Super Simple Solar

After dealing with the complex power system of my PDQ, installing a surplus panel on my F-24 was the work of a few hours and few dollars.

The panel. I like rigid panels, but semi-flexible can make a lot of sense for small boats. The key is that they should not be stepped on, no matter what the vendor says. They use the same silicon cells and they are fragile. Also, they should only be flex once, during installation onto firm support. A bimini is by definition a problem, a common cause of premature failure. The typical story is that "it was a great installation," and then several year later, "I need to get better panels; these didn't last." Of course they didn't. They flexed in the wind and the cells developed thousands of microcracks.

Open circuit voltage of a "nominal" 12 volt panel is about 20 volts. The moment it is attached to a load that drops way down.

Location is always a conundrum; where on the boat never sees shade. The answer, with sails up, is that there is no such place. Since I hate arches and the F-24 is a sport boat, flat on top of the slider was the right answer. It's not under foot and the boom can be swung to the side to leave it clear at anchor. Another advantage of the slider location is that the screws are not into corred deck and thus leaks are unlikely.

There is no need to mess with the main panel. Solar systems wire direct to the battery (or studs that are directly connected). They should NOT be isolated by the battery switch. However, you will need a fuse.  A simple in-line fuse is fine.


Wire size need not be large for a 50 watt panel; #14 AWG is enough. With larger panels you need to stay below about 3% voltage drop.

A simple automated charge controller can be had for $25. Two wires come from the panel, two go to the battery and fuse. Generally they are smart enough to sense the battery and type, regulate bulk and float charging, and schedule equalizing. Wow.

I could write pages about good wiring practices. Use a ratchet crimper, adjusted for the fittings you are using.  use grease on the contacts. Keep things neat. And don't forget the fuse (panels are known to short-out). MC-4 connectors are very good in a marine environment, but I always seem to cut them off and just crimp things together; the pigtail length is always wrong, the replacement panel will be a different shape, and they don't actually aid in troubleshooting.

It couldn't be much simpler these days. If you've got questions, just ask.

Lessons in Electrical Trouble-Shooting

1. Never assume there is only one fault, even if the problem is new.
2. Never assume the previous owner didn't set you up. He did.
3. Always start with the multi-meter.
4. Always trace the wiring.

I travel altogether to much in my work, but there is a silver lining, beyond meeting good people and sometimes going interesting places; the boat is "sort of" on the way to the airport. Often I can manage a little time and get some hours and a night on the boat, though not always sailing time. Still, I'll take it. Projects that might subtract from sailing time get done and quiet time at the marina is bliss.

My last stay, as I turned in for the night I realized the reading light and fan didn't work in either cabin, and neither did one of the cockpit lights. Since my solar panel project had passed through both of those boxes and only those boxes, it seemed clear I had made some error that I could track down in the morning.

My multimeter battery was dead and I was too lazy to look for a replacement. I opened the cockpit light but found no obvious fault. Not surprising, since I had not disturbed any wires there. Then I dropped the ceiling on the starboard side. When I dropped the ceiling for the solar project the wires leading to the ceiling fixture had flown apart; the PO had done some stupid wring-size crimp connector splicing and everything came apart. I had right-size spliced it back together, but I had certainly guessed on some of the connections; there seemed to be an obvious pattern, I had used my meter, and I thought it was right... but I couldn't remember it I had tested the reading lights (I retrospect, I remember that I did). I tugged at all of the wires; tight and solid.

So I chased down a battery for the multi-meter. I had one on the boat, right where it was supposed to be and had the meter working in minutes. I should have done that first.

I checked the cockpit light. Power in, power on the pass-through. Clearly a bad switch. Since I picked up an unused spare at a marine consignment store for $3.00 a year earlier, a simple fix. It had been acting up and I should have figured as much, rather than place blame on the solar project. Easy. Two crimps and two screws.

 Lesson one: Start with a multi-meter. I checked the power on the starboard ceiling fixtures; no faults. Huh. It seemed the solar project was not involved. I traced the feed to the cabin lights. Sure enough they are separate from and unrelated to any other circuit (though there are many lights and fans on the "cabin light" breaker, the breaker feeds a pair of terminal strips and the aft cabin reading lights and fans run off a single feed from those strips. A mental light came on; we had a birthday party the week before with a group of teen age girls (my daughter is 16 now!) and as a result we had stuffed an unusual number of PFDs in the stern lockers... right where the cabin lights branch apart.

 

Proper wiring tools are essential

And sure enough, the PO had added fans and in the process, used crimp connectors. I'm a strong believer in crimps; I did hundreds for a 1-year hyper-saline salt chamber torture test for Practical Sailor Magazine, without a single failure. But the PO apparently either used a cheap tool or did not reset the tool for the fittings he used. In fact, the fittings were so far below standard size, that the die in my ratchet crimper for 2 gauges smaller fit perfectly; it should not have closed at all on that setting with that wire gauge. The wire had easily pulled out, without any damage, but remained hidden from view inside wire loom.

Problem solved for a few pennies... and at least 30 minutes of wasted diagnostic time because I was not systematic. Well, I knew better, now the lesson is further reinforced, my multimeter has a new battery, and now you know better as well.

 Lesson two: Never let your daughter count candles for your 50th birthday cake.

"A Bathroom Fan": or "No Blog Could be Complete Without a Tale of Head Repairs"

Well, as much as I enjoy fiddling with engineering solutions for my sailboat, I could go a lifetime without providing basic services and solutions in the head area. It simply didn't work out that way.

When I bought the boat the head worked fine. Actually, it was well below freezing during the pre-purchase survey and all of the water systems were winterized. However, we used the head throughout the winter and spring and never had any difficulty with it. Tip: flush with a very weak solution of antifreeze and you won't have to worry about freezing anything. Gradually - I tried very hard to ignore this gradual development - we started to notice a wee little bit of back-flow. Eventually it became whole lot of back-flow. No matter how you flushed, eventually something that no guests wish to speak of would find its way back into the bowl. Each user, of course, assumed that a prior user had either been hasty or just lazy about reading or practicing instructions. In reality, the joker valve had worn a bit, allowing some back-flow from a holding tank. I have no idea from whence the term "joker valve" derived. It is what engineers refer to as a duckbill valve, a piece of rubber so designed that wastes can flow from the inside out, but then closes tight against the back flow. Because they can seal around debris, they are commonly used in wastewater lines and storm water lines, particularly those that discharged into tidal waters - they prevent a rising or flood tide from backing up the sewer. I digress.

One nice thing about the PDQ is that the head compartment is also a molded shower stall, and so everything - I won't go into details - is easily hosed down the drain. Replacing the valve is a five-minute 2-screw task; just not the most pleasant five minutes you've ever spent. But that was the problem and the major source of stink was thus terminated. By the way, my friends an I have durability tested all of the major brands (it turns out that many are 100% interchangable in Jabsco Manual Heads) over the past 5 years and determined that the Raritan PH-II valves outlast all others by 3:1. You should get 2-4 years instead of 1-2. $21.50.

Still, a head will never be fresh as a flower. Space on the boat is necessarily tight - at least with my budget - and a little positive ventilation would be a good thing. The boat does have a number of solar powered ventilators; unfortunately they all pull the air from the bathroom through the cabin, and out through the aft cabins. A bathroom fan seemed like a good idea, but I did not wish to cut another hole in the deck.

The solution was simple; the compartment behind the toilet contains only the holding tank and a hot water heater, and it already has a solar powered ventilator. All I needed to do was provide a small fan and louvered opening that would convey the bathroom stink into this compartment where it would do no harm and would be exhausted. Yes, I have all sanitary rated fittings and hose, but for a small compartment dominated by a holding tank you must have realistic expectations. It isn't bad at all, but I would serve tea there either. I once read of a sailor that had a spare berth in that compartment - for the himself, the captain, he explained. Oh, my.

The vent louver is from Sea Dog, a 3-inch diameter, flush-mount, ABS round vent available for $2.99 from Defender Marine. The fan is from Radio Shack, $17, a 3-inch diameter 12 V computer fan. By some incredibly lucky quirk of fate, the 4 mounting bolts for the louver and the fan are exactly the same, both in diameter and spacing. Is a computer fan suitable for a damp environment? I have used these Radio Shack fans to draft compost bio-filters on animal enclosures, a similar duty, and they typically live through about 4 years of continuous duty. That is right up there with "marine" products. Using a 3 1/4-inch hole saw to pop a hole in the bulkhead and four #8 x 2-inch flat head machine screws, both the louver and a fan were mounted in minutes. Well, not quite that simple; the box for the louver will tell you you need a slightly smaller diameter hole saw, which is not true, and in fact even with the 3 1/4-inch saw I had to work it at some odd angles to make the just a little bit larger than 3 1/4 inches, perhaps 3 3/8 inches. Not a big deal, just measure carefully.

The head bulkhead is FRP with a balsa core, so it is a good idea remove a little core and seal the edges with epoxy, just in case. This is far above the waterline and on the interior, but it is a shower compartment, so it's better play it safe.

Should you desire to duct the fan through a hose, the same louver is available with a hose barb. You could simply cut out the louvers, add it to the discharge side of the fan using 1/4-inch longer screws and be in business.

While I was pulling wire, I elected to add a small light in the holding tank compartment. Fishing poles are stored in there, and it is also home to all of the through-hull fittings; a light is useful. I picked up a cheap pick-up truck bed work light with an integral switch from Advance Auto Parts (~ $7) - not marine perhaps, but I had used the same light on a previous boat as an under-boom light and it held up very well. Since this is a very dry location I am not concerned. Others have used automotive back-up lights in damp locations with success; I am not certain how they would be on deck with salt spray, but inside lockers with a little grease on the terminals they should do very well.

A few notes on marine wiring, for the uninitiated:
* Turn all of the power off and make sure to check that this is true with a multi-meter. It may only be 12 volts but there's a lot of amps available, particularly when you are tapping into the main panel.
* Use the same multimeter to be certain you know where the ground is and where the hot side is. Don't be casual about fusing; it even easier to get overheated circuit 12 volt applications as it is in a household. Make sure you are not on the 120 volt side.

• Mark the hot wire at the panel end and match the existing color code.
• Use only crimp connections or screws/nuts attach toe terminal strips. No wire nuts. No wrapping two wires together and covering them with tape. No solder-only connections. If you feel like soldering over a crimp connection, it will do no harm, but solder-only connections can come apart when overheated. Crimp connections formed with the good ratcheting double crimp tool effectively form of cold weld and they been proven to be more reliable than any other practical connection. Do not use pliers to form a crimp; it is not as good, no matter what you have been told. The wire should not pull out of the crimp without breaking.
• Use ring fittings if possible. They are safer. If you cannot imagine getting the terminal screw out, use a spade fitting, but only a flanged spade, with the ends turned up. Straight spades come out too easily and are not approved by the code.
• Use only tinned marine wire, automotive primary wire, or machine wire ( the multi-stranded sort used in conduit). Solid household-type wire will eventually snap from repeated bending. Extension cord wiring has completely inadequate insulation. Only the first two wire types are approved for vibrating applications (motors and engines) and tinned wire is suggested in all damp applications; the tin serves as galvanizing for the copper and prevents the copper from turning black and developing high resistance connections. Although machine (THNN) wire as sold at Home Depot on spools is not suitable for use directly on motors, it is approved by both the Coast Guard and the National Electrical Code for use in boats. A short pigtail of finely stranded wire is used to connect the motor (which comes with the motor, in this case).
• Use waterproof grease on all connections in damp areas. It sounds like it will block current flow; it will not in clamped joints. It will block water, air, and hence electrolysis, which is the big enemy. Vaseline, bearing grease will work.

If all of the above is not obvious, read a book on 12 volt marine electrical wiring. It's straightforward, but deserves study. Marine practice and automotive practice are a little bit different. I've left much out.

How Strong is She, Really?

rev. 2-19-2010

From time to time every sailor wonders how strong a given part of their boat is. Magazines and books suggest that everything should be reinforced, because there are under-built boats out there to which bad things have happened. The PDQ 32 is among the more carefully built and conservative designs; little upgrading for strength is needed. What follows is a collection of rough calculations I have gone through; I will add to this post over time as I collect more. So far I have found that the PDQ engineers seem to have checked their details.

Note: I am a chemical engineer, not a structural engineer, so I have made only rough calculations and kept my assumptions to myself. There are always guesses regarding lay up details. But I have applied practical expereince gained on this and other more fragile boats - I have been sailing long enough to have broken and repaired many things - and I think I am reasonably close. It would have been nice to have some of this information in the manual, but then I would have nothing to puzzle through during the winter (20 inches of snow are predicted to fall tomorrow).

Davits
The davits are a simple design; two 1 1/2-inch stainless pipes cantilevered out through the transom and bolted to an inner bulkhead. I used a simple pipe cantilever beam formula from Mark's Handbook of Mechanical Engineering. Because they have a twist bent into the design and because pipe is subject to buckling failure and not simple fiber over-stress, the calculation is complex. However, assuming a 4:1 safety factor (conservative, to allow for buckling), ignoring the slight inward curvature, I came up with a safe working load (SWL) of 188 pounds. The heavy end of the tender, with motor and accessories, is about 80 pounds. If we allow for 50 pounds for water and a 140% dynamic load factor, we get a load of 182 pounds. Very close. If a sailor leans hard on the davit while entering a boat in the water, perhaps a 190-pound force is applied. I have leaned hard while digging out an incredibly heavy snow load and it felt very solid, though it certainly flexed. So, it seems PDQ engineers designed for all common use scenarios and used a conservative design factor.

What if we add a wind generator? The generator plus mounting pole add ~ 30 pounds. The downward thrust generated by the wind (as transferred through the braces) might be about 40 pounds, but this depends on the exact arraignment. Now we have a maximum load on the davit of 264 pounds. We are beyond the design limits; it will probably be fine, but it is going to flex significantly and possibly crack some day. Taking the outboard off would solve the dilemma, but I like the convenience of leaving it mounted. Choices. Adding solar panels present similar stresses - more weight but less wind load.

What if we add seats, such as those on the Gemini 105Mc? That would be about 480 pounds (people plus structure), plus a 140% dynamic load factor but supported a bit closer in, so it's equivalent to a 220-pound load addition to each end. Added to the dingy load, we get about 484 pounds, not counting falling into the seat or crowding one end, which could easily push the load right to the breaking point. Additional support is defiantly needed. Better, or at least simpler, would be to fabricate a replacement davit from 2-inch stainless tube. Strength goes up roughly with the cube of diameter, and so the SWL should be about 450 pounds. If you have a big family, perhaps 2 1/2-inch tubing is in order. Beefing up the glass in the area with a few more layers might be a good call, too, and going with a slightly larger flange.

Cleats
The deck in the area of the cleats is 5/16" solid glass (I drilled a hole near the bow cleat while mounting a chain lock). They are mounted with two 3/8" bolts and large fender washers. If we assume a shear strength of 30,000 psi (conservative - 45,000 psi would be more typical of a vacuum bagged laminate), assume that a 2-inches length of laminate would need to fail to pull a cleat (generally a failed cleat pulls a large hole in the deck because of the fender washer on the nut), assume the stress is horizontal and athwartships, and that the leverage is applied 2 rope diameters from the deck, we get a failure strength of about 17,000 pounds. In fact, we may see crushing under the cleat before that, but I would be surprised if the strength was less than 10,000 pounds. There is no mooring or sea anchor load on a bridle that is going to come close. Typically a 1/2-inch line is recommended for each bridle leg, which has ~ 8,000 pound failure strength and a working load of about 1,800 pounds. For comparison, a single 5/16-inch rock climbing anchor bolt is known to hold 5,500 pounds in shear.

Winch Base
After I pulled a winch out while sailing hard on the wind in a sustained 20-knot breeze with a 130% genoa, I considered adding backing plates to all of them. After confirming that the failed winch was incorrectly owner installed in a cored deck section, I realized the factory winch installations in solid glass were fine.

The winch that pulled out had been mounted to a cored deck without the benefit of fender washers or any core replacement. The failure was shearing of the skin and crushing of the core around and under three 5/16-inch nuts. There was no water damage to the core, although there were some signs of minor leakage (perhaps the leakage all occurred during the 2 weeks we sailed with a floppy winch sealed with duct tape). The mounting failed at full load (just less than 1,000-pound line pull, based upon the gear ratio, handle length, and assumed level of one-hand effort). If we give no value to the core resistance, figure the laminate to be 1/32-inch thick (not counting gelcoat), and count 2 bolts, failure would have been expected at 2000 pounds of line pull, but given some unequal loading between bolts and fatigue, a failure at 1000 pounds after11 years of service seems very reasonable. With either an oversized solid glass backing plate, or if installed in solid glass (1/4-inch in this area), the pull-out strain will be similar to a deck cleat (more leverage, but more laminate area) or at least 10,000 pounds and 2,500 pounds SWL, which is more than enough to provide a long no-flex and no-crack service. Failure would likely be where the solid glass tapers to cored construction.

Note regarding bedding of winches. The existing bedding was silicone, it was not stiff, and probably had not failed. The winch pealed up very easily - actually, a 1000-pound line pull removed it, so I'm guessing. Still, I like butyl rubber better for mounting things that may move a bit under extreme load, I know I will remove some day, and are well secured with bolts. Examples are stanchions bases, cam-cleats, traveler and genoa tracks, windlasses, and fresh air vents.

• Butyl bonds to the deck and never gaps. Even so, it is easily removed with mineral spirits.
• Installation is neat. Simply trim the excess with a dullish knife a few minutes after you tighten the bolts. A bit more will squeeze out over the next hour, but I generally leave that as an extra gasket. It could be trimmed. No cleaning excess with big messy wads of paper towel, or pre-taping to limit the spread.
• Butyl doesn't go bad in storage. Keep a roll on the boat.
• No drying time.
• Silicon is very difficult to re-seal. Even silicone won't stick to it.

Use the gray material, available from RV parts stores. The black material, more often used for windows, can stain porous gel coat and clothing. Do not use it below the waterline. Do not use near heater vents or where gasoiline or oil exposure are probable; it will turn into goo.

I use 3M 4200 or or even 3M 5200 for things that I won't be moving or that are mounted with screws and could use some extra bonding. But I warn you; 3M 5200 is about as easy to remove as epoxy and getting the hardware off can be ugly. They do sell a de-bonding product, which helps good deal. Trichlor works too.

Windlass Mounting
The deck several feet back from the bow is cored, and there was no evidence on my boat that core had been replaced with solid material. The line pull on the windlass and the winch are similar - 1,000 pounds. However, the windlass came with an integral flange which distributes the load over the full circumference. Additionally,  the horizontal pull on the windlass is much closer to the deck than it is on the winches. This combination of factors gives a much stronger mounting, with failure expected at nearly 10,000 pounds and with a SWL of 2,500 pounds. The winch will stall well before damage is done. What a difference a change in angle and a simple backing plate make, when compared to a sheet winch.



Attaching a Drogue
The Jordan Series Drogue advise is to attach the bridle to the transom with dedicated plates; sound general advise when the construction of a specific boat is not known, for mono-hulls where the cleat spacing is often too narrow to cause a sufficient turning moment (catamarans are wider - this is not a PDQ issue), and to provide for low chafe. Sound practice for serious storm application. Can you attach a drogue line to the winches? I would not. Although there is little chance that even a Jordon Series Drogue could pull them out of a PDQ deck, I wouldn't be surprised if the winch mechanism was damaged, and the strain would be too great to adjust the bridle under load. A tugboat hitch would take the stain of the palls, but the beam is still less.

Will the stern cleats do? Certainly. Attach the drogue to the stern cleats (a single round turn to insure load sharing), backed-up by the mid-ship cleats, allowing substantial extra line in the bridle so that it can be eased in case of chafe. By backing-up the bridle with the mid-ship cleats, the tension on the mid-ship cleat hitch will remain moderate and can be released under load; this is a common construction riggers procedure. It is also simple enough to slack one leg and transfer it to a winch for recovery.

Chafe protection should be provided through the use of anti-chafe gear where the rope moves against the deck under the stern railing. Watch out for sharp spots on the stanchion bases and deck bolts. Examine every connection point for sharp edges, loose thimbles (the above webbing can sometimes make a very serviceable thimble if threaded onto the rope before splicing and it is not prone to working loose), and movement when under load; although I haven't enjoyed a major storm off-shore, I have seen plenty of chafe failures in industrial applications. Just as it is easier to cat a line with a knife when it is under load, chafe accelerates under high load factors.

The Bookstore

Over the past ten years I’ve published more than 200 magazine articles, on topics ranging from simple product reviews to complex engineering analysis.  Lamentably, a magazine format doesn’t allow the writer to present complete ideas and the back-up they deserve. Instead, magazine style demands punchy headlines, read-at-glance text, and lots of pictures. And yet I have truly enjoyed the process of writing for magazines, the broad range of topics it suggested, and the great people I was able to work with. I've been encouraged to take on research that otherwise would have gone wanting.

In these books I’ve gone back to my original text, before it was cut for size. I’ve added material where new research or experience suggested, and corrected a few things where the passage of time and miles of sailing have taught me better. I've added whole topic areas that simply aren't magazine fodder. I hope the full story will, help you solve problems, extend your sailing horizons, and encourage critical thinking about all you read and your sailing experiences.

It’s been my pleasure.

[click on either the PDF or Kindle link, depending on which format you need. The PDF contains slightly better detail and is updated more frequently.]

How-To books

Keeping a Cruising Boat for Peanuts

2017, Kindle, about 425 pages, $9.99.

 
PDF, 410 pages, $10.00

Buy Now at SellFY. 

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Table of Contents

As much as I love sailing, putting my daughter through college and funding my 401K are more important. Transitioning from professional engineer to writer has transformed my habit of living efficiently into a passion for spreading funds thin. I like to think of it as a challenge for the imagination—it’s more fun that way.

I’ve written over 200 equipment reviews and engineering articles for popular sailing magazines, all based on laboratory and hands-on testing. I’ve spent 30 years learning how to maintain, fix, and upgrade. I've also spent 35 years as a chemical engineer, and my wife thinks I live in my basement shop. 

As a result I’ve become a fair hand most crafts, never get stuck in the field with something I can’t fix, and I've learned to spread money thin, without compromising speed, reliability, or function. Although I've written on many topics, my wife assures me this is the one I know best. My magnum opus? 

Check the Table of Contents link to glimpse the range of topics covered. Everything from cheap maintenance and effective multi-step water treatment, to installing air conditioning, solar, modifying keels, and other upgrades minor and major.

Like the fellow on the World War II poster, abandon all pretense of dignity, and enjoy 30 years of methods proven to keep money in your pocket.

Rigging Modern Anchors

Rigging Modern Anchors

First print edition, 2018, by Seaworthy Press. About 156 pages.

I've been setting and trusting anchors with my life (climbing) and my boat (sailing) for 35 years. I've been testing and documenting anchor testing for 5 years, and I've spent the last two sifting, collating, and analyzing all that I have learned. The result, I believe, is a complete description of what is actually going on below the waves, not just descriptively or as oral history from an old salt, but with numerical back-up everywhere I could provided it. I hope it helps. I know I sleep better. From the back cover of the book:

“Rigging Modern Anchors” demystifies anchoring with today’s modern anchors. Through years of systematic testing, Drew Frye has produced a new benchmark of understanding based on empirical data instead of anecdotal wisdom, passed down from one sailor to the next without proof or deep understanding. In “Rigging Modern Anchors” we dig deeply into the how and why of anchoring, using hard numbers as our foundation.

Included are in-depth discussions of anchoring basics, loads, scope, and the effects of cyclical loading, soil consolidation and bottom characteristics on holding power. Special attention is given to problem bottoms such as very soft mud and rock. There are anchor-specific observations, discussions of tandem anchors and rigging methods, plus an extensive appendix containing test data, open source designs for bridle plates and anchor turners, strength and toughness for various chain types, anchor connector recommendations, anchor sizing guides and more.

Proper anchoring technique, rigging, and gear selection is vital to the safety of ship and crew. Instead of hoping your anchor and rigging scheme will hold, read “Rigging Modern Anchors” and be sure.

 

 


Cruising Fast, Cruising Small


PDF, 2019, First Edition, 288 pages, $10.00 

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I cut my cruising teeth in smaller boats, and now I'm back at it, sharpening my small boat cruising
mojo on my F-24 Mk I trimaran. From Chapter 1:

One Keeping it Small

This is not a book for racers. Although I raced performance catamarans in my youth, I’ve lost my taste for it. This is not a book for bluewater cruisers. Popular magazines are full of tales of daring-do, circumnavigators, and crossings to the Mediterranean. It’s not a primer for beginning sailors, although I mean it to be readable at all levels. It is simply a compilation of ideas that may help you cruise a little bit better in the boat you have. If you like it a lot and decide to cross oceans, you’ll be better served by a larger boat and a different book. In this book we’ll keep things small and simple.

For many of us, the pull of the water is summed up by this powerful quote from The Wind in the Willows; “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” But that Chapter one quotation is often stretched completely out of context, into a moral imperative to ditch all and go to sea. In fact, in Chapter 9, the very same innocent water rat, so taken in chapter one with the river and his clinker-built rowboat, spends a day with a charismatic seafaring rat. Our simple, provincial water rat is so completely mesmerized by the vast and sweeping stories (exaggerated, no doubt) told by the wayfaring rat about his adventures aboard a coastal freighter and the mysteries of the many ports of call, that immediately upon returning home he begins to plan his own departure to the sea. He tries to explain his new compulsion to his friends but can’t find a rational argument. He fights through fits and seizures until, in his own words, he regains his sanity.

The Seafaring Rat spinning yarns.

The Wind in the Willows, Chapter 9.

What most of us need is a miniature adventure. It suits the time available. More to the point, it fits our priorities. We have families ashore. We have friends. We have shore-based interests at least as important and valid. In other words, the myth, yea the fantasy, of casting all aside and following the winds across an ocean isn’t something we’re avoiding out of cowardice, but rather because it makes no damn sense to us. For heaven sake, we’re land animals, and we like it that way.

On Keeping it Fast

"People sail for fun and no one has yet convinced me that it's more fun to go slow than it is to go fast."

The late Richard "Dick" Newick

I don’t understand sailing slow. I mean, I like relaxing and I don’t care for racing, but I like to sail as well as I can and like a boat that is properly tuned. I like getting where I’m going, not drifting about. Fast is fun. I can always reef and slow way down, if that is what my mood requires. Sometimes it does.

I don’t understand racing, at least not anymore. I mean, I have raced, and I understand the rewards of completion, both with yourself and others, but the way many look down on anything not related to victory on the course seems narrow minded, to me. No weekend cruises. No fishing. No balance.

That said, if you want to race, good for you! Many of  the upgrades I’ll suggest are speed or handling tweaks, and many will work within your class rules. Skip changes that add significant weight and read the section on shaving weight twice. Store your daysailing and cruising gear in bags that can be hauled off the boat in minutes; I hate disorganized clutter anyway. I think you’ll find our mind sets are not that far apart. Some would argue my cruising is racing without the formality.

I’ve found happiness in daysailing and fast cruising, and so this book has a natural slant in that direction, towards multihulls and sport boats. But that doesn’t mean I’m a racer at heart. I like understanding what makes a boat go and I like practicing good sailing, but I’d take a bad week of cruising over an hour’s recrimination over why we didn’t win any day.

So yeah, while this book is about trailerable multihulls and sport boats like the Corsair F-24, Seascape 24 and J-70, it’s also about anything under 30 feet that you promise to sail well.

It’s about fun boats!

Singlehanded Sailing for the Coastal Sailor

2017, Kindle, 158 pages.

PDF, third edition, 2019, 160 pages, $10.00

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For many of us, the pull is summed up by the powerful quote from The Wind in the Willows; “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” But that chapter one quotation is often stretched completely out of context, into a moral imperative to ditch all and go to sea. In fact, the very same innocent water rat, that was so taken with the river and his simple clinker-built  rowboat in Chapter 1, later spends a day with a charismatic seafaring rat in Chapter 9. Our simple, provincial water rat is so completely mesmerized by the vast and sweeping stories (exaggerated, no doubt) told by the wayfaring rat about his adventures aboard a coastal freighter, and the mysteries of the many ports of call, that immediately upon returning home he begins to plan his own departure to the sea. He tries to explain his compulsion to his friends but can't find a rational argument. He fights through fits and seizures until, in his own words, he regains his sanity.

What most of us want is a miniature adventure that fits within the time available. More to the point, it fits our priorities. We have families ashore. We have friends. We have shore-bound interests at least as important and valid. More likely our need to singlehand is a practical thing; “I want to go sailing. Now.” 

I’ve written this for coastal cruisers. I haven't circled the globe, but I have sailed 25,000 miles round and round the Chesapeake and along the Atlantic coast over the past 30 years, most of it alone. I’ve accumulated the practical sort of 15- to 50-mile day sort of experience that matters, navigating shoals, anchoring or docking daily, and returning to my real life after a few days to week afloat. We don't sail gold plated boats we bought from a dealer. We sail 5- to 30-year old boats and we spread our upkeep dollars thin, but without sacrificing function or safety.

Specific thoughts for the solo sailor? Just a few. Know your limitations and stay within them—the thoughtful beginner can be safe. Be a jack of all trades—whatever fails, it’s all on you. Choose your weather and be flexible—who were you trying to impress? Go home when it’s not fun anymore.

Faster Cruising for the Coastal Sailor

Kindle 2017, about 200 pages

 
2017, PDF, 183 pages, $10.00.

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Table of Contents

This book is about covering more miles from dawn to dusk, without running yourself ragged in the process. It’s not about racing disguised as cruising. I’m not pushing new sails, obsessive sail trim, or watch keeping routines. It certainly is not about sleep deprivation and crossing oceans.

It is about:

·         Getting the most from what you’ve got.

·         Simple modifications that bring big benefits on small dollars.

·         The basics of short-handed sailing.

·         Efficiency in all things.

·         Getting where you’re going a little earlier in the day, with more time to play. 

I've done a little racing, but for me, it was always about the joy of moving well, and not about turning a good day on the water into an exercise in exhausting focus. If you want to dawdle some days that’s OK too. I’ll make it easier.

Cruising Guides

Circumnavigating the Delmarva Peninsula—A Guide for the Shoal Draft Sailor

2014, Kindle, 257 pages, $8.99.

 
2017, PDF, 159 pages, $10.00

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Table of Contents

The writing of this book has been a 10-year labor of love, summarizing all we have learned in six circumnavigations, and all we have learned of this trip from locals and other sailors. I remain baffled by how many race around the Delmarva, rather than visiting the small places and absorbing the flavor. True, the prospect and the reality of piloting changeable inlets is intimidating, and we'll take you off the beaten path, but mostly these are places any boat could go, that had the time; I have describe both the conventional paths, and the more adventurous and rewarding alternatives.

We brought back the details of a world known only to watermen and local sailors. I hope I have brought real life this tale; I know how deeply I enjoyed the time spent with my family.