Screwed By Radio Shack

Vero Beach

Boy was I frosted this morning.  Last Friday I went shopping for a new laptop.  I went late in the morning to avoid the Door Buster crowds (I'm too old for that stuff.)  Good thing that I did. I heard that people camped out for 48 hours at Best Buy to get the deals.  Anyhow, I didn't find anything attractive, so I shopped online.

After several sights offering good deals said "out of stock", I found a nice reconditioned Toshiba computer at radioshack.com.   It said, "in stock".  I called and ordered it through their 800 phone number.  I even paid extra for overnight shipping.   Today, Tuesday, 4 days later, I got an email from Radio Shack.  It said that my order was delayed and if they didn't ship it by January 1, 2011, that it would be cancelled.  What bad sercvice.   I called again to cancel the order and to give them a piece of my mind.   Would you believe that the man I talked to admitted that Radio Shack doesn't have a real time inventory system.  Boy, that's unforgivable for a technology company in this day and age.   I'll never shop online at Radio Shack again.

So, what did I do. I went to Best Buy.  There I found this Samsung netbook computer for $279. I bought it.  I also bought an external DVD drive to use with it for $60.  I also bought a 2 year extended warranty that provides repairs for all hazards, including spills (i.e. water) and screen cracking.  That cost $140.  My total bill was $500.

This new computer is sweet.  It's so small and so light compared to my 4 year old Acer.   Still better, it claims to have up to 9 hours of battery life, compared with up to 2 hours on the Acer.  It should be much less power hungry when charging it up on the boat.

It only took me a few minutes back on the boat to get the new computer turned on, and connected to the Internet tethered to my Droid phone as a modem.   Then I was in for a shock.  Browsing the web was horribly slow.  It was so slow, that I couldn't log in to my google account before the login page timed out. Did I make a horrible mistake?  Could netbook computers be to slow compared to my 4 year old Acer?  

To resolve it, I changed base.  I'm at the local Publix store using their WIFI.   The first thing I did was to download and install the Google Chrome browser and to use that instead of Microsoft's Intenet Explorer 10.   Now the speed is just fine.  I have two theories why.  The netbook has only 1GB of memory; and perhaps IE10 needs more than 1GB to run.   Theory 2: it is another one of the stupid browser wars.  IE10 seemed to work fine going to a microsoft web site or to bing.com, but it was horrible trying to connect to anything Google.  I suspect foul play.   In any case, I'm fine now.

Artistic Flowering

Vero Beach

Libby is getting more and more inventive in her pine needle basketry. I suppose this is how artistry arises.

The hourglass shaped basket has a glass bottle inside. Like a ship in a bottle, this is a bottle in a basket. She intends it to become a flower vase.

The round basket is intended to become a wall hanging. She left the tail stocking out unfinished. That shows the construction technique and makes it a conservation piece for the owner.

The third picture shows Libby at work teaching her second group of students how to make baskets. By popular demand, she's teaching a third group today.

Hats off to Libby.

p.s. I apologize for the poor editing of recent posts. Although I can create posts on my droid phone, advanced editing features are lacking; especially regarding pictures.

Thanksgiving Pot Luck

Vero Beach

Look at that stupendous Thanksgiving feast spotlighted on the buffet tables. Who could possibly eat all that food?

This horde of hungry cruisers, that's who.

Here we are at our table with our friends. It was our luck in the lottery to be last in line at the buffet. Alas! There was only scraps left of the turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy. But there was a big surplus of bean casseroles. Too bad.

It just happened that in all previous pot luck dinners, we were closer to the front of the line. I was spoiled, having never experienced a shortage before.

Today I told Libby that in the future she should get involved with the pot luck sign up to prevent unbalances. She, being wiser than I said, "No. That would be too anal. Plot luck dinners almost always have unbalances. That's why they call them pot luck." She should have added "dummy" to the end of that sentence.

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Running Backstays

Vero Beach

Libby is preparing food for today's Thanksgiving pot luck dinner. I'm on shore shopping online for a laptop. Maybe now is a good time to answer a reader's question about running backstays.

First, a disclaimer. I've always been reluctant to write about the art of sailing. I don't consider myself an expert or even a good sailor when it comes to sail handling. In 40 years of sailing, I've never raced even once, and racing is where people learn a lot. So any advice below merely repeats what I've been told.

Tarwathie is a cutter rig, like the sailboat in the picture. It has two foresails (jibs). The big one is called the yankee, and the little one is called the staysail.

In force 5 winds (gale), with wind behind us, I've been using the (reefed) yankee only. I've been told that I should have sailed with a reefed main and staysail only. In still stronger winds use the staysail only. It is not just a question of sail area. The main/staysail combination moves the center of force lower and closer to the degree of gravity. In other words, the boat is better balanced and thus easier to handle.

Now consider the forces on the mast. The yankee pulls at the tip of the bowsprit and at the mast head. The back stay balances the force at the mast head. However, the staysail attaches part way up the mast. There is no stay there to balance the forces. That makes the mast bend. Eventually, it leads to metal fatigue and cracking.

The running back stays attach to the mast right behind the staysail attachment. Their purpose is to balance staysail forces. Because they get in the way and are inconvenient, running back stays are removed when they are not actually needed.

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Blogable Events

Vero Beach

The picture shows group 2 of Libby's pine needle basket class. As you can see, she has 5 eager students working away at it. Now she has requests for even more, so she'll teach a third group next monday. Good for her.

For me that means another expedition to buy ferules for her students. I cleaned out the local hardware store of ferules last week.

While Libby taught I went to the beach for a swim. The water temperature was 74F; very pleasant.

At the suggestion of a blog reader, I bathed my laptop in WD40. I'll see tomorrow if it worked.

Meanwhile, life goes on. Nick got his wings from airborne school today. After Thanksgiving weekend home south his family, he reports to Fort Bragg.

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Stayed

Vero Beach
Noll

Tarwathie is properly stayed again. No; not stay of execution. I mean her mast is properly supported with wires and tangs.

Bud Taplin sent the correct tangs and a new bolt and nut for the lower stays. We installed them today. This time the nylon lock nut is secured with Loktite and a safety wire.

We also retrieved our running backstays. We left them in Vermont last summer. Now we understand better why they're needed, we asked Jenny to send them. Those are installed and secured also.

We also have new tangs for the top of the mast. We'll install them the next time the mast is down.

No progress on the laptop. Michael suggested an alcohol bath. No difference. I'm suspecting the main on/off switch.

New family member today! My niece Kristi gave birth to Luke, her 2nd child. Congratulations to the proud parents.

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Professor Libby

Vero Beach
Noll

Libby had a good day. She went to a picnic table on shore to teach two of her friends how to make pine needle baskets. Before long though, she had 5 students. Good for her. I think she had fun. She's going to do it again next Wednesday.

Not such a great day for me. It rained last night. One of the portholes wasn't dogged tight so it leaked. The leaks dribbled on my laptop. Now it won't power up. Oh no. I'm hooping it will revive when it dries out. Meanwhile I'm using the droid to write blogs.

P.s. On the economy post. Libby observed that many of the cruising boats that aren't here this year are the power boats. Given their higher operating costs and higher standard of living, it makes sense. Frugal is better in hard times.

Libby is also trying short bike rides each day. Since she is missing three disks in her back she really has to be careful. Still, even a short ride exercises muscles that haven't been used in years. It must be a good thing.

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It's The Economy, Stupid

Vero Beach

27 39.51 N 080 22.27 W

It was 1992 when Bill Clinton said, "It's the economy stupid."  I think it needs saying again.

The anchorage here in Vero Beach seems to have only half as many boats in it as previous years.  Their annual peak is Thankgiving week, which is right about now.   Why fewer boats?  Many speculations are plausible, but I think it's the economy.  

Fewer people are cruising, probably because they can't afford the extra expense.  Of course, most cruisers still maintain homes, cars and other fast land assets, so that for them cruising is an added expense.   Cruisers like Libby and I have shed our fast land assets so our cruising expenses are instead of traditional expenses.  We can't afford to stop cruising.

I took a bike ride around the area yesterday.  (The new bike is very nice to ride thank you.)   The residential neighborhoods on the beach side in Vero are just as beautiful as they ever were.   I noticed however almost zero "for sale" signs were visible.   Given the scale of the housing crisis here in Florida, that's remarkable.  I conclude that the really affluent retired people (who dominate in these neighborhoods) aren't as affected by the recession as others.

I also visited the "Friends Of The Library" 2nd hand book store in Vero yesterday.  In the past, we found that to be a treasure trove where all the hottest new titles could be found for pennies on a dollar compared to list price.   I figured that a hot title like The Davinci Code would result in several dozen copies being donated to the Vero Library within a couple of weeks.   The library would stock 3-4 copies, then get rid of the excess in the 2nd hand store.  

Yesterday, I found that the 2nd hand storeh has been very well picked over.   Almost all popular, and all recent titles aren't available there.   That suggests that library patrons haven't been donating so generously as in the past.  That too must be the economy stupid.  At least it testifies as to the psychology of the recession.  Even though the affluent people remain affluent in habits and in assets, they don't feel as affluent as they did before.  They're probably buying 2nd hand books themselves instead of new ones.

Old Stuff

Vero Beach, FL
NoLL

From last summer. Here are a few pics from the wonderful Walter P. Elwool Museum in Amsterdam, NY.

Two views of a marvelous artifact. A signature edition of Edison's phonographs. It is in marvelous shape and we heard it actually play.

This nameplate shows that stupid licensing terms and legal malarkey are not an invention of the Internet age.

This one makes me feel really old. I have the identical Post Versalog slide rule on boart Tarwathie, as well as several open end wrenches that look like the above.

Look at this wonderful steam whistle. It's huge. I would love to hear it in action.

Reverse Snobbery

Vero Beach

27 39.51 N 080 22.27 W

• A Vero resident was overheard on the bus today. She said, "I can't tell the difference between the boaters and the homeless."
  
  
• The City of Vero Beach wants to tear down an apartment building because "it attracts transients." Well, we are transients.

It may be perverse, but I take pride in our kind of reverse snobbery. I choose to interpret our appearance and our status as signaling that we cruisers "have arrived" in life. We have no need for pretentions, no concern about what others think, no need to maintain appearances for other's sake. We are just happy to be who we are and to enjoy life.

Return To Vero

Vero Beach

27 39.51 N 080 22.27 W

Why does it feel like home when we come to Vero? Because we spent so much time here. Also because this is a place of easy living.

We're surrounded by friends. Jeff, Wendy, Darrick, Sharron, Don, Gloria, Greg, Michelle, Charles, George, Jackie, and many more.

The weather forecast says mostly sunny, highs in the upper 70s, lows in the 60s. Same thing every day for the foreseeable future.

What's not to like?

This year though we're resolved not to stay as long in Vero as last year. I would like to be in Marathon in the Keys by Christmas.

Sunrise Sunset

Pine Island
27 43.27 N 080 23.93 W

Everybody loves pretty sunsets. We also like pretty sunrises when we get a chance to see them. Mysteriously, sights of pretty sunsets seem to greatly outnumber pretty sunrises. Why is that?

There's the old saw about "Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight." As far as I can tell, that's bunk.

I speculate that people (including us) see many more sunsets than sunrises. We're asleep most of the time when the sun comes up. That's probably true.

Other than that, I'm at a loss for a (a) confirmation that it's really true, or (b) why? I'll be that my blog readers can offer a few.

A spectacular sunrise marked by shadows of over the horizon clouds.

Oriental, NC Harbor offers Great Views

Salt marshes offer great views of the sunsets.

The Melbourne Gam

Eau Gallie, FL
28 08.02 N 080 37.46 W

Is it fun at the gam? You bet. We met some old friends. We attended some interesting seminars. We had dinner last night with Dave and Johnnie who live nearby.

Today we even had some drama. Libby and I were listening to a first aid seminar. All of a sudden, a man in the audience passed out. The speaker, an ER nurse, yelled "someone call 911." Then, he and several paramedics and doctors who happened to be in the room, went to the aid of the stricken man while the rest of us evacuated.

As you might guess, yelling "someone call 911" to a room filled with 200 people with 200 cell phones is not the best thing to do. It would have been better to point and someone and say, "You! Call 911!"

Happily, everything worked. The ambulance came swiftly, and it turned out that the poor victim had just fainted; nothing serious.

What is the best thing I learned at the gam? How to humanely remove a fish hook from a pigs leg. Seriously. They brought the legs of a pig to practice on. The theory is that the knowledge learned would be transferrable to humans. There was also a lack of human volunteers willing to get hooked.

Seriously, I went to a seminar on rigging failures. The rigging is the steel wires and hardware that hold the mast up. Given our recent bad experience at sea, this topic was at the top of my interest list. Discouragingly, I learned that there are many more ways for structural stainless steel to fail than I ever imagines. To make it worse, the opportunities to prevent or detect failures are very limited.

The only real remedy is to replace all the hardware with new hardware, and to do it frequently. Worst of all, I learned that the quality of stainless steel manufactured in the USA and Europe has become very bad. The only good source today is Korea. Unfortunately, Chinese manufacturers have started shipping their products to Korea for repackaging and rebranding thus masquerading as the superior product. The only cure for that kind of problem is via meticulous certification and paper trails for every part as used in the aircraft industry. That could make materials and parts very very expensive.

New Bike

Eau Gallie, FL
28 08.02 N 080 37.46 W

We're here in Eau Gallie for the SSCA gam. Don't know what that is? SSCA is the Seven Seas Crusing Association. A gam is: An exchange of visits at sea by the crews of two or more whaleships. The Gamming Chair at left was used to transport individuals from one ship to another.

While here, our very good friends Dave and Jonnie invited us to dinner and also lent us a car to run local errands. Great. This morning Libby went to do laundry while I shopped for a new bicycle.

When we started cruising, Jenny, John and David chipped in to buy us a nice folding bicycle for use on the boat. Unfortunately, it only lasted 3 or 4 years, before rusting away to an unusable state. You see, we have no place to store a bike other than up on deck where it gets salt water spray all the time. It is tied on the foredeck right now. I'll use it in Vero and Marathon in coming months.

For the past 1-2 years, we had no bike at all. It was missed. A bike is great way to extend our range beyond walking distance. We really should have two bikes, but Libby can't ride one. It makes her back hurt.

Since new folding bikes are expensive ($300-$450) and since they don't last anyhow, I bought this new bike at Walmart for $79. If it lasts only one year, it's still much cheaper. If it lasts two or three years, I'm way ahead of the game. I chose the retro model with balloon tires, single speed, coaster brakes and a kick stand. I also bought a 1 year replacement contract from Walmart for $6. If it rusts that fast, I can get a replacement.

Dick's Law

The Indian River

28 18.85 N 08 41.94 W

This morning we slept until 0700. That's nearly an hour after pre-dawn. How decadent. For the past two months, the routine has been to weigh anchor at first light.

Speaking of decadent and lazy, when I'm uninspired about writing something for the blog, I post some pictures. Here goes.

When I'm feeling secure and lazy, this is one of my favorite tricks. I rig some lines and some blocks that let me steer from up in the bow. It's perfect for places like the Dismal Swamp Canal. In the pictures below, you can see how I rig it in the cockpit. A couple of snatch blocks form a pivot corner leading reins from the tiller up to the bow. Below, you see David steering from the forward position.

The actual steering job is very much like riding horseback and steering with reins.

I take a VHF radio up to the bow with me. However, I can't reach the trottle from there, so I can't deny that the practice compromises safety. That's why I only do it in places like the Dismal Swamp Canal.

I discovered this trick years ago while sailing my Tanzer 27 on Sacandaga Lake in New York. I did a lot of single handed sailing back then. I was also completely familiar with the lake and needed no charts.

One day I rigged up the boat to steer with reins. Then I hung a hammock between the mast and the forestay. I laid myself out in the hammock with the reins in my lap. The boat was close hauled. Like that I sailed across the whole lake. I loved it. My control of the boat was exquisite and my visibility was great. I could even heel it way over, let the hammock swing out, and (almost) dunk my butt in the water. I especially enjoyed the puzzled looks from other boats as they saw my strange rig passing. Tee hee.

On other occasions, I would sleep on the boat Saturday nights, then return home Sunday mornings. Usually, Libby didn't come. It would be just me and my dog Pup. Pup was afraid of the boat. He stayed in the cabin and the cockpit the whole time, and never ever ventured up on deck.

One Sunday morning I was steering from the bow with my reins rig as discussed. I was all the way forward with one leg draped over each side; much like riding a horse. I heard a shout, "DICK." I looked over and saw three of my firemen buddies in another boat. I veered over close to them to say hello. To veer, I only had to twist my hands that sat in my lap, so my actions were hardly visible. The next week at the firehouse, one of those friends said, "I just want to know one thing. How the heck did you train that dog to steer your boat?" Tee hee tee hee.

Several years later, I happened to see a list of boating laws for New York State. It specifically listed steering a boat from the bow as an illegal practice. I wonder if I inspired that law. If so, it should be called, "Dick's Law."

Arrived

Titusville, Florida

28 35.41 N 080 47.35 W

By noon on Monday we arrived in the Indian River.   That's sort of an emotional milestone for us.  It marks the end of our southward migration for this season.

That doesn't mean we'll stay put.  We'll head for the keys and Marathon, perhaps the Gulf Coat, Bahamas, and who knows where else.   Nevertheless, the Indian River is sort of a hub.   It is a place where we can dawdle.  We have friends and family nearby.   We can easily anchor and feel secure against almost any weather.  We can easily find stores to resupply.   We can easily go ashore and explore.

The Indian River is about 140 miles long.  In that respect it is analogous to Lake Champlain.  Our arrival at the south end of Champlain is a milestone, as is our arrival here on the Indian River.

Flordia's weather also contributed to our emotional high.   Ever since crossing the Georgia Florida border, we've been hit with cold, blustery and unpleasant weather.   Monday was much nicer.  Gentle breezes, sunny and warmer.   The rest of this week will be like that too, reaching 77F (C) by Friday.   

Friday, Saturday, Sunday we'll be at the SSCA gam in Eau Gallie.   The SSCA is the association of cruisers, and a gam is one of their conference-meetings.   They have seminars and events that we think are fun.  This will be our third time visiting the Melbourne gam.

Every year we go through the same emotional ups and downs connected with our migration.   We hate to leave our summer/winter home.  We experience a little trepidation about the long journey.   We shift life styles.   While migrating we haul the anchor every morning and move along.   We like the migration very much.   In fact, it's like have two life styles, and four times every year we shift from one style to the other.   All things considered, I think it is a very healthy way to live.  

On the other hand, it would not be unfair to say that every year we become more like migratory birds or animals.

p.s. We had dinner last night on board Argonauta with our friends Greg and Michelle. It was just a nice coincidence that we ran into them.   Greg is from Vermont and he was the former head of the Burlington hort (horticultural) farm where Jenny does volunteer work.

Georgia's Veneer

Flagler Beach,Florida
29 29.49 N 081 08.48 W

I've written several times about the veneer effect. That is how we boaters get to see so much of nature's beauty and so little of man's ugliness hidden behind a thin layer of trees.

The veneer layer in the salt marshes is considerably thicker. We see salt marshes starring north of Charleston, SC and continuing down to Saint Augustine Florida. (From Vero Beach south, we see mangrove swamps, not salt marshes.)

The ICW in Georgia takes us through some of the biggest and most beautiful salt marshes. True, we dislike that part of the ICW because of the meandering, the big tides, and the scary shoal waters. Nevertheless, there is no denying the charm and the beauty of the sights. It's pretty much true that nobody other than boaters ever gets to see this beauty.

Below is an image from Google Earth showing a stretch of the ICW. Click on it to see the large version. By noting where there are and are not roads and plowed fields, you can readily see on this picture how thick the veneer is in that region. You can also see why we need to meander so much in this region.

Click for full size

Birds of A Feather

Sisters Creek
30 26.23 N 081 27.33 W

See any brown pelicans in that flock? Nope; only white ones. Actually, we were surprised to see them this morning. White pelicans aren't so common around here. They must be migrating. A bit later we saw another flock that did have some brown pelicans as well as white ones. Does that disprove the old saying? Maybe a little, however in that mixed flock there were clumps of whites and browns, no individuals caught mixing.

We have a newsy morning that casts light on the cruising life.

1. We couldn't leave the dock at Fernandina Harbor Marina yesterday. The west wind blew from the side adding to the 2.3 knots of tidal current. We could not turn Tarwathie around in the limited corridor without running into another boat. We paid for another day. But there was a slilver lining in that cloud. Last night, our friends Charlie and Mary, from Fernandina, invited us out to dinner. They are selling their sailboat, so we invited them to come sail with us sometime.
   
   
2. This morning we planed to sail south with the W32 Calypso with Jeff and Wendy on board. They dawdled at breakfast so we got a few minutes ahead of them. We passed through a railroad bridge. (RR bridges stand open all the time unless a train is coming.) After we passed the bridge closed and got stuck. Calypso was trapped behind the bridge. Oh well, time for them to forget the late breakfast and start an early brunch while waiting for the bridge mechanic.
   
   
3. The Coast Guard on VHF said that there was a sailboat in distress offshore near Daytona. (That's where we wished we were today.) Anyhow, they said that the sailboat had blown out sails, a failed engine, and an injured person on board. Geez. That sounds like the start of a very bad day for those poor cruisers.

By tonight we hope to be past Saint Augustine. We're giving up our hopes of sailing outside on this passage. I guess we'll do the entire 900 miles on the inside this fall. Cest la vie.

Welcome to Sunny Florida

Fernandina Beach, Florida

30 40.19 N 081 28.00 W

We're the jinx. Just as we crossed the border from Georgia to Florida today, it started pouring. There's a strong cold front passing and it hit us just then.

Progress was very slow today. Strong wind and strong currents were both against us. For 6 hours passing Cumberland Island we averaged only 2 knots. It was my original plan to stay for a day on northern Cumberland. It's one of our favorite places. However, because of the cold front, it was not a nice day to go hiking in the woods. Oh well, another time.

We're splurging tonight by staying at the marina. We can do showers and laundry and buy groceries before departing. It was a price shock though. When we were here a couple of years ago, the price was $1.25 per foot. Now it went up to $1.85 per foot. Ouch, that's almost the highest we've ever paid.

Levels of Frustration

Altamaha Sound, GA
31 19.08 N 081 21.88 W

Today turned out to be cold and wet, tonight and tomorrow are supposed to be the same. Further, tomorrow's forecast flipped this morning. Instead of N 10-15 it now says S 10-15. Oh well, we'll get outside sometime.

Our frustration is palpable but obviously not as much as the couple in the power boat above. It sits 30 feet outside the channel. We came across them about noon. Look closely, you'll see that their boat is all the way out of the water. The propellers are plainly visible. There's 8 feet of tide here and the picture was snapped at low tide. Therefore, late this afternoon they should be able to float off. Anybody's guess though whether their propellers are damaged or not. The props on power boats are very vulnerable compared to the protection that Tarwthie offers.

We passed through the worst shoaling spot on the ICW, Little Mud River. We hit it at exactly low tide. Uh oh. Cruisersnet.net, our favored source for ICW info, said that it was only 3 feet deep there at low tide. Double uh oh. We made it though. We saw nothing less than 6.5 feet and we met a tugboat who made it through; he draws 8 feet. I guess the note on Cruisersnet.net is out of date.

Ready. Set. ---

Saint Catherine Island
31 40.61 N 081 09.56 W

We're still holed up waiting for the opportunity to go offshore.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, sounds promising.

Well, we're past Savannah, past Fields Cut and Hell Gate (two of the
most troublesome shoaling spots on the ICW). Right now, we're
anchored near Saint Catherine Island GA. It is a beautiful island
with a nice sand beach and wild horses. Some years ago, we took our
dinghy ashore and walked those beaches. Not today though, it's cold
and blustery.

The extent of the salt marshes in Georgia is very impressive. They
penetrate many miles inward from the coast.

In addition to the weather, I've been trying to wait out a bum knee.
Two weeks ago I got a case of tendinitis in my left knee. It was like
the problem I had with my achilles tendon in my heel two years ago.
It got better last week in time for our trip to Benning, but now it
flared up again even worse. It seems better today though. I think
rest plus preemptive use of ibuprofen is the best treatment. I know
that the alternative is worse; but getting old still sucks.