Cool Temperatures means Shrimp Boil

The fire is too big for this boil.

During Game Day in Clemson, SC we shared the tailgate version of seafood stew known as Frogmore Stew (shrimp, potatoes, corn, sausage, lemon, spices).  The Stew's history dates back to the fisherman and labors cooking big pots along the (Frogmore community) South Carolina shores for their fellow workers and family.

Now it is a BIG southern tradition. 

Showing me your Nautical Signal Flags

EXODUS

Exodus goes Topless for Christmas

One of the projects that has been on our list for a while now is pulling the mast. This project was completed over the last two weeks in December. We had a laundry list of associated projects. We replaced the standing rigging, wire in the mast and masthead sheaves. Also this gave us a chance to add a PA/ foghorn, a masthead windex and an LED anchor light. The backstay was also insulated to facilitate an antenna for our SSB. While the mast was down this also gave us a chance to rebed all of the chain plates and add new ball bearing deck organizers.

All projects tend to expand while in process and this one being no exception. Upon inspection of the wiring for the nav lights on the inside of the boat I found all of these wires to be severely corroded as well. We rewired the nav wiring from the base of the mast all the way back to the panel. All wiring connections were wrapped in rescue tape to prevent future corrosion.

With all of these improvements hopefully the mast will not need to be pulled again for 24 more years.

 

Boat Projects

For Our Shortest Cruise We Had a Ball

We disconnected from shore power, pulled away from our slip, and motored over to the adjacent marina, Lakewood Yacht Club for TMCA's Commodore Ball, where we stayed for the night at their transient slips.  What a blessing it was to be only a few feet to the party.  We (got gussied up) dressed in the bathhouse by the pool with JT in his tuxedo and me in my glamor dress which had not been worn since 2003 (I couldn't believe that it still fits).  Kept the dogs at a distance since we did not want dog hair accessories.

Sharpening your Boating Skills and Safety

See below links for new Texas boating laws, CPR, Captain's license, engine, compass, radar, HAM radio, skin care, fire prevent, man overboard, cruising...

10 Question Boating Safety Practice Test

Test your boating knowledge with this 10 question boating safety practice test.

After completing the ASA 101 course and mentoring program years ago, I rented the Annapolis Book of Seamanship, (5 sailing training videos) from Netflix last winter to prepare for our big trip. Wow what a wealth of useful information. 

Fun facts too, such as most men found overboard have their flys down. In the man overboard drills, the poor boy who jumped in the water better have been paid extra for those scenes; heck we just practiced with a lifesaver. While there is some outdated info such as how to use the RDF (radio direction finders), the overall information is extremely useful (I even took notes).

Christmas Lights and Boats in Clear Lake

December is here and time for sailboats, lights, and drinks...

Tonight, Dec 10, a new display of Clear Lake boat owners creativity. Past years we enjoyed the Snowman with music in sync with its FM music site, and prior the Christmas tree (that involved a couple major oops in navigation). While it would be fun to be in the parade, we will leave that to others. I do not see how you can navigate safely with all the lights; I guess rely on your nav. equipment. The crowds are here and the parties are beginning. Ready with the gloves, hats, lubrication to help ignore the cold. Not too bad with temperature tonight in overcast Seabrook, Texas. Our lights are on and ready for the fun.

Oh the parties were so fun, our favorite boat was the power boat with the Dancing Elvises and Show Girls. People had fire pits, served wine, good gumbo, and appetizers all night. We made the round to all the parties. The parade boats came around about four or more times. Out in Clear Lake we could see all the anchor lights of 15 or so sail boats rafted up to watch the parade.

Does Adversity Make You Stronger...

Solo circumnavigating the globe is an amazing accomplishment, but imagine being deaf.

Charl De Villiers, first deaf man to do this returned to Palacios, Texas in December 2004.

The heroic and record-setting journey of Charl de Villiers came to an end on Sunday (Dec. 19, 2004) with nearly 300 people lining the shoreline as he sailed back into Palacios following his 9-month solo around the world odyssey. 

The triumphant 44-year old de Villiers, sailed his 37-foot Tartan 1977 sailboat Island Time into a slip at the Serendipity Resort RV Park & Marina around 1:30 p.m. to become the first deaf person to have sailed around the globe completely alone.

Navigation: Charts, Computers, Stars, AIS

NOAA Chart- for Galveston Causeway Bridge and Offatts Bayou

Loaded a FREE Chart Software and the latest NOAA maps for TX (RNC) on my laptop. 

Tried Memory-Map (which I used on another laptop), but got an error saying, "could not load on system 32." Loaded up Map-tech Chart Navigator 5.08--worked great-- prefer some of the features better than Memory-Map. Loaded all the RNC for TX (some dated 11-10, dated on bottom left of map), but I plan to update the newest charts before we go cruising again. It took me a while to remember where everything was located (since last April). Hopefully this will be a go to site to find the links.

Books, Boats, and Films

Joshua Slocum on Spray (first man to single-hand Sailing Alone Around The World)

With the cool Holiday season coming around the bend and nights getting longer, we might be spending more time in the cabin. So here are some true boating movies that have real boats on the water and not all filmed on a studio. In fact my criteria insists that the boat be a main character in the movies. If you can, use a home projector on a sheet for your boat buds and you to enjoy. Popcorn is in the galley.

The books that I have paired with the movies must be written by someone who clearly knows boating and the correct terminology, whether fiction or nonfiction. Most of these books are in the public domain and can be downloaded for free in ibooks, plus in itunes university the free audio version for some is available for download by chapter.

Spring 2011 Texas trip

While I do prefer to remain in the shadows on the Internet, I now feel thrust into this other realm. Our one month sail down the ICW (aka GIWW) last spring with our clan of four was far more than I imagined, and staying connected to TMCA made it bigger than us.