Ramblings

About a year ago after much frustration in trying to find a good log book for the boat, I decided the only way I was going to get what I wanted was to make it myself! For the last 12 months I’ve been quietly writing my own electronic log book for the boat. Today I…

Yep I got caught up in the eclipse frenzy. This is the third eclipse I’ve been privileged to see in my life time and I have to admit, it never gets old! Here in Texas we did not get the full coverage, but that does not make it any less interesting. The shear magnitude of…

Drat I missed Earth day for this post – better late than never though. Lent 2017 started March first this year and while I’m not catholic or even religious by any stretch of the imagination. The idea of foregoing something for a while to step back and take stock of it’s influence on your life…

This post is both trivial and yet damn important. I’m talking about having a reliable pen on the boat and not paying a pirate’s ransom for it. Let me be clear here, when I say “good pen for the boat” I’m not talking a fancy Mother-of-pearl Mont Blanc engraved with the boat’s name. I’m talking…

I ran across this YouTube video the other day and it got me thinking? “Is this the future of boat repair?” We’ve all seen 3D printers showing up on the market and all the hype. In their current state they’re great for simple low stress projects. However like all technologies it’s on an upward trajectory…

This is by far the most bazaar repair advice that I’ve ever found on the internet. At this point everyone knows I’m still land locked and in the process of prepping the boat for the Caribbean sail. So I still need land based transportation, you know for those runs to marine supply store (I wonder…

This whole thing started when I needed to replace a shirt. My 3 cylinder Westerbeke claimed a shirt when a sleeve snagged on one it’s pointy bits. I went to the closet to get a new shirt and realized my clothes were in pretty bad shape. Other than bad whiskey, nothing haunts my nightmares more…

I have been noticing a lot of chatter on the interwebs and in the media about the fish borne ailment ‘Ciguatera’. I don’t know if it’s data collection improvements, easier information access, media fear mongering, or rising ocean temps, but there seems to be more occurrences of Ciguatera poisoning. At first glance I didn’t think…

Hey Captain! What’s that little book you keep looking at? “It’s my engineering almanac.” well kind of, sort of, it’s not really an almanac like Ben Franklin would print. It’s more like an engineer’s cliff notes. Full of random engineering data like: strength ratings for different grade bolts, forgotten geometry formulas, pulley & gear ratios.…

It’s an extraordinary occasion in the life of a sailor when we find something useful for the boat that’s actually free! Usually it goes something like “Oh! This is for a boat? Hang on I will need to get my big calculator, that will be an arm and leg or your next offspring!” Just because…

I cannot imagine a world without music. I have friends who can drive a car for hours only listening to road noise. ACK! Kill me now! Having music on my boat is just as important as food and water. The sad thing to me is a lot of people take its power for granted and…

A boat’s galley is pretty much the same as any kitchen you will find on land: stove, sink, cupboard, and oven. The major difference is a boat’s galley dances to the rhythm of the sea; a land kitchen is rooted in the Earth’s crust. Taking this into account I have instituted some jurisprudence in the…