If it were not so long, I would enjoy riding a Toothpick
RichC | January 29, 2012
New coffee love and an ongoing Encore mount project
RichC | January 25, 2012
I was going to comment on the “more of the same” State of the Union address from President Obama last night and Gov. Mitch Daniels response, but the reality is that I’m getting tired of hearing the same thing again and again. More divisive rhetoric that splits the country and very little hope that we’ll [...]
Teenage sailor becomes youngest to circumnavigate the globe
RichC | January 22, 2012
A year and a day after she set out to sail single-handed around the globe, Dutch teenager Laura Dekker finished her 27,000 mile voyage on Saturday night. Miss Dekker has had to cope with weeks of solitude, ocean storms and a fear of pirates while navigating and sailing a 38-foot yacht called Guppy, all the [...]
Video: Birch bark canoe – CÉSAR ET SON CANOT D’ÉCORCE
RichC | January 20, 2012
Could help but sharing this pretty interesting (long) video illustrating traditional Birch bark canoe building … who knew so much went into building these boats.
The Bahamas look pretty inviting this time of year
RichC | January 15, 2012
Although I love our house and like living in Ohio, winter is the time I envy those who have sailed south and are spending their days exploring the islands of the Caribbean. Jen and Maxwell sailing in the Bahamas on sv Anastasia January 2012 A sailing couple spending the winter in the Bahamas aboard their [...]
Controlling solar power onboard Encore
RichC | January 9, 2012
Although I’m not at all disappointed with my current single 135W Kyocera solar panel, I don’t want to be wasting amps and not returning them to my battery bank. I was reading an article debating the different controllers regulating charging and began doing some of my own research since I’m thinking about adding an additional [...]
Wireless connections are less than perfect on the boat
RichC | December 8, 2011
A few days of travel away from decent Internet connections has me appreciating my questionable home cable Internet connection (either Time Warner OR my internal network isn’t perfect). I ran a few tests of both the marina BeaconWi-fi and my tethered Sprint Palm Pre and have come to the conclusion that I need to treat [...]
You know you have a good wife when she goes up the mast
RichC | December 7, 2011
While escaping the rainy Ohio weather this week, I enjoyed a couple of days in Florida doing boat chores, helped settle Brenda’s mom and dad back into their Delray Beach winter abode … and watched my slip mates next boat over at the marina doing some mast top work. Hubby Mark sent (hoisted) his wife [...]
Leaking port and delayed back surgery for my mom
RichC | December 5, 2011
After weathering the hot summer and safely making it through hurricane season, our sailboat Encore demonstrated that wind and rain from “unnamed storms” can still find its way into a closed boat. One of the port above the book rack dripped some water onto a few books … a couple of them headed straight to [...]
Archive: Reminiscing continued
RichC | November 19, 2011
As mentioned before, I’m not an active Facebook user but I do check in on my account whenever I receive the cursory email (too many from FB BTW). After noticing an incorrectly tagged photo …twice ….yesterday I made a couple wisecracks to my nephews about it. At about the same time I was sorting through [...]
A visit with a friend had me reminiscing about other friends
RichC | November 18, 2011
Our old house and 5 acres of property on Stow Road in Hudson Ohio On my trip to NE Ohio this week I had both the chance to enjoy dinner with my daughter in Columbus (always a pleasure) and meeting with Mark Goloback, an old friend from when we lived in Hudson, Ohio. I recently [...]
Whale watching from a kayak and a pair of humpbacks
RichC | October 31, 2011
A reader knowing that I’ve posted pictures of kayakers and whales in the past forwarded me a link with a couple humpback whales off of California that looked to be uncomfortably close to this guy (click image for larger). Someday “we humans” are going to get a little too close … I personally will not [...]
Freedom of the Seas gets rocked by rough weather; damage to public areas | Cruise Radio
RichC | October 10, 2011
It was a rough night for passengers on a big ship. The Norweign Cruise Line’s Freedom of the Seas was never in danger according to the company, but a passenger aboard Freedom told Cruiseradio.net a different side of the story: “It was crazy. The ship was on it’s side, everything broke all over ship, medical [...]
How to get a tall mast under a not so tall fixed bridge
RichC | September 16, 2011
This skipper and his sailboat have something in common by going under the bridge in this way. I’m impress with both the ingenuity and boldness. How to get an 80′ rig through the 65′ bridges of the Intracoastal Waterway using two tons of water. The balls get swung out with an initial turn to port [...]
And if the economy gets really bad …
RichC | September 3, 2011
… we’ll just live on the boat (WSJ video below).
B-E-A-UTIFUL anchorage photo from the Chagos
RichC | August 15, 2011
Couldn’t resist dreaming of exotic ports of call and far away anchorages … this one is from the Chagos in the Indian Ocean (he archipelago has the largest expanse of undisturbed coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, as well as rare and endangered species of birds and other wildlife. There are strict conservation rules, which [...]
Coming up with a new idea from an old Pardey book
RichC | August 6, 2011
I started trying to make my own J-hook fitting in order to create a quick release/connect attachment point for the forestay on Encore. My 3/8” thick blank of 6061 aluminum proved to be too much for my bandsaw blade (hopefully due to age) last night so I’ll need to order a replacement. Every once in [...]
Home chores and a swim on a quite evening
RichC | July 27, 2011
After an evening mowing the backyard grass on Tuesday night, a cooling dip in the pool was in order. The 90 degree water was a bit warm, but still felt refreshing. Besides cooling off, I “launched” (chuckle, chuckle) our hard dinghy we call Trinka and “moored” it in the pool. It is out of place, [...]
Researching a replacement inflatable for our old Zodiac
RichC | July 19, 2011
Clipping and archiving to the blog. I could have just marked it private but figured I’d share just in case someone has an opinion. Length 9′ 10" Beam 5′ 1" Weight 114 Lbs Capacity: 4 Persons or 992 Lbs Maximum Motor 10 hp (Maximum motor weight 99 Lbs) Manufacturer recommends 8 hp (15" shaft) Tube [...]
Encore is stripped of canvas and rigged with a couple extra lines
RichC | July 17, 2011
Although the photo doesn’t show the dodger and ac awning down just yet, all the canvas that should be put below has been stripped. I’ve rigged the extra dock lines, but have left the solar panel up (but tied to the lifelines). Besides prepping Encore for the potential of a storm, I was able [...]
Continuing to prepare Encore for the hurricane season
RichC | July 16, 2011
I busied myself on Friday enough that I’m almost too tired to update the blog. As I sit yawning and pondering the “to-do” list for Saturday, I’ll at least post a few photos from the day. I spent the morning stripping the sails and putting them below on the settee below (top left photo in [...]
Sweating a bit more down in Florida, but enjoying it
RichC | July 15, 2011
I’m reading my email and posting on another warm night after a day that did not include any sailing … but sailing wasn’t in the plans either. In between thunderstorms I watched the full moon is beam thru the companionway hatch (note top right of photo) and ate some Chinese carry-out for dinner. Besides spending [...]
Added a bit of shade to cover the portable AC on Encore
RichC | July 13, 2011
One of the problems with being dockside during a hot and humid Florida day is that the cabin temperature can climb to a pretty uncomfortable levels. Since we are tethered to the dock, we have the advantage of having enough electricity to run appliances such as air conditioning – something not all that easy when [...]
Photography: Eclipse of the moon photos from South Africa
RichC | July 12, 2011
In keeping with my previous theme of photography and space, my sailing acquaintance Fred Roswold currently working on his sailboat in South Africa posted his photo the June eclipse of the moon. His did a little Photoshop composite work after taking a series of shots 10-20 minutes apart. Great image Fred. The settings, for any [...]
Going through extraordinary lengths to steal a dinghy
RichC | July 10, 2011
Thief gives a CCTV camera a clear view of his face before stealing a dinghy My sailing friends will appreciate this … my nomination for a Darwin award — such as with this “dingy” or “dinghy” thief. Of course this is unless his case will be decided by the jurors who heard the Casey Anthony [...]
Belated post announcing my friends the Handley’s U.S. return
RichC | June 16, 2011
Many who know me are well aware that I enjoy following sailors who set out on voyages across the oceans of our world. One couple, Mark and Judy Handley, have been exceptional at posting daily updates and making their travels both easy and interesting to follow. I’ve corresponded with them over the years and have [...]
Linda A Sandbo and her beautiful seaside photography
RichC | June 6, 2011
In a conversation with a sailing friend last week, I happened to correspond by email with an acquaintance — talented photographer and liveaboard sailor, Linda Sandbo. I wanted to highlight a link to her work on my blog … and with permission she sent me a most appreciated photograph. I wish I had half the [...]
Uniquely traveling over Indian Ocean reefs
RichC | May 19, 2011
Who needs a dinghy … fly instead! Nice views … (Check out PercyMichael’s YouTube clips of the Krucker amphib)
Catch up post – Enjoying Encore, but the Love Bugs not so much
RichC | May 18, 2011
Brenda and I made a multipurpose trip to Florida to enjoy a little sailing with our soon graduate from medical school daughter Katelyn and two of her graduating friends Laura and Ashley; we also planned to do a little work on our boat Encore (projects and maintenance will never end). Besides the personal recreation, we [...]
Moonlight over Encore
RichC | May 17, 2011
Spending a quiet night aboard Encore under a full moon during a still evening and high tide.
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.