Atlantic Passage Part 1
Contributed by Feel Free - This blog has been viewed 13 times and there are 0 comments
Posted In Cruising Log
Posted: March 15, 2010
Blue skies, good forecast- Barbados or bust! So Liz recorded in the logbook minutes before we weighed anchor to set off for our 2,800 mile voyage from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands to Barbados- our longest passage to date.
Remarkably, the usual pre-trip collection of butterflies that normally resides in our stomachs seemed to be oddly asleep for this departure. Their lassitude may possibly have been explained by a number of things: 2009 had been a year of few Atlantic hurricanes and hurricane season should have been finished; our routing would take us well north of the equato...... Read More

Mom Cruise
Contributed by kismet - This blog has been viewed 6 times and there are 0 comments
Posted In Cruising Log
Posted: March 15, 2010
Jim and I both agree that two of the more fulfilling trips we have done during our boating adventures was scheduling one week cruises, at different times, this winter with both of our moms. While they have both spent long weekends with us in our Great Lakes cruising grounds in the past, before we retired, they had never traveled very far with us, especially in unfamiliar territory or in tidal salt water. We had the idea that our moms didn’t really understand what we’re up to as we’re traveling around the Eastern United States by water on Kismet and you know how moms are. We ar...... Read More

Maryland Moves to Increase Pollution in Chesapeake
Contributed by Tom Neale - This blog has been viewed 34 times and there are 0 comments
Posted In Cruising Log
Posted: March 12, 2010
We share a passion, you and I. Our passion is for clean waters. And we share a commitment to work together to achieve clean waters.
1. It is already illegal for a boat to discharge sewage. Statements that the establishment of No Discharge Zones means the establishment of areas where sewage may not be discharged are inaccurate and misleading.
2. No Discharge Zones (NDZ) actually contribute to unclean water and the dumping of waste.
3. There are now two effective ways to handle waste from people on boats.
a. Pumpout. This puts huge amounts of raw waste, per pum...... Read More

East Coast Alerts by Mel Neale March 4, 2010
Contributed by Tom Neale - This blog has been viewed 46 times and there are 0 comments
Posted: March 04, 2010
Attention Snowbirds
Gallants Channel Restricted at Beaufort Bridge, NC:
The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone on the waters of Gallants Channel at Beaufort, North Carolina. The State of North Carolina Department of Transportation awarded a contract to Hames Contracting Inc. of Alpharetta, Georgia, to perform bridge maintenance on the Grayden Paul Draw Bridge at the Gallants Channel crossing to Beaufort, North Carolina. The contract provides for cleaning, painting, steel repair, and grid floor replacement to begin on March 1, 2010 and will be complete by April 30, 2...... Read More

Mangroves
Contributed by Tom Neale - This blog has been viewed 28 times and there are 0 comments
Posted In Cruising Log
Posted: March 04, 2010
Snorkeling in a mangrove swamp awes, frightens and inspires. We stay in the channels, of course, for to get into the root system could be dangerous. The experience changes from moment to moment--as does the water. Usually it’s very warm, but cold streams and eddies mysteriously reach out from the roots. It keeps you alert. This is good because here is where sharks breed. We’ve seen the baby sharks, and the big ones.



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Toms Tips About Mangroves and No-see-ums
Contributed by Tom Neale - This blog has been viewed 23 times and there are 0 comments
Posted: March 04, 2010
1. No-see-ums thrive in mangrove. They are tiny gnats that are ferocious in their desire to bite you and make you itch.
2. If you are near mangrove and there is little or no wind, or if you anchor downwind from mangrove, you are likely to be attacked by these bugs.
3. They are the worst in the evening time, but can bother you anytime. Often they’ll fill up the boat, do their best on you, settle down so that you think they’re gone, and start flying again the next day to make you miserable, even though you’ve moved far away from the swamp.
4. The best protection on a bo...... Read More

Okeechobee Bound
Contributed by kismet - This blog has been viewed 48 times and there are 0 comments
Posted In Cruising Log
Posted: March 01, 2010
Ultimately Lisa and I will be in Key West, Florida, for two months this winter, but instead of heading straight down the east coast of Florida, our plan is to cross the state via the Okeechobee Waterway route. We wanted to revisit the splendor of the west coast of Florida that we have enjoyed so much on previous visits. The east coast portion of the waterway starts in Stuart, Florida and provided us an opportunity to visit friends from home who were wintering in the Stuart area before we made our trip west to the sunset side of the state.




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Provisioning for the Atlantic Crossing
Contributed by Feel Free - This blog has been viewed 60 times and there are 0 comments
Posted In Cruising Log
Posted: March 01, 2010
I have to admit it, there was more than one night of tossing and turning. Thinking about the crossing. Thinking about feeding four people. Provisioning for Tom and me is one thing, we’ve done it so many times. We were delighted that old friends and seasoned sailors Gus Kolaric and David Allester agreed to join us for our longest passage yet, in 24 years (off and on) of cruising, but the idea of 2,700 miles translating to an equation of (approximately) 20 days X 4 people X 3 meals= 240 meals, not counting meals in port before departure and after arrival in the Barbados, was frankly, daunti...... Read More

The Bottom Line
Contributed by Tom Neale - This blog has been viewed 44 times and there are 0 comments
Posted In Cruising Log
Posted: February 19, 2010
Advanced designs for the placement of butts at the helm were seldom considered in the not too distant past. But in recent years marine design professionals have been steadily rising to new heights in the art of the lowering of buttocks into practical yet comfortable foundations at the helm.



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Toms Tips About Seating
Contributed by Tom Neale - This blog has been viewed 35 times and there are 0 comments
Posted: February 19, 2010
1. A helmsman’s seat should be designed and positioned in a manner to minimize back and joint stress and wrist and shoulder stress. This can become a problem for many people on long passages.
2. There’s a tendency on some large fast boats with flying bridges to move the helms seat well aft on that deck so that people can sit (party) in front. NO helms seat should be designed or placed in such a way that you can’t see directly in front of you, including close in to your bow.
3. While comfort is nice, if you’re going to be making long passages, particularly overnight, do...... Read More

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