Did you know there are rules and etiquette for flags on boats? It makes sense since there are rules governing nearly every aspect of our lives and boating is positively steeped in tradition. Of course it is important to know these things, but you can’t know what you don’t know until you know, you know?
We have a soft spot in our hearts for all things Seattle, having spent our early lives in and around the area. Rain? Check. Coffee? Check. Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains? Double check. REI? Swoon.
One of the first things that new neighbors said when we arrived two summers ago was where’s your topping lift? Uh…what? So much to learn… A topping lift is a line that runs from the top of the mast to the back of the boom so it doesn’t crash down on the heads of sailors. We don’t have one.
Continue reading “Climbing the mast or, what’s a topping lift?”
The wheel is an important part of any boat. Ours was original circa 1987 and not in the best shape.
Here in New York City we get the best boats. Case in point: Spirit of Bermuda, a three-masted sloop modeled after an 1831 painting of a Royal Navy sloop-of-war. This beautiful ship was tied up just two docks away from us this summer. We rowed over in our little inflatable dinghy, chatted with the crew, and checked her out.
I’ve mentioned electrics aboard. We have 30 amps of power running to our electrical panel and bad things can happen if the power needs go over that or have a big sustained draw. By “bad things” I mean tripping a breaker (which I have done), or overheating the circuits, or something else which is mysterious and ominous.
In North Carolina we purchased two coolers to hold beer and other necessities like food. They were blue and had handles and wheels to drag them around (which didn’t come in handy on the boat); fairly standard affairs. However, there were two noteworthy things about them:
My boaty learning curve has been steep and it’s not over yet. Take, for instance, a bilge. Two years ago, if someone had said the word bilge to me, I would have guessed it came from Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky:
Sometime in the 1920s or 1930’s my grandmother, Delsie Geneva Ames, set out from Connecticut as a new bride with 3 cedar trunks full of china, silver, linens, and an oil lamp from a ship. Continue reading “This little light of mine”
I’ll state the obvious: it’s been a long time since my last post. 6ish months – which is to say, there’s loads to catch up on. I’ll hit the highlights for those who are waiting with baited breath to discover if we are dead or divorced (no and no).
Sailing Devilfish 