Apr 21st, 2012
A week after adopting our new puppy, we crammed her in the car for an hour and a half long drive to the coast, made her climb all over this giant hulk of slippery, wet, misshapen, rocking piece of plastic to find her food, and even submitted her to the jarring bellowing monster that is […]
Apr 3rd, 2011
We’ve been talking about getting a dog for a while. We’ve even done research into tricks and tips for having dogs on board for day sails and extended sailing trips. Neither of us are picky about breed – we were just looking for an easy going and adaptable temperament in a medium sized short-haired dog […]
10 AM – Got a late start in the morning. Neither of us were used to squeezing our feet into the apex of the V-berth, nor the clanking and clattering that continues through the night in a large marina when the wind picks up. We’d been in our stable bed with a spring mattress and […]
Dec 13th, 2010
Every once in a great while, for special occasions, such as being within reach of landfall, Jed and I like to get off the boat. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not for space or for lack of activities aboard. Jed and I both are incredibly well adapted to living in small spaces. What we seek in our […]
Dec 5th, 2010
Before the Vancouver Island trip, I installed a number of cabinets in the head. The one that caught everyone’s attention was a small one mounted to the bulkhead to hold shampoo, toothpaste, and a few other items. It was not a large cabinet but has proved immensely useful over the past couple of years. It […]
Sep 24th, 2010
Cutting the Real Material Continued
Over a number of projects we have had the chance to try different fabrics, from cotton canvas to sunbrella and beyond. Luckily for us, this was not our first introduction to sunbrella or other similar heavy acrylic canvases. These materials are heavy, nearly impossible to pin and require some special tricks. But on the good side they hold up well, lay flat to sew, and have little stretch or shrinkage.
Sep 16th, 2010
Northward Westward, Ho! We started out the summer frantically readying Quagmire for a trip North, towards Alaska. Sailing has been an integral part of our lives, and we have devoted years (really, solid years) of our time and salaries refurbishing an old fixer-upper sailboat that fortunately had a solid hull and a lot of soul. […]
Jul 30th, 2010
A quick project to add LED cabin lighting that also doubles as side deck lights.
Jul 12th, 2010
Preparing to depart for the 2010 sailing trip northward I was prepared for a series long and challenging departure preparations. I have found that planning, preparing, and getting underway to be some of the hardest project management I have ever encountered. First comes the research needed for the trip. Where are we going and what […]
Jun 30th, 2010
We decided to add a dodger to Quagmire for wind and rain protection while sitting in the cockpit steering the boat. Quagmire was designed for Southern California sailing and in an attempt to make her more suited for Pacific Northwest sailing this project holds great promise. Moving the Traveler To start we had to move […]