I’m not a big fan of bureaucracy but living or cruising on a sailboat it’s just part of the same old same. The best way, in my personal opinion, of dealing with the beast is to simply know what is required and follow the rules. Sure, I know many of those rules are dumb or …
So, it’s time to build a new dinghy for some serious cruising and, over the last few days, I’ve been looking for a design that makes sense. Lately, I’ve been using a six-foot dinghy but being over built is way too heavy to be used for serious cruising. Hence the need to build something new. …
I’ve been spending quite a bit of time mulling over the idea of an alternative earth cruising guide. The idea being that if the world had evolved a bit differently that boats, cruisers and cruising grounds would be a somewhat divergent reality. I started thinking about this when I realized hardly anyone cruises in the …
I spent a good portion of yesterday making copious amounts of sawdust as I whittled the laminated wood into something that looks like a self-steering gear. There’s a lot to be said for an angle grinder and a flapper sanding disc. Talk about a mess. Honestly, the best part of the day was jumping overboard …
OK, I’ll admit that I have more power tools aboard than the average cruiser. That said, I can build a new mast, a dinghy, or a self-steering gear, and that can both make and save money. My $100 drill press alone has already saved me a few hundred dollars just in doing new chainplates for …
Today the plan is to glue up the self-steering rudder, continue thinking about a hard top Bimini and dodger. The current Bimini is fugly and not strong enough to carry solar panels. I have a few ideas but it remains to be seen whether they are cunning or “cunning” if you know what I mean. …
While I was waiting for my better half and communing with a lizard next to the dinghy dock I found myself making a list of words that really get up my nose. For starters, there’s the old standby of “Yacht” a word that raises my hackles every time I hear or read it. Which, is …
I’m currently waiting for a dry day so I can glue up the three boards set to become the new self-steering gear for the Islander. I’ll be upfront and say that I currently have a severe case of workshop envy. Which is not to say you can’t build a self-steering gear or dinghy on a …
