Thursday, September 29, 2016
Documentary: Chasing Bubbles
Recently I came across this great documentary: Chasing Bubbles.
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| Alex Rust |
It is
A documentary about the journey and spirit of Alex Rust, a farm boy turned day trader from Indiana who, at 25, abandoned his yuppie life in Chicago, bought a modest sailboat, and set out to sail around the world, learning as he journeyed.says IMDB.
Pretty amazing that the movie is available for free. Would have paid to see it.
The movie can be watched on YouTube and Vimeo.
Btw, as a side note, the Vimeo app for Amazon Fire Stick is really primitive, no search capability?!
Anyways, I might even watch it a second time, it is very inspiring, and poses some very good questions.
Enjoy!
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Dry while on the water
Warning: another rant ahead! :-) |
| Result of mixing alcool and boating |
My rule is: if I am boating, I do not drink alcool, period. Exception are when anchored or docked for the night. If I know I will be boating, no drinks. I even buy de-alcoholized beers for that effect, as I really enjoy the taste of beer.
Its not even what I see in person. I do watch a lot of YouTube videos, and frequently I will see people on passages drinking wine and such. This is a no-no in my book. I praise my favourites world sailors Paul & Sheryl Shard of Distant Shores as NOT doing that.
Just yesterday, in the news, a bozo stranded his Mega-Yacht stranded on Beach at Palm Beach Inlet in Florida!
If you still want to drink, there is even a Boat Sober app which provides a Blood Alcohol Estimator that allows the user to estimate their BAC based on their gender, body weight and how many drinks they have consumed in a specific period of time. This tool is only that….a tool. Be aware though, that you can be arrested for a BAC less than the legal limit if you show signs of impairment. And it really is not about getting arrested, drinking while on the water increases the chances of an accident or drowning. And nobody wants increase those odds.
Cheers! (when anchored or docked for the day)
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Mind your wake
Warning: Pet peeve rant ahead! |
| Now, that's a wake! |
One of the things that frustrate me, is the wake that boaters generate. I should really take a picture of the "No Wake" sign on waterways that's being tossed around by someone's wake.
Where we are in the canals, for some reason, the boats most oblivious to causing wakes are....surprise...sailors! Yes, that is a surprise, as I was (still am) a sailor. So that really pains me.
I learned early in my sailing days about the damages a wake can create. Way back when I learnt sailing, I used to often take a Laser and explore little bays, go where other boats could not go. I just enjoyed being in nature, I would see big and small fishes in the small bays, and then as I was in a tiny bay, I would feel and see the effects of a boat buzzing by. I literally saw and felt the effect on the environment....motor boating is not natural and disturbs ecology.
And in the modern society, well, wakes also damage the shore walls. Requiring maintenance and update.
I am now, a power boating, tho I still sail occasionally, but I am probably anal about looking behind me to make sure there is no wake to disturb nature and boats docked.
Take to extremes, it can caused a lot damage, such as what happened last week Italy (on Aug 28, 2016).
So, yes, please mind your wake.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Sad story about fire onboard
I came across this story on Facebook. Definitely not all cruising stories are perfect.
A fire on-board is one of the most dangerous things that can happen. I do love Diesel engines on sailboats, not to self...avoid turbos.
Anyways, a lot of good lessons there....Read about it here.
Friday, July 22, 2016
Jim Morris "Godfather" of Trop Rock passes away
I love Trop rock music, been listening to various artists for a long time by buying theirs CDs (Mark Mulligan, Eric Stone, Michael McCloud, Buffett of course, etc).But only last year did I start listening to trop rock radio, mostly internet Beach Front Radio. Love that station.
So, for me, I only discovered Jim Morris around that time, and bought a few CDs six months ago. If you do not know his music, I recommend the album "Seafood Platter" as it is a best of.
Anyways, I was sad to first hear through Facebook that he had suffered a brain aneurysm, and the he subsequently passed away. More details here.
Cheers to you Jim, didnt meet you, but your music is with me forever! Thanks!
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
WindGlider instructions
If like me you got a used WindGlider that did not come with instructions, do not despair, the setup instructions are on YouTube in 2 parts (phew). Part 1 above and Part 2 below. I would still like to find a PDF of the instructions however. If I do find them I will post it here.
Cheers!
Monday, July 11, 2016
Praise for Windglider
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| Not me! |
Last fall, I came across a WindGlider for sale on Kijiji (more popular in Canada than Craigslist). I tried it once very quickly this winter while in Florida, maybe 1 hour, but did not have time.
Finally yesterday, I spent a whole afternoon "gliding", a bit frustrating at first, but it didnt take too long to finally be able to glide effortlessly...proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks (I'm 51), though I have sailed my whole life, this is a bit different, learning to tilt the mast to turn and control directions, it takes a bit, but is slowly becoming more natural.
So turning the board is still a challenge. I first tried tacking...ouch. Now instead, I am gybing, still not perfectly, but better.
This thing is a hoot, great fun...not too fast, easy to control and very stable.
Cheers!
