A while back, I had an email from a reader who used the word “acceptable” as in what sort of boat the cruising fraternity would find acceptable because he really wanted to fit in. The fact that my sarcastic answer of “Any boat with a price tag of $200K or more” he seemed to take …
While perusing the news this morning, I noticed something of a theme relating to size. First, there was a piece in the Times about Mega yachts, Fortune had an article about bigger than prudent profits, and then there was this palate cleanser about a 50,000-egg omelet, which sorta/kinda got me thinking about VolksCruiser size and …
My recent post on the Beachcomber 25 produced some emails of the “A 25-foot boat is too small to cruise or live on” variety and a fair bit of outrage. I get that. A 25-foot sailboat is, after all, a small boat. That said, in my own defense I’ll point out that not all 25-foot …
I just saw that there was a boat currently selling eggs in St Thomas and thought it was kind of cool if only as a source of non refrigerated eggs. Combine that with the high cost of eggs from the local super market and it starts making real sense. Though, to be honest, I’m not …
As someone who’s managed to survive three category 5 storms at anchor with minimal damage, I’ll be the first person to say that the only safe/sane way to deal with a major storm is to be somewhere else when it’s happening. Which has a lot to do with always having at least a sketchy plan …
Sure, I know that there’s a helluva lot of peer pressure to adhere to consumerist dogma but, just for a moment think about what you can afford rather than what you think others will opine on what you need to spend to be accepted. I see a lot of folks selling the idea that “price …
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve got too much stuff aboard “So It Goes” and we’re just about to get into a serious purge of what’s not earning it’s keep. For starters, the two Mirage drives that have been taking up room in my port cockpit locker really need to go. The plan …
The big issue with a lot of possible VolksCruisers is that there a bit challenged where displacement is concerned. Here’s an example… One of my favorite small cruising boats is the Balboa 26 designed by Lyle Hess. It’s small, shoal draft, seaworthy and has a considerable amount of room/livability for its size. The problem is …
It’s funny how many times I’ve heard the term ‘comfort’ when folks explain to me why they need a boat bigger than they need and more expensive than they can afford. “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want to impress people they don’t like.” —Will Rogers Now, don’t …
A very long time ago we were rafted up in Honfleur and got invited to have tea and cookies on a Westerly Tiger. It’s a nice memory of a half-dozen people chatting about boats inside a very nice, small boat. As it happens, I saw a Westerly Tiger for sale up in Seattle for $1K …
