Archives
The following Resourceful Sailor piece was meant to compliment another, previously published by ‘Lectronic Latitude on April 19, 2024, called The Resourceful Sailor Talks Whisker Poles — the Good and the Better. A question often arises about the proper way to use a whisker pole. Does it go on the sheet? Can you attach it to a soft shackle? Can you attach it directly to the clew? The Resourceful Sailor is not… Read More
“What did you call me!?” It’s another Resourceful Sailor installment brought to you by Latitude 38 and ‘Lectronic Latitude. This one covers the marlinspike craft of baggywrinkle and how The Resourceful Sailor applied it on Sampaguita. It was published on December 9th, 2024. Click here for the full article.
Thanks to Monica and Latitude 38‘s online version, ‘Lectronic Latitude, for publishing The Resourceful Sailor Says GPS Is Not Guaranteed Positioning System on October 23, 2024. It conveys an experience in the Port Townsend area regarding GPS and a new Standard Horizon VHF radio installed on Sampaguita, a 1985 Flicka 20 sailboat. Click the link below to be directed to the full article. Thanks for checking it out. https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/resourceful-sailor-gps-not-guaranteed-positioning-system/
Have you ever skyed a halyard on your sailboat? Not yet? Give it time. Here we go again…‘Lectronic Latitude, the online version of Latitude 38, was kind enough to publish another Resourceful Sailor article called The Resourceful Sailor: Skyed Halyard Retrieval Made Easy for their September 13, 2024 issue and I really appreciate it. And there’s a video to boot. It discusses how I retrieve a skyed halyard on Sampaguita, a Pacific… Read More
Thank you Latitude 38 and ‘Lectronic Latitude editor, Monica Grant, for publishing the latest installment of The Resourceful Sailor with a rare hard copy appearance in the August 2024 edition of the magazine. In this piece I give experiential insight on Sampaguita’s solar energy solution while voyaging. I wrote this while at anchor in La Paz, Mexico waiting for the season to head for Marquesas.
This is pretty much what it is, except when it isn’t. The boat goes tick-tock from side to side as the following sea rolls under it. A soundtrack to fall asleep to. A motion to hypnotize you. It just goes on and on. The grey skies make it chilly and moist. Everything salty sucks up the moisture. Foulies keep you dry and warm. And a hot cup of tea……
Beam on and reefed down, charging across the trades. Beam on is wetter, but faster. Also, I was pinned down on the starboard tack, which made the ride more comfortable. Downwind sailing in the trades is a very rolly experience which makes for less predictable motion. I spilled more things going downwind in the trades than I did beam on. Just sayin’.
This is a pretty rare occurrence:
39 days from La Paz, Mexico to Hiva Oa, Marquesas. Thanks to modern GPS navigation, it turns out to be pretty easy to navigate to a small Island in the middle of the ocean. Definitely the most physically and mentally grueling thing I have ever embarked on…so far. It’s a bit masochistic. I can’t say I would recommend it. It’s like a carnival ride (Tilt-a-Whirl?), or a bucking bronco, that never stops. Add… Read More
Thanks to Monica and Latitude 38’s ‘Lectronic Latitude for publishing another Resourceful Sailor installment. This one is about how I keep Sampaguita’s drop boards from coming out if I get knocked down or capsized. Not what you want to think about, but you better. If you have your own version of how to secure your drop boards, feel free to comment at the bottom of the article. Follow the link: https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/resourceful-sailor-drop-boards/
sailingwithjosh
Sailing With Josh 