No Supermarket At Sea
Cooking at sea has never been easy and is usually looked upon as a dull, but necessary task. Nothing can spur the queasy stomach to open rebellion more effectively than going below to a hot, stuffy galley to prepare , ugh! - food. Why would anyone in his right mind try to prepare a meal at a 30' heel while the rest of the crew enjoy a sail on deck? The term, 'slaving over a hot stove', takes on new meaning. Yet, the cook is a vitally important member of the ship's crew, and it is not an easy job. Whether on a delivery, racing or long distance cruising, a non-stop passage on your boat means no nipping out to buy that missing ingredient: there are no supermarkets at sea! So remember, the moment you leave the dock you'd better be sure you haven't forgotten anything. If you like acronyms, here are two secrets to success that you can remember: The Six P's, and MAMAS Theory.
Fall Maintenance: Dont Wait Until Spring!
As the frost line marches southward over the next few months, it will signal the end of the season for sailors stranded to its north. The end of the sailing season, however, does not mean the end of boat responsibilities. A pleasure for some, a chore for others, off-season layup and winter's armchair sailing is all part of the game. Like it or not, a boat requires care when it is laid up, just as it does when it is in use. In a way, the fact that you may not get to use your boat for more than half a year is a plus. If you have ever looked at a boat that has been in the Caribbean charter trade for four years, you realize that the concept of the no-maintenance fiberglass boat with eternal life is little more than a myth. A boat is a big investment, and like most investments it requires some attention from the investor (you) to do its best.
Design For: Cockpit Foot Brace
Modern yachts are frequently advertised as having spacious cockpits: and, indeed, they do. But it doesn't take many afternoons of sailing to discover that the cockpit which seemed so splendidly roomy in the showroom or at the boatyard is too damned wide: it's impossible to brace your legs across the footwell without sliding down so that your body only contacts the boat at shoulders and tailbone. If you want to sit on the cockpit coaming while steering there's no place at all to brace your feet.
Taming the Wild Boom: Two Designs for a Gallows
A wildly flailing boom is one of the most dangerous objects aboard a sailboat. If you could completely control the boom at anchor and under power, and while raising, lowering, and reefing the sail you'd avoid worry, save energy and be much safer. For this reason, many serious cruising boats have traditionally carried permanent boom gallows. They usually take the form of metal pillars bridg ed across the top by a wooden cross member. Bolted to the deck at the aft end of the cockpit or on the aft deck itself, they serve several functions: holding the boom firmly when the sail is down; catching the boom easily as the sail is lowered; and, perhaps most importantly, keeping the boom steady during reefing operations.
Design For: Tableware Storage
One solution to the problem of tableware stowage is a bulkhead rack of the type commonly available from marine chandleries and discount houses. If you have some free bulkhead space in the galley area such racks can be fine, but, if you've got a drawer or cupboard available, stowing your tableware under cover seems a better solution. The problem is that the tableware should be secured within the drawer or cupboard. You could use one of the compartmented, plastic trays such as many of us employ at home, but ideally you want something which holds the tableware against the movement and vibration of the boat.
Design For: A Dock Box
Whether by choice or force of circumstance, increasing numbers of us are sailing out of marina slips rather than off moorings. For anyone using a slip or dock as home base, a dock box is a handy receptacle for spare lines, fenders, paint, varnish, tools, and miscellaneous gear. Also, a solid dock box can make a useful, if low, work bench, and sometimes serves as a step for a boat with high topsides. The smallest, lowest priced, commercially available dock boxes sell at discount for nearly $200, and the cost can go up to over $300. Hence, making a box yourself can save you a good deal of money. The illustration shows the construction of a basic, plywood-skinned box with notes on material sizes or scan't- flings. As you can see, construction is simple enough so that even a beginner can make a good job of it.
Design For: Stern Rail Mount Work Surface
For those who enjoy fishing or charcoal cooking, here's a design for a stern rail mount work surface useful for fish cleaning and meat cutting, and big enough to hold a hibachi when moored. I got the idea from yacht designer C.W. "Chuck" Paine, and Chuck got the idea from some Caribbean charter boats. You could also clamp a vise to the work surface and thus have a handy little work bench for onboard repairs and modifications. Mounted as it is on the stern rail, it is at a useful height, and offal and mess are easily cleared overboard. A hibachi used on the surface demands careful use, of course — as with any open flame on a boat — but it's about as far outboard a position as can be found. It's also a lot cheaper than those charcoal grills designed to be clamped to the stern rail.
It Takes a Tough Sailor to Make a Smooth Boat Bottom
Fairing in through hull fittings, as described in the February issue, will go a long way toward reducing bottom drag in light air, but it won't really do the job unless the paint surface of the bottom is smooth. A surprisingly high percentage of boats not used primarily for racing have bottom paint jobs that range from poor to atrocious. If your bottom has peeling patches that haven't been in, brush marks from failure to smooth out thick bottom paints, or stipple marks from application with a roller, your boat will be slower in light air than it could be. Bottom paints, unlike topside paints, are not formulated for smooth application, in most cases. They have a high solids content and quick-flashing solvents, a combination guaranteed to make smooth application difficult. Even the racing boat with the smoothest bottom didn't start out that way.
Teak: A Little Effort Goes a Long Way
Probably nothing can make or break the appearance of a fiberglass boat more quickly than the appearance of the exterior teak trim. Contrary to popular belief, teak is not a maintenance-free wood that can be safely ignored and neglected for years at a time. Though teak may not rot, it can check, warp, and look depressingly drab if not properly cared for. Although it is not immune to neglect, teak is incredibly resilient, and can be brought back to life after remarkable amounts of abuse. Therefore, there is no excuse for drab, ugly exterior teak on any boat. Unlike other woods used for exterior trim, the grey weathering of teak rarely extends very far below the surface of the wood.
A Homemade Tiller Tender
On my Catalina 22 I have a tiller tender which has served me well for many years — and it didn't cost a cent. On top of the tiller are two pieces of 3/8" x 3/4" hardwood about 5" long. The two pieces are drilled horizontally, at the joint line, about 2" from the end to accommodate a 3" length of split neoprene which has an inside diameter slightly less than the diameter of the braided line which runs to the coamings. Two holes drilled vertically near the ends are used to fasten the device to the tiller.
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Island Packet Estero Used Boat Review
Florida-based Island Packet targets a relatively narrow niche, so the toughest competitors to its new boats are often older Island Packets. Introduced in 2010, the 36-foot, shoal-draft Estero is the company’s latest attempt to introduce a distinctive model that doesn’t stray too far from the company’s proven formula for success: moderate displacement, full-keel cruisers designed to be lived on, sailed far and in comfort, and endure the bumps, scrapes, and storms that cruising boats inevitably encounter. After sailing the Estero on Florida’s Sarasota Bay and inspecting its interior, construction, and systems, Practical Sailor testers noted that the shoal-water cruiser will appeal strongest to Island Packet fans who’ve been waiting for a shoal-draft, easy-to-sail boat that compares to the IP37 in terms of interior space. These strengths will be most apparent on intracoastal or riverine adventures like the Great Loop.