Keeping an eye on things

Our chartplotters each support two video inputs. I am the kind of guy that thinks if it can, it should. If there are two jacks there, something should be plugged in to them. So I added a camera on the mast, and another in the engine room.

The camera on the mast looks backward at the stern deck and the area around the stern of the boat. We use this camera often. Whenever one of us is outside on the stern deck while we are underway, the other is watching from the helm.

The camera is especially handy when we are maneuvering around marinas and near docks.

IMG_0855

Continue reading

Follow Don and Debbie’s adventure to Alaska

Don and Debbie are doing what I can only dream of at this point. They are off to Alaska for the next four months aboard their wonderful Grand Banks 42, Change of Latitude. You can follow their adventure at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/col/ or subscribe to their RSS feed at www.sailblogs.com/member/col/XJ12007_rss.xml.

archimedes change of latitude blog Continue reading

Just for fun – New Header Images

Just for fun, I created a few new header images and configured the blog to randomly select the image on each page load. No particular reason, I just like the photos and got bored with the old image.

The first image was taken just after we left Point Hudson marina. Headed south to Seattle.

blog-logo-600-2

Headed south for Seattle near the entrance to Hood Canal. This is about as calm as it gets.

blog-logo-600-2a Continue reading

I am (officially) a Moron

I am really good at creating more work and expense for myself and those around me. For a refresher, see this post. I was visiting the boat this Saturday and moving a box from the dock to the deck. In the process, I managed to bump the handrail that was next to the boat with its first coats of sealer on it. The bump knocked the railing over and broke the front section of the railing off. This is what it should look like.

RKL_0691

Anyway … my little stunt set the process back a few days and added a bit extra to the final bill. That’s what happens when I get in a hurry. The folks at Native Brightworks should ban me from the premises for my own good.

 

Gulf Islands – Observations and Errata

We just finished two weeks in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. We’ve been going there for a number of years. We try to visit old favorites and make some new discoveries each time we visit. This year, the weather was fantastic. Some years are sunny, some are wet, some a combination (this is most common). We had sun, warm, and flat seas almost the entire time. It clouded up one afternoon, rained in the evening and through the night, and was clear and sunny the next morning. Perfect!

This is what boating is about.

Continue reading

Victoria to Port Townsend

Departure this morning was at 6:30 am. We slipped out quietly without disturbing the neighbors. We had hoped to go directly to Port Townsend, but were unable to make an appointment with Customs. Soooo … we had to back track a bit and go to Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands to clear Customs before heading south across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. That detour was worth about three extra hours.

Continue reading