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The Sailboat Cruiser ~ Your Monthly Newsletter, Issue #60 for September 2020 September 06, 2020 |
HiThe Sailboat CruiserThe Sailboat Cruiser is the free monthly (OK, monthly-ish) newsletter of sailboat-cruising.com and sets out to bring you the news, views and general musings of, well, me - Dick McClary, a sailboat cruiser and creator/owner of sailboat-cruising.com. If you like this newsletter, please feel free to email it to your friends. If one of your friends did forward this to you and you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting The Sailboat Cruiser Newsletter #60 - September 2020What's in This Issue:
Tying the Knot!No, not another sailing knot, this time it's personal.After 30+ years of togetherness in all things, Mary and I have finally tied the knot as in - MARRIED!
The Guest List? - There wasn't one. We kept the whole thing secret; not even friends and family knew about our plans. Mary kept her name - Mary Swift. Well, she couldn't really be Mary McClary could she? I kept mine too, although Dick Swift did have a ring about it. But enough of all that; back to the sailing stuff...
WinchWidgetsOne of the benefits of owning a website like mine is that you occasionally get sent goodies to try out.Such a package arrived last week from the Canadian company Boat Gadgets. Like many of you I was already familiar with their excellent EasyMoor device, so I was intrigued to see what further delights awaited inside. The 'WinchWidget' - a device that turns a sailing winch into a multipurpose mounting platform for cameras, cellphones, cupholders, solar lights and more... First inspection revealed that this was a well-designed and robustly-constructed product that I would definitely find very useful on my sailboat 'Alacazam'. I'll write a full review as soon as I can try them out on 'Alacazam' which, if current restrictions on flights are lifted, will be later this year. In the meantime, you can take a look at the
WinchWidgets here...
Telling Your Left from Your StarboardRecently I was confronted by a wetsuit clad, dripping dinghy-cadet who had clearly tipped himself out of his Laser into the cold and murky waters of the River Tamar. Apparently a fellow cadet had called Starboard! on him, his panicked reaction to which was the cause of his immersion."What's all this port and starboard stuff about anyway? he asked, why can't it just be right and left?" "Ah, I replied knowledgably, it all depends on which way you're looking". He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "For instance, if you were standing in the bow of a boat looking aft, the lefthand side would be the righthand side if you were standing in the stern looking forward, which would lead to confusion". His expression suggested it already had. "Starboard is on the ahead-looking helmsman's righthand side and port is on his left, and are always so wherever you're standing, whichever way you're looking and whichever tack you're on. Got it?" He nodded. "Sort of" he said. Encouraged, I carried on..."When you're sailing into a harbour or mouth of a river say, to stay in safe water you keep the green buoys on your starboard side and the red buoys on your port side." A small group of similarly clad youngsters had formed. One of them, already taller than me, said:"My Dad says that it's the other way round on the other side of the Atlantic". "Ah well", I replied, somewhat wrong-footed by the sudden switch from navigation/buoyage/basic to navigation/buoyage/advanced, "your Dad's right". "Why's that then?" asked the first lad. I thought for a moment then said, rather lamely "It's because they're Americans". The second lad was about to protest. Even with my dodgy hearing I noticed a funny accent... "or Canadians" I added hastily. And that is probably one of the poorest explanations of
IALA (International Association of Lighthouse Authorities) Systems A and B you're ever likely to read.
Our Latest Guest AuthorMany people, sailors and non-sailors alike, have a dream to to take-off and do something extraordinary. Some achieve their dream, but most others give up on it long before they've started out on it.David J. Forsyth had such a dream - longterm bluewater sailing. He did everything right; acquired seamanship, sailing and navigation skills, and found the boat in which to pursue his dream. After years of preparation David set out from Nova Scotia bound for the Azores and on to Europe. Sadly, fate intervened and through no fault of his own he had to return to Canada. But did he regret pursuing his dream? No, he most certainly didn't. David tells us that his recent book 'Too Cold for Mermaids', was written primarily or dreamers and novice sailors and cruisers. I've recently read it; within it there are life lessons we could all benefit from. Great book David, thank you!
Anchoring the Dinghy OffWe carry an old Avon Redstart inflatable with a soft floor and a 5hp 2-stroke outboard aboard 'Alacazam'. Between us, we can just about carry it up the beach to leave it safely above the high-water line.A less energetic approach is to carry a small anchor and a length of light tripping line. Bury the anchor in the sand up the beach and, if there's a chance that your dinghy will be afloat and out of reach when you return, attach the tripping line to its crown and attach the other end to a heavy stone further up the beach. Then just haul in the anchor and the dinghy comes with it.
This Month's Mystery BoatThere were quite a few suggestions for last months Mystery Boat, including:
But by far the most popular suggestion was that she's a Little Harbour - and I'm inclined to agree with that, maybe a 54? Thanks everyone for your input. Let's see how you get on with this month's Mystery Boat:
Any ideas anyone? If so, please let me know
by clicking here...
Take a Look at Our eBooks!
Cruising Boats for SaleOnce again there's been very little activity from boat sellers or buyers over the last month owing to the continuing uncertainty about the virus.But we do have:
Location: SE Georgia, USA Asking Price: $179,000 
No Plans Just Options, a Lagoon 400 Location: Hilton Head, South Carolina, USA Asking Price: $285,000 
'Picaro', a CSY 44 Location: North Jutland, Denmark Asking Price: €79,000 And some serious price reductions:
Location: Plymouth, UK Asking Price: 
'Tetamanu', a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey DS 43 Location: Sicily Asking Price: 
'Strella Encore', a Hylas 54 Location: Greenport, NY, USA Asking Price: 
'Nada', an Amel Super Maramu 2000 Location: Grenada, West Indies Asking Price: 
'Cattitude', a Leopard 47 Location: Grenada, West Indies Asking Price: 
'Papa', a Nantucket Island 38 Location: Stuart, Florida, USA Asking Price: 
'Mary Jean', a Sungod 50 Location: Grenada, West Indies Asking Price: 
'Hakuna Matata', a 65' Custom Design Location: Lanzarote, Canary Islands Asking Price: 
'Fairwind', a Noray 43 Sailboat Location: Belgium Asking Price: Don't forget...
If you're thinking of looking at a secondhand sailboat, or just want to be aware of what to look for - and when to walk away no matter what - then you really ought to take a look at my eBook
'How to Avoid Buying the Wrong Sailboat'
Used Sailing Gear & EquipmentIt's always worth taking a look at what visitors to sailboat-cruising.com are getting rid of. Remember that one man's junk is another man's gold!Among other items this month, we have:
And finally...If you know anyone who might be interested in the contents of this newsletter, please forward it to them. It's not secret!And this newsletter can be a two-way thing. If you've read anything you'd like to comment on, or perhaps there's an event you'd like to see announced in a future newsletter, then please let me know. See you next month! 
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