RichC | March 4, 2014
Another electrical project for Encore on the top of my list is trying to convert a couple of my defective Navman instruments to older used Raymarine ST60+ series instruments (made an Ebay purchase). After talking with a pretty sharp supplier to the marine industry, he convinced me that if I wire them correctly the ST60 […]
RichC | February 22, 2014
A friend of mine sent me a great Wired article this week that twisted together sailing, aviation and robotic technology … very interesting? There are driverless cars and military drones, but Richard Jenkins has plugged a brain into a high-tech sailboat called Honey Badger, kind of a big high-tech Snoopy Sloop … see my 2012 […]
RichC | February 16, 2014
One of the longer term projects that I continue to ponder and seek opinions on is how to handle the Zodiac while keeping one of Encore’s expensive options, the Cape Horn Self-Steering gear. It has been a quandary for a while now and I’ve gone back and forth. A recent ad in Cruising World classified […]
RichC | January 4, 2014
Since I haven’t received an order yet, I can’t vouch for Genuinedealz.com, but as online specialty stores goes, this one is top notch. Sure they could improve their site with a few more value added links and how-to’s, but the selection of Marine Wire, Electrical Supplies, Cables and Connectors is excellent … and it is […]
RichC | October 25, 2013
RichC | August 17, 2013
It is not time to start another sailboat project, but I wanted to archive a site from Marshall Design while I’m thinking about it. The site has some great looking fiberglass and aluminum hard enclosures which could be used on Encore (1/8/2011). The original design on our Encore is still functional, but I can […]
RichC | July 26, 2013
These are the kinds of stories that I need to keep away from my job-seeking son … but that I would have used as “dream material” when in high school or college! ESCAPING THE RECESSION BY BOAT When the Great Recession hit, young people found a million different ways to cope with their battered job […]
RichC | July 8, 2013
It’s the perfect time to share a short shared video from Brittany, Scott and Isla, a couple Internet sailing friends, on their way south in order to be out of the track of most hurricanes this time of year. They are without a doubt one of the most envied young sailing families with a strong […]
RichC | June 10, 2013
Encore’s sailing projects have taken a back seat to illness, funerals and wedding this past year, but I’m doing my best to do some project planning and research for next year. I received a reply from the Rich Boren, the CEO of CruiseROWater after I made a comment about his infatuation with fish tacos. In […]
RichC | May 30, 2013
Although there might be a way to improve on the “hatch” in order to store a phone, wallet, car remote, etc … these Stash Waterproof Pocket Shorts are a great idea for beach-goers, water sport enthusiasts or … cough, cough … sailing. I’d like to think the new upstart company will raise the funding, but […]
RichC | February 24, 2013
Every once in a while, actually a lot lately, someone will include something from the past in their books, articles or blog which reminds me of the challenges we face in becoming independent thinkers. A couple sailing friends of mine who have and are currently living a life out of the mainstream and shared a […]
RichC | January 17, 2013
We’ve all been there. Weighing the choice to put in sweat equity to save money or spend money to save time. This year is no exception and sided with spending money to save time. Life has been busy and priorities like spending time with my mom in her final months, and my dad in recent […]
RichC | November 29, 2012
So much for the model robot boat “Snoopy Sloop” and the planned unmanned crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Whoops! The technology packed and lake tested 4 foot sailboat set sail from England on November 27th and intended a six month voyage to the Bahamas, but unfortunately the little boat encountered “strong tides” … something neither […]
RichC | August 21, 2012
Lame subject line … I know, but one of the issues for those of us who regularly wear boat shoes is that the insides wear out (or just smell bad) before the leather shoe gives out. Thankfully the older I get, the longer my shoes last … probably because my pedes don’t sweat as they […]
RichC | May 13, 2012
As with older boats (and newer), parts age and eventually fail. I have 4 sets of duel Spinlock line clutches that are used all the time and the levers are breaking. One was broken when I bought the boat and one broke yesterday. I’m now down to deciding which lines I want clutched or […]
RichC | May 12, 2012
I’ll start off with the stressful update that my mom will be going in for spinal decompression surgery at OSU Wexler Medical Center on Saturday … and that I won’t be there. Her doctors are cautious, but confident that they will be able to relieve pain by eliminating pressure the nerve bundles and spinal cord […]
RichC | April 26, 2012
Why it is dangerous to sail close to land, inlets and reefs in areas of strong currents, high winds and heavy swells. See article from a survivor of April 14th’s Full Crew Farallones Race. http://tinyurl.com/Lat38-120424
RichC | April 22, 2012
I’ve been using embedded flash video for everything up to this point on my blog and unless the services like YouTube offer Apple H.264 mp4 versions, viewers have been out of luck with my posted video. I spent a few hours looking at different option and will give Hana FLV Player a try. Hopefully it […]
RichC | April 22, 2012
I’ve been following Ben Erikson’s sailing, great photos and videos since he was sailing his NorSea … a boat like we once owned. Over the years he has used his talents to share information on a couple blogs while he reconditioned his sailboats (plural) – the most recent his BCC Elizabeth. Eventually he met up […]
RichC | March 11, 2012
After the long overnight drive home here’s a wrap up post from my trip to Florida with my son Taylor over his college spring break. We had a mostly great father-son time and I for one was glad he chose to spent the week with me rather than other friends or SigEp fraternity brothers – […]
RichC | March 5, 2012
… and hopefully sailing. Since Taylor is on spring break and isn’t heading with is Fraternity buddies to a drinking location with half of Miami University (and that half may be an under-statement), I suggested he and I drive down to Encore and spend a few days on the boat. Cheap trip for him, worthwhile […]
RichC | February 9, 2012
Just archiving a few photos from our wind blown day on the beach Wednesday and rough day sailing on Thursday – winds were a bit strong from the NE and 4-6 foot waves not all that much fun. Cloudy mornings – sunny early afternoon turning back into overcast and clouds later. We had a good […]
RichC | February 8, 2012
As for sun and sailing, we did head out in the morning … but between the rain and the associated wind gusts with every batch of wet weather we gave up “the fun” and headed back to our home port. We did visit the fuel dock to both pump out and top of our fuel […]
RichC | February 6, 2012
It is great to be vacationing with Brenda and my daughter on Encore over Superbowl weekend. We’re having a good time despite a few rain showers, but we used the drizzle as an excuse to help with the deck washing. One of the highlights was a visit from “Mr. Manatee” who enjoyed the fresh water […]
RichC | January 25, 2012
I was going to comment on the “more of the same” State of the Union address from President Obama last night and Gov. Mitch Daniels response, but the reality is that I’m getting tired of hearing the same thing again and again. More divisive rhetoric that splits the country and very little hope that we’ll […]
RichC | January 15, 2012
Although I love our house and like living in Ohio, winter is the time I envy those who have sailed south and are spending their days exploring the islands of the Caribbean. Jen and Maxwell sailing in the Bahamas on sv Anastasia January 2012 A sailing couple spending the winter in the Bahamas aboard their […]
RichC | January 9, 2012
Although I’m not at all disappointed with my current single 135W Kyocera solar panel, I don’t want to be wasting amps and not returning them to my battery bank. I was reading an article debating the different controllers regulating charging and began doing some of my own research since I’m thinking about adding an additional […]
RichC | November 19, 2011
As mentioned before, I’m not an active Facebook user but I do check in on my account whenever I receive the cursory email (too many from FB BTW). After noticing an incorrectly tagged photo …twice ….yesterday I made a couple wisecracks to my nephews about it. At about the same time I was sorting through […]
RichC | August 15, 2011
Couldn’t resist dreaming of exotic ports of call and far away anchorages … this one is from the Chagos in the Indian Ocean (he archipelago has the largest expanse of undisturbed coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, as well as rare and endangered species of birds and other wildlife. There are strict conservation rules, which […]
RichC | July 17, 2011
Although the photo doesn’t show the dodger and ac awning down just yet, all the canvas that should be put below has been stripped. I’ve rigged the extra dock lines, but have left the solar panel up (but tied to the lifelines). Besides prepping Encore for the potential of a storm, I was able […]
RichC | July 15, 2011
I’m reading my email and posting on another warm night after a day that did not include any sailing … but sailing wasn’t in the plans either. In between thunderstorms I watched the full moon is beam thru the companionway hatch (note top right of photo) and ate some Chinese carry-out for dinner. Besides spending […]
RichC | July 13, 2011
One of the problems with being dockside during a hot and humid Florida day is that the cabin temperature can climb to a pretty uncomfortable levels. Since we are tethered to the dock, we have the advantage of having enough electricity to run appliances such as air conditioning – something not all that easy when […]
RichC | July 12, 2011
In keeping with my previous theme of photography and space, my sailing acquaintance Fred Roswold currently working on his sailboat in South Africa posted his photo the June eclipse of the moon. His did a little Photoshop composite work after taking a series of shots 10-20 minutes apart. Great image Fred. The settings, for any […]
RichC | June 16, 2011
Many who know me are well aware that I enjoy following sailors who set out on voyages across the oceans of our world. One couple, Mark and Judy Handley, have been exceptional at posting daily updates and making their travels both easy and interesting to follow. I’ve corresponded with them over the years and have […]
RichC | June 6, 2011
In a conversation with a sailing friend last week, I happened to correspond by email with an acquaintance — talented photographer and liveaboard sailor, Linda Sandbo. I wanted to highlight a link to her work on my blog … and with permission she sent me a most appreciated photograph. I wish I had half the […]
RichC | May 19, 2011
Who needs a dinghy … fly instead! Nice views … (Check out PercyMichael’s YouTube clips of the Krucker amphib)
RichC | May 18, 2011
Brenda and I made a multipurpose trip to Florida to enjoy a little sailing with our soon graduate from medical school daughter Katelyn and two of her graduating friends Laura and Ashley; we also planned to do a little work on our boat Encore (projects and maintenance will never end). Besides the personal recreation, we […]
RichC | March 29, 2011
Although many in our government advocates for green or sustainable transportation, something tells me that driving a sailboat on the roadways around here … with sails up … would not be applauded by our city police or state highway patrol. This nationalclass.ru YouTube video clip made me smile 🙁 Content removed
RichC | March 19, 2011
I worked on one of the many items I brought home from the boat this past week – the Magma stern rail grill. I took the layer of greasy grime off both the inside and outside, cleaned up the burner and gave it a good warm up … so much that the wooden lid handle […]
RichC | March 13, 2011
It was a slow trip driving back from Florida this past weekend especially through Atlanta; it took an hour just to inch the miles it took to get through downtown (photo left). With the unrest in the middle east and recent revolt in Libya, the prices at the pump were up significantly. Besides seeing $5.29 […]
RichC | March 12, 2011
Although the weather in Florida this week has been a bit temperamental, we’ve enjoyed our father/son week together. From strong winds and cold fronts to a full day of torrential rain … and yes some sunshine. We never knew what the next day was going to offer us. As for temperatures, they were mostly mild, […]
RichC | March 10, 2011
With a front moving through bringing rain all day on Thursday, it was a good day to tackle some non-essential ‘interior’ boat projects. After replacing the autopilot a month ago and waiting to see if all was good, I finally replaced the ceiling access panels — not as easy of a task as it sounds. […]
RichC | March 7, 2011
So far so good with enjoying our time together on Encore. Taylor has taken to the ‘boat-life’ although commented that the after hours activities near the marina are non-existent (they are … the streets roll up by 10PM). Of course that didn’t matter tonight since the fresh air and sun has zapped the energy out […]
RichC | March 6, 2011
After a late night, early morning drive to pick up my son from the airport in Orlando for his Miami of Ohio spring break, we hit our ‘berths’ without planning an overly ambitious Sunday. One of the more interesting time-killing photos I ‘tweeted’ while waiting for Taylor’s plane to arrive was of some fuel price […]
RichC | March 5, 2011
My son Taylor is spending his spring break with his dad … moi … and I’m anxiously waiting for his flight to make its connection in Washington DC before heading to the airport to pick him up. I know he is looking forward to coming down to Florida and getting out of rainy Ohio. The […]
RichC | February 28, 2011
On the heels of a tragic ending for the Americans traveling on s/v Quest, another sailboat has been taken by Somali pirates. According to news reports, the pirates have hijacked a family (parents and three children) as well as two others onboard. Report translated from DR.dk News: Danish sailing ship hijacked by pirates A ship […]
RichC | February 22, 2011
I was sad and angry to hear that the sailors aboard the s/v Quest off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea were killed today. Americans Scott and Jean Adam, along with sailing friends Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, were taken hostage by Somali pirates last week and as their captors headed toward Somali, […]
RichC | February 20, 2011
While doing a few chores around the yard on a bright and warm-ish Saturday afternoon, I decided to hook my old Garmin GPS 75 (early 1990s) to a solar panel scavenged from the boat to see if they both still worked. Besides being clunky, and slow to acquire the satellites, the GPS worked after putting […]
RichC | February 7, 2011
We took our shakedown sail on s/v Encore a couple days ago on our “new to us” sailboat last week. The weather in Florida couldn’t have been better for the first “real” sailing (my previous seatrials don’t count since Brenda wasn’t with me). Unfortunately as with most older boats, there are issues that need to […]
RichC | January 3, 2011
A good friend, Clyde Witt (My Witt’s End), teased me with a few interesting and historical photos from the east coast over the holidays. His friend has a home on the shore which ‘had’ an old wooden mast used now to hoist a flag. It was ‘stepped’ securely in the rocky shoreline and has mark […]
RichC | December 30, 2010
I saw a photo of a couple of crazy sailors (are there any other kind?) that reminded me of my teenage years with high school friend Charlie “Kamakaze” Matthews sailing the “Fiberpile” in late winter and early spring. We were so anxious to get back on the water that one of us would bounce up […]
RichC | December 18, 2010
Christmas has come early for me as we finalized the closing on the “new to us” sailboat – 1986 36’ Westerly Corsair called Encore. Although Brenda and I have been looking at boats for years, we realistically planned on putting off owning our next boat until both kids were out of college and comfortably on […]
RichC | December 14, 2010
I started to clear a little snow away from the pool skimmer lids this evening and fitted my compressor to blow out the water lines … but it’s just too cold to continue on. It might be better to wait a couple days and keep the pool from freezing by running the pump. I was […]
RichC | December 9, 2010
Encore – and UK built 1986 well equipped 36’ Westerly Corsair CC I’ve been offline and a bit out of kilter the last couple of days … I could say I was busy Christmas shopping, but then what I’m doing sort of stretches any Christmas present budget that I’m aware of? I headed to sunny […]
RichC | September 30, 2010
While stopping for lunch today I shared some sailing highlights from the MedCup in September 2010 with my son who loves extreme ‘go-fast’ sailing. Although my interest in ‘racing’ wind powered machines has dimmed as technology plays a significantly larger role in decisionmaking aboard very today’s sophisticated boats, I’m still intrigued with those who do […]
RichC | August 29, 2010
A few years ago Donna Lange sailed alone around the world on her small well built Southern Cross 28 sailboat (see PDF Brochure). I enjoyed staying in touch with her and posting on my blog. Brenda and I also enjoyed catching up with her as well last year in Annapolis for a boatshow and get […]
RichC | August 6, 2010
Far be in from me to discourage sailing, cruising and voyaging around the world … but at some point a parent will go too far in supporting a parent’s a child’s dream. Personally speaking my childhood hero was Robin Lee Graham who set sail at 16 for his around the world voyage – and there […]
RichC | July 27, 2010
A 39 year old Italian solo circumnavigator finished his non-stop sail around the world voyage in the smallest sailboat to do it on July 22. Alessandro Di Benedetto and Mini, his 21 foot boat, set sail on October 26, 2009 from Les Sables d’Olonne France on the Bay of Biscay and finished the voyage with […]
RichC | July 22, 2010
Who doesn’t appreciated the magnificent and mostly gentle giants of the oceans we think of as whales. The appreciation has created an entire industry around whale watching and has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands around the world. One such “watcher” relayed their story from South Africa after a close call capture in photos … […]