More dolphin video...

Wasn't that penguin tickling video fun? Hope so, I needed something to keep everyone entertained since I was busy! I'm nearly done sewing a new mainsail for the boat - sure could have used some help at this one too, it's a big job. 38.5 feet by 11.25 feet - that's a lot of sewing. It's coming along well though - it'll be a neat feeling to sail along with a sail I've made myself.
In the meantime, my friend Doug and myself were trading YouTube music this Saturday night on Facebook - a couple of you got emails from me, hope you enjoyed the tunes! Here's one with an amazing video of dolphins - I've never seen such great shots in fact, and a classic oldie that most of us will remember....

Tickling a Penguin?

Ok, I agree, the last couple of posts have been deadly dull, but in my defense, I've been busy with the new webinar project. So to make up for it, here is what has got to be the cutest ever video.....enjoy!
For those who are curious, this penguin is from the Cincinnati Zoo, its name is 'Cookie', and it is the mascot of the Bird House there. And can you believe the amount of noise that little bird is making?

Sailing News, K-Tel Style....

I mentioned a week or so ago I was working on some projects that would be of interest to anyone planning on heading south. One of those, a website, will feature...not one, not two, not even three - but SIX - count 'em, SIX - online webinars on Cruising South on the ICW. Guests will include Rob Macleod (Informed Boaters), Claiborne Young (Salty Southeast Cruisers Net), author and ICW strip chart book creator John Kettlewell and more, who I'll be announcing over the next couple of weeks. These are people who know the ICW intimately, and who can answer the questions you have about your own trip.
The webinars will be hosted using the Google Hangout tool, and then reposted on YouTube along with several other sites, including the new site I've now got in beta testing.

But WAIT! There's more! 
 
Yes, much more...the new site will also feature a message board and live chat feature, so that you can get answers to your questions from others on the site, hook up with other boaters heading south, and develop a community of boaters exchanging information to help to make your boating easier, safer and more fun. Maybe even less expensive! We can hope!
And the name of this site is.....(to be continued soon)
Stay tuned!

Boat work....does it ever end?

Ok, so we all know the answer to that question - a big fat resounding NO! I hate to admit it, but stuff that was on my 'list' when I bought the boat ten years ago is STILL on that list. I have it hanging by the nav table just to fulfill my guilt quotient, since I don't have a wife or girlfriend to do that for me. Nor, I suppose, will I ever get one if I keep making remarks like that...but I digress.
Actually, I've got a fascinating project about to get underway. I plan on building a new mainsail, from a kit by Sailrite. No, I have no real experience sewing, but Sailrite has excellent videos outlining how it's done, plus I have some assistance available - my friend Brian's wife. 
I've seen some sails that have been built from Sailrite kits and I was impressed. These are nicely designed, nicely put together sails, custom cut to the dimensions of your boat. To make it even easier, the sailplans of thousands of sails and boats are right there on the website:

Sailrite LSZ 1 Walking foot sewing machine

Another important factor in building your own sail is having the right machine, one capable of punching through heavy sailcloth. Sailrite is of course known for its sewing machines, and the unit I'll be using to do this job is the LSZ 1 Walking Foot machine. This unit is top of the line, and the walking foot greatly simplifies sail construction by keeping the cloth together as you sew. 
When the kit arrives, I'll post photos of it, the machine, and all the 'stuff' that will most assuredly come along with it.
Here is the video of my mainsail repair, for those interested: Mainsail repair

My second project involves installing an arch from Atlantic Towers, an aluminum arch on the boat, something I've always lusted after. I saw the company at the Toronto Boat Show last winter, and was hooked on their product. There are some practical reasons for this project, but the pleasure will come from how attractive it looks.
In terms of practicality, I'll be able to install both my solar panels and wind generator on the arch, eliminating the overly complex setup I now have to support these units. As well, the new arch will have dinghy davits, permitting me to lift the dinghy from the water rather than tow it. I'll have more to say on that down the road.
What I really like about this company is that they will work with you to make sure you have the right measurements, style and options so that your arch is exactly what you want and need it to be. Also, if you've ever checked out the price of a custom built arch, you'll be very impressed with Atlantic Towers' pricing.
Want to see what your boat will look like with an arch? Check out their Photofinder page, which has pictures of hundreds of installations, such as the one of a Dufour 38 here.
 
 

Wally's Laws of Boating...

Hello all - been busy with working on an exciting project involving the ICW - details soon. In the meantime, in my minimal spare time, I came up with this... Wally’s Laws of Boating
1. Law of Below Decks Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch & you'll have to pee. The possibility of this occurring is greatest when you are trapped and unable to move in the engine room.
2. Bilge’s Law - Any tool, nut, bolt, or screw, when dropped will roll to the deepest and least accessible part of the bilge.
3. Law of Docking - The probability of being watched as you completely screw up while docking is directly proportional to how bad your docking is. A corollary to this law states that the worse the docking disaster, the more people will be watching. The inverse of this law dictates that no perfect docking shall ever have anyone in attendance to prove you actually did it.
4. Wake’s Law - The percentage possibility of being waked is increased by the size of the power boat coming up on you, and further increased by the narrowness of the channel.
5. Singlehanders’ Law - The likelihood of having another boat nearby increases directly with the desperateness of your need to piss over the side.
6. Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone from your yacht club or marina increases dramatically when you are out on a PWC and going crazy with it.
7. Service Department Law - When you try to prove to a mechanic that a machine won't work, it will. Every time. The inverse of this law states that the likelihood of the machine’s again failing approaches 100% as you board the boat.
8. Law of Biomechanics - The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
9. Law of the Anchorage - At any anchorage, the possibility of you getting a spot close in is inversely proportional to your boat’s draft. The possibility is further decreased by the imminence of bad weather and high winds.
10. The First Beer after Anchoring rule - As soon as you sit down to a cold drink after anchoring, your boat will begin to drag. This is especially true if you have shut down the engine.
11. The 3 am Law - the likelihood of your boat dragging anchor is greatest at 3 am
12. Rule of Thunder and Lightning - this law works in conjunction with the 3 am law and states that the odds of a major thunder and lightning storm occurring are greatest at 3 am if your boat is dragging anchor.
13. Murphy's Law of Proximity - If you and your loved one are the only boat in a beautiful, remote anchorage with a gorgeous sunset coming on, the possibility of a powerboat filled with noisy obnoxious teenagers and PWCs approaches 100%.
14. Law of Physical Surfaces - The chance of your brand new and expensive smart phone landing on the deck and sliding overboard is directly correlated to the newness & cost of the phone.
15. Law of Logical Argument - Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
16. West Marine’s Law of Physical Appearance - If the clothes in the West Marine fit, they're ugly.
17. Oliver's Law of Public Speaking - A VHF will always be keyed open when you least expect it. A corollary to this law dictates that the dumber your remark, the greater the number of people you know will be listening.
18. Wilson's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy - As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

Time to Get Technical

Fixing outboard in Cuba

If you own a boat, or plan on it (what ARE you thinking?), then at some point you're going to have to fix the thing. This trip, I seem to have had my fair share of things to fix, and am currently sitting at the dock at Golden Isles Marina on St. Simons Island awaiting the repair of my starter motor. This is after having replaced my alternator...after having.....well, you get the idea, I'm sure.
All of this fun costs money, but it doesn't have to cost as much money as many marine businesses would like it to. LiveBloggin' reader James Newsome, whose recently published article on Darien GA was published in Southwinds Magazine, provided me with the name of a company, Genuine Dealz, that provides marine wire and other electrical supplies at a much lower price. Not only that, but they will create custom wiring to your measurements. The cost? An amazing $1 per connector! The labor charge includes cutting, stripping, double crimp & adhesive lined heat shrink applied over the connection if you ordered heat shrink. And the cost, according to James, is close to half that of retail for the wire. That's hard to beat. Then....sit down before I tell you this....they ship it to you free. Yep, anywhere in the US for free, and anywhere else in the world via US Postal Service, which isn't very pricey. James was impressed, and being a Scotsman AND a sailor, and therefore cheap - er, frugal - that's saying something.
James' comments made me realize that there are actually companies in the world whose business plan is other than getting rich on me. Maybe me times 10,000 more sales, but not just on me. So I think we should recognize these companies by building a page listing them here on LiveBloggin', complete with links and other information, so that everyone can save money with them.
For this - I need you. If you know of a company that offers superb service, quality products with great prices and delivery outside of their local area, send it here to me at LiveBloggin' along with your comments and I'll include it in a new page for everyone to see.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go work on the boat... 

Blessing of the Fleet

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Last Thursday, I decided to check out Darien GA - it's about 8 miles off the ICW, so it's out of the way. My friend James, from St. Simon's Island, had written a piece about it for Southwinds - it's not published yet, but I'll post the link when I have it - and it sounded interesting. Also, there was a nasty storm on its way, so a dock sounded good.
I arrived in the dark, and was helped to tie up by another sailor docked there. He told me that this was the weekend for the Blessing of the Fleet, the 45th annual shrimp boat festival and blessing. Well, that sounded interesting, and since Darien was providing 48 hours free dockage to encourage visitors - why not?
To be honest, Darien is a different sort of place....very down to earth people would be the best way of putting it, and you know, when the first tune from the band is an old Merle Haggart standard, you're going to be hearing a lot of country and very little rap. Not a bad thing, come to think of it, and I'm not a big country fan...
Darien partied on all weekend, I made some great new friends, and Gypsy Wind had a front row center seat for the festivities - as loud as they were. And on Sunday, the big event - the blessing of the fleet.
This video gives you an idea of what it was like....