Whipping the end of Lines

Hang around sailboats long enough, and pay attention to what you’re seeing, and you’re sure to take notice of a few rather curious things that have been crafted by human hands. Knots are one thing. Splices and whipping are yet another! Whipping is a wrap of a thread, usually waxed, at the end of aContinue reading “Whipping the end of Lines”

Sailing the SF Bay Summer 2020

Sailing this summer has been rather interesting. I’ve not been dissuaded by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, I’m convinced sailing on the Bay might just be the safest place to be! The main limitation to sailing this year has been the wildfire smoke that has had us enshrouded for the better part of the pastContinue reading “Sailing the SF Bay Summer 2020”

Systems of measurement on a sailboat: imperial versus metric.

The last couple of times sailing Skiron I noted that the self-tacking jib wouldn’t fully cross over following a tack. I found that releasing the sheet a little would fill the sail with wind and the sail would ultimately cross over. One afternoon, for some reason or other, I decided to look at the hardwareContinue reading “Systems of measurement on a sailboat: imperial versus metric.”

Cleaning the Knotmeter and Fathometer.

If you’ve been on a sailboat, and paid attention to some of the instrumentation and displays, you will have noticed that there is a likely a device of sorts to provide a readout of the boat speed and distance traveled through the water and another to provide an estimate of the depth of the water.Continue reading “Cleaning the Knotmeter and Fathometer.”

The Golden Gate Bridge from Skiron and other Sailing Vessels.

The allure of the Golden Gate Bridge is understandable. It is truly an icon of the Bay Area and, perhaps, of America as well. One cannot drive across the bridge without being tempted to take photographs and, during a drive, it is not unusual to see 4 to 5 people taking photographs of or fromContinue reading “The Golden Gate Bridge from Skiron and other Sailing Vessels.”

Collision Regulations

I’m fairly convinced that only a small fraction of those skippering boats on the water posses an understanding of collision regulations. The collision regulations, known as ColRegs, are a set of……. Well. I used to think of them as “regulations.” I suspect they are “sort of” laws governing mariners that are enforceable should there beContinue reading “Collision Regulations”

Sailing out the Golden Gate

To many, the Golden Gate conjures up mental images of the Golden Gate Bridge. To most local seafaring types, the Golden Gate represents the channel or passage from just about a quarter-mile east of the Golden Gate Bridge all the way to an imaginary line drawn between point Bonita to the north and the cornerContinue reading “Sailing out the Golden Gate”