The best way to learn advanced coastal cruising skills is to sail the coasts of the lovely Caribbean Islands. And, if you are going to sail the Caribbean, then Wild Rumpus is the boat to do it on under the gentle tutelage of yours truly!
Continue reading “Learn Advanced Coastal Cruising on Wild Rumpus!”
Some locals were kind enough to take us sailing. Unfortunately, as a self-absorbed dopey American, I cannot pronounce (or spell) most of their names!! But we got some lovely pics of sailing outside of Cape Town.
Continue reading “A Cape Town Evening Sail”
There are boat shows and then there is the Annapolis Sailboat Show. For the uninitiated, the prior sentence is like saying “there is a little league baseball diamond and then there is Fenway Park.” Although we already have a boat, our passage crew had never stepped foot on an Xquisite X5, and we still had some big-ticket items to buy for the passage.
Continue reading “Annapolis Boat Show”
As the Grandest of Grand Poobahs of The Lodge of the Dense and Mentally Questionable– once I learn even a rudimentary skill, the best way for me to make it stick in my sugarless-gummy-bear of a brain is to find some poor soul to whom I can teach that skill.
So, having had basic sailing skills beat into my brain by repetition, and several ego-bruising incidents, I got it in my thick head that I want to teach others to sail.
Continue reading “The Best Way to Learn is by Teaching”
I’ve got nothing to do and all day to do it. [any Styx fans?]. The COVID pandemic and resulting lockdown have taken me– and I suspect most people– through a series of moods that are finally culminating in pure and simple boredom. This blog itself is an archeological record of initial boredom resulting in experimental cooking, premature planning for future events, and general musings by somebody entirely unqualified to share musings.
But the truth is that the unqualified musings were only a small part of what has actually been a relatively pleasant period without much airplane travel, a lot of family time, and some cool developments.
Continue reading “Surplus of Time=Scarcity of Motivation”
Looking out at the bay and watching the sailboats often leads me to be jealous of the sailors on those boats. Then, because I am a cynical jackass, I find myself wondering if they really are sailors. That is, do they meet my imagined qualification of practicing good seamanship, or are they just an accident waiting to happen.
Does size really matter or is it all just up to the motion of the ocean?
First off- yes, that IS my happy face!
This past weekend I was crew on a friend’s 34′ Catalina for the Corinthian Yacht Club Midwinter races. Cold, overcast, and despite a prediction of near calm, gusts of up to 18 knots of wind. Overall, great sailing!
Continue reading “A Weekend of Racing”
