From a 1967 Danforth Manual

I came across this old manual and though I would share a few images.

Not exactly how I would rig two anchors, but vintage advice.

 

Some interesting examples.

My Personal Mask Design

I've worn masks a lot during my career. I inspect refinery equipment and work in a chemical environment. Fit and comfort for all-day wear are a big deal for me. Thus, following standard principles, I made my own. I kinna figures this would last some months, which it has and will.

I've been asked to post details, so here we go. I know there are a million posts out there.

----

The real plus of this design is that there are no leaks. They call it a duckbill mask. It may look odd, but the fabric is away from you lips, speaking is easier, and there is more fabric for easier breathing with good filtration. The pattern came from a doctor.

 

It should be worn high on the bridge of the nose for best fit. This can be a problem with glasses, but I can get it to work (I had not properly adjusted this one yet).

 

Chin fit is also important. Watch for gaps under the jaw. Tighten the elastic as needed--it is adjustable for a reason.

• Cut 3 pieces to the pattern (see below). You will actually fold it on the narrowest side, so it comes out looking like a fat hourglass. I cut the fleece with a hot knife--it's a sailor thing.
• 1 layer fleece (comfortable, maintains shape, and very important, helps with sealing) and 1-2 layers fine sheeting (filtration). Lay them on top of each other.
• Seam down narrow part of hour glass. This just keeps them in place.
• Fold it on the seam and seam the edges together and trim with hot knife--it's a sailor thing. Of scissors and flame. It won't fray much. Leave at least 1/2" hanging out near the long edge; you will need this to attach the elastic.
• Cut a piece of aluminum roof flashing ~ 1/2" x 4" and center this inside one of the long hems. This will make the bridge of the nose stiffener.
•  Hem the long sides. These will bear on the face, so fold the edges under. This also provides support and creates a thick, wide sealing surface.
• Melt holes for the elastic in the outside hem allowance using a hot nail. This is why the seams are flat and wide.
• Thread the elastic. 1/8" cord or 1/4" flat. Tent pole shock cord is perfect. One goes under the ears, the other over the head. By using one continuous shock cord it is more adjustable and easier to don.
• Carefully bend the nose piece to fit. In fact, nothing is as important as making sure there is no edge leakage. A leak is N-zero. By keeping the stiffener thin and flat it works with glasses, a common complaint.

Although it should washed now and then, they will self-sterilize if not worn for 10 days. Leaving them in the sun is also helpful. So make several and don't go out every day. Then you don't need to wash them too often.

Here is a good video that shows a similar mask made from a HEPA vac filter. I did this, but it's not very comfortable and is not washable. But it is an excellent design.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6d3twpHwis

Here is the pattern. However, I add 1/2 inch on the sides for hem allowance and 1 inch on the long sides for hem and to tuck in the nose stiffener.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gaiM3yZLalU1_7mlMeLR-3967A8cEu5H/view

I did not sew on the elastic to the mask. One long loop threaded through the holes (melt with hot nail) is easier and more adjustable. The cord is tied with a double fisherman's knot so that I can easily slide it to take up slack, should the elastic stretch or for different size heads.

It's probably not far off N-95 or may be there. Yes, the masks are primarily to keep your own spit, but why not do it right?

I've made a dozzen of them, for my wife and I, and for my 90+ parents. 

Yeah, it's doofy looking.  Too many people choose masks for appearance or because they "look" medical. This works and stays in place through any activity. Good for mowing the grass and shop work too.

-----

Of course, this is why you wear a mask: 

Anchors Are All Related

[Excel aluminum anchor coming soon!]

What could be more different than a 1950s Northill, looking a lot like a traditional fisherman's anchor, and the latest 2010s new generation anchor, the Mantus M1?

But if we look at them either from the side (ignoring the upper fluke) or from the bottom's eye view...

 

 ... the angles aren't that different.

I've been using this Norhill on my F-24 for several years because it is the only non-pivoting fluke anchor that will fit in the shallow well. It has dome downsides:

• Rode can foul on the exposed fluke if the boat does a 360 due to a change in the tide or wind.
• The fluke area is less. But this is made up for by the cross stock area, so the holding power is about equal.
• Instead of rotating with the wind change it flips over when the change excedes about 90 degrees and is strong.

But it also has some upsides:

• Folds flat.
• Better than either Mantus or pivoting fluke in shells.
• Does not clog with mud when resetting, because the other fluke is clean.

 No, I wouldn't run out and buy one. I've had this one for 30 years, used it on a number of boats. It has never let me down or dragged, so when I needed a folding anchor I recovered it from the lawn art pile and put it on the boat, where it will stay until someone makes a folding anchor that works.

Yes, there are anchors that knock-down for storage, but a working anchor must be available in seconds in case of engine failure or similar misadventure.

You can analyze these things to death, but the differences are small. Important, but small.

A New Toy--Holdpeak Anemometer

It never fails to amaze me how instrumentation has come down in price. From lab equipment to non-destructive testing instruments, the change is not quite as dramatic as consumer elelctronics, but it's nice.

My pricey circa 1990 anemometer finally caved in, I needed one for an upcoming article on boat ventilation, and I braced myself for the expence. And it was... $25 through Amazon with free delivery.

I had to add a few slips of tape to the blades to perfect the balance; out of the box it was a little unstable below ~ 0.4 knots. Properly balanced, it is stable and accurate down to 0.1 knots, which is to say, absolutely amazing for so little money. I swear, it spins when a bug flies by.

As far as sailing goes, it's not a substitute for a masthead instrument. You don't get direction, it doesn't interface with the autopilot, and deck level winds are always influenced by rigging and sails. But I actually wanted it for local readings, and should I want to extend it aloft, it has min and max recording and can be attached to an extension via a 1/4" USS mounting thread.

Already a few new projects have suggested themselves. I wouldn't call it industrial duty, but it works.

Hog Politics--If you don't like politics on a sail blog, please skip ahead. I will be back to sailing shortly.

China has been having ongoing pork shortatges due to swine flue. I feel for them. They have a lot of mouths to feed.

In 2013 a Chinese conglomerate bought Smithfield Foods to insure a hog supply and to make money. Very reasonable.


Wiki--Smithfield Foods

Trump claims a "great deal" was struck allowing us to export hogs to China. Just how hard do we think it was to get the Chinese to buy their own hogs? I suspect that was pretty easy.

Now we are calling the meat cutting industry essencial, with special emphasis on pork, but we're still exporting 10% of our cut pork and 25% of the total. I guess it is not that essential to the US food supply.

On the other hand, they are Chinese hogs and the Chinese do need the food. I'm OK with that. We eat too much food.

---

I'm not sayin' whether this is right of wrong. I can see both sides. But it is more complicated than it appears, Trump is NOT doing it to protect the US food supply, and he is not telling the truth.

I guess I'm used to that. We're all used to that. Isn't that sad?

I'm Surprised That There Have Not Been More Articles on the OBVIOUS Failings of the UW Mdel to Predict the Decline

It was easy to predict the rise. Exponentials and what we saw in Europe. Theoretical reasoning suggested a similar slope on the decline.

Consider the following plots of daily deaths (you could look at "new cases," but with testing increasing there could be drift in what that figure represents).

Italy, 4-15-2020

 Spain, 4-15-2020

But look what has actually been happening. Businesses are still open. People move around more as they get bored or need to do a few things. Instead of dropping off sharply, there is a slower decline or terrace.

Italy, 4-22-2020

 Spain, 4-22-2020

As we watch the UK and US we see and even slower decline and higher terrace. I think we are more stubborn and drive around more.

The model continues to show a quick drop that just isn't going to happen. People are starting to move about more. Businesses are opening because they feel they must. Restrictions will soon be eased.

My guess? I believe we are going to be above 30% of the peak death rate for at least 3 months. My crystal ball only goes that far.  The plus is that herd immunity will increase a bit faster, but at current and even steady infection rates, that will take more than a year.

Keep your head down, if you are older, like me.

Best Practices During COVID Outbreak

Please follow local restrictions. Nothing I say below should be taken as a rebellion against the policies that are in place. There is too much of that already. I wear my mask and I'm staying near home.

At some point we will exhume the country. For me, boating is vital and it is also something I can do with very little social contact:

• Most of my sailing is solo. The rest is with family or a single friend.
• I don't go to the club house.
• I bring lunch from home.

In fact, this is less contact than I would have walking along the sidewalk. I've even taken to cycling on the streets instead of the paths, because the streets are empty and the paths are too crowded unless it's raining.

Boat Ontario has come up with a "best practice guide" (open the link!!) that makes good sense to me.

Spread it around! I sent a contact at Boat US, since it just came out a few days ago.

 

Taking Face COVID Covering too Far

I have a hard time making light of the current situation, but when my wife came around the corner in this get-up, it was... distracting.

Well, it certainly meets the intent. I suspect it will also help with distancing. But it does make it difficult to handle credit cards.

Rev. 7-25-2024

 I've been testing this and other brands for four years. See other articles, but the short version is that they are probably more recognizable as a distress signal than flares because of the SOS pattern. A flare that only burns for 3 minutes is easily dismissed as a trick of light, a nav light, or just missed. 

I went to WM marine to get flares. They were 18 months old, out of 36 months, and the store manager didn't understand the words "discount." To me, they were 1/3 value, since I will get only one season from them. Most often I get only two season out of flares because they are seldom "fresh" when bought.

I'm thinking of just getting the Orion e-flare. Yes, visibility is less, but realistically, with cell phones and VHF, the odds of a primarily day sailor like me using a flare are between zero and none. I've lit old ones for practice, but I've never even seen one on the water. On the other hand, the odds of me being stopped by the Maryland DNR for a safety check are about once every 3-4 years, most often when they are checking fishing permits and catch.

Not to put to fine a point on it, I really don't care if it works as well as a flare. I don't wear PDFs most days either. And I'll probably carry some old flares anyway. I've lit them in the past, for practice, and never had a failure, up to 12 years.

Let There be Heat!

rev. 3-9-2010
rev. 9-19-2016 
rev. 2-1-2020 

(I first posted this 10 years ago, but the system still works, it's cold outside, and I though you might want to know. I installed a more primitive heating system in my F-24, which will soon be seen in Good Old Boat. No spoilers.)

The Problem. The delivery trip of Shoal Survivor, from Deltaville, VA to Deale, MD took place between Christmas and New Year's (2008-2009); while it was actually quite comfortable at the helm during the day, protected behind the windscreen, it was decidedly chilly watching movies at night, and my daughter and I vowed that we would install heat before the first frost visited us in the next winter.  

The Solution. I belabored the different types of heaters at length. We already had propane, and a spare propane tap existed. The boat was equipped with propane leak detectors and a solenoid valve, further simplifying the decision.  I had a fair idea of the BTU requirement, having spent a few nights on the boat last winter when the temperature dropped into the 20s. I learned that a single 1500 watt space heater didn't quite do it at all and two were just about right. I learned that a vented heater was an absolute requirement, as even cooking with propane in a sealed cabin brought on a slight headache; I'm not certain whether it was lack of oxygen or carbon monoxide.  Applying an appropriate conversion factor (about 3.3 BTUs/watt) and estimating the thermal efficiency at 85%),  5,800 BTUs seem to be the minimum requirement, and perhaps 10,000 BTUs would serve better. The Sig Marine / Dixon P-9000 (5500-7500 BTU output) seemed a reasonable choice and was also the most we really have room for.  A 10 pound bottle of propane should last 50-70 hours, depending on the rate, or most of a season for a $12 refill. Time will tell.

Note on photo: there is a short gap above the heater, between the heater and the air intake pipe. Installation was not finished and this was sealed.

 I  taped a cardboard of the approximate sized to the wall and we lived with it all summer to prove that it was not in the way.

Note 2-19-2010. Winter experience has proven the above numbers. We burned through 20 pounds in 14 very cold December - February days and nights on the boat. I except when on the hook, I have turned the gas off at night and used dock power to run a single 1500 watt space heater. On one very windy 22F night I had to run the heater on low and 2 x 1500 watt heaters in order to keep the entire boat over 70F. I turned the gas off to sleep.

Note 3-24-2013. 3-day cold weather trip (27F-46F). Heater ran most of the time (sometimes on low), plus cooking, and burned about 2-3 pounds each 24 hours. It was off when we left the boat, generally for about 3-6 hours per day.


Installation isn't overly difficult, but it does require meticulous attention to detail:

*  The gas line must run through a vapor-tight fitting from the propane locker into the cabin. This is a standard item through West Marine, Defender Marine, or Sig / Dickson. The hose is typically pre-assembled with 3/8" flare fittings on each end, so it is a bit fat. The vapor-tight fitting will accommodate this.
*  12 volt electric is required for the fan.  The unit will run without it, but the heat output will be somewhat less and it will not be as well distributed. This is another reason we chose this over the Cozy Cabin Heater. The shut-off safety is not dependent on electricity.
*  Installation side clearances are actually quite small for this unit, because the fan circulates cold air around the firebox.  Additionally, the combustion air is drawn through the deck, and around the flu via a double wall pipe. Thus, smokestack never really gets hot on the outside.  The required clearance around the firebox is only 2 inches, and a little bit more around the smokestack. The smoke stack is almost cool enough to hold in your hand by the time it reaches the deck, so no special insulation is needed. The back of the stove and surfaces only a few inches away stay quite cool and no discernible heat is transferred to the bulkhead.
*  Mounting. I suppose I could have simply placed screws in the wall, but it's rather heavy and I decided through bolting made more sense.  The backside ( visible inside the head) fold heads are covered with decorative caps matching those used throughout the boat, and I used acorn nuts and on the heater side of the bolts. The holes were over-drilled, filled with epoxy, and re-drilled. ahead is a shower compartment as well and thus is quite wet.  The bulkhead is foam cored.
*  Through-deck hole for the smokestack. This was the most stressful step, I assure you.  Boring a 3 1/2-inch, gaping hole through the deck and through the salon roof and extremely visible place - not relaxing at all the first time you commit this sort of surgery on the new boat. It went smoothly enough. After drilling the core was removed extending about 1/2-inch back from the edges and the space filled with epoxy thickened with Cabosil (fumed silica) to a peanut butter consistency. The small holes for the mounting screws were also over drilled and, epoxy-filled, and then re-drilled as well. The smokestack comes with a very thick rubber gasket that is not drilled for the mounting screws; the screws drill their own holes through the rubber and make a very tight fit.
* Heat and epoxy. It is perfectly acceptable to use moderate heat to encourage epoxy to cure more quickly in cool weather. However, there are some caveats: Do not apply significant heat before the epoxy reaches a gel state, as it will become very runny; do not heat thick layers until you are certain they will not exotherm and get hot on their own; it is better to warm the substrate than either the epoxy or the curing mixture after it has gelled.
*  Passing the electric wires and gas lines through the bulkhead near the heater was quite simple. I purchased an assortment set of rubber grommets from Home Depot; the largest and second largest nested fit the gas line, and the smallest one accommodated the 2 x 16 gauge wires.
*  There is a gap in the flue in the picture - that was covered by a collar, not yet installed, that allows for deck movement.Remember that distance between the heater and the roof changes as you go through waves and as people walk on the deck There is also thermal expansion to consider. Provide for some movement.
* I checked for gas leaks with diluted dish washing liquid and a brush. I have added a simple carbon monoxide detector.  

Note: as of 1-13-2010 the CO monitor has never chirped. There is no odor, moisture, or other side effect. Just like my home gas furnace, in miniature.

*  The optional stack heat shield seems unnecessary. The stack stays pretty cool (maximum175 F with infrared thermometer - hurts, but would not burn very quickly). Also, the guard will only fit if the stack is straight.

*  The deck guard is necessary; the stack (deck cap, included with the heaters and pictured to the left) is a VERY effective sheet grabber and will foul your sheets on every tack. I built a similar custom guard from 1/8" x 3/4" aluminum strap that stands 5" high by 12" across, since the custom guard from Dickson was not streamlined enough to effectively shed sheets.
* Distributing the heat. We direct a small pre-existing fan (at first a Hella Turbo, now a Camaro Bora), set on low, at the stack and heater, blowing downwards. It increases the heater out-put by cooling the pipe and exterior, and helps spread the heat evenly throughout the cabin, floor to ceiling, without producing an objectionable draft. I'm sure location is critical, so experiment with your geometry.

Unfortunately, my deck has been attacked by the birds. I removed a nest from my boom in the spring; this must be avian retribution.


About five hours of labor, overall.  The only hideous step was drilling the hole into the propane locker.  That involved boat yoga, worming into one of the under seat lockers in the saloon, which is obviously not designed for human habitation.

Although the heater doesn't get hot on the outside, thanks to the fan and jacket configuration, the glass front gets hot enough to take some paint off your hand. My daughter has also determined that with the door open and the flame set on low, it can be used for somores!

I'm now actually looking forward to our first overnight trip in true winter weather. I like winter: in the summer, there is a limit as to how many clothes you can take off; in the winter it is a simple matter to layer up with modern fleece and stretch products, enough to be comfortable in anything. My other joy is ice climbing; watch me enjoying a New Hampshire icefall at ~ -10F... and loving every moment. There is no swimming in the winter. The wind can howl and often does. Beach combing is different. Many Bay area businesses close for the season. But it is still beautiful.

Experience note, 1-13-2010: operation at the dock and underway has been flawless. Spray and moderate wind have caused no ill effects. Wind gusts of 25 knots apparent have caused flame-outs, but the unit interrupted the gas flow quickly. The heat generally stays in the salon, leaving the cabins quite cool, and so thick blankets are required. I like it that way. At dock, we use small electric space heaters on low in the cabins.

Note on thermal efficiency. The exhaust gases go through a double-pipe heat exchanger, giving up heat to the incoming combustion air. The draft is controlled (there is not too much excess air, as the gas flame is yellow) and waste up the stack is reduced (the maximum stack temperature is only about 285 F by IR thermometer). Thus, depending on the assumptions, the of the heater is about 85% efficient , as good as you will find short of a high-efficiency condensing heater, not available for boats. Most marine heaters are 70-80% efficient and have much higher exhaust temperatures.

10-22-2011: I just returned from another cool weather trip; still working well. As it is a vented heater, it warms the boat without humidity increase, CO or CO2 risk, and is without odor. 

3-24-2013: Some continuing problems with flame blowing out if sailing with wind on beam above 20 knots. I need to upgrade the deflector. No problems at anchor, only with wind on beam. 

1-2-2020: OK, one small spoiler, because this tidbit didn't make it into the Good Old Boat article. I placed the F-24 heater flue on the aft side of the cabin bulkhead to reduce rope snagging problems. That works works fine sailing and anytime there isn't a strong aft wind.  When this did cause a problem, I taped a Tupperware container over the pipe very, very loosely, with gaps on the top. Problem solved. After that, I learned to slide a T on the end when it blew that way. Since I don't really use the heater at the dock--electricity is free where I stay--this is a vanishingly rare problem. That said, don't for get to consider wind and it's affect on draft.

A simple. dependable solution, without the complications of forced air heat.