Featured Blog Posts (255)

After three and a half years tied to the big yellow umbilical cord, barring disaster, it will be back to cruising this April. I had hoped to head south for the winter, but it takes a while to turn a floating apartment back into a cruising boat, as well as the skipper. So I opted to stay over for the winter and head north in the spring.

The plan, such as it is, is to bounce around Carolina for a few weeks and make sure boat and skipper are functioning properly. Then it's north to the…

Afterall, what good is having cake if you can't eat it? Geepers wheepers, It's not like I'm asking for a million bucks. Rather, I already have a decent boat. No, it's not the Queen Mary or even a Mahe 36 catamaran with all the amenities. It is a seemingly sturdy, tank looking barge of a trimaran. SPRAY is just what I was asking for a 35 foot tri with an inboard diesel. To be alone at sea, to sail into an unknown harbor inhaling through all my senses the wonderment of a totally foreign…

We got to the boat later than we had hoped, but we had a great time talking on the ride to the marina.  It took a bit of trying different ways to rig the boatswain chair so that I could hoist Marina up the mizzen mast to remove the topping lift.  At first I tried the winch on the mast, but it was too small.  Then we tried the port jib sheet winch, but the lead was too high…

At least the prevarication was only to myself. Indeed, I was tired today. The past 3 days had me on an emotional high as SPRAY took 2nd place to having any physical work being done. That's not entirely true as I did complete the stern castle window, have the helm lines adjusted, and the bottom cleaned. What I need to do right now is get off this blog and order the auto helm belts. Before that, I need to thank who  ever is in charge of Sea Knots for featuring my previous blog.

We got underway from Stuart, Florida a bit later than we had wished. A last minute problem with the propane system required some expert help be called. With a bit of assistance from the broker who sold us the boat and an email to the former owners, Ken and Becky Gunderson, who are in Thailand, we got a hold of a competent electrician. So about Noon we cast off and proceeded down the river towards the ICW. It was my first time to transit an opening bridge, so you can imagine I was…

It's been just two years since we completed our transatlantic trip for charity and at last we can show you the final result. This is a picture of the of the well that was built in Malawi, Africa with your funds. YOU BUILT THIS WELL by supporting Sail For Water with your donations, your messages and your encouragement. And because of that, the 166 people…

About five years ago two friends and I decided to enter a mini triathalon at Walt Disney World. Voraciously we'd bike, swim, and walk on a regular basis for several months leading up to the event. It was the weekly walks on the beach with Sherry that made me turn my dream into a reality. Both of us talked incessantly about cruising around the world. She wanted a mate, I wanted to go solo.

Lo and behold by summer's end she found her perfect mate while I struggled with a loving husband…

Dec 14, 2011

Don"t know why Dec gets me active about my boat...but I will start sleeping and living on the boat ...Cats have to come too.  Having pets do tie me down, but my girls do pretty well on the boat up to now.  I have not startrd the engine…

Reading the Yanmar Diesel Manual was overwhelming at first. I scanned each page of it a few months back as I transitioned it into a looseleaf notebook. Important pages, like what type of oil to use and the maintenance checklist were put in a plastic sleeve. During my daily boat check on Monday I was too tired to take on any real tasks, like sanding the eyebrow the protects the gps in the cockpit, I slithered below to sit at the galley table. After gazing out the stern castle window, which…

It isn't every day two pioneers in the multihull faction have dinner together. So it was last Monday when Jim Brown on the left and Sam Bradfield had the opportunity to swap stories of their involvement over the past 50 years. Jim gets kudos from his Searunner line of trimarans while Sam boasts advances in the world of hydrofoils. Sam's latest design has been recently…

After days of trying to get my blog log in correct I finally succeeded. What annoys me is that I finally succeeded after admitting my failed attempts to a fellow sailing friend and blogger. At least I answered her inquiry about writing up my adventure purchasing a Marples 35 foot tri in the Rio Dulce.

I guess with my log in back in order I'm ready to tell my story. Just to give you a taste, my journey actually culminated this afternoon while sailing with Jim Brown. If you…

home from the sea and the hunter home from the hill! Cant remember who wrote that .. its from a poem that I learnt by heart a hundred years ago. I have always loved those lines. Arrived back last Sunday ...departed Corfu early in the morning ..flew to London Gatwick and then on to Cork in Ireland.There wasn't enough time in Greece to finish the blog so instead I am just going to mention a few highlights. 

I travelled back in time while we were in Frikes on Ithaca island! In a little…

 After spending a wonderful summer in the great north east and surviving Irene in Newport, I find myself crewless. Scheduled crew had a change of plans so I'm looking for help sailing  from here to Annapolis. Anyone interested?

From my corny brain to yours (if you have one), just sing along to the tune of Zipity, Do Dah, Zippity Yea,

Zippity Do Day Zippity Yea

I changed the oil in my Yanmar today,

Plenty of grease in my fingernails

Ickity, yuckity, Grossly I say

Oh Mr. Builder of my tri

Why did you put the filter on the port side?

Scrapedee scratchee, me knuckles are sore,

Dirty and tired, the lesson today

On changing oil, was a success, but even the…

As I look forward to learning how to change the oil in my inboard diesel, I had to re-learn the importance of being upfront and honest. It's one thing to tell the truth, it's another thing to take the initiative to tell someone something they might not want to hear. For example, the lasttime I boarrowed a friend's sailboat the outboard was not very cooperative. It was easy for me to discount any mechanical problem and simply blame myself for not pulling the cord with enough torque. After 3…

Yesterday, the winds were blowing 11-15 but, what seemed different was the temperature of the wind was 90+ deg and you just couldn't cool off. That's when the new "mister" installed on the aft deck became a lifesaver. I had been fighting putting one in for years because I didn't think it was nautical enought, but hidden away under the cockpit storage area, it worked out great. I guess as we get older we start making some better decisions and but the way we keep the crew happy in the…

It has been said if you make enough money to require a payment to Uncle Sam, then you are in good shape. Put the good with enough and you have the name of the boat I just purchased:  Good Enough. Yipe, I am the proud owner of a Marples 35 wood/epoxy constant camber tri..... After a successful sail home from the Rio Dulce, she'll be renamed SPRAY 3  (same as my Corsair was named).…

Thanks to Russell, Steve, Sail Dancer, Mark and Karen for your encouraging words. Now that I decided to buy the boat the challenge is finding a 3rd crew to assist with sailing her home. Time is short as I need to get plane reservations at a reasonable rate and have 'er home by August 2. There is always a challenge, always an obstacle to overcome and always a reason to change one's mind. Been trying to hook up with Suky but the computer, Sea Knots, and I are also having our communication…