10 Rules of Scuba Diving. 1 Season of tools. Being a bit of a tool geek, I have a two front approach: At the nav table I have a couple of screwdrivers and pliers.
These are the everyday go-to tools for quick jobs. I care for them, but they aren't especially pretty, nor are they very expensive. I consider them consumables. A #2 Philips and a straight blade, and a stubby multi-bit screwdriver; a slip joint pliers and needle nose, and a small diagonal cutter. The main tool collections are in plastic tool boxes, stored beneath the settees. Power tools are wiped clean, chucks (if present) are oiled, cordless tools have the batteries charged before storage, and stored in lockers. I'm an old sailor, who has owned old boats. High quality tools have better chrome plating than cheap tools Black oxide coatings are high maintenance Older tools are frequently better quality than new toolsDrill bits, files, counter sinks, anything with a cutting edge will require more work Bored on a rainy day?
Rust never sleeps. Examples of a two crew watch rotation for an ocean crossing? - Cruisers & Sailing Forums. As others have said, watch schedules are very individual.
My wife and I are generally very flexible, but not when it comes to watches. We have never done a long trip with other than the two of us aboard. We use four hours on and four hours off. My watches are 3 pm to 7 pm, 11 pm to 3 am and 7 am to 11 am. This way she gets two night watches, but she hates waking up early in the morning, so whe will do anything to not have to get up at 7 am. We almost religiously follow the schedule. Cruising Numbers: UP or DOWN? Most cruisers don't become such overnight.
Usually there is a timeframe from "newbie sailor/boat owner" to a full time cruiser. So Cornell's stats are about right if lower numbers of cruisers reflect general trend of fewer newbie boat owners which started back when. When I got my first boat in 2006, our mooring field had no waiting list and no limits on how many empty moorings one could have - just pay the annual permit and mooring sevice fees.
Fast forward to today - the waiting list is about 3 to 4 years, up from 2-3 just 5 years ago, and there is a 1 year limit for an empty mooring i.e. owner in between boats or one's boat is being fixed. Single-handed cruising lifestyle: what is it REALLY like? Hi I am thinking of living the cruising lifestyle.
I am wondering of some of you that live life as single-handers (not couples) can share your experiences with me. I am particularly interested in those that live on a yacht less than 30 ft and are actively cruising i.e. not living in a marina permanently. Also, I am planning to do this in Europe so posts from those cruising Europe are most welcome, although any US cruisers are welcome to share their thoughts as well of course.
I am interested in budgets of course, my annual target would be around 20,000 EUR (22,000 US), please let me know if you think this is feasible. Getting Rid of Impossible Bird Poop Stains - Practical Sailor Print Edition Article. I honestly hope you can help.
Several weeks ago local seagulls had a sushi feast on my boat. The leftovers were large and small and mostly on non-skid. Keeping birds off your mast - Practical Boat Owner. One Bed, Two Dreams. Forgive me for not reading through... haven't the time right now but feel strongly about this subject and feel compelled to respond. although there are those amazing couples who sail together, cruise together..., so many of us have left our partners so to sail the seas. and, among us here on CF, there are just as many others who do not dare sail far for fear of upsetting/losing the partner who doesn't want to go, who doesn't like boats, sailing... the problem is the same for both scenarios: being in couple should not mean we walk with a "boulet", a chain with a ball on the end for those who REALLY want to stay in their couple, what to do?
Example: Killing mold for good? - Cruisers & Sailing Forums. Quote: I second the call for concorbian, nothing else I Have ever used really worked to keep it gone, even bleach won’t really kill mold, but the Concorbian does.
Now I believe it’s active ingredient is actually sodium carbonate, it also has TSP in it, but I believe that’s to make it a good cleaner, and the sodium carbonate AKA soda ash or washing soda is what kills the mold spores. Ocean Crossers and Global Cruisers Only. Quote: Crossing oceans and making passages is a fundamentally different task that coastal cruising.
It is a distinction that frequently gets lost here. If you add in long term living aboard without a land base, things get even more interesting. Where YOUR "happiness comes from" only you and your partner can answer. How to keep mold out and the hull smelling good. What do you do when you can't sail anymore? - Cruisers & Sailing Forums. I still could sail, however; my my wife lost the physical capability to be safe on deck and to move easily through the companionway or on and off the boat.
Next month we will have been married fifty years and forty-five of those years we were liveaboard cruisers on our sailboats. Sure, I miss our life aboard and sailing, but the personal motivation that causes one to take on projects and adventures is not so specific that it would stifle someone's activity if they were no longer on the water. The Food Expiration Dates You Should Actually Follow. How to deal with not having a physical address while cruising. Actually Social security is not a problem, without a physical address.
At least not yet. Myself, I had paypal and walmart mail me a prepaid card (at the time free) to a friends address. I used the paperwork that came with it to open a bank account. No problem. Is liveaboard lifestyle a dying lifestyle. In the US, that wait list is what's going to bite you in the butt. I have not seen a drop in liveaboards in the SF Bay area (USA west coast), It's more that pretty much all marina's are 100% full up. The option then is to take a transient slip (pay by day), which can get spendy.
Though when factoring in liveaboard fees may not too high. The Boat Galley. Sleeping as a couple? - Cruisers & Sailing Forums. Depending on location, you can do a lot of cruising with few overnight passages. Keeping an anchor watch as in someone awake on deck is foolish, and not realistic. Use all chain, (no chafe) and have a good anchor alarm.