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

• Running the Hounds. This walk down Memory Lane is for The Writer's Block. It is response to request I made. In the vignette Hunting Nowadays I told how hunting is no longer stalking through the woods ala Daniel Boone. I asked for remembrances from my readers. Today Captain Sid tells about the world of dogs "back in the day" and currently as well. I was fascinated and hope you enjoy his writing too.
  Categories: Books, Characters, Locations, Pets, Recommendations, Wild Things, The Writer's Block
   

• Wild Bird Observations (night herons) One of my favorite things to do is observe nature. The native birds have been great fun to watch. Many have me quite well trained. Over time I have seen the birds interact both with each other and myself. Sometimes I am able to draw conclusions as to why they display certain behaviors. Today I'll share some insights along with pictures of my night herons, plus Ella the great blue heron.
  Categories: Books, Characters, Recommendations, Wild Things,
   

• Tips for Cooling the Boat. As summer arrives the heat becomes oppressive here in the humidity belt also known as the southern United States. Seaweed has an air conditioner. My friend Edwin installed it for me a couple summers back. That series of articles starts with Moby-Cool a/c cover Tweak. During the hottest days my small 5k BTU air conditioner wasn't quite enough to cool the entire boat. Here's what I have done to abate that situation.
  Categories: Boats, Books, Characters, Comfort, Galley, Gear, Locations, Recommendations, Unmentionables, Wild Things,
   

• Diverting Portlight Drips (paper towel edition) The last article [Saving on Kleenex (handkerchiefs)] told you why I stopped buying *Kleenex. In this piece I'll describe how I keep my roll of disposable paper towels dry. The roll resides under the portlight in my head. That window is open most of the time. Rain happens. Here is how I prevent damp paper towels for just a dollar.
  Categories: Galley, Gear, Money,  Recommendations, Unmentionables,
   

• Saving on Kleenex (handkerchiefs) Budgets often fail not because of extravagant purchases. A plethora of lower cost throw-away goods bought regularly can add up to a large expense. In other words, it's not always the big ticket items that cause a shortage of cash. One thing I stopped buying is tissues. Brands such as Kleenex or Puffs with Aloe were my favorites.
  Categories: Comfort, Gear, Money,
   

• Broken Arm Lessons. My friends all know that one of my mantras is to never do anything when tired. That means that at the first signs of being tired, I quit. Nothing good ever comes when I press on. Inevitably I end up with poor results. On the 14th of April I thought that rule no longer applied to me. After all, I'm experienced AND smart. Except I wasn't.
  Categories: Gear, Locations, Pets, Security,
   

• Dating for Boaters (summary) This is a multi-part series for those seeking a cruising partner. This summary has all five parts on one page. Some of my boat friends are on slow connections. For them shorter length articles are easier open. If you prefer your articles in smaller bite-sized pieces, click any of the following links: Dating for Boaters - Part 1, and Dating for Boaters - Part 2, and Dating for Boaters - Part 3, and Dating for Boaters - Part 4,  and Dating for Boaters - Part 5.
  Categories: Anchorages,  Boat Talk, Boats, Books, Characters, Galley, Gear, Locations, Pets,  Recommendations, Relationships, Security, Wild Things,
   

• Dating for Boaters - Part 5. Finding someone to share the cruising world with can be difficult. Putting your entire boating life on hold because you haven't got a partner is not a good idea. Instead, get out here and look around. There are single folks on boats, albeit mostly men. Women have experienced those described in the If the Deck Shoe Fits article. You can surely do better than that!
  Categories: Boat Talk, Boats, Characters, Locations, Pets, Relationships, Wild Things,
   

• Dating for Boaters - Part 4. Few people like to be completely alone. We are social creatures. Some however have higher standards and lower tolerances for fools. Personally, I believe boaters are among the most fascinating people on the planet. They (you/we) have taken a different path than the norm. I rather like that.
  Categories: Boats, Characters, Locations, Pets, Relationships, Security,
   

• Dating for Boaters - Part 3. Finding someone to share the journey afloat is not so easy. This is Part 3 of a series for those seeking a cruising partner. Seeing a sea turtle pop up his head is so much more satisfying when you can say "did you see that?" to someone you care about. I had that with my Bob, albeit via the telephone. Since then though, well, I miss Bob. You met Bob in the Time Stopped article.
  Categories: Anchorages,  Boats, Characters, Gear, Locations, Relationships,
   

• Dating for Boaters - Part 2. This is Part 2 of a requested series. A sailor asked how to find a cruising partner. I can totally understand the desire to share this  experience with others. Here is my advice to that gent:
  Boat Talk, Boats, Characters, Locations, Relationships,
   

• Dating for Boaters - Part 1. A long time subscriber on the Pacific coast asked how to find a lady to share his journey afloat. He wants to find a partner to cruise with aboard his boat. Frankly it can get lonesome out here. I believe it is easier to find someone when you are based shore-side versus living *on the hook. Here's how I would find The One.
  Categories: Boat Talk, Boats, Books, Characters, Galley, Recommendations, Relationships, Wild Things,
   

• Best Choice Washer. Over the years I have changed the way I do laundry aboard Seaweed. About a year ago I decided to buy a portable washer. On Amazon I found one for just $55. My experience with said unit has been both frustrating and fabulous. Today I'll share my triumphs and the not-so-great details of Blue.
  Categories: Boat Talk, Comfort, Gear, Recommendations, Unmentionables,
   

• Battery Cap Fiasco. As described in the Battery Check and Cheater Method article, I check my batteries each month. When one batt showed a higher temperature than the rest, I investigated. Part of that meant removing the cap. That's when things took a turn for the worse. Here's what happened, and the steps taken to ameliorate the situation should I ever make this mistake again.
  Categories: Gear, In the Bilges,
   

• Catalytic Heater Won't Light Remedy. As the temperatures plummet, I have a solution for those of you with the Coleman catalytic heaters that don't light easily. I too had that problem with my original heater. Because I was sure the first one was broken I threw it away. The replacement developed the same issue. Here's how I solved the hard-to-light heater fiasco aboard Seaweed.
  Categories: Characters, Galley, Gear, In the Bilges, Locations,
   

• Frog and the Red Tide. Soloist life aboard Seaweed can be interesting. One particular thing I enjoy is the variety that each new day brings. Today I might spend blitzing on new Kindle books, while tomorrow might find me in the bilges. I believe the mental stimulation is good for me. Sometimes though I'm a bit too stimulated. Here's what happened recently.
  Categories: Characters, Galley, Locations, Money, Wild Things,
   

• Battery Check and Cheater Method. Aboard Seaweed I inspect my batteries the first week of each month. But checking each cell, load testing, and more all takes time. Sometimes I just want the job done. It is important to do this monthly, at least for folks like me using inexpensive lead acid batteries from Walmart. After six months of testing I am confident my  "cheater" method  is working well. Here's what I do.
  Categories: Boat Talk, Characters, Gear, In the Bilges, Locations, Recommendations,