get home motor once in ten years, we have tended to ignore it.

Is it worth having this equipment? Dave would rather use the space for a second smaller generator, for the many hours when the other one is seriously underloaded. Our get home method, like all secondary drive systems has its pitfalls, as I mentioned above. It is certainly of no use in tight situations, like in a harbor, but then, the dinghy tied along side or a tow would be an option. It is out in the open that it could be a blessing, helping us keep the boat in a more comfortable direction, while working, and getting us within reach of other help. Of course it would be worthless if the problem was in the shaft or prop. As I said, it has been used only once in what is over 30,000 miles, and then it was for comfort, and a chance to try it out, neither really necessary, so is it necessary? You be the judge.

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

2009-07-01T14:35:00.010-04:00

There are all kinds of places you are going to want to anchor, or will have to anchor, even if not a first choice. The above photo is an example; a beautiful setting, but presenting challenges, typical of many anchorages in Turkey that were desirable, but ever so tight. We used the usual technique, drop your anchor in what is usually fairly deep water, judging the spot, (we used the radar to get some idea of distance) that will allow you to have adequate scope for the depth, but you know you won't run out of anchor chain before you reach the shore, dig the anchor in, then continue backwards until you know your stern line will reach the shore, keep the engine in gear so the weight of the chain won't pull you forward, while your mate leaps into the dinghy, and you feed the line kept stored and tied securely in the back of the boat- and hope it is floating line to be doubly sure it won't get into the prop, and rows or motors, or even swims the line to shore, ( and pity the woman who is given a chain to swim ashore, but that has been done), secures the line to a tree, a bollard built for the purpose, or around a large rock. Once this is done, the motor is taken out of gear, and the anchor chain is tightened, or loosened, to a proper tension. If you are in one of those favorite places where everyone wants to be, and the boats get a little close, you may want to take two stern lines into shore, to limit swing sideways. Sounds complicated, but done a few times, it becomes routine, plus, if you are very lucky, another kindly boater may help get the lines ashore. This isn't always good. We got our floating line after an eager helper leaped aboard and tossed all of our former line, non floating, into the water, not realizing we were in gear. It was immediately sucked into the prop. After that we had a spliced, non floating line, for the secondary, and a new heavy duty floating line, which is also better if you have to tow someone. Other nice things to have, especially if you are going to the Med and want to take advantage of all the great anchoring possibilities,is a very good, very heavy anchor, lots of chain, up to 400 feet, since we many times anchored in 100 feet and 40 to 60 feet was routine, and what I can only call an anchor line grabber. This is a heavy duty, approximately 8 inch flat C shaped piece of metal, with a hole at the top end, to attach a shackle with line to hold the other guys anchor line when you have accidentally picked it up, and another hole half way down the C to attach another line for a trip line. When you pull up someone else's anchor line while pulling up yours, you use this to grab his line, keep it off yours, until you are housed, and then use the trip line to drop his line. It is not an every day occurrence, not even an every year one, but when it happens, you are going to be so happy you have it. Also, if you are a tree hugger, and want to protect the trees, get a heavy duty piece of canvas with cringles sewn into both ends, put the canvas around the tree, and tie your line into the cringles. You can buy this at places that sell trail riding equipment for horse camping. Turkey is aware of the damage done by the boats, and is working very hard to put rings and posts along the shores of the popular anchorages. But you can do your part too. It is a great system where there is almost no tide, no current, and consistent wind in protected anchorages. Our preference was always to swing on our hook, if possible, which is why we had the 400 feet of chain.

MORE ANCHORING HINTS

2009-06-28T18:44:00.006-04:00

Seems like the biggest mistake we see people make when anchoring, is not using enough scope. How much is enough? Forget the formulas, three to one,or seven to one and ten to one. How much you need is a product of how heavy your boat is, and how much windage, and how much you have in the chain locker, and how much swing room you have where you are anchoring. Can't really say why, but it seems in really deep water, three to one might work; we rode out the storm of the century in Belize, in 60 feet of not well protected water, with a little over three to one, using a 75 pound CQR for a 46 foot 34,000 pound boat. Winds got into the mid fifties. On the other hand, in water 20 feet and under, it seems harder to set an anchor, unless we use over ten to one scope. Maybe someone else can tell me why. Our saying is, "you bought and paid for all of it, why not use it."

Notice I refer to chain. You don't have to worry about chafe, the weight of the chain adds to the holding power, and you ride much steadier than the boat on a rope rode. Main disadvantage is the chain chews you can get on a fiberglass hull, if you are anchored in a tidal sluice way, and the wind pushes you over the anchor chain. A bow protector will help, or stay out of these situations. Otherwise, you better have a windlass that will allow the switch from chain to rope, and have only 40 to 60 feet of chain with rope spliced on. This really is an issue for those cruising the Keys or Bahamas, but as I said, you can learn to avoid the situation.

Next biggest mistake, is not pulling back hard enough and long enough, to really dig that anchor in. We pull really hard, taking it up slowly, and letting it pull, up to about five minutes in total. Even so, when swimming the anchor afterwards, we may be surprised at how the anchor is set, our 200 pound Danforth often only half dug in, with the stock protruding on one side. This leaves you subject to wrapping your chain around the stock, although in ten years of use, it has only happened once It was the one time we were glad we had our Turkish anchor line grabber, on this side of the Atlantic. See the blog, Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

After years of anchoring in mostly sand, or as in the Med anchoring in "god only knows what" since it was too deep to see, we are now learning a lot of tricks about anchoring in deep mud, which seems to be standard for the Chesapeake. Don't remember having the problems getting our anchor to stick, like we are having this year, but I am wondering if the extremely heavy rains have raised the ground water level to such an extreme, that the bottom in places has become soup. So here are a couple of our new "tricks of the trade."

For what ever reason, when we have gently dropped and gently backed up, to where the anchor should have set, we just as gently start dragging backward. A good hard pull will sometimes make it set. In the past we were never so gentle, and I thought the jerk on the windlass might not be good, but the anchor always set, so maybe it is better to give it a quick dig to start with.

We have also found, when taking up the anchor, giving it a good hard pull while still set, and leaving it in gear for thirty seconds seems to knock the spaghetti line of mud that forms after dragging around all night, off the anchor chain, just like dropping the anchor back on the bottom after you first pull it up, can knock a lot of the mud off of it. I do hope you have a salt water wash down right up in the bow of the boat, because unless you like a lot of stinky mud or critters decaying in your chain locker, you have to get that anchor chain clean.

Last, but not least, a good strong windlass is essential to good, safe anchoring. Otherwise you will find yourself disinclined to set and reset you anchor three or four times, when it didn't really dig in properly, or you ended up too close to shore or another boat. And for those nasty situations that could happen in the middle of the night, having a windlass may enable you to get your anchor up fast in heavy conditions. For tses sort of emergencies, also be sure you can cut your chain loose, by having a length of rope that leads up on deck, tied to it, and don't ever anchor too close to shore if deep water is behind you. In a sudden and heavy wind shift, you could end up in the surf zone.

MANUALS FOR THE CRUISING BOAT

2009-05-12T17:36:00.001-04:00

MIXING METALS AND AN INFRARED THERMOMETER

2009-05-12T17:30:00.001-04:00

Buy an infrared thermometer, if you don’t have one. Any good hardware store has them. They have multiple uses, such as measuring the changes in temperatures in your water and oil in your engine, and your exhaust emperatures. Remember the water temperature in your engine will change, as you go from area to area with sea temperature changes.

ANCHORING HINTS

2009-05-12T17:18:00.002-04:00

Get some means of communicating with your partner that is hands free, to be used when anchoring or going into a slip. We bought the combination microphone and ear phone set, the first ones at FAO Schwartz, the second set at an SSCA Gam. The two sets were the same equipment, but the first ones were half the price. Both have proved invaluable. Best part of the second set is the soft case that came with it, which keeps the off switch from being moved to on, accidentally. Doesn’t help if we just forget to turn them off.

EQUIPPING THE CRUISING DINGHY

2009-05-09T18:10:00.004-04:00

BOATER BEV’S BOLG

A COLLECTION OF THINGS WE’VE LEARNED: PART TWO

EQUIPPING THE CRUISING BOAT’S DINGHY:

What you put in your dinghy is as important as the dinghy. You must of course comply with regulations, which means the proper licensing, safety equipment, and lights, and please, do what is necessary to get that white light high enough.

Oars may not be required, but they are on the top of the list of essentials.

On the must have list is two anchors, one to hold the dinghy to the beach, and the other one, and it can be smaller, to hold the dinghy off the beach. Sounds funny and superfluous, but so often, even if the wind should blow the dinghy out off the beach, there will be a side current, or next to shore the wind blows along shore, or wakes will set you on, so you almost always need that second anchor. If your dinghy is small and light enough, you can do as most people do and drag it up on the beach, but that does nothing to enhance the bottom paint. If you keep your dinghy in the water, and it has a hard bottom, it pays to have bottom paint on it. If it is a soft dinghy, you are abrading the bottom. And any dinghy sitting on the shore can have waves splash in and fill the dinghy, unless you’ve taken the wise precaution of turning it around with the bow facing outward.

Next, I also suggest two painters, the primary one for tying to docks or your boat, strong enough and long enough, so there is no question of breaking, or not having enough scope to comply with the request at most busy dinghy docks, to leave a long line. Half inch line works well; it may be overkill in terms of strength, but smaller line can become difficult to untie. The second painter should be for towing, if you ever tow. This time a floating line is preferred to eliminate this necessarily longer line from getting down into your prop. You still must keep it short as you anchor, and let it out as you pick up speed.

You also should have another small, lighter line from the stern, so you can tie your dinghy alongside your stern, or the dock or another boat, when this becomes convenient. And don’t forget to have a long steel cable you can use to padlock the dink to shore or the boat in iffy areas. Chain would be better, but hard to carry a long enough piece. Don’t use this in areas where dinghy theft is almost unknown; it’s hard on everyone else.

A spare gas can, a small two gallons worth can be a life saver, if you have a gauge that fails, or you’ve been careless, and for years, after having both these failures, we carried one, but now with the four stroke engine, an the fuel lasting so much longer, we’ve given it up. May regret this someday.

A ladder to climb back in the dinghy after a swim, unless the tube size is small enough and you are agile enough. Eventually, you will have a guest who isn’t.

A good air pump is a must have, although it doesn’t have to be in the dinghy. Not inflating the tubes hard enough is one of the biggest destroyers of inflatables. Don’t forget the water pump, even if you have a built in pump, and an extra stern plug may be a lifesaver someday. A pliers, and screwdriver, and a few fuses should be aboard.

In the nice to have category, and close to essential, I would put a radio, (this can be a portable) and a compass, a bottle of water, and any kind of map you can get of the local area. This can be a freebie, or one you’ve copied from your chart boo; it’s just great for dinghy exploring. At night have some sort of powerful flashlight or searchlight.

Depending on the area you cruise depends the risk of theft, so judge by that, what you can leave unsecured in the dinghy. In our experience, the Caribbean was the worst place, and we kept the dinghy pretty stripped down, but you must carry oars, and eventually, we lost a pair.

Ancillary to the dinghy, is a means of hoisting it. Our experience was with davits on the stern of the sailboat, modified with cross bars, to prevent swaying in big seas, and set so the stern of the boat rode lower than the bow, to allow water to drain out the back hole under almost all conditions. It follows, there must be lifting rings mounted in the dinghy. When we got electric winches, it was as easy as pushing a button to hoist it up, and took less time than writing about it. We lifted the dinghy every night, and on every run. Kept the dinghy quiet, clean and safe, and meant extra speed underway. Now with a trawler, we have a crane that hoists the dinghy to the upper deck. It is rigged to be a one-man operation, but we don’t do it every night, and when it is a short hop, of less than ten miles, we usually tow it. Did lose it once having the line slip away when we hit unexpected, very rough seas. A problem with floating lines, especially new, is they are slippery, and must be very carefully tied.

Now for the addition to our dinghy that has meant the most to me, and as you can see from the photo, even Dave uses. We call it the Granny Rail. It is a support I can grab on to, whether climbing in or out , from the side or the front mounted step (the highest part of our dinghy), and feel safe and secure. You can make it as simple as a single stanchion mounted to the floor, but it must have a rigid floor. You can write, if you want more details. Best present you can give yourself, if leaping about from deck to dock is getting beyond you.

GO SLOW IN SHALLOW WATER

2009-05-03T17:09:00.001-04:00

It took a long time for us to realize that running our boat at normal cruising speed, seven to nine knots, in shallow water, (under nine feet) not only caused a distinct rumbling sound, serving as an excellent depth sounder, but caused the back of the boat to sink, so our swim platform submerged. We found it was common knowledge among tug boat captains, but it was a slow learning process for us. This slows the boat noticeably, another clue something is happening.

2009-04-27T22:22:00.001-04:00

HANDHOLDS EVERYWHERE FOR GETTING OFF AND ON THE DINGHY

We have been cruising the Bahamas again, this winter of 08-09, and as spring comes on, so have the winds, seemingly endless winds. We are hanging to a mooring at Exuma Park headquarters in the north Warderick Wells anchorage, enjoying the scenery and the social life among our fellow cruisers. Out came the Scrabble board and the Domino set, and so, some pleasant afternoons have been spent. So now on to some useful information, I hope, for you wannabes, and you newbies. I thought a "wish list" of important goodies you might not think of, would be nice

1. You must be able to get on and off your boat, from a dock, from a dinghy and from the water. It must be easy; you won't always be young and nimble, and your older guests, like parents, really need it easy. For a sailboat, without a rear swim platform, a folding ladder, set along the side decks as a break in the life lines, will work for dinghies and for swimming. Must have solid stanchions on either side. For motor boats or sailboats with swim platforms, all you need to add are some things to grab onto as you dismount from the dinghy, and cleats to tie to. Some sort of folding ladder for swimming should be permanently mounted. I wish I knew how to post pictures, but we have a folding ladder mounted between stanchions in the center of our swim platform, another set of single stanchions on either side of the platform to grab onto when you land the dinghy, and to allow us to tie the dinghy along the back of the boat, when we want to load and unload in heavier seas, and a pair of large handles attached to either side of the boat,at stand up height, to grab onto if we pull the dinghy alongside the platform. There is also a grab rail along the entire back of the boat about three and a half feet up from the platform, used to hold onto, and to attach our passerelle, for exiting the boat from the stern when the dock is high. We attached a small grab rail to the deck, for the passarelle, when we are backed up to a floating dock. You just can't have too many supports, for safety and comfort.

2. The dinghy, don't leave home without it! Get the biggest one you can lift aboard your boat, and get some way to easily lift it aboard. Best is to have what we had on the sail boat, very sturdy high davits, so easy, that we never thought of not lifting the dinghy every night. Yes, I said every night, keeps it clean and safe. We never went to bed without preparing the boat to take off at a moment's notice, and that meant not worrying about the dinghy. It was slung at an angle, and the plug pulled so it couldn't fill with water. Best is a hard bottom inflatable, and make sure neither the color, nor the protective strip will rub off on your hull. If you are getting up there in years, particularly the little woman, get an electric start, and even a center steering wheel, can become essential when old arthur-itis sets in.

It's the electronic age- as if you young ones didn't know, and take advantage of all of it. Latest on the scene, and a blessing like all the other gizmos have been, is AIS, which tells you who your larger neighbors are, and now for not too much extra, you can tell them who you are. Also, XM weather on your chart plotter, and FLIR, which turns night time into day on its monitor. I have a lot of issues with XM, too inaccurate, not far enough time in future, no time given for when the forecast is given, and too expensive but you get used to it, and don't want to give it up, in spite of these flaws. Cellular phones, unlocked, if you are going foreign, so you can buy SYM cards and use your phone in any country, are a must, and an antenna to extend the range, and a good antenna for wi-fi signals. Now there is a totally new technology radar on the scene, which is supposed to pick up even the smallest object close to your boat, and boy, do I want that one. Seeing the big boats isn't so hard, it's the small ones, or the floating refrigerator you want to know about. Guess we'll now need two radars. A chart plotter, and a back up, a really dependable autopilot, (we used to have a back up and thirty years ago it was essential-not now) depth sounders, weather instruments, single side band radio, and don't let anyone tell you it isn't important, VHF's, plural, even if the second one is a portable, so you can take it in the dinghy, if you don't have one mounted in your dinghy. Important point! Be sure you can hear your VHF in your cockpit; this is an essential safety factor.

I'll go into more later, it is just too late for any more.

Life on a Cruising Boat

2007-10-13T05:23:00.003-04:00

October 8th to the 12th, 2007

For those who visualize the life of a boater as lying about in a hammock, sipping pina colada's, let me tell you nothing could be farther from the truth. Then again, maybe I shouldn't disillusion you. I have a friend who said if that is what non-boaters want to believe, let them. Let them be a little green with jealousy, while we get green from rocking about too much. Let them think we are bored reading too many trashy novels, while our eyes are drooping over one more manual on how to fix what isn't working at the moment. Oh yes I know, there are those purists who insist that the way to cruise without spending so much of your time fixing things is to do without, and keep it simple. Forget refrigeration and freezers, so what if the little woman has to shop every day or live on canned meats, forget generators, and learn to love candlelight dinners, and preparing meals and cleaning up in the dark, and forget air-conditioning, and watermakers, and all the other things that it's possible to have on a boat, if you are willing to spend the time and have the ability to keep them running. If you're a "real man", you don't need these things, but chances are after a few years of deprivation and struggling, you will not be living with a "real woman." She will be back ashore, living the life she was used to.

Of course you can spend a big chunk of your time tied to a dock; I always wondered why so many boats whose budgets were more constrained than ours, spent so much time at docks, until I realized they needed the power and water. That is a viable choice, or at least was in the past when dockage costs hadn't risen to the moon. Just don't take that "holier than thou" attitude toward us who don't want to do without. It reminds me of those who rejected the idea of electronic navigation when Loran and Sat Nav first came out. They were the real men who only had a sextant, but they really practiced "big boat navigation." That is, whenever they saw a big boat, they called it to verify their position. Where are their sextants now? And in fact, where are they? We don't have many couples in our thirty years and over cruising club, mostly because after a number of years, the wives rebelled.

So here it is, chapter and verse of life on a cruising boat as we know it, and have known it since 1977, when we made the move form sailing and racing one design motorless boats, to a Cal 46 ketch rigged motor sailor. Dag Pike in his book about motor sailors, defined them as a boat that would travel to their hull speed whether under sail or power. In those days, most sail boats had only enough power to get in and out of a harbor, powering against a trade wind sea was impossible for them. Many motor sailors had a rig that could only drive them off the wind, or lend some stability. The Cal 46, designed by the famous Bill Lapworth could do it all. Not only did she have a main, mizzen and jib, mizzen staysail and spinnaker, but a big engine and a big prop. She also came equipped with a generator, air conditioning, microwave, separate shower, and walk in, stand upright, engine room, things seldom found on boats in those years. I loved to sail enough, and was so entranced by the idea of seeing what was over the horizon, that I would have gone off cruising in anything, but thank goodness i didn't have to. I knew what it was like being chewed alive by sand fleas, or being drenched in sweat because it was poring outside and the temperature and humidity inside the boat were both in the 90's. If all we could afford or maintain was a bare bones boat, I'm afraid I too would have fallen by the way side after a few years, and Dave would have died of boredom having nothing to fix, and only walking beaches or fishing to keep him occupied.

A point I'm trying to make is, don't look down your nose at me for having the old creature comforts and now living on a motor boat, and I will be happy to count among our friends those who are purists on sailboats, even though you may not last more than ten years in the boating life. Time to go off and do more boating chores, although don't think of chores in the derogative sense; think of it like the line in Wind in the Willows-"There's nothing as much fun as messing around in boats.' got to go do some more messing around, which is what we do when we spend time in a marina.

Now it is the cruising season, and we are messing in our boat in the Bahamas. Daily chores, just like you have at home, continue. this isn't cruise ship living, this is taking your floating home off adventuring. So shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundering go on as usual, just done in different conditions, with different challenges. Like how to get the groceries aboard, when the store is a number of blocks from the dinghy dock, and then stowing them in all those cunning places a boat provides, like under the settees, or the floor boards, or any cubby you can find or make. Everything is just a bit more challenging

On the upside, you will have eliminated the usual pattern of being torn into too many pieces, as you rush from meetings, to the work place, to theaters, to social commitments, almost all requiring driving your speeding bullet on a crowded highway. Life slows down, and you concentrate on key things, like staying alive. This means the weather becomes the most important news of the day. Socializing is done with fellow cruisers, and it's barefoot style, and simple. Most people invited aboard come with their own drinks, and a dish to pass, and even will pitch in and help clear up. and it is the people you meet that are the heart of it all. Yes what you see is exciting, sometimes fo beautiful, whether a sunset, or a tropical rainforest, or fantastic ruins, but what you remember most, are all the wonderful people you will meet.

So life on a cruising boat isn't like life on a cruise ship, it's harder but better. You are still working in a sense, you are making the decisions on where you will go and how to do it, you are fixing almost everything that goes wrong. The old saying, there are no plumbers at sea, is true. But you gain and gain, in skills, in knowledge, in friends, and sad to say, possibly a few pounds. The price of all that socializing. Go enjoy.

My intro to blogging

2007-10-09T13:29:00.000-04:00

This is an initial leap into the world of blogs and blogging, so
with nothing special to say except I'm holding my nose and taking my
first leap, and hello world! Much, much more will follow, once I see
this really works.