Home   |   The Boat   |   First Mate   |   Admiral   |   Guestbook 

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

Trawler cruising on $11 per day is possible.
I'm doing it and you can too.

Janice Marois, nautical journalist.
Accredited member of Boat Writers International.

2013 O12, N15, D13
2014 J11, F12.50, M12.50, A11, M12, J10
2015 (all $10) until November $14
2016 ($14) 2017 ($14)
2018 ($14)

© janice142

Calendar for Seaweed articles
V- vignettes; GA - guest articles

January 11-8-6-3-5-4

1. By the Shipyard
1. Advice for the Vintage Boater
2. Getting Betsy Ready-to-Go
3. Bandwidth Blues (internet afloat)
3. Turn-Key versus Fixer-Upper
4. Overnight Guests
5. Boat Search for Beginners (DIY survey)
6. Five Dollars at a Time
6. Holiday Invitations (Christmas 2014)
7. Pan-Pan Ponderings
9. Kindle versus Fire (nail polish too)
9. V-Dish Towels
10. Progress on Engine
10. Rat Traps (securing mouse traps too) [chili fire]
11. Falling Overboard
12. Greenery (plant growing afloat)
14. Pelican Visits Algae
16. GA-Sage Returns
16. DIY Bigelow Tea (and engine swap update)
17. Beryl Lessons
18. 5 Pounds of Shrimp (how to find discount diesel)
20. Spices
20. GA-M/V Lutin (a family tradition)
20. Draft Prevention using Foam
21. Anchor Light for Dinghy
22. V-Blowing Bubbles
22. Making a Treasure Chest
22. Watermaker Wish Coming True
23. GA-The Heat Index
24. Bits about Birds
25. GA-Fred and Ruby
25. Snook Surface (cold weather consequence)
26. What Not to Do (smart Anchoring)
27. V-Hunting Nowadays
28. Heaters Debunked
28. Personalizing Your Home
30. V-Dolphin Moment

February 10-8-7-1-3-2

1. Boat on Fire!
2. Toasting English Muffins on a Heater
2. Electric Drill Repair
3. Men Buy, Women Shop
4. V-Silent Lessons
5. Fog
5. Alternator Bracket Pattern (how to)
5. V-Freezer Ice Bag
6. BWI-Time Stopped
7. GA-Tern Time
9. Making a Towel Rack
10. Stabilize a Hard Dinghy (inexpensive how-to)
11. V-Music in the Morning
11. Upsizing the Alternator - My Mistake
12. Dreamer to Boater: Books
13. Power Tools Required
13a. V-Chicken Leg Quarters (canning times and quantities)
13b. V-Fried Chicken
15. GA-I Did It
16. Stainless Manifold Ordered (tractor motor adapted for boat)
17. The Fishing Boat
17. V-Book Store - Haslam's in St. Pete
18. Inadequate Boat (Gulfport too)
19. Sewn Up (shopping bag repair)
22. V-Kindle Reads
23. Toilet Tissue (aka TP)
24. In the Head
26. Fuzzy Fixed (and manifold update)
26. Disney 2017
28. Food in Foil
29. Three Keys When Hiring

March 7-11-7-5-1-1

1. Warranty Paperwork (SeaSense bilge pump)
2. V-Buy and Install Levels
2. Missing Medicines
3. More Emergency Anchor Up Info
4. (Joshua Slocum's) Spray replica Anja
6. V-The Birds (ordering iced coffee)
6. Meet the Culprit (styptic)
7. Seeking Bandwidth
8. Dolphin Baby
9. Stages of Life
10. Spare Prop has Swap Potential
11. Power Cord Primer
13. Gulfport, FL weekend dockmaster Tom
14. Spring on Pi Day (copper advice)
15. Tired Captain
16. Windlass Debris becomes Handhold
16. Sharing Plants
17. Screen Update
18. Hiring Expertise
19. Anchor Light Fix
20. Paper Problem (having spares)
22. Dating after Decades
23. Planning for Adventure (cruising guides)
24. Before Outfitting
24. How to Pick an Outboard Motor
26. In and Out (clearing clutter)
27. GA-Unconventional Money Making
29. Boat Noises
30. V-Boat Shoes Inside
31. Project Proliferation (Hella fan fixed)
31. Scorpion Vacuum and Kindle Fire Questions

April 7-9-8-6-2-1

2. Blue-Water Boats
3. Command in the Galley
3. JB Weld (cap won't open fix)
4. Air Conditioning
5. Engine Update (swapping motors is complicated)
6. Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Peppers (new canning theory)
7. Batteries Store Power
8. Barn Swallows (Kindle critique)
9. Organizing Humbug
10. GA-Black Bag Freedom
10. Upside Down Tomato Plant How-To
11. Solar Makes Power
12. Laundry Hauling Made Easier
13. Cooler Handle Repair
14. Power Used Aboard Seaweed
14. V-Magnifier
15. Rocky Raccoon
15. Scissors in the Galley (baked bacon)
16. BWI-Manatee Moves
17. Inverters Make AC Power
18. BWI-Decadence Required
18. Buying a Big Boat (part 1)
18. Making a Plug-In AC Voltage Meter
19. Solar, Batteries and an Inverter
21. Anchor Ball
23. Buying a Big Boat (part 2)
24. She runs, however...
25. Car in the River
26. Baby Wipes
27. Buying a Big Boat (part 3)
28. Sadder and Wiser by Eliza
29. Battery Primer (Tesla)
30. Label Everything

May 10-8-6-3-6

2. Anchor Down
3. Screening My Hatch (eBay advice)
4. Red Fish, Green Fish (visual clues)
5. Bilge Pump OUCH.
6. V-Songbird in Water
6. Garbage Containers
7. Sheet Trick
8. Gender Guff.
9. Dangerous Boatyards
10. V-Hiring a Diver
11. For the Fishermen (anchoring system)
12. V-After Easter (pot luck idea)
13. V-Antique Speedboat (id sought)
13. Finding a Veterinarian
14. What Used Boat?
15. Marinizing the Cooling System of a Tractor
16. V- Storing Nuts, Bolts and Screws
17. Prop Problems (lesson learned)
18. V-Relief at a Dental Clinic
18. Dock Lines from Halyards (snubber too)
20. Boat Bums
21. Project Second Opinions
22. Carbon Monoxide Alarms and Batteries
23. How to Access Galley Storage
24. On Island Time (Schucker 440 Motorsailor)
25. Inexpensive Line Cutter
26. Canning Primer (Preserving Meats, Part 1)
27. Hoops and Loops
27. Storm and Hurricane Info Links
28. Processing in Pressure Cooker (Preserving Meats, Part 2)
29. Project Management
29. Storm Update 29 May 2018 (and boat insurance fiasco)
31. Voltage Meters for the Batteries

June 10-8-4-9-2

2. Celebrate with Me!
3. Blackberries
5. Diagnosing a Bad Battery
6. Solar Regulators (Standard vs. MPPT)
6. Report on Colin (a tropical storm)
7. Heat Rises and Mildew Grows (finding discounts on Amazon)
8. Clothes in the Bilges
9. GA-Beside the Marshy Reeds
10. GA-Self-induced Work (engine won't start)
10. Proper Attachment of a Terminal End
11. V-Toy Bails Dinghy
12. Sausage Canning Recipes
12. St. Pete's Electro Battery
14. Hatch Cover How-To (Sunbrella and Tenara too)
14. Stacking Battery Cables
15. Anatomy of a Gulf Crossing (departure planning)
16. Safety Nets
17. Learning about Life Afloat (a checklist)
17. A Day of Reckoning (the diet)
18. V-Shark Changes Plans
19. V-Dolphin Visits
20. Cruising in Tandem
21. Tablecloth becomes Screens
23. V-Some Crabbers are Perverse
24. Is a $20k Boat too Costly?
24. Scooper Question
25. Expert Advice versus Intuition (spare parts inventory)
26. Marking my Paddles (dinghy safety equipment)
27. Take Small Bites (de-cluttering)
27. Nautical Swap Purchases - Handles
28. V-Deal Breaker (galley gear in thrift store)
29. Venues to Sell Unwanted Stuff (de-cluttering)
30. Tyranny of the Tiller (pre-purchase advice)

July 10-10-5-2-10

1. Boat Buying Decisions (what is important?)
1. Attaching Wires to the Bulkhead
2. Rocky Raccoon Returns
3. Budget Boating
3. Making a Desk
4. Pan Scrubber Fail
5. Boat Etiquette 101: Permission to board.
6. Fancy Egg Salad
7. Bearing Bad News
8. Chaos in the Galley
9. Seldom Bored
10. Moby-Cool (a/c cover) Tweak
11. Water System and Filter Fix
11. Summertime Computer Woes
12. Change of Light Bulbs (LED versus cheap)
12. Refrigerator Power Requirements Part One
15. Canning Stuffed Green Peppers
16. On the St. John's River
16. Generating Power Part Two
18. Mosquitoes (engine room vent screening)
18. Small Powerboat Option
18. Storing the Power (battery charts) Part Three
18a. Powering the Refrigerator The Complete Series
19. Finding Your Boat (part 1)
21. Moby-Cool a/c cover Installed
22. V-Boat Buying with your New Partner
22. Scallions - Second Life
23. Finding Your Boat (part 2)
25. Anchor Up (Painting your Chain)
26. Finding Your Boat (part 3)
27. In the Rain
28. Finding Your Boat (part 4)
28. Isis, a  Snowy Egret
29. DeWalt Drill Fix
30. V-Bolt Sizing Primer
31. Finding Your Boat (part 5)
31. Washing Clothes Without a Machine (salt water versus ammonia)

August 1-11-9-3-2-9-2

1. Boating Changes over the Decades
2. Cinnamon Apples
3. Non Sequitur on Boating
4. Pet Poop Primer (it's not horrid!)
4. Julia and the Fabric Postcard by Jan
5. Three Miles Out (Thursday's Child)
6. Canning Taco Soup
6. V-August Update
7. Gutenberg Books (for free)
7. Manatee Newborn
8. Budget Spice Shelf (costs less than $1)
9. Anchor Locker Leak Fixed
10. GA- Installing Refrigerator Fans
11. Birds and my friend Dale the Welder
12. V-Afternoon Entertainment
13. Happy Books (and drunk advice)
13. Routine Maintenance and the Thimble
14. V-Sea Fever on Gutenberg
15. GA-Cherish the Memories of the Night
16. StarBoard Stops
16. Laundry Bag (and Captiva Island)
17. Hot Engine
18. Job Creep
19. V-Apple versus Microsoft
19. Beckson Plate Fix
21. V-Room for Improvement
22. V-Appearances Can Deceive
22. Is a 34' boat Big Enough?
22. Book of Labels (refried beans recipe)
25. V-Romanticism versus Reality
24. Engine Debacles
24. Red Tide and Forest Fires
27. From Carrabelle to St. Pete (via truck)
27. Washing Dishes and Saving Water
28. Diagnosing a Blown Bearing
29. Getting Started
30. Little Things (hobby afloat)
31. Flares Expire (my solution)

September 14-9-5-3-3-6-5

1. GA-Schooling for Vagabonds
1. Drain Cleaner
2. Silence Reigns (Saul Creek)
2. Fixing a 24-hour Clock
3. Outboard Option
4. Lonely No More
5. The Big News
6. Ten Dollars a Day
7. Peachy Chicken
8. Dresses and Yeses by Eliza
8. Routine Maintenance of Hose Clamps
9. Autumn Preparations
10. Making a Shelf (and paper towel holder)
11. Survey a Free Boat
11. Hurricane Irma Saga (parts 1-4)
12. First Mate
12. Perfect Eggs - Eggy Timer (no reefer advice)
13. GA-Composting Toilet How-To
14. V-Flavored Coffees (economical versions)
15. V-Stone-Wave Sticks
15. Trolling Motor Woes
16. More Trolling Motors
16. Delicious Deviled Eggs
17. Securing a Refrigerator (fans too)
18. Showers Aboard (water saving tips)
18. MIA in the Abyss
18. Hurricane Irma (part 1)
19. Screening Seaweed
19. Hurricane Irma (part 2)
19. GA-Varied Recommendations
20. Going Batty
20. Hurricane Irma (part 3)
20. A New Calder's (2015, 4th Edition)
21. Soloist Dinner Dilemmas
22. Computer Short-cuts
22. Making a Laptop Stand (and computer advice)
22. GA-Refrigerator Latches
23. Leaving Steinhatchee (and engine update)
23. V-Fast Window Curtains (a thrift store recycle)
24. Prepping - Plastics
25. Growing Lentil Sprouts
25. V-Locker Latch Alignment
26. GA-Doing Our Thing
27. Life onboard Lily Maria (Thompson 44 M/V)
27. Clothespins and Hanger Advice
28. Boatyard Blues
29. Canning 10 Pounds of Chicken
30. Cup-holder Repair
30. Hurricane Irma (part 4)

October 16-6-8-2-2-5-1

1. Glasses
1. V-Pilothouse Window Opener Sought
2. Backing Plates
3. Shooting Star
4. V-Backing Plate Concerns
5. Trash Solutions
6. Organizing Your Tools
7. Keeping in Touch with Grandchildren
8. Tricks and Treats
9. Emergency Anchor Up (OpenCPN info too)
10. Pull the Plug
11. When it's Not Square (how to fix)
13. Making the Right Choice
14. V-Birds on Boats
15. Rescue Tape Saves Boats
16. Portlight Pretties
16. Hurricane Michael (with Carrabelle pictures)
17. GA-About Douglas Pollard, Sr.
18. Vinegar Cleans Pans
19. As Winter Approaches
20. Head Hints (and engine update)
21. V-Hatteras/Krogen demographic
21. V-All's Well aboard Seaweed
21. Halloween 2018
22. Dratted Dishes
22. V-Garbage Bag Solution
22. Manatee Bumps Algae
23. Renting versus Selling
24. Abandon Ship!
25. V-Fish Training 101
25. Hiding the VHF Hole
26. V-Looking for Catamarans
26. Rope Trim (stain and varnish wood)
27. V-Spook-tacular circa 2014
28. If the Deck Shoe Fits
29. Transmission Fluid in Bilge
29. Breezy the Sea Urchin Octopus (and sprouting too)
30. Carrabelle Sparkles
31. V-Why Be Normal
31. Handy Heater Review

November 11-6-9-1-1-2

1. Securing the Microwave
1. Grandma's Egg Salad
2. 3x5 Cards
3. Hayes is Here (bell housing update)
3. V-Repairing Veneer
4. Where the Women Are
5. V-Foaming Soap Dispenser (how to)
6. V-Seaweed's Dryer Bar
7. Silverware and Spatulas
8. V-Sewing Kit Saves Time
9. Pet ID Tags
10. Glass Dishes (elegance afloat)
11. Making Friends
12. V-Warm Fuzzies (winter bedding)
13. Welding Shop and a Riser
15. Outside the Box
17. V-Anhingas
18. Quite the Sight
19. V-Fighting Inertia regarding Boat Gear
20. The Log Book
21. Pizza for One
22. Glass-bottom Dinghy
23. Travelers Met
25. Intriguing Possibilities (boat cards)
26. Cuban Conch Chowder
27. Portlight Privacy (at Carrabelle Riverfront Festival)
28. Pots and Pans Primer
28. Paralyzed by Planning (includes sundries list)
29. The Helm
29. Tate's Hell (dwarf cypress trees)
30. Fine Folks

December 10-7-9-3-4

1. Dallas and the Pelican
2. V-Waterproof 8 Gauge Butt Connectors (make your own)
3. Capable of Learning
3. V-Christina O. (Aristotle Onassis' yacht)
4. Building a Locker (Part 1)
5. V-How Do Osprey Land?
6. Dealing with Drunks (tool locker and dinette table)
7. Anchoring
8. Anchor Down by Noon (policy vs. practice)
8. Whew! Engine O-U-T
9. BWI-Manatee Mama and Baby (calf)
10. Reluctant Wives
11. Music aboard Seaweed (Alzheimer's too)
12. Popcorn for One (and Stone-wave Update)
12. Hanging In the Head
14. Christmas Aboard 2013
15. GA-Night Crossing
16. V-Boat Presents
17. Air Horn Saves the Day
18. Imaginary Friends IRL (in real life)
18. Naming Your Dinghy
19. Bookbinding for Beginners
20. Kitchen Clutter
22. V-Fool Me Once...
23. GA-Electrical Field versus Compass (Captain Murphy)
24. Running Aground
26. St. Pete boat show 2015 (part 1)
27. Windlass is Necessary (for me)
28. We've Seen Worse
29. St. Pete boat show 2015 (part 2)
30. Building a Locker (Part 2)
31. GA-Time Flies
31. Christmas Connections

A favorite aphorism:  A good deed is like a pebble thrown into a pool of water. The ripples spread far beyond the point of impact. Dear Abby by her daughter Pauline Phillips.

My home is not fancy by any means, however you cannot imagine how wonderful it is to come back to her after an expedition on shore.

If I can live this life, why not you too?

Skipper, First Mate extraordinaire

Every gift helps.

The Cruising Kitty is what boaters refer to as spending money. There's never enough aboard Seaweed!

I am also an Amazon Affiliate.