Janice aboard Seaweed,
living the good life afloat...

• WD-40 versus Starting Fluid. One thing successful boaters seem to have in abundance an ability to adapt. Old timers such as myself realized long ago that change is inevitable. For instance, when I was a sweet young thing (that might have been decades ago) and diesel engines were being problematic the solution was to spray the air intake with WD-40. Back then it was deemed safer than ether. Both would turn over the engine and often the motor would start right up. Today however there are better alternatives.
  Categories: Books, Characters, Gear,
   

• Watermaker Woes. Truly I am so fortunate. Quite some time ago a generous captain made a substantial donation to my PayPal account. That seed money was received at the perfect time. Almost simultaneously I was offered a Katadyn40 watermaker. Due to the wonderful donation I had enough in PayPal to make a deposit on the unit.
  Categories:  Anchorages, Boat Talk, Characters, Comfort, Gear, Locations, Memory Lane, Money, Pets, Wild Things,
   

• Online Purchase Mistake. It is no surprise that getting older is not for sissies. Fortunately there is coffee. I prefer to sip my steaming brew through a straw. This is due to the fact that my boat rocks. Should I have my mouth up the the cup when the boat moves, there is a real possibility that I will be wearing my beverage versus drinking it. For this reason straws are preferred.
  Categories: Characters, Galley, Pets,
   

• Soapbox:  Ladder Edition. For decades I have been a huge advocate of being able to safely board my boat from the water without assistance. Too many boaters have a momentary lapse and end up in the drink. This could happen to you. People have lost their lives. Today I will share a Bob tale.
  Categories:  Anchorages, Boat Talk, Boats, Characters, Gear, Locations, Security,
   

• Pancake Memories. Of late I have been a bit more nostalgic than normal.  Revisiting in my memories life aboard our 40'er is pleasant. Growing up on the boat was both interesting and mundane. The dichotomy is true, and I suspect land dwellers have had similar experiences.
  Categories: Characters, Galley, Memory Lane, Organizing, Vignettes,
   

• Witch Hazel. Older folks tend to talk about everything under the sun. Subjects that never would be discussed in polite company become dockside conversation topics. In that regard, one day we were chatting about medicine cabinet contents from our youth. Witch hazel was always in the lockers on our 40'er. The question now is, do you need to make space aboard for this item too?
  Categories: Money, Security, Unmentionables, Vignettes,
   

• Declutter by Donation. Aboard Seaweed I have too much stuff. One of my weaknesses is galley gear. I have this idea (most likely a mistaken belief) that with just one more cookbook I will suddenly become a fabulous chef. Ha! Plus I admit to being fascinated by the smaller community cookbooks.
  Categories:  Becoming Clutter-Free, Books, Characters, Locations,
   

• Thru-Hull Leak Series. This boater's nightmare became a multi-part series. This page, the Thru-Hull Leak Series contains all articles published regarding the leaking thru-hull fiasco. For those on slower connections or who prefer smaller pieces, the shorter articles can be found here: Finding the Leak (part 1), and Temporary Thru-Hull Fix (part 2).
  Categories: Gear, In the Bilges,
   

• Temporary Thru-Hull Fix (part 2) To recap, a sailboat a couple canals over from me had a thru-hull cap failure. Thanks to that trite term "thinking outside the (wine) box" the problem with the leaking thru-hull was temporarily resolved. Definite emphasis should be placed on the word "TEMPORARILY" as this is in no way a solution, however...!
  Categories: Gear, In the Bilges,
   

• Finding the Leak (part 1) It was a bad day a couple canals south of here recently. Life lessons were reinforced. One neighbor owns an older production sailboat. He experienced the nightmare of water intrusion. Locating where the problem originated was the first priority. Here is what was done.
  Category: In the Bilges,
   

• Manatee Mornings. This morning at approximately 0330 I heard the distinctive sound of manatee breathing outside my home. There were at least two and possibly three manatees visiting the mangroves behind Seaweed. I sat in the cockpit, quietly enjoying the night world. What great way to begin 2022!
  Categories:  Wild Things,
   

(this is the Archive for year 2022)