DrWatson

Indeed, if it's a Spanish Galleon...

Pro tip. Take tea spoon, put it in cup of boiling water. remove from water and allow to cool to point where touching it only invokes mild screams (ie just not quite hot enough to burn you) Apply to wife's mosquito bites - 10 s per bite. Happy (happier) wife. Many venoms, being proteins and peptides, will irreversibly denature at around 80°C, some, unfortunately refold perfectly upon cooling and carry on like there was no problem. Sometimes you'll need higher temperatures... Should work for bee venom - I've never tried it though and can't find studies on the thermal dena

We sailed our 14 skiff back across the lake last year without a tiller. The rudder was still there, and I tried to chock it with my hand gripped to the top of the blade, but it basically just flapped around however it liked. About 2 miles of concerted crew and sail balancing, saw us eventually back at the dock. This year I might intentionally see how well we can maneuver sans rudder.

The first vid suggests decreased heeling of just 5° with the keel fully canted at whatever the initial (constant?) conditions were. I guess it's different boat to boat etc., but i somehow expected more. Interesting.

You'll need the turbine propellor to generate quite a lot of torque to overcome the 90° gearbox in the outboard, and if you gear it to make the alternator spin faster, you'll need more torque again. All the towing generators are based on direct drive without any gearing losses, I think. I really want to see how it works out with the converted outboard, though. Do it, do it, do it

Eric, I'm not sure your thinking is right on the prop size thing. The bigger the prop, the more leverage it will have to turn the flywheel. At least that's the way I see it. A high pitch with large surface area will give maximum push on the gearing... pitch will alter speed. Any one else got some numbers to clarify this?

Remember that life jackets must be worn when crossing a bar. Just as life jackets must be carried on all vessels and should be worn during periods of heightened risk. It's a pretty simple and easy rule. However, life jackets are not the cure to stupidity, and can and do cause accidents. Especially trapping people in inverted vessels or under things.

Worked out pretty well, actually. Got six panels (1500W) on the roof out of 8 - ran out of time for the last few as needed extra mounting equipment. Had far too many things to take care of in the 4 weeks we were home. The charge controller and inverter from Victron are nice bits of kit, very happy with them. Running a few lights in the evening, the freezer all night and a 24V waterpump for the dunny + misc electronics (laptop uses 85W!!), the charger dumps power into the batteries for about 30 min in the morning then floats off. I think with 2000 Watts on the roof (even with 15

I think I'd spend the money in this order: New antifoul and make sure my underwater surfaces are smooth and fair. Folding prop if I didn't have one. New sails, incl. massive drifter on furler with prod, perfect mainsail, maybe new and bigger rig. Anchor, Guitar, bottles of rum. Sail for a few years, After the above mentioned few years Buy electric outboard and 500Ah Li batteries + solar charge system + 2kW genset.

One of the appreciable bonuses of circumnavigating in a 3knt steel drum - low impact speeds and a ductile hull...

So you're finally putting to sea? Cool

You'll have to come to Belgium... But really? No one else has a good reason to go for a ride on an ocean sled?

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1998/Open-60-1827113/Belgium/Belgium#.Vt7_w5MrIUF Mostly, people look for reasons not to do something regarding boats. That's kinda negative and there's plenty of negative in the world. Let's look at the flip side. What would be the reasons to do something like this?

Fun, but I'm not sure a tunnel is the place to let of an incendiary device... choke

In the article there is reference to a French Sailor who also failed to declare goods. I'm interested to see that cooked preserved meat products are also mentioned. Does anyone know what meat products are allowed to be imported?

Of course I would not, but I'd prefer some adherence to local rules in enclosed spaces - especially where speed limits have been established for valid environmental reasons. My main comment is, why, in a time of peace, should military ships not adhere to civilian laws (especially as we're the ones paying their salaries!) Just like cops should drive at the speed limit unless there are extenuating circumstances, and foreign security agents (i.e. FBI) should not bear arms or have any power in NZ.

Wait, the French have tanks? It's not a relevant comparison. The Navy operate in the same three (four) dimensions as civil craft - the effects of their actions can not be as easily separated from the public as can training exercise in Waiouru, for example. One is an open public space, the other is a closed space.

I can understand that regarding the Navy of the country you are in... but a visiting ship? I guess a visiting warship has to seek clearance from the territory to enter otherwise it could be considered an act of aggression...

Speeding in the Marlborough Sounds. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/77229322/australian-frigate-hmas-warramunga-reported-speeding-in-marlborough-sounds Question is: Does a foreign military ship not have to obey the rules of a nation it visits? Surely it should have no more rights than any other ship when outside it's sovereign territory and inside the territory of a different sovereign nation? International waters may be different. Unless war were declared, shouldn't all ships, civilian and military, have to obey international, and local laws? Does that mean they can also d

BP, what 's the source on that article? R

Notice the relative dip in ship wrecks after the mid 90s or so? I know it's only 20 years or thereabouts and so the pattern should not be extrapolated, but it seems the greatest advancement in safety at sea was not steam or fossil fuel power, but perhaps navigational advances ie gps?

Ok so it wasn't this weekend... finally signed on a committed bow(wo)man for the boat

OK, that was very friggin cool. Almost as cool as the gravity waves article. Seriously it's an amazing world and universe we live in.

So, Copper Coat boast 10y protection... I'm wondering if that's in "racing condition" or just "no worms eating your keel planking". From reading their promo material, it's basically copper plating the bottom of your boat in a "better" way. If you have copper coat, when you sail to the BOI from AKL, do you still need to prove you hauled and painted less than 12 (?) months ago?

OMG, can you give Santa's sailmaking reps my address? Also tell them I've been a really good boy but I am totally down on my luck..."