Nick Cobbing Photography
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
Nick is an award-winning photographer with some of the best sailing and high latitude pictures we've seen. His site is well worth visiting if you are interested in the north. Click on "ice" for some truly stunning shots of Greenland.
Looking at Nick's stuff makes me want to throw my camera overboard and forget the whole thing! Just kidding, actually his images inspire me to keep trying to do an ever better job of photographing the north.
Labels: Rants and Musings
The London Boatshow
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
We just got back to our cottage in Nova Scotia from the London Boatshow. While the people we met and the old friends we reconnected with made it a great trip for Phyllis and me, and well worth while, I have to say that the show itself was a disappointment.
The trend toward focusing ever more on gadgets and ever less on seamanship and good boat design and build seems to continue unabated. Does it really matter if your plotter has a million features that you will probably never use and is connected by some whizbang network so it can display everything from your fuel consumption to how many cans of tomatoes you have left in the galley? Come to think of it, it does matter since all this interconnection now means that the whole works can crash at once. I’m as much a technology lover as anyone, having spent most of my business life in the computer industry, but this stuff is starting to bore me witless.
Two gadgets I did like: AIS transponders that will not only tell you about the ships around you but also tell them about you. Now that would be a real comfort when heaved-to in a gale, particularly if you had a bunch of gear like a sea anchor over the side. I also liked a new design passive radar reflector that claims to substantially upgrade radar visibility and will fit exactly where our old Firdel Blipper is mounted.
It was sad to see how few sailboats there were when compared to motorboats. Maybe $100 a barrel oil will fix that. Of the few sailboats that were there, most were, in my never humble opinion, very poor offshore designs with flat U-shaped sections forward and wide sterns with too much buoyancy aft. Boats that will pound hard enough to shake your fillings out when going to windward offshore and bury their bows in every convenient wave. Add a lightly built spade rudder and a deep fin keel that will drive up through the bottom of the boat the first time you hit something, and you have a recipe for broken dreams.
The Hallberg Rassy 43 was an exception to the above although I still think the stern is a bit wide. All the builder needs to do is get rid of some accommodation and increase the deck-accessible storage from the current amount that might be just adequate for three fenders and two dock lines. Two heads and two showers in a 43’ boat, give me a break. Lose the acres of teak too; no voyager has time to take care of it. How about a voyaging version? No teak on deck, one head only and use the space saved for an expanded engine room and parts storage area with workbench. Cut down the cabins a bit and let’s have a real lazarette and a decent sized locker forward. Combine these changes with HR’s undeniable quality (the engine and mechanical installation is a work of art) and the HR43 would be a nice voyaging boat, albeit at a hefty price.
A bright spot in all of this was Colin Speedie’s new Ovni that he has been writing about on this blog. This is definitely an offshore boat. When I got past the hard chines and flat area at the very bottom of the hull (so she can dry out) I realized that she might be a surprisingly sea-kindly hull too. Add to that the incredible value for money (at least in Euros) and Alubat’s willingness to make substantial customizations at reasonable cost, and you have an interesting alternative to a custom-built boat in aluminum. Of course there is the stability question that rears its head whenever we talk about centerboard boats, but I think this concern is overblown. Ovnis have been everywhere and centerboard boats like “Seal” and the “Pelagics” have seen a lot of heavy weather without any of their crews wearing them as a hat. Colin will be dealing with the stability issue at some length in a future post.
In summary, there are better boat shows for offshore sailors: Several people told me that both the Düsseldorf and Paris shows have more serious voyaging sailboats on display. Although I have not been to one for 10 years, I suspect that for North Americans the Annapolis Boat show is a much better value than trekking all the way to London.
Now to tackle the mountain of email, including several interesting questions from our readers that will make it to this blog in the next few days. After that, it’s back to the heavy weather series.
Labels: Boats and Design, Rants and Musings
Off to The London Boatshow
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
Phyllis and I have not been to a major boatshow since the winter of 2000/01 that we spent living on “Morgan’s Cloud” at St. Katharine’s Marina in London. So it seems like it is about time, particularly since we still have some major acquisitions to make for the boat including a plotter and a new dinghy—nothing like being able to poke and prod before laying serious coin down.
It will also give us a chance to see various people that we do business with but have never met face to face, as well as rendezvous with old friends from Norway. Colin Speedie will be there with his new Ovni on the Alubat stand, so it will be interesting to see the boat and finally meet Colin who has made such a great contribution to this blog over the last few months.
The upshot of all this is that the Blog will be quiet for the next three weeks or so, unless Colin is feeling inspired to post something in-between handling the million problems and details involved in putting a new boat together.
When we get back I will continue with the very well received heavy weather series (it has just about doubled the traffic to the blog). My current thinking is that there will be at least five more posts:
- Our new backup storm survival system and why we chose it.
- Our deployment and retrieval system.
- Details, details—all the little changes we have made to “Morgan’s Cloud” over the years to make her easier and safer to handle in heavy weather. Lots of pictures with this one.
- Our strategy if we get caught on a lee shore in storm conditions—heaven forbid.
- And finally, unless I think of something else to blather on about, wrap-up and conclusions.
If you want to make sure that you don’t miss the next installment in this series, without having to keep checking this blog, subscribe to our feed or automated notification e-mails, both available on the side bar. You will then receive a short notice when the next post comes up. Of course we will respect your privacy and will never divulge your e-mail address or shower you with junk. If you don’t like the feed you can unsubscribe in a moment.Labels: Rants and Musings
Kiss*
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
I always learn something, or have my existing thinking clarified, when talking with other experienced voyagers. The latest pearl of wisdom came my way when chatting with a fifteen-year live-aboard and voyager with many thousands of miles of experience. We were discussing the challenge of trying to keep our boats technically simple while still functional and comfortable. The subject of what equipment should be electrified and what should not be came up. He said “well there are two things that should not be connected to the battery: the crapper and the sails”. I could not sum it up better myself.
* Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Labels: Rants and Musings
Happy Holidays
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
The Attainable Adventure Cruising blog will be one year old in a few days. It has been an interesting experience trying to come up with something to write about on a more or less regular basis. One thing that we have noticed is that the process has clarified and focused our thinking on many aspects of this strange sport, pastime, lifestyle, or whatever voyaging offshore in sailboats qualifies as. Thanks to all of you from some 30 different countries that follow along with our musings. All the best for the holidays and we wish you a new year filled with whatever voyage you wish to make.
The full sized version of our Christmas Card
Our voyage account for 2007
Labels: Rants and Musings
Liars, Damned Liars and Sailors
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
This post has been archived to our main site. See Heavy weather.
Labels: Rants and Musings
Splash (John)
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
We launched MC today, at last. All going well, we will step the mast tomorrow. What with the bits we took off the boat, and only dimly remember the original location of, together with the bureaucratic challenges each time we move the boat, I think it will be at least two to three weeks before we actually sail. Still it feels good to be afloat and we will sleep aboard tonight. The best news of the day is that the fuel float survived my first docking in 20 months.
The bureaucratic challenges are that US Customs and Border Protection have changed their regulations and won't issue us a new cruising license until we have been to a foreign country for 15 days. Therefore each time we move the boat we must drive two hours each way to get a clearance and then do it again when we get to the next port. Part of our rig is in Booth Bay about 40 miles away and going to get it and then coming back here before heading for Canada will involve us in five clearances--can you believe it.
Labels: Rants and Musings
Voyage Sponsors—No we haven’t sold our souls (John)
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
Those of you who have visited www.morganscloud.com lately will notice a new ‘Voyage Sponsors’ side bar. This is where we display the logos of companies that have gone the extra mile to help us with our next planned voyage to the Arctic. Sometimes it was a discounted price on their products, sometimes exceptional service, or a combination of both. In one case (C-MAP) it is a company we will be working with on an ongoing basis to add information to their charts.
The thing we want to make clear is that there is still no way for a company to buy its way onto www.morganscloud.com. We are not selling advertising: these are companies that make good products that we would have used even without the extra help they gave us; displaying their logo is a way for us to say thank you.
The other reason for taking this step is that it informs you, our readers, of which companies we have received something from so that you can take that into account when you read our thoughts on their products. If a company does not appear on the ‘Voyage Sponsor’ side bar you can be assured that we paid full price for their products or services.
Labels: Rants and Musings
Norway Photo Gallery Published (John)
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
We have just published a gallery of my photographs taken in north Norway during our two years of cruising there; a time and place that was among the best and most pivotal of my life. I hope these images will go, at least some way, towards expressing that.
We are now publishing our galleries in two formats: one for viewers using slower dial-up internet connections and the other with larger images and a slide show mode for those with broadband internet connections. Note that the “high speed galleries” require the Adobe Flash plug-in to work; most computers have this installed already. Users of computers that don’t have Flash will be given guidance on how to install it.
Labels: Rants and Musings
It Takes Guts to be a Wooden Boat Owner (John)
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
Our friend and neighbor here in Down East Maine, where we have been refitting "Morgan’s Cloud" for the last three winters, is Jeff: lobsterman, talented photographer, Persian carpet dealer and, for the last two years, wooden sailboat owner. Jeff is in the throes of replacing the horn timber and several other major pieces of the stern of his boat.
This process is going on 50 yards from “Morgan’s Cloud” and involves a strange and scary mix of fine tolerances—he is fitting the new timbers to 1/16 inch—and brutal activities with a chain saw, sledge hammer, and even a truck pulling at the stern post.
After 45 years of what seems like just about continuous boat maintenance I think I know a thing or two about refitting boats, but this project awes me with the level of skill and dedication required—I quite simply would not know where to start.
Oh yes, there is one other cool thing about this: Anytime I get down about some difficult job on our boat that is not going that well, I just wander over and look at the gaping hole in the stern of Jeff’s boat that you could just about crawl through, surrounded by planks splayed like a partly peeled banana, and immediately I feel better about my own "trivial" challenges.
Even better, the project is getting to the point that it is obvious that Jeff is going to pull this off and end up with a much better boat and one that he has confidence in. All in all, I’m amazed and impressed. Oh yes, and one thing I’m sure of; I do not have the guts to own a wooden boat.
Labels: Rants and Musings
Greenland, Land of Ice and Light (John)
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
We have just uploaded a gallery of a few of my photographs of Greenland taken over the course of six visits by sailboat in the last 12 years. In putting the gallery together I have tried to choose images that convey the unique nature of this special place and my love for, and awe of, it. We are planning to add more photographs of the northern high latitudes over the next few months.
By the way, we have wanted to do this photo gallery project for quite some time, but have been deterred by the amount of time involved in putting together and maintaining a meaningful gallery. That changed with our recent purchase of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, a very cool product that streamlines the whole process from image capture or film scan to upload of the final gallery. I would highly recommend Lightroom to any serious photographer.
Labels: Rants and Musings
Our Next Boat? (John)
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
We just got back to the boat yard and “The Interminable Refit” —as we call our current project of going over every inch of “Morgan’s Cloud” —after a road trip that included a day at the Maine Boat Builder’s Show in Portland. This is a fun and kind of funky small show that, among other things, features a lot of very cool and sometimes innovative small sailboats.
We love the “Cloud” and hope to go on sailing her for many years to come, but when you are three years into a one year refit, as we are, small and simple starts to look awfully good. (I should say at this point that the three years includes one year spent on family health issues, not boat refitting.)
At the show I saw several small sailboats I liked, including several based on Herreshoff’s classic 12 ½ design, but the real standout for me was the Norseboat, designed by one of my favorite boat designers, Chuck Paine.
From her lines, rig, and what I hear, I’m certain she sails beautifully and her fine easily driven hull augurs well for speed under oars; so no motor required for those calm days—what could be more simple than that? Unlike the Herreshoff, which is a tiny keel boat, the Noreseboat is a big dinghy with all the ease of launching and retrieval that that implies and the special nippiness that only un-ballasted boats have. (I was once, long, long ago, a dyed in the wool 505 sailor and so have a special fondness for dinghies, even one as different from a 505 as this one.)
The guy leaning on the Norseboat in the picture is her developer and builder Kevin, who is grinning, I suspect, due to the success of his brain child.
Labels: Boats and Design, Rants and Musings
Feeds at www.morganscloud.com
posted by John & Phyllis
Web Site
When I (John) am not being compulsive about my boat, I’m being compulsive about photography, my other great passion—aside from Phyllis, of course. I used to check about five photography web sites I liked every couple of days to see what was new. This was time consuming and not very elegant.
Then in early 2007 I discovered feeds—I can hear the more technical among you now, “what cave were you in John?”—a great way to see just what is new on all the web sites I’m interested in, in one place.
We are now providing the same service on www.morganscloud.com in three ways:
Email Feed
To subscribe, type your email address in the field below and then click on subscribe. From then on you will receive an email containing the first few lines of each new post. If the subject interests you, you can then click on the post title within the email to be taken to the full text. Of course we will keep your email address completely confidential.
RSS/Atom FeedClick on the button below and subscribe using a feed reader such as that contained in Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (earlier versions of IE did not support feeds) or the FireFox browser.
Email Subscription
If you only want to know when we make major revisions to www.morganscloud.com, just send an email to subscribe@morganscloud.com.
For more about RSS and Atom feeds and other ways in which you can read them see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_feed
Labels: Rants and Musings
A New Year’s Blog
I gave up smoking 30 years ago. Sure, I could lose a few pounds, but that’s no fun. And I’m not giving up wine. So the only New Years’ resolution I can think of is to write more.
In the past Phyllis and I have vented our writing urges through various sailing magazines, but since my last couple of technical articles were edited into drivel to match the general state of much of the sailing press, that won’t satisfy. So here goes my first blog with some more reasons that we are taking this on—other than New Years’ self improvement—and where we want to go with it:
First, a blog is interactive. Unlike our web site, http://www.morganscloud.com/, you can contribute. Agree or disagree, it doesn’t matter; we want to hear what you think about what we write and we want to learn from you too. All we ask is that you keep it civil. If we find a commenter’s answers particularly helpful, we will invite them to write for the blog and thereby expand the opinion and experience pool.
Second, we are both concerned about some trends we are seeing in offshore sailboat design, gear and techniques. (Of course this could just be early onset—well fairly early—curmudgeondom.) So we will be writing about boats, gear and techniques that work offshore without having to worry about the pressure placed on our editors—it’s not their fault, they have to eat too—by the need to sell advertising to the very companies that make the gear we are concerned about. We will also be challenging some old and dearly held “wisdom” about how to go voyaging. Hint: it is not as hard or scary as many would have you believe, although there is some basic stuff you need to do right.
Third, we are currently answering several in depth technical questions a week. To do these answers right takes time and the process often makes us really think about the subject. It would be great to share that effort with a wider audience. As always, generally applicable questions and answers will be added to our web site.
Fourth, because we can add to the blog by e-mail, it will be much easier to share our experiences when out sailing.
We are going to try and make the blog interesting and useful and, when we are particularly cranky about something, it may even be outrageous. It will certainly be opinionated; something that I, as Phyllis points out, am supremely qualified for.
Let us know how we are doing, either with a comment on the blog or an e-mail to info@morganscloud.com.
Labels: Rants and Musings
