Keeping your Favourite Varnish Brush Fresh – Indefinitely
When I find a varnish brush that I really like, I want to be
able to use it again and again. After all, when it comes to a varnish brush,
only the best will do. The only problem was that my favourite brush would go
stiff over time. Worse, it would develop hard bristles that would score a grove
through an otherwise perfect finish.
Sailing Music
There's something curious about sailing and being on the water. It's not always that just any music will do. Sometimes you have to hear that soothing rhythm that reflects a soul borne on the water. A selection of our favorited with additions from our readers.
Here are a few samplings.
A beer drinkers’ guide to the Atlantic Circuit
It’s very easy to tell where one is in the islands as each island has its own characteristic brew, although one can also get a bit lost in the sea of Heineken wherever one goes. The great simple pleasure of trying each island’s unique flavour while sitting under a broad umbrella with toes submerged in warm sand or water is so intensely satisfying. It makes the visit to the first tiki bar an adventure all unto itself where the explorers place their fragile taste buds into the bartender’s hands. You watch that bottle or can emerge out of the cold depths coated in frosty refreshment. You start to salivate when you hear that characteristic sound of the top being flipped.
Dancing in the Harbour
You hear the rattle of chain and you run for the binoculars – everyone knows that anchoring is a spectator sport. You wonder, “Are they coming our way?” You sneak a quick peek at their anchor. You think, “Oh good, it’s not a CQR.” The guy is at the helm. The tiny woman is at the bow, and they don’t have a windlass. Then you settle down to watch the show just as all hell breaks loose. He starts yelling and she throws everything overboard in a big pile. Oh joy!
Chance Encounters Between Whales and Ships (pdf)
Daria Blackwell summarizes published reports about encounters between boats and whales. Published in The Flying Fish, official publication of the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) of which Daria is a member of the Committee and Strategy Team. Visit the OCC website to learn more.
Updated: The Perfect Boat
Some prefer to have their vessel as part of a class, which affords certain advantages for racing and owners’ cruising associations. Others may not want to have theirs look exactly like 20 others in the harbor. We tend to want our boat to stand out in the crowd, and we have fallen in love several times over
World on the Water TV - Weekly Global Boating Report - the Internet's best free weekly sailing news and action programme - View this past week's sailing and boating events live here On Coastalboating.net
Cruising Ireland - Having crossed the pond three times, we are currently based in the west of Ireland! This is perhaps the nicest cruising we have done to date, and we just had to share.
Dominica - Dominica
is the island paradise in the
Caribbean
. It has 365 rivers, eight volcanoes, and only 70,000 people. It is one of the largest islands yet the least built up.
Barbados - Barbados is known for its beautiful beaches, expansive mansions, and lavish parties. There are highly competitive cricket matches and lots of famous inhabitants and visitors, but the facilities for visiting yachts are limited.
by (us!) Capt. Alex Blackwell & Capt. Daria Blackwell
Unless you are far offshore, at some point or another you are going to need to park your boat. Just like knowing how to stop your car before you start is perhaps the most important part of driving, we feel that anchoring is perhaps the most important skill you can and should acquire in boating. 226 pages, 182 Illustrations
Happy Hooking is a very readable book loaded with valuable information on anchoring tackle, anchoring technique, tying up and rafting, anchoring etiquette, as well as the occasional anecdote - simply stated a must have!
Cruising Outpost - The latest and greatest source of all things Cruising and Adventure Voyaging. - Formerly: Latitudes & Attitudes - Bob Bitchin's irreverent (or is it irrelevant) rag supporting the cruisers lifestyle. It is truly a breath of fresh air. Not for everyone (or at least some won't admit it while reading it in the closet).
Managing the Waterway - An enriched Cruising Guide for Intracoastal Waterway Travelers by Mark & Diana Doyle
Do-it-yourself (DIY)
This section is devoted to things you can do yourself to maintain or upgrade your boat, saving yourself money, and often aggravation.
The O’Day Mariner 50th Anniversary Rendezvous
August 9-11, 2013 - Mystic Seaport, Connecticut - The O'Day Mariner 50th Anniversary Rendezvous is meant to be a fun get-together for Mariner owners celebrating the 50th anniversary of the birth of the O’Day Mariner.
Blue Planet Odyssey Want to sail around the world in the company of like-minded sailors with a higher purpose? Then join the Blue Planet Odyssey, Jimmy Cornell’s newest and boldest venture.
CoastalBoating.net is dedicated to the joy of coastal boating, coastal sailing, coastal cruising, and coastal racing. The primary objective of this site is to empower sailors and those who would like to be sailors to go out and enjoy their sport and passtime - to enjoy boating in whatever form it takes for the sake of boating.
Coastal Boating provides the best all around experience for boaters who would like a local resource guide that also covers local news, including race results, and seamanship skills. It is not intended to prepare people for the great offshore experience: there are plenty of resources out there for that. It is for all of the rest of us who may dream about a big adventure yet find ourselves perfectly content, if not driven, to experience the waters in our own territory to the fullest.
Please be aware that boating, as most other water sports, can be dangerous. You should not attempt it without first receiving competent instruction. Coastal Boating and Knowledge Clinic Limited will not accept any liability whatsoever related to content on our website.
Coastal Boating (Reg. in Ireland No. 443222) is a division of Knowledge Clinic Ltd.
Cruising Ireland
by (us!) Capt. Alex Blackwell & Capt. Daria Blackwell
